Journey Into Jainism

Author(s): Smitpragyashreeji, Vishrutvibhashreeji
Publisher: B Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd

Page 52

The Value of Renunciation (1)
Once there was a very poor boy named Sangam who lived in a small village. He faced many hardships in his childhood because of his family's lack of money. One day he looked at a child eating kheer. Sangam came to his mother, began to weep and said, “I want to eat kheer."
The mother said, “Dear son, how can I afford it? I am hardly able to get even a square meal.” Sangam insisted on having kheer. He wanted it so badly that he started crying.
The neighbours asked, “Why is your son crying so loudly?" His mother explained to them that he wanted kheer but she could not afford it. The lady living next door was very kind and gave her milk, sugar and rice to make kheer. The mother prepared kheer and called her son to eat it. Sangam, filled with joy, came running to eat it. The mother served the kheer in a dish and told him he could eat as much as he wanted to. She then left for a while to fetch him some water.
As the boy was about to start eating, he saw a monk passing by. Sangam overpowering his own hunger, decided to offer the kheer to the monk. Sangam was filled with joy at this idea. He asked the monk to come to his house and receive alms.
The muni asked him, “Did you ask your mother or