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F05 Story - Stories after Bhagwan Mahävir
05 - Nobility of Savchand and Somchand
spots that Savchand must have been in a very embarrassing position and must have drawn the note out of sheer desperation. It was clear to Somchand that Savchand had reposed trust in him by writing the note. It was now his turn to reciprocate. What good was his wealth if he could not extend a helping hand to a noble man in distress? He, therefore, decided to oblige and asked the accountant to honor the note. The accountant was confused and asked, "Which account should the amount be debited from?" Somchand instructed the accountant to debit it to his personal account. The note was accordingly accepted, and the amount was paid to the prince. The prince did not actually need the money and had asked for payment because of his doubt about the financial stability of Savchand. When the note was honored, he felt reassured about Savchand's credibility and repented for insisting upon the return of his deposit. On his way home, he went to Savchand and told him that he had received the amount from Amdäväd. Savchand heartily thanked Somchand for that act of grace. At the end of the monsoon, the ships resumed their return journey and safely returned with the merchandise. Savchand was very pleased and relieved. He made a huge fortune by selling the merchandise, and his prestige rose even higher than it was before the loss of his ships. It was now time for him to pay back Somchand. For that purpose, he personally went to Amdäväd and offered the amount of Rs. 100,000 with interest. Somchand, however, declined to accept it on the grounds that his books did not show any amount due from Savchand. Savchand would not accept that. How could he go home without repaying the debt? He therefore pressed Somchand to accept the amount and said that he was willing to pay any amount that Somchand asked. Savchand added that if he failed to repay, he would feel guilty for drawing the undue promissory note. Somchand, however, replied that he had purchased the promissory note for the drops of tears. Those two drops of tears of a respectable man were worth Rs. 200,000 to him. Of that, he had paid only Rs. 100,000 to the prince and another Rs. 100,000 were still due to be paid. Saying this, he offered Rs. 100,000 to Savchand. But how could Savchand accept that? He was indebted to Somchand for his graciousness in honoring the bill. For that grace Savchand was willing to pay any amount to Somchand. Instead of accepting the amount, Somchand was offering another Rs. 100,000 to him! As Savchand repeatedly insisted on repaying the amount of his promissory note, Somchand explained that he was unable to accept the amount because his books did not show any amount due from Savchand. In a way, he was right because the payment to the prince of Rs. 100,000 was debited to his personal account and not to Savchand's account. In Rämäyan, there is an interesting event when neither Räm nor Bharat were willing to accept the throne, and they each asked the other to accept it. A similar dispute arose between Savchand and Somchand. Both of them offered a high payment to the other but neither of them was willing to accept the other's offer. Savchand continued to insist that Somchand accept the amount of his bill, but the latter would not only decline, but insisted on Savchand accepting another Rs. 100,000. At last, it was decided that they would refer the matter to the mediation of the Jain community. The executive committee of the Amdäväd Jain Sangh got together with both of them. After hearing them patiently, the sangh concluded that since neither of them was ready to accept the amount offered by the other, the amount should be used for a noble cause. Both of them agreed, and after making a substantial addition to the said amount, they decided to spend the money to construct a temple complex on Shatrunjay Hill. Accordingly, construction was undertaken immediately. After completion, the opening ceremony of the complex was performed with great fanfare in 1619 A.D. In commemoration of their names, the complex is still known as Savä-Som Tuk.
Moral: Honesty in life as well as in business always pays off. The generosity of Somchand is praiseworthy. He did not take undue advantage of a person in distress. Instead, he helped an unknown person. Moreover, he did not expect anything in return.
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015
