Monks and Acharyas
Valkalchiri
वल्कलचीरी · વલ્કલચીરી
The forest boy who found his true self while cleaning his father's bowls
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
A boy raised alone in the forest, wearing clothes of tree bark, is lured to the city by his royal brother. Years later, back in the forest, an ordinary task wakes something very old inside him.
What it teaches Simplicity Self-knowledge Family love
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, a king and queen went to live quietly in a forest. There a baby boy was born. His mother's life came to an end, so his father raised him all alone. The baby was wrapped in soft tree bark, so he was called Valkalchiri.
Valkalchiri grew up in the forest. He picked fruit, fetched water and helped his father. He had never seen a city or a shop. He only knew trees, birds and the quiet stream.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
A simple task done with full attention can become a doorway to the soul.
To talk about together
Valkalchiri remembered something important while doing a small, quiet job. What small job helps you feel calm?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.