Parables of Wisdom
King Vidyapati and Contentment
राजा विद्यापति और संतोष · રાજા વિદ્યાપતિ અને સંતોષ
The goddess of wealth said she would leave in ten days, so a merchant decided to give everything away first
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
A rich merchant dreams that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, will leave his house in ten days. Instead of clinging to his money, he and his wife choose a very different path, and their lives turn in a way no one expected.
What it teaches Contentment Generosity Limiting possessions
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in a city called Potan, there lived a rich merchant named Vidyapati and his kind wife Shrungarsundari.
One night Vidyapati had a dream. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, came to him and said, "In ten days I will leave your house." Vidyapati woke up feeling worried. What would they do without their money?
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What we hold loosely cannot be taken from us.
To talk about together
Vidyapati kept only a hundred coins and a month of grain. What is one thing you have more of than you really need?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.