Mahachandrakumar (महाचन्द्रकुमार)

णवमस्स उक्खेवो ।

The introduction of the ninth chapter.

This is the standard opening marker that announces the beginning of the ninth chapter. It signals that the story of the second Bhadranandi has concluded and the narrative of Mahachandrakumar is about to begin. With only two chapters remaining after this — the ninth and the tenth — the Sukha Vipaak is approaching its conclusion. Each opening formula maintains the oral tradition's clarity, ensuring the listener knows exactly where they are in the sequence of ten stories. For an audience that received these teachings orally rather than from a book, knowing the chapter number was essential — it confirmed how many more stories remained and reinforced the cumulative weight of the teaching. By the ninth chapter, a thoughtful listener would already understand the pattern clearly: a prince in a wealthy city, a visit from the Tirthankara, a past life of virtue, a commitment to the path, and eventually liberation. The ninth chapter follows this same arc, but introduces a new city — Champa — and a new past life that took place in the unusual city of Tigicchiya (meaning "the city of healing"). The protagonist is Prince Mahachanda, whose name means "great moon" — a name associated with gentle, steady, cooling light, a fitting image for a soul whose accumulated virtue illuminates the path to liberation.

The simple version: This line simply marks the start of the ninth chapter.

चम्पा णयरी। पुण्णभद्दे उज्जाणं। पुण्णभद्दो जक्खो। दत्ते राया। रत्तवई देवी। महचंदे कुमारे। सिरीकंतापामोक्खाणं पंचसयाणं रायवरकण्णगाणं पाणिग्गहणं। तित्थयरागमणं। पुव्वभव पुच्छा। तिगिच्छिया णयरी। जिवसत्तू राया। धम्मवीरिए अणगारे पडिलाभिए जाव सिद्धे। णिक्खेवो जहा पढमस्स। ।। णवमं अज्झयणं समत्तं ।।

"In the city of Champa. The Punnabhadda garden. The guardian spirit was Punnabhaddo. The king was Datta. The queen was Rattavai Devi. Prince Mahachanda. He married Sirikanta, chief among five hundred princesses. The Tirthankara arrived. The question of previous births was asked. In the city of Tigicchiya. King Jivasattu. The monk Dhammavirie was encountered, leading all the way to liberation. The closing is as in the first chapter. The ninth chapter is complete."

This sutra tells the story of Prince Mahachandrakumar in the well-known city of Champa — one of the great ancient cities frequently mentioned across Jain scriptures, associated with wisdom and spiritual activity. The garden was called Punnabhadda ("the auspicious good one"), and the guardian spirit shared the same name, Punnabhaddo — a detail that signals the deep auspiciousness of the setting where this story unfolds. King Datta ruled the city, and his queen was Rattavai Devi ("the red-robed goddess"), suggesting royal splendor. Their son, Prince Mahachanda (Mahachandrakumar), was born with the auspicious signs of accumulated merit — these signs are understood in Jain teaching as visible evidence of good karma from past lives. He married the princess Sirikanta, who was chief among five hundred royal maidens. When Lord Mahavira arrived in Champa, the prince sought his teachings and asked about his previous births — because in Jain thought, understanding your past is not idle curiosity. It is the beginning of wisdom: you see clearly how you arrived here, and that clarity motivates you to keep walking the path. The Lord revealed that in a former life, Mahachandrakumar had lived in the city of Tigicchiya (Chikirtsika — "the city of healing"), where King Jivasattu ruled. In that life, he had encountered a monk named Dhammavirie (Dharmavirya — "the power of dharma"), heard the teachings of truth, and practiced renunciation and moral conduct. Through the merit of those past actions, he was born into royal fortune and, following the same spiritual path as every previous prince in these ten chapters, was assured of eventual liberation. The closing follows the same pattern as Chapter 1, confirming that Mahachandrakumar will make an end of all suffering — not today, and not without continued effort, but certainly, inevitably, as the fruit of causes already set in motion.

The simple version: Prince Mahachandrakumar of Champa city was born to King Datta and Queen Rattavai. In his past life in Tigicchiya city, he had met the monk Dharmavirya and practiced righteousness. He followed Lord Mahavira's path and was assured of eventual liberation.