Light Of Life

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 78

A gentleman went one day to Chaupati to carry out his business. He began to search for a friend of his. The two met and decided to carry out business in cool drinks. The gentleman said to his friend. "I will bring cool drinks; you bring ice and bottles. We shall sell at the rate of five annas per cup. Of this, we shall put aside three annas towards expenses. Of the two annas profit we shall go halves and take one anna each. We shall each get 50% profit. "But owing to the emergence of the Labhantaray Karma, they could not get any profit. The effect of their sinful karma was such that no one came to buy cool drinks from them. Now, it was afternoon; and the gentleman began to feel very thirsty, He said to his friend, "May | drink a glass of this." The friend said, "'This is business; you cannot drink it free.', The gentleman said, “I have five annas with me."
He paid five annas; and drank a glass of the cool drink. His thirst was satisfied. Sometime later, his friend felt thirsty; and said that he wanted a drink. The gentleman said, "Do as I did. This is business, you see !" He did so.
Thus, they continued drinking upto the evening. The five annas kept moving from one to the other. By the evening, the entire quantity was exhausted. In the evening when the gentleman returned home, his mother asked him :
"How did your business go on?"
"It went on very well."
"Then you must have got a large profit.,' "I got no profit."
He narrated to her all that had happened. The mother sank to the ground in despair. She was silent.
Our endeavours also are of the same kind. Prayer Pratikraman, Samayik, worship, seeing the lord and glo
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