What Others Think

Are we affected?

For many of us, our life crumples in moments when we hear someone say something odd or bad about us... And in such times, we feel low, upset and worthless. But the question we often forget to ask at such times is, ' is it worth being even bothered about what other's think?' Here is a good story  that I happened to read from an email sent by a friend, some time ago. Thanks to the author (unknown to me) and above all thanks to the Mighty God for allowing me to read it... Now here for many more to read... Enjoy and prepare to feel great about yourself.

Once upon a time, a thief hadn’t had any luck for many days in a row. One night he went out with a resolve that he wouldn’t return home empty-handed. He scoured the streets looking for the right home, the right opportunity, without any success. Tired and dejected, in the wee hours of the morning, he sat on a footpath and fell asleep. A few minutes later a drunkard was passing by. He saw the thief and felt sorry for him thinking he was also some drunk who had passed out on the street. He stopped by to see if there was any bottle lying nearby because that’s what he was interested in — more liquor. But, there was none. Feeling angry, he left. Hardly had he gone when another man, who happened to be a gambler, saw the thief. “Poor loser,” he thought. “He must have lost so much that he’s scared to go home.”
An hour passed and another thief happened to pass this way. He looked at the sleeping man and thought, “He must be an unfortunate small-time burglar like me who couldn’t get his hands on anything tonight.” Dawn was breaking over the horizon when a yogi was going to a nearby river for ablutions. He looked at the thief and began admiring him. “This is a real yogi,” he thought. “Unlike me, who’s still caught up in rituals, he’s just lying here carefree, without any belongings. This is the way of a yogi.” He derives deep inspiration from the thief, bows before him and gets going. Another hour later, the sun, now warm and bright, wakes up the thief and he leaves for his home empty-handed.

This is how our world operates. It doesn’t matter who, how or what we are. Each one will see us according to their capacity.THEY WILL FORM THEIR OPINION BASED ON THEIR PERCEPTIONS AND PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS. OFTEN, MOST OF WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT US IS DEPENDENT ON THEIR OWN CONDITIONING. IT IS NOT AS MUCH ABOUT US AS IT IS ABOUT THEM. The more we realize this, the less bothered we will be by other's opinions., When people do think about us, often it is more along the lines of what they want to think about us. As they grow and evolve, as their priorities change, they begin to think differently. Right from the day we r able to intelligently perceive this world, we have wanted the approval of others. And the very funny thing is, the other person too wants our approval. Everyone wants to be in the good books of others. Agreed, we cannot totally ignore the opinions of others, but the question is how much r we willing to stretch ourselves for the opinion of others? At some point it is good to turn inward and see who we actually are. It is absolutely possible to sit high in others opinion if we turn inward... the magic is not making others feel high about us, but in the fact that WE WILL BE LESS AND LESS BOTHERED ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT US. As we turn inward and cultivate positive qualities, we develop even more beautiful qualities and we will soon find that it is possible to be contended within. HOW WE SEE OURSELVES IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOW OTHERS SEE US,bcas our happiness purely depends on our own honest opinion. So now, it's time to decide if we must be bothered about what other's think!

The Mighty Trickster

Our Mind

Our mind is the biggest trickster and most difficult to control. Mahatmas (great realized souls) compare it to a mad drunken monkey that is bitten by a scorpion. Imagining a mad monkey is difficult, now one that is mad, drunk and in excruciating pain, can we even imagine one such? That is how crazy our mind is... Now that kind of a mind has some powers too: the veiling power and the power of projection. First, the mind veils the true nature of a phenomenon, and then it misinterprets it. It covers the truth and makes us mistake the truth for something else. 

A man was walking alone along a village path. It was getting dark, and he was struggling to find his way in the dim light. Suddenly, something bit him in the foot. He felt the area with his hand and discovered a small wound. He could also feel that it was bleeding. He suddenly froze when he saw a snake lying coiled in a bush next to him. He must have been bitten by the snake. The panic stricken man screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘Help! I have been bitten by a poisonous snake! I’m going to die! Please, someone come and take me to a doctor!’ The man was hysterical. He called and he called. He was now beginning to feel terribly tired and his head was spinning as if he were about to faint. He sat on the ground and continued to call for help. Within a few minutes, a man appeared out of the dark. He was carrying a torch. ‘What is the matter? What happened?’ he asked. ‘I was bitten by a poisonous snake. I am dying. Can you take me to a doctor?’ ‘Don’t worry. Of course I will help you. But where exactly did it happen?’ asked the stranger. ‘Right here, on this very spot,’ replied the man. ‘Look at that bush. There’s a snake there!’ The stranger turned his torch towards the bush, and what did he see? A thorn bush with a piece of rope entangled in it. The stranger said, ‘Take a good look! It’s a thorn bush. A thorn must have pricked your foot. The unfortunate thing was that you simultaneously saw the rope in the dim light and mistook it for a snake. Thus you were convinced that you had been bitten by a snake. But now that you know the truth, you can calm down.’ Once the man realized the truth, all symptoms of tiredness and dizziness disappeared, and he began to relax."

This is how the mind plays its tricks on us. Thats precisely why, we need to be calm in times of distress . We need our mind to be our friend to help us make sense of a situation. But well... As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavatham Gita, the mind is our best friend if it is in our control and our worst enemy if we are in its control. And most of us are... Slaves to our own mind... Jumping to its every like! We are all well experienced in the 'slave to our mind' scenario! No proof needed! And yes... I know the feeling! So how then can we make our mind to guide us rather than misguide us when necessity arises? I think it's  possible only through constant perseverance and loads of positivity. 

The mind is like a big bucket of salt water. Every positive thing we read, hear, speak, share... all helps. They r all like the small drops of fresh water we continuously add into our bucket of salt water, which is currently our mind. The more fresh water we add, the less and less the salty taste. The more often we add, the faster we clean the saltiness. As we continuously do it, we bring down the saltiness of our bucket and eventually there will be nothing salty but fresh water in the bucket of our mind. And that is when, we can make our mind our friend! But beware, not to add more salt back in for every few drops of fresh water!!! Well, if we begin today, probably we can accomplish the magic of getting our own mind to be our own dearest friend before we bid goodbye to this place and this existence. It's a treasure worthy the try.

Can we wait.... I think we can...

No (Mind) jumping ! No Judging!

Today a quick post and let me start with the story....

A lovely little girl was holding two apples with both hands. Her mother came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile: " My darling, could you give your mom one of your two apples? The girl looked up at her mother for some seconds, then she suddenly took a quick bite on one apple, and then .... quickly, on the other. The mother felt the smile on her face freeze. She tried hard not to reveal her disappointment.Then the little girl handed one of her bitten apples to her mom,and said: "Mom, here you are.This is the sweeter one." 

Now, how many of us had come to conclusions at the point of the child taking her bite? I wish I could say "I didn't !", but the truth is I did too!!!. There is always a reason why someone behaves a given way. There is a lot more to ones life and situation than what catches the eye... But in spite of knowing all this, when a situation presents itself, we just go ahead and judge people! We judge the words, and actions of others and we do it with as much ease as we breathe. I remember reading somewhere that because judgement has become so much a part and parcel of us, we cannot see anything, even ourselves without its influence!!!!

No matter who we are, how experienced we are, and how knowledgeable we think we are, we must never jump in and judge people and situations. We must at least give them the privilege to explain themselves. What we see may not always be the reality., so let's never never hurry to conclusions... And that much I think we can all do..... 

Let's fly and soar high...

Ready to fly?

It's often happened in our life that when we come face to face with adversity, we find ourselves weak and looking for all types of support. Many a time, we end up loosing the battle. Then we retire to brood and worry. At such times we never miss a single chance to point out how tough our life is.  We all come to this world as soldiers.  Every single one is here to fight something. But the problem is we are so mesmerized by the unreal that we do not recognize our real enemy.  Often we mistake the adversities to be our enemy when in reality our own attitude to the adversity is the true enemy. We hold tight to our enemy that keeps us from soaring high, all the while fighting the adversity which was, in the first place there, to lift us higher. What a pity! Here is a story, I would like to share at this point...read on...

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch.

Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.”

In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.” The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”

With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”

We r all like the falcons...Most times we sit on our comfort branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless out there, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered because of many reasons. We hold tight to the familiar, the comfortable, and the mundane. So for the most part, our lives are dull instead of being exciting, thrilling and fulfilling. 

When we refuse to give Life the best, Life will make us all fly... by cutting the branches of comfort... pushing us to extremes only to help us realize our incredible potential .  So let us try to learn and attempt to destroy the branches of comfort... that we strongly cling to and free ourselves to the glory of life . .. Let's soar high!

Seeing the Beauty in our flaws

Lets find our Strength in our Weakness...

All of us want to be the best and have the best of everything. However we have hindrances in being so and for many of us, they come in the form of our own self... as small little flaws in the way we are... physically or mentally. Often with the wrong way of looking at it, we see the saw unique flaws greatly enlarged. As a result we feel down and upset and often feel ordinary or even worse, handicapped! But have we ever thought... May be there is a reason we are the way we are... Here is a story... Read along...

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole whichhe carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made andnever leaked. The other pot had a crack in it and by the time the waterbearer reached his master's house it had leaked much of it's water and wasonly half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer deliveringonly one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course,the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor crackedpot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was ableto accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoketo the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, andI want to apologize to you." The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

 Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowersonly on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That'sbecause I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while wewalk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I havebeen able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table.Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beautyto grace his house."

 So, may be everything is the way it is for a positive reason. Each of us have our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. Agreed! But by acknowledging our faults, we too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength....  Like the cracked pot, we all have our own unique flaws. But it’s these cracks and flaws we each have that makes our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. With the right attitude, our flaws will turn to be our blessings. Happiness is never impossible with the right attitude. No matter the cracks and dents, we are still unique and special beings. Feel special and learn to see each other around with that same idea... Doing that will sure make us feel extra special, no matter the cracks!!!

Life in my own words... A new try!

Life is life after all... Twists and turns on all sides. It's ups are always enjoyable but we humans never like the downs, but well they just keep coming. Recently I have been thinking... Life is very much like reading an adventurous book.... And here's a tribute to that adventurous book waiting to be read further...in my own words... A small poem!

As I turn every page,
In my book of life...
I get to read....
Amazing chapters!

The ones I wished to skip...
Turned out to be the most exciting!
And the ones I dreaded ..
Happened to be the most magical!

The good pages give me joy...
While the not so good ones give me lessons.
Every chapter done, signs an experience,
Just incase of a future reference!

This book of life is so mind blowing!
No wonder the  best readers go on...
Refusing to quit reading...
Until the very last page is done!

Well... Hope you loved it. So gather up and keep reading the book of your life. There are many mind-blowing chapters to be read! And in your leisure, see you here...

Life and it's confrontations...

For many, and personally for me, Yes, Life has always been the most fascinating, with its myriad colors, lengths, the varieties it presents itself with, it's many faces, it's many ideals, it's dark and bright sides and the list goes on. But no matter how fascinated we are, it's still hard when our's confronts us with negative walls and fearful possibilities. I am sure many agree. We do realise that in life, no matter how hard we try, sometimes, things do happen the other way around and the best thing we could do then, is just to surrender to the moment and give it , all our best, for when we do that, Life itself steps in to help us... It's my precious experience and sure many of yours too. In any case, the one lesson I have always learnt again and again, is 'Life is ALWAYS worth living!'

Here is a story am sure, you will love to read... So go on...

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river. This seems like a safe place. Suddenly labor pains begin.At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above & lightning starts a forest fire. She looks to her left & sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her. To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her. What can the pregnant deer do? She is in labor!
What will happen?
EWill the deer survive? Will she give birth to a fawn? Will the fawn survive?
Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire? Will she perish to the hunters' arrow? Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her? She is constrained by the fire on one side & the flowing river on the other & boxed in by her natural predators on the remaining two sides. What does she do? (Well, it's not a trivia question ... It's story and here is what she does! )
She focuses on giving birth to a new life. The sequence of events that follows are:
- Lightning strikes & blinds the hunter.
- He releases the arrow which zips past the deer & strikes the hungry lion.
- It starts to rain heavily, & the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.
- The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.
-----
So as we proceed on with out life, let's not forget, that with any situation, no matter how confronting and stumbling it seems, we always have a choice to make. Just like the deer,  lets get to focus, know our priorities and then make a worthy choice and give it the best. Life itself will take care of the rest! No harm giving it a try, when all you could otherwise do is brood and curse life... As the saying goes, if we win the situation, we merge victorious and if we loose we still have gained valuable gems of experience. In life, no situation is a loss, if we learn to  pick the gems out. And not to forget, the best of gems are manufactured in the worst of ditches! Well, smile and get through you day. Live and celebrate life.  

Life's lessons through a Pencil...

What I am about to share is something I read a very very long time ago. It took a while for me to recollect and put it in here. It is such a beautiful read. I am sure, every single one who stumble here and read it will love it and hopefully will be inspired.

A pencil maker told a newly made pencil, 5 important lessons, just before putting it in the box...

1. Everything you do will always leave a mark.
2.You can always correct the mistakes you make.
3.What is important is what is inside of you.
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening, which will only make you better.
5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

Isn't our human life very similar! Whatever we do leaves a mark either in a small way or big: We can correct the mistakes we make; We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage us to know that we are all special , with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only we, can fulfill the purpose which we were born to accomplish.

Painful times are part and parcel of this journey of life. Therefore we should never allow our self to get discouraged and think that our life is insignificant and cannot be changed. Like the pencil, we need to always remember that the most important part of who we are, is what's inside of us and then just allow our self to be guided by the hand of God.

Right Attitude, Effort and Grace!

There were a few sculptors working on a statue. A passerby approached one of them and asked, "What are you doing?" Without even raising his head, he snapped, "Can't you see that I am chirping away at a rock?" He then approached another sculptor and asked him the same thing. Wearily putting down his chisel and hammer, he looked up at the passerby and said with a sigh, "I am trying to earn a livelihood." The passerby approached yet another sculptor. He was chiseling away in the most relaxed way, singing while doing so. When the passerby asked him what he was doing, he smiled cheerfully and replied,"I am creating a sculpture." Saying so, he started singing again and joyfully resumed his work.

The three men were doing the same work, but each had a different attitude. When the first was cursing his lot as he worked, the second did it solely for his survival. In contrast, the third man transformed the same action into a blissful experience.

In a similar way we can turn anything we do into a blissful experience.  As we enjoy what we do, we do it better and better and thereby it turns out to be one of the best.  When life hands us out tasks, we have no choice but to carry it out. We cannot run away from it unfortunately!. So why not face it with the right attitude and win it over. However when the going gets tough, its just, 'Do your best and let the rest to God!' Because the right attitude, helps us put in our best effort, which inturn draws the grace of Almighty God, who inturn helps us finsh the task... Here's another story you will just love...

There was a soldier, who in the midst of a fierce fight, gets separated from his unit. He tries in vain to fight the enemy by himself. But still, he does his best. At some point he realizes that he cannot stand against anymore and tried his best to stay safe until help arrived. He saw a series of small caves and hid inside one of them. However he soon realized that the enemy army is searching the caves and that he would soon be caught. Having done all he could do, he now sent in a silent prayer... " God, I did everything I could, now please protect me." After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy draw close.

He thought, "Well, I guess God isn 't going to help me out of this one. " Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. Suddently he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what God has sent me is a spider web!"

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realised that with the spiderweb over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Oh, god, forgive me, " prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that with your grace, a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

Well, the battle of Life does seems cruel at times, but there is always a path to victory in any given situation, if only we give it the best we have. Life asks no more from us. And when our part is done, the Almighty who put us in, reveals to us the road to victory... all for just a little effort from our side. And how sad that we refuse to put in even that much- that little much that we CAN DO, when it comes to the battlefield of our Life!

Not to forget... its the Right Attitude that sets us on our path to victory. And as we try to take every step towards the goal, that effort, automatically draws the magic power of grace, which just makes the rest of our going easier. No matter how many steps we are capable of taking, just five or fifty, does not matter, lets take as much as we can, b'cas once we do our part, the rest will be taken care of.... and that would be one sweet acomplishment to be proud of when we turn back in life someday!

Things are not what they seem to be...

Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

“Things aren’t always what they seem to be.” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.”

“Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem to be."

Well, many times in life, things definitely are not what they seem to be. So when the going gets tough, remember, it could have been a lot worse. When we feel that we are in a better situation our entire perspective changes and we are better of at facing whatever is in store for us.

Everything will pass by.... this includes your sorrow!

This is a beautiful story with a true gem in it.

There once was a king who tried to play some fun on his trusted minister.  He therefore asked his minister to go in search of a special ring , which he knew does not exist. When the minister enquired what was special, the king replied, "The ring possed magic powers, that if a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad and if a sad man looks at it he becomes happy.". The minister who got six months to find the ring set out in search of it. He searched far and wide but to no avail. On the last day before the end of the six months, as he was walking sadky, throught he poorest of the streets, he saw an old merchant to whom he asked, "Do you by any chance know of a ring that can make the happy sad and the sad happy?" The old merchant immediately took out an old ring from his collection and etched something on it and gave it to the minister. The minister's sad face beamed the moment he read the inscription. Happily he took it to his king. Waiting to see the fun unfold, the kind questioned him with a face filled with smile and eagerness.  The minister handed the ring to the king  and immediately noticed the smile fading away. As he read the inscriptions on the ring, 'This too shall pass!', the king had realized that all his wealth, power and influence would get to pass by and someday he himself would be nothing.

Enjoying this world and its material possessions is fine as long as we do not loose our selves when we loose our possessions. Enjoying everything with the right attitude that nothing in this world stays forever, would strengthen us and make our life and its challenges worth a marvellous experience!

Are you rich?

What do we mean by being rich. In today's world, richness is defined by luxury, money and status.But in truth, it is the mind that makes one rich and poor. That is precisely why we see happy men among beggars and sorrowful ones among the rich and celebrated. Here is a story that not only give us the right ourlook to learn but also a  true meaning of 'being rich'. Enjoy!

One day, a rich dad took his son on a trip. He wanted to show him how poor someone can be. They spent time on the farm of a poor family. On the way home, the dad asked, "Did you see how poor they are? What did you learn?". Son said, "We have one dog, they have four, we have a pool, they have rivers, we have lanterns at night, they have stars, we buy foods, they grow theirs, we have walls to protect us, they have friends, we have encyclopedias, they have Bible." Then as they headed home, the boy turned to his dad and said, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."

Most times in this world it is not money or such things that make one rich... rather it is the simplicity, love, happiness and faith one holds that makes one's life rich and worh living.

Shake off and Step up!

This is a story some good soul sent out to me over the internet. It is one of the best stories I have ever heard with a beautiful message. Read on...

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Prayer

Prayer has had a great part in all our life. But how we pray and what we pray for is most often never a factor. We take it for granted. In most cases we pray just for us, our family and our welfare. Here is a wonderful story I recently read., one I will always cherish and hope those who read it too.

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land and he was able to eat it's fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren! After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, there was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, again there was nothing! Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing! 

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could  leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?". The first man answered , "My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them. His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything." The next instant, "You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer,  which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.". Confused, the first man asked the voice "Tell me, O God, What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?" And God said, "He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone,  but those of another praying for us.
So, we need to remember to pray for others and when we do have our prayers answered, lets thank those unknown souls  who might also have played a part.

Lets not overlook our own faults!

One day a man complained to the health department about his brothers. "I have  two brothers and we all live in one room. They have too many pets. One has five monkeys, the other has six dogs. It is terrible and there is no air in the room at all. You must please do something about this." The official asked, "Have you got any windows?" to which the man promptly replied, "Yes!" Why don't you open them to let fresh air in?", suggested the official. The second the official finished, the man yelled..."What? And loose all my pigeons!"

When everything goes well in life, we readily take the credits to it. However when our attempts end in failure, we immediately point our fingers in the opposite direction, overlooking our own faults, just like the man in the story!


Life becomes far more liveable when we are true to our innerself. If we can remember that there is no life without struggles and failures and that they are here only to make us stronger individuals we will be able to face it with far more ease. There is no shame in failures, whoever says whatever. The more the failures the more we learn. Ofcourse easier said than done! But we donot have a choice? When we fail, lets cry and brood, who cares, but lets remember not to stop there, lets get up to try it all over again... no matter whether it would fail again or succeed...lets just not give it! Thats not us!

The Point-of-View in Life!

In a small town there lived two brothers. But apart from the fact that they were brothers, they had nothing in common. The elder brother had many bad habits  drugs, alcohol, etc...and was often in and out of jail. He was a criminal by career, a very bad dad, with about two failed marriages.  His brother on the contrary, led a very healthy and peaceful life. He was a bussiness man in a very high position, a very good dad and husband. In his free time he serves his community through physical and financial means.

One day a reporter from a local telivision interviewed both the brothers seperately and asked them the same question..." What is it that made you, who you are today?"

The elder brother replied, "It is all b'cas of my father. He was an alcoholic, beat my mother, often for no reason. He was selfish and showed no love or affection to us. Today I have become just like him!".

The younger brother replied, "Its all b'cas of my father. He was a failure by all means. I took a resolve that I would never be like him. I am so grateful to my dad that he showed me how not to live!".

Both the brothers were troubled by their abusive father. They both had negative input however their output was completely different. Everything depends on our mind! If we want to see good in something or someone we can and if we decide to see bad, we can sure find a lot of that as well. Everything depends on how you look at it. Its all in your point of view!

Attitude in Life!

Once there was a monastery that was very strict. They followed a vow of silence and were allowed to talk just two words every 10 years. There was a new monk who after spending his first tenyears there, went to the head monk. When the head monk asked," Now that you have fiinished your first ten years, what are the two words you would like to speak out?", he immediately said, " Bed.... hard!". Another ten years passed by and he was asked the same question by the head monk for which he replied, "Food stinks!". On finishing the third ten years he went to the head monk with his two words,"I QUIT!" The head monk replied, "Well, I can see why... all you do is complain."

Even in the most suitable circumstances, if our attitude is not correct, we will not find peace of mind! Our own mind is the cause of our suffereing and our own mind is also the cause of our joy.

The True Significance of Onam

Onam, is a traditional festival celebrated by the Hindus in the South Western state of Kerala. It is associated with floral decorations (Pookalam), Good Eats (OnaSadya), boat race (Vallamkali) and a strange story!

Strange Story: - The Mahabali( He was a great King who ruled the land  once upon a time)story associated with Thiruvonam states that Mahabali was a great king in whose rule, the citizens were happy and peace with each other. The Devas were Jealous of Mahabali and they approached Lord Vishnu to curtail his power and Vishnu(God) agreed to malicious intention of Devas and kicked Mahabali underground.

1. If Vishnu yields to Jealousy of Devas, is Vishnu worth to worship?
2. Can a God be partial to someone or some clan?

Clearly this is a fabrication of human mind (Nara stuthi) which contains human elements of Jealousy, enmity, ego, arrogance, dominate with power and annihilate. There is no divinity (holiness) in this story.

Vishnu: - As per Vedas the feet of Lord Vishnu can be reached only by those who had conquered their senses (Indrajit), renounced and sacrificed.

Indrasya Yuj saha,
Tad vishno paramam padam sada pasyanthi soorayaha

Mahabali: - Our tradition states that we acquire nothing through wealth and only sacrifice defines a place for us (Tyagainaike amirthathvam anasuha). Mahabali had performed 99 Yajnams (fire sacrifices).
Yajnam is associated with fasting for several days, giving up our residence(upa vasam), giving up sleep and staying focused on Agni day and night, finally donating to the needy/ poor upon completion and staying de-attached from materialistic pleasures.

King Mahabali, executing 99 Yajnams(fire sacrifices) had acquired supremacy over his senses(Indrajit) and was qualified for more than Indra sadas. He was qualified for the Divine Lotus Feet of the Lord. Therefore the Lord Himself came down  to this qualified (Aruhath) soul.

Typically in Hindu traditions, departed soul integrates with the feet of Lord Vishnu (Vishnu Paadam). Pindam (offerings) to Vishnu Paadam is considered as offering to departed souls.  Vishnu Paadam is the final resting place for a soul and Mahabali acquired it alive through his penance and sacrifice.

In Conclusion:- Thiruvonam is a celebration for conquest of senses giving us a clue on how to reach parama padam. 

The Mother of All...

Mata Amritanandamayi... She is a spiritual Guru like no other. Read about Amma here... http://www.amritapuri.org/amma/who

 It is said that when you are ready the Guru comes to us. He makes the necessary arrangements for us to meet Him... And then something within us starts to change... we start becoming wonderful humans... learning to live in peace with ourselves, with our mind and with the outer world. Life becomes a wonderful experience!

LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT RECOGNITION IS A SKILL!

There was a farmer who collected horses. He only needed one more breed to complete his collection. One day, he found out that his neighbor had the particular horse breed he needed. So, he constantly bothered his neighbor until he sold it to him. A month later, the horse became ill and he called the veterinarian, who said: "Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days. I'll come back on the 3rd day and if he's not better, we're going to have to put him down."

Nearby, the pig listened closely to their conversation. The next day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig approached the horse and said: "Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they're going to put you to sleep!" On the second day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig came back and said: "Come on buddy, get up or else you're going to die! Come on, I'll help you get up. Let's go! One, two, three..."

On the third day, they came to give him the medicine and the vet said: "Unfortunately, we're going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise, the virus might spread and infect the other horses."

After they left, the pig approached the horse and said:- "Listen pal, it's now or never! Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up! That's it, slowly! Great! Come on, one, two, three... Good, good. Now faster, come on.... Fantastic! Run, run more! Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you're a champion!!!"

All of a sudden, the owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting: "It's a miracle! My horse is cured. This deserves a party. Let's kill the pig!"

Points for reflection: This often happens in the workplace. Nobody truly knows which employee actually deserves the merit of success, or who's actually contributing the necessary support to make things happen.

LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT RECOGNITION IS A SKILL!

If anyone ever tells you that your work is unprofessional, remember: amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic.

DON'T LOOK TO BECOME A PERSON OF SUCCESS, LOOK INSTEAD TO BECOME A PERSON OF VALUE!