Parables of Wisdom
Nandaraja's Gold
नंदराजा का सोना · નંદરાજાનું સોનું
A king filled his treasury with mountains of gold, and still felt poor
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
King Nand takes gold from everyone in his kingdom until the people are left with nothing. A neighbouring king sends a messenger with honest advice, and Nand must decide whether to listen.
What it teaches Greed Contentment Justice
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in a big city called Pataliputra, there was a king named Nand. He had a big palace and a big army. But more than anything else, he loved gold.
King Nand wanted more and more gold. So he made the people give him their money. First a little, then a lot, then almost everything. Soon the people had no gold coins left at all. They had to use coins made of leather. Some families did not even have enough food to eat.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Greed is a hunger that grows the more you feed it.
To talk about together
The king had more gold than anyone, but he was never satisfied. Why do you think more did not make him happy?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.