Parables of Wisdom
The Price of Gambling
जुए की कीमत · જુગારની કિંમત
A hundred rupees that came too easily, and a savings jar that went empty
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
At a family Diwali, eleven year old Kunal discovers how exciting it is to win money without working for it. Within weeks, the excitement has turned into a secret he cannot carry.
What it teaches Greed Honesty Self-control
The opening of the children's telling
Kunal loved Diwali at Ba's house. One night he saw some grown ups play a card game with money. His uncle won and gave Kunal a hundred rupees. "Money without any work!" Kunal thought. "How exciting!"
At school, Kunal began to bet with his friends. "Ten rupees says I can flip this bottle!" Sometimes he won. Mostly he lost. He took coins from his savings jar, the one for Ba's birthday present. Soon the jar was empty, and Kunal felt a heavy stone in his tummy.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What comes without effort often costs the most.
To talk about together
Why do you think Kunal felt lighter after he told the truth, even though it was hard?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.