________________
158
THE WAY OF LIFE
thus. The author of the grantha has explained the greatness of this virtue. He explains the importance of the propriety of prudence and wisdom in spending money,
All wealthy people may not possess sense and discretion. Some wealthy people squander their wealth in such a manner that people call them spendthrifts and prodigals. Who can describe them as sensible people, if they squander away their wealth, which could have been used for some noble causes ? In history, we come across many such whimsical people, who wasted their money. I will mention here a few examples of such men.
SOME EXAMPLES OF ECCENTRIC AND WHIMSICAL PEOPLE
In the twelfth century, there lived a famous emperor by name, Al-Ajij of Yemea. He was unique in his love of garments. Hundreds of weavers worked in his palace to weave for him new cloth every day and hundreds of workers worked to prepare new garments for the emperor every day. They had to prepare extraordinary clothes embroidered with excellent diamonds and emeralds. Every month he used to spend crores of rupees on dress and decoration. His subjects who disliked his extravagance rebelled against him. What was the result ? The emperor was killed.
A certain wealthy man belonging to Misra, by name Amir Besari was more extravagant than that emperor. He was also more eccentric. He inherited an enormous fortune which he squandered away on drinks. His habit was to drink wines from gold cups and to throw them away as if they were clay cups. He used to drink expensive drinks only from gold cups. He squandered away all his wealth on his eccentric habits and when he died, he had not left even the money necessary to buy a shroud to cover his dead body.
Shaik Shahrukh of Mongolia used to celebrate his birthday with extraordinary pomp and splendour. That was his craze. On his birthday, if anyone went to him, he gave him a plate of
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
