Lay Followers
Champak Shreshthi
चंपक श्रेष्ठी · ચંપક શ્રેષ્ઠી
A rich miser tries to outrun fate, and a little letter changes everything
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
A miserly merchant is told that a stranger will one day enjoy all his wealth, and he sets out to stop it at any cost. The stranger turns out to be a boy who owes his life to kindness, old and new.
What it teaches Karma Generosity Destiny
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in the city of Champanagari, lived a rich man named Vriddhadatt. He had so much gold, but he never shared any of it. He just loved to count it.
One night he had a dream. A goddess told him, "One day, someone else will enjoy all your gold." Vriddhadatt was cross. "I will not let that happen!" he said. He tried very hard to stop it, and he did some unkind things.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What we give with love comes back to us, often in ways we never expect.
To talk about together
Vriddhadatt kept his gold and Champak shared his. Why do you think one was happy and the other was not?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.