Page 33 - Faith Personified

Some time passed. The friendly suddenly cried, “Hey Vikram!
Forgive me, I forgot to inform you but I got news just some
time back that your mother passed away.” Hearing this,
Vikram was taken aback and exclaimed, “Alas! God help me...”
No sooner did he complete his sentence, than the precious
gem appeared in his palm. But Vikram was in grief. On
achieving his target, his friend stopped him saying, “Vikram!
Do not mourn. Your mother is alive and absolutely safe. I

lied to you so that you would utter ‘Alas!’ and thus gain the
precious gem.” On hearing the truth, can you imagine what
Vikram did? “Then I do not want this....” Saying so, he flung
the gem in the nearby valley.

Begging is vicious and so are the temporary benefits derived
out of it.

This was legendary King Vikramaditya’s strong belief, which
he stood by, even in critical conditions.

Kushalchand’s Example

Kushalchand was a successful businessman. When he reached

the age of 50, he thought, “How long should I continue my
business activities and thus engage in sins?” Jain religion teaches
that even if you cannot completely renounce the world, once
you have accumulated enough wealth to live the remainder
of life smoothly, you should retire from business and engage
in religious activities. Why so?

Business and sins

Why retirement? What kind of retirement? Business is a sinful

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