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Journey into Jainism
The Value of Giving Alms
Shreyaansa Kumar, the son of King Somaprabha in Hastinaapur, and the grand-son of Rishabha, seemed to be an exceptional young man. Once he a dream that he watered a grand golden mountain with a jar of nectar. In that same night a rich man named Subuddhi had a dream in which Shreyaansa Kumar made the sun, with its thousands of brilliant rays, shine ever more brightly. Even King Somprabha himself dreamt that a great man was being defeated and he succeeded only with the help of Shreyaansa.
The next day all met and discussed the dreams in the council of the State. Dream readers were called to reveal the meaning of the dreams, but even they could not fully comprehend what such images indicated. Nevertheless, all agreed that Shreyaansa was destined to become something magnificent.
Thus everyone returned contented to their homes. Shreyaansa Kumar, still pondering over his dream, considered what great deeds would be performed by him.
By chance he looked at the highway and he recognized a lean figure approaching him as Bhagawan Rishabha. Because of his purity of thought, Shreyaansa had achieved Jaatismaran gyan and realized that Rishabha had been performing penance for the last twelve months. Therefore nobody was offering him food.
