Monks and Acharyas
Vajrakumar
वज्रकुमार · વજ્રકુમાર
The baby who cried his way to the monk's bowl
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
A baby boy cries day and night until his worn out mother gives him away to his own father, who has become a monk. Years later, a king must decide where the child truly belongs, and the child decides for himself.
What it teaches Detachment Devotion to Learning Destiny
The opening of the children's telling
In the town of Tumbavan lived Dhangiri and his gentle wife Sunanda. They were waiting for a baby. But Dhangiri's heart turned toward the life of a monk, and with Sunanda's permission he took diksha and went away with Acharya Sinhgiri.
Soon a sweet, smiling baby boy was born. On his first birthday, a neighbour sighed, "If only his father were here. But he has taken diksha." The baby heard the word diksha, and he remembered his past life. He knew he was meant to be a monk too. "But my mother loves me too much to let me go," he thought. So he began to cry.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Some hearts know their way home long before anyone else understands it.
To talk about together
Why do you think little Vajrakumar chose the monk's broom instead of the toys and sweets?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.