Prasannachandra (Prasannachandra Rājārshi) was a famous Jain king in the time of Bhagwan Mahavir who later became a Jain monk and finally attained keval-jnan (omniscience) and liberation.

Main points about him:

• He was once a powerful king, very attached to his kingdom and son.
• After listening to Bhagwan Mahavir’s teaching on the temporary nature of worldly things, he accepted diksha and became a muni.
• As a monk, he did very strong tapas (austerities) and meditation, standing on one leg with hands raised, gazing at the sun.
• Once, during such meditation, he heard news about his old kingdom and, just in his thoughts, became angry and violent towards the enemy king and the betraying ministers.
• In that short moment, his inner state became so impure that, if he had died then, his soul would have gone to the 7th hell.
• Immediately after, he became aware of his mistake, repented deeply, purified his thoughts, and again stabilized in pure meditation.
• Due to this inner purity and right awareness, he soon destroyed his ghāti karmas, attained keval-jnan, and moved on the path to moksha.

His life is remembered in Jainism as a powerful example that:

• Only inner bhaav (intentions and thoughts) decide our future state,
• Even a great tapasvi can fall if his thoughts become violent, and
• With right awareness and repentance, a soul can rise from the level of hell to the level of liberation in the same life.

You can read the full simple story here: Shri Prasannachandra Rajarshi