King Shrenik of Magadh was a very powerful king. He fought many battles in order to increase the boundaries of his kingdom. He was also destined to go to hell as a result of his foundness for hunting.

He became a good devotee of Lord Mahavir on account of his past merits.

One day after hearing the discourse of the Lord, he asked him the story of his next life. He was shocked to hear of his future. The Lord forecast, “You will go to hell on account of your violent deeds.” Therefore he asked the Lord the way out of his evil future. So Lord Mahavir told him to do the following:-

1. Ask your maid-servant Kapila to willingly give alms to the Jain monks.

2. Let Kalsauric, the butcher, observe non-violence mentally, physically and in speech for one day.

3. Let Puniya shravak, the holy Bania give his merit of one samayik to you.

The above three things would stop him from going to hell.

King Shrenik thought that the above conditions could be fulfilled. The next day he asked his maid servant to give alms to the monks willingly. So she began to give alms to the Sadhu while uttering that the alms were being given not by her but by the order of the king. The king heard her words and felt that it was an exercise in vain.

Then the king dropped the butcher into an old waterless well so that the latter would refrain from slaughtering animals, like buffaloes for a day. At the end of the day the butcher was hauled out of well and the king asked him how he had passed his time in the well. The butchers said unwillingly that he went on drawing picture, of buffaloes and slaughtered them by the tip of his fingers. Hearing this account of his time into the well the king was again disappointed. The butcher was handsomely paid and sent off.

In order to get the third condition fulfilled, the king went to Puniya shravak and demanded, from him the merit of one samayik. The king was prepared to offer half his kingdom to the Bania. But then, how can one’s merit be transferred to others? One must earn one’s own merit. Hence, Failure resulted in this attempt also.

Moral: – A living being undergoes suffering or pleasure according their merits and demerits