Once there was a very rich man in a village. But he was also a great miser who loved his money very dearly. He never spent the money, nor gave anything to anyone. Suddenly one day he realized that he will eventually die one day. He did not want to part with his money when he died.
He went to the priest of the temple and asked, “Sir, when I
die can I take my money with me?” The priest replied, “What a foolish man you
are! No one takes wealth with them when they die.”
The miser was unimpressed, so he asked all the holy men that
visited his village including priests, monks, sufis, padre, saints etc but all
gave him the same answer.
One day, the man met Guru Nanak and asked him the same
question. Guru Nanak said yes. The man was overjoyed and asked how he could
take them with him. Guru Nanak told him that he would need to convert his money
into a form he could carry with him. The man was ready to convert it into
whatever currency was required.
Guru Nanak then revealed that the currency was Punya, or
meritorious deeds.
The man realized his folly and started helping others with his
wealth – he built hospitals, schools, planted trees, opened parks. His wealth
did decrease but his happiness increased manifold. He became lighter and
blissful.