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11. Kapila
(A brilliant comment on consumerism.) -GSB
Kapila was the son of Kasyapa, a Brahmin highly respected by the king, and Yasā his wife apa held a respectable office so long as he was alive but when he died and Kapila was very young then the office went to another Brahmin. Kapila and his mother lived in poverty. One day Kapila and his mother saw the other Brahmin, who now occupied Kasyapa's post, riding on a horseback with a gaily decorated parasole held over his head. Kapila asked his mother who the rider of the horse was and how he could go about in such glory. The mother said, that there was a time when his father went about in such pomp and glory. After all he was a learned man. Kapila asked her whether he could not study and become as learned as his father. The mother's reply was no body in the town would offer to teach him; they were frightfully jealous. Unless Kapila went to another place called Srāvasti where his father's friend Indradatta lived, there was no possibility of his ever learning anything. Kapila accordingly went to Srāvasti to learn under Indradatta.
Kapila ate his meals with a rich family. The servant in the family, a young girl, served him his meals and since he was a young man of cheerful temperament, the girl developed a fancy for him. Since both were poor, they could not really encourage their feelings for each other. However she might like to be entirely at his beck and call, she still had to work with others for her living.
There came a festival in which young women took prominent part. Almost every woman in the town looked forward to this festival but Kapila's friend felt extremely sad. She could not even sleep properly because, she told Kapila she had no money to buy such ornaments and if she went out everybody would laugh at her. Kapila
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| SR No. | 006762 |
| Book Title | Treasury of Jain Tales |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | V M Kulkarni |
| Publisher | Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre |
| Publication Year | 1994 |
| Total Pages | 468 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 17 MB |