________________
DISCOURSE : 36
171
The merchant said to him, “If the office-work remains unfinished, it can be finished the next day but I do not like a hungry man to work in my office”.
The young man said, “You are very kind, sir. You are extremely generous. That is why, you are permitting me to go home at five O'clock but when I take my salary from you I take it for the whole time. When that is so, I should also work upto the prescribed time. My Dharma has taught me that I should not earn money immorally. Taking the full salary and working upto five o'clock, only - This will be immoral. Kindly excuse me. I will go home only at seven in the evening”.
The merchant was so greatly impressed by the young man's honesty that he began to get his food in the evenings and to make the young man eat food with him before sunset.
Gradually, the young man became popular in the whole market. The Seth made him a partner in his business and later when he retired from his business, he gave his office in the share-market to him. This young man earned lakhs of rupees. Now, of course, he is an old man and he too has retired from business. He is popular even in the sphere of Dharma. Popularity brought him prosperity and prestige.
You say, “When the Punyakarma emerges to the surface, wę attain prosperity". But do you know the way to make your punya or merit emerge to the surface ? Noble conduct impels punya to produce its effects. Benevolence impels it to emerge to the surface. Your merit or punya cannot emerge to the surface when your conduct is ignoble. Sometimes, you may feel that your merit or punya has emerged to the surface but that will be only momentary and short-lived. Have you not seen how the punya or merit of ignoble people gets annihilated ? That is why the enlightened exhort you to discard your ignoble activities and to engage yourselves in noble activities. Try to attain popularity and have matrimonial alliance with popular people. This will increase your prestige and honour and it will also increase your prosperity. You can use all these means of happiness for the performance of spiritual austerities.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
