Dhanpati (धनपति)

छट्ठस्स उक्खेवो ।

The opening of the sixth chapter.

This is the standard opening formula that marks the beginning of the sixth chapter of the Sukha Vipaak section. Lord Mahavira is the speaker throughout this entire scripture — his words are being faithfully preserved and passed on by Arya Sudharmashvami. The word "ukkhevo" literally means "the lifting up" or "the commencement" — like raising a curtain before a performance begins. In the ancient oral tradition, these opening lines were not filler — they were signals of attention. A listener who had perhaps momentarily drifted would know the moment "ukkhevo" was spoken: a new story is beginning, a new soul is about to be described, and a new lesson about how karma works is on its way. This tenth chapter of the Sukha Vipaak is about Dhanpati, whose very name means "lord of wealth." But as the story makes clear, the true wealth being described here is not material — it is the accumulated spiritual merit of many lifetimes of right action. The Sukha Vipaak as a whole has a deeply compassionate purpose: rather than simply telling people to behave well, Lord Mahavira shows them — through ten complete, named, traceable life stories — exactly what goodness produces across time.

The simple version: This line simply announces: "The sixth chapter begins now."

कणगपुरं णयरं। सेयासोये उज्जाणं। वीरभद्दो जक्खो। पियचंदो राया। सुभद्दा देवी। वेसमणे कुमारे जुवराया। सिरीदेवी पामोक्खाणं पंचसयाणं रायवरकण्णगाणं पाणिग्गहणं। तित्थयरागमणं। जिणदासो पुव्वभवो। मणिपुरं णयरे। मेहरहो राया। संभूतिविजए अणगारे पडिलाभिए जाव सिद्धे। णिक्खेवो जहा पढमस्स। ।। छट्ठं अज्झयणं समत्तं ।।

In the city of Kanagpura (City of Gold), there was a garden called Setashoka (Setasoy). The guardian spirit was Yaksha Virabhadra. King Priyachanda ruled there. His queen was Subhadda Devi. Prince Vaishramana (Vesamane) was the crown prince. He married Siridevi, chief among five hundred royal maidens. The coming of the Tirthankara is described. Dhanpati's previous birth was as Jinadasa. In the city of Manipur, there was King Meharaha. Through the monk Sambhutivijaya, he attained spiritual progress, up to final liberation. The closing follows the pattern of the first chapter. The sixth chapter is completed.

This sutra is the heart of Chapter 6 — a condensed summary of an entire life story that Lord Mahavira reveals through his omniscient knowledge (kevala jnana). The setting is Kanagpura, literally "the City of Gold." The name is not accidental: it tells us immediately that this is a world of material abundance. King Priyachanda rules the city — his name means "beloved moon," a kingly title suggesting he was cherished by his people. His queen is Subhadda Devi, "the auspicious one." Their son, Prince Vaishramana, becomes the crown prince and marries Siridevi, chief among five hundred royal maidens. The arrival of a Tirthankara (a ford-maker, a liberated teacher who opens the path of liberation for others) in the city is the turning point of the story. When Lord Mahavira comes to Kanagpura, the prince — who already carries the spiritual momentum of his past life — is moved to ask: where did I come from? Why do I have this good fortune? Lord Mahavira reveals the answer: in a previous life, Dhanpati was a householder named Jinadasa in Manipur. Jinadasa encountered the monk Sambhutivijaya, received teachings, practiced charity and right conduct, and accumulated the good karma that ripened into his current royal birth. The closing formula "jav sidde" — "all the way to liberation" — is crucial: it tells us this soul will not stop at enjoying his good fortune. He will use it as a platform to renounce the world and attain moksha, the permanent end of all karma and rebirth.

The simple version: In the golden city of Kanagpura, Prince Vaishramana's son Dhanpati heard Lord Mahavira's teachings and chose the spiritual path. His good fortune came from merit earned in a past life — the same virtuous life described in Chapter 5. He eventually attained complete liberation.