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THE WAY OF LIFE
even attend to his family-affairs. He was obssessed always with the desire to earn more and more. He amassed a lot of wealth. One day, he said to his accountant, "You prepare an account of my wealth. How long will my wealth last? How many generations of my family can live on my wealth? Tell me this".
The accountant made calculations and said, "Sethji, you have so much wealth that your children can live on it for one hundred years if they live for such a period”. Jatashankar said, "Will there be left nothing for my grand-children ?"
The accountant said, “No”.
This was enough to throw Jatashankar into a state of deep worry and anxiety. Agitations and anxieties burn a living man just as the funeral pyre burns a dead man (faat zefa fasta farai gafa of fanta) Jatashankar's body also began to grow thin on account of his worry. One day, a sanyasi, (a mendicant) came to his house for Bhiksha. After giving him Bhiksha, Jakashankar said to him, "O noble man, I am greatly worried about my future. Though I have a lot of wealth, I do not have peace of mind”.
The sanyasi said to him, "Every day you take your food only after giving some food-grain to a beggar”. Having said this, he went away. Accordingly, Jatashankar gave some wheat or rice to some beggar before taking his food. One day, Jatashankar did not find any beggar. He was feeling very hungry. He stood outside his house looking for a mendicant or a beggar. A man who seemed to be a poor farmer was passing that way. Jatashankar called him and said to him, "Brother, you take this food-grain and prepare food out of it,"
The farmer said, “Sir! My food is ready at home. Kindly excuse me. I do not need food-grain”.
Jatashankar said, "If not to-day, you can use it to-morrow".
The farmer said, "I have enough food-grain with me. I do not need this. I have enough with me for to-morrow and the dayafter".
Jatashankar said, “If not for to-morrow or the day after, you can use it in the days to come".
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