The Tale of King Nami
Adapted from Hindu Tales: An English Translation of Jacobi’s Ausgewählte Erzählungen in Māhārāshṭrī
In the ancient city of Sudamsana, there lived a king named Maniraha. He had a brother named Jugabahu, but their relationship was poisoned by an enmity that had followed them from a previous life.
One spring day, when Jugabahu had gone to the royal park, Maniraha followed him there with dark intentions. Overcome by the hatred that had festered between them for lifetimes, Maniraha struck his brother in the neck with a sword.
As Jugabahu lay dying, a woman named Mayanareha approached him. With compassion and wisdom, she spoke to him about the teachings of the Jinas—the enlightened ones who had achieved liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Her words touched Jugabahu’s heart, and in his final moments, he experienced a spiritual awakening. He abandoned his hatred and embraced the true faith.
Because of this transformation at the moment of death, Jugabahu was reborn as a god named Indasamaniya in the fifth heaven, destined to live there for ten sāgarovamas—an immeasurably long period of time.
Meanwhile, King Maniraha’s wife, Mayanareha—the same woman who had helped Jugabahu find peace—gave birth to a son. But that very night, Maniraha was bitten by a venomous snake and died. For his cruel deed of killing his brother, he was reborn as a suffering being in the fourth hell realm.
After Maniraha’s death, the royal counselors installed his cousin Candajasa as the new king of Sudamsana. The obsequial ceremonies for both brothers were performed, and Candajasa assumed the responsibilities of kingship.
Mayanareha, fearing for her infant son’s safety in the palace where his father had been king, secretly took the child and fled. Her journey was difficult, and she eventually reached the city of Mahila. There, exhausted and desperate, she left her baby at the gates of King Paumaraha’s palace, hoping the child would be found and raised with kindness.
Indeed, the abandoned infant was discovered by the palace guards and brought to King Paumaraha. The king, who had no children of his own, was delighted with the beautiful baby boy. He decided to raise the child as his own son, surrounding him with five nurses to attend to his every need.
As the boy grew, he displayed remarkable intelligence, mastering the arts and sciences by the age of eight. When he reached manhood, King Paumaraha arranged his marriage to one thousand and eight princesses from the noble Ikkhaga lineage, whose beauty was surpassed only by celestial nymphs.
The young prince lived in splendor, enjoying all the pleasures of royal life with his many wives. Recognizing his adopted son’s wisdom and capability, King Paumaraha eventually appointed him as the ruler of the country of Videha and gave him the name Nami, which means “The Humbler,” because all adversaries bowed before him.
After passing the kingdom to Nami, Paumaraha renounced worldly life to pursue spiritual enlightenment. Through rigorous practice, he attained supreme knowledge and became revered throughout the three worlds.
Meanwhile, in the city of Sudamsana, King Candajasa continued to rule. One day, a magnificent white elephant—the pride of King Nami’s royal stables in Mahila—broke free from its post and wandered into the territory of Sudamsana. When Candajasa was out riding, his attendants spotted the elephant and captured it for their king.
When King Nami learned that his prized elephant had been taken, he sent an envoy to Candajasa with a message: “This white elephant is my property. Return it to me at once.”
But Candajasa refused, replying haughtily: “The jewels of no man are inscribed with the letters of his name. They belong to whoever has the strength to claim them. Who gives the earth? By whom is it given? To whom has it come by birthright? In this world, it is enjoyed by the princes who possess the essential thing—courage.”
Insulted by this response, King Nami gathered his army and marched against Sudamsana. Candajasa prepared to meet him in battle but was warned by an ill omen. Heeding his counselors’ advice, he retreated behind the city walls and closed the gates. Nami’s forces surrounded the city on all sides, beginning a siege.
News of this conflict reached a nun named Suvvaya, who was living in a convent near Mahila. This nun was none other than Mayanareha, Nami’s mother, who had renounced the world years after ensuring her son’s safety. Concerned about the impending bloodshed, she decided to intervene.
With permission from her prioress, Suvvaya traveled to Sudamsana with several other nuns. She first approached King Nami’s camp outside the city. Nami received her with respect, offering her the principal seat while he sat on the ground before her.
Suvvaya spoke eloquently about the Law of Piety established by the Jinas, emphasizing the impermanence of worldly power and the terrible consequences of violence. Then she asked, “What kind of war is war waged with one’s elder brother?”
Confused, Nami asked, “How is he my elder brother?”
The nun then revealed the truth: Candajasa was his cousin, the son of his father’s brother. She explained Nami’s true parentage—that he was the son of King Maniraha of Sudamsana and that she, Suvvaya, had once been Mayanareha, his mother.
Though startled by this revelation, Nami’s pride prevented him from abandoning his campaign. Seeing his stubbornness, Suvvaya entered the city through a small gate and made her way to the royal palace.
When King Candajasa learned of her arrival, he came to her with tears streaming from his eyes. After paying his respects, he asked why she had taken the difficult path of a nun. Suvvaya told him her story and then revealed, “The man besieging your city is my son, your cousin.”
Overcome with joy at discovering his long-lost relative, Candajasa immediately left the palace and opened the city gates. When Nami saw Candajasa approaching, he was moved by the older man’s open arms and fell at his feet in respect.
Candajasa welcomed Nami into the city with great celebration. In a gesture of reconciliation and recognition of their shared blood, he installed Nami as the ruler of Avanti, making him lord of both kingdoms. Then, following the example of many wise kings before him, Candajasa renounced his royal position to become a wandering monk.
King Nami ruled the united kingdoms with justice, though his governance was known for its severity. Years passed in relative peace and prosperity.
One day, King Nami fell ill with a fever that lasted six months. The royal physicians tried every remedy but eventually gave up hope for his recovery. As he lay suffering, his queens gathered around him, their arms adorned with bracelets, grinding sandalwood paste to cool his burning skin.
The jingling and clanking of their many bracelets pained Nami’s sensitive ears. “My ears are hurting,” he complained. Immediately, the queens removed most of their bracelets, leaving only one on each arm for auspiciousness.
When the noise ceased, Nami asked, “Why do the bracelets no longer clink and clank?”
When told that the queens had removed their excess jewelry, he reflected deeply: “The harm is in the many, not in the solitary. Just as multiple bracelets create disturbing noise while a single one remains silent, so too does attachment to many things bring suffering.”
He vowed, “If I recover from this illness, I shall renounce the world.”
That night, on the full moon of Kattiya, Nami fell asleep thinking of liberation. In his dreams, he saw himself mounted on the royal elephant Seya, climbing the sacred Mount Mandara. When he awoke at dawn to the sound of auspicious music, his fever had miraculously vanished.
As he pondered the meaning of his dream, memories of a previous existence surfaced in his mind. He recalled that before his current life, he had been a monk who, after death, was reborn as a god in the heavenly abode of Pupphuttara. In that divine form, he had visited Mount Mandara during celebrations honoring the Jinas.
This recollection, combined with his insight about the bracelets, brought about a profound spiritual awakening. Understanding the impermanence of worldly pleasures and the inevitability of suffering, King Nami decided to fulfill his vow.
He abdicated his throne, renounced all possessions, and became a wandering monk, seeking the path to final liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
This tale teaches that true wisdom comes from recognizing how attachments multiply our suffering, while simplicity brings peace. It shows how even the most powerful rulers must eventually confront the impermanence of worldly pleasures and the universal truth of suffering, and how spiritual awakening can come from the most unexpected sources—even the simple jingling of bracelets.
