The Tirthankaras
The Fourth Triad: Purushottam and Madhu
चौथी त्रयी: पुरुषोत्तम और मधु · ચોથી ત્રિપુટી: પુરુષોત્તમ અને મધુ
A betrayed friendship, a boastful king, and the sage who loved to stir up trouble
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
In the time of Bhagwan Anantnath, a king who once betrayed his host is born again as the mighty Madhu, and a careless boast in his court sets him on the road to Dwarka and two brothers who are waiting there.
What it teaches Betrayal Pride Brotherly love
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago there lived a king who had a good friend. He welcomed his friend into his home like a brother. But the friend was not kind. He took away the king's wife and ran off. The king was so hurt that he could not forgive, even when he became a monk.
Many lives later, the unkind friend was born as a mighty king named Madhu. He was so strong that he ruled half the land. And the hurt king was born as a prince named Purushottam, in the city of Dwarka. Purushottam had a big brother named Suprabha, gentle and bright like the moon. The two brothers loved each other dearly.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What we take from others by trickery never truly stays with us.
To talk about together
Narad's words made Madhu angry because Madhu wanted to be the greatest. Why do you think it is hard to hear that someone else is stronger or better?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.