Inspiration Bytes: How Sun, Moon and Wind went out to Dinner

How Sun, Moon and Wind went out to Dinner

Once upon a time, the Sun, Moon and Wind were to go out to dinner with their uncle Thunder and aunt lightning in the evening. All the three were very excited about it and had been thinking about it all the day.

Sun and Wind spent the day about who would have a better time at the dinner.

“Aunt and uncle like me better than you, so I’ll get to sit by them,” boasted the Sun, “They love my bright rays”.

“That ‘, is not true,” countered Wind “They like my breezy manner and will definitely want me to be right next to them at the dinner table.”

Then, they bickered about who would have better food,

“ Certainly ,the best and tastiest food items will be given to me, the bright light of the sky ,” said Sun.

“ Oh ,no ! I will be honoured with the choicest items”countered Wind once again.

And so it went on like this all day. Meanwhile, gentle Moon kept to herself, humming and looking forward to an evening with her beloved relatives. She also helped her mother around the house , doing errands and helping to clean and cook,

Finally, Thunder and Lightning came to take Sun, Moon and Wind. Their mother, who was a distant but bright star in the sky, was not going with them. Instead, she waited alone for Sun, Wind and Moon’s return; she looked forward to hearing about their adventures.

Thunder and Lightning took the children on their back and travelled far to the North. When they arrived, Sun, Moon, and Wind were astonished to see a massive granite table set with the most amazing array of food they could imagine. The utensils were made of gold and encrusted with sparkling jewels. The chairs were massive silver thrones with velvet cushions.

As the Sun and Wind hurried to take their places next to their aunt and uncle, Thunder said, “We would like the gentle Moon to sit between us, so she can cast her gentle beams of light on our feast while we enjoy it”.

Moon happily complied and Sun and Wind wondered why had Moon be honoured with the seat between their their aunt and uncle.

Aunt and uncle invited them to the grand feast set there. Both Sun and Wind greedily hurried to eat as much as possible and as quickly as possible.

Moon sat quietly and thoughtfully enjoying the various dishes and turning often to thank Thunder and Lightning for their kindness and generosity.

Sun and Wind were over-stuffed and became impatient to return home .

“Let‘s go,” whined Sun.” I’m tired and want to go to bed.’

“ Me too,” groaned Wind, and I think I have a bit of stomach ache !”.

Aunt and uncle implored them to be patient, so Moon could finish her meal. Sun and Wind climbed on to Thunder .Moon, though took her time, looked one more time at the magnificent table and with the permission of her aunt and uncle took a portion of every dish for her mother and her aunt helped her in packing them.

“ Hurry, hurry,” said Sun.

With a plate loaded with food in her delicate hand , Moon climbed on to Lightning and they sped back to their home.

When they reached home, their mother who was awake waited for them all night long with her little bright eye, was very happy to see them.

“Did you enjoy yourselves, dear children? ‘She asked.

“It was okay,” said Sun, ungraciously.

“ What about you, Wind?” mother asked.

“ It wasn’t that exciting,” said Wind.

“ And what about you, Moon? How did you find the feast? Mother asked.

It was fantastic, mom. I wish you could have been there “and Moon went on to describe their dinner out to her mother. She finished by saying“Since you could not be there, I have brought something for you”. And from behind her back, Moon brought forth the plate full of delicious treats.

“Oh, that is so lovely, Moon,” the mother said.

“What did you bring me, Sun?’?

Then Sun, who was the oldest and should have been wiser for his years ,said indifferently.” I have brought nothing home for you. I went out to enjoy myself only. I did not go to the feast to bring home dinner to you.

“What did you bring for me, Wind? “Asked the mother.

Wind said ,” I did not bring anything home for you mother. You could hardly expect me to bring a collection of good things for you, when I went out for my own fun.

Sun and Wind’s behaviour upset their mother Star, who had tried to teach them to be kind creatures. So, Star turned to Sun and said,

“Because you went out to amuse yourself without any thought of your mother at home, you shall be punished. From now on your rays will be hot and scorching, and they will burn all that they touch. And because of this people will complain about your intense rays and cover their head when you appear.” And that is why Sun is so hot even today. Then she turned to Wind and said,” You also forgot your mother in your selfish fun. This will be your punishment. You will always blow in the hot, dry weather and shall parch and shrivel all living things. And people shall avoid you from now on.”

And that is why the Wind in the hot weather is so disagreeable even today.

But to the kind and gentle Moon, she said,” Daughter, because you remembered your mother and shared your abundance with her, from now on, you shall be cool, calm and bright. All people will admire your beauty and serenity”.

And that is why the Moon’s light is so soft and cool and beautiful even to this day.

Inspiration Bytes: Politics and Principles

Politics and Principles

Mahatma Gandhi regarded these seven as deadly sins. They are commerce without ethics, pleasure without conscience, politics without principle, knowledge without character, science without humanity, wealth without work, and worship without sacrifice.

All great writers subordinate politics to morality .Shukra, a great writer on politics in his text ‘Shukraniti’explicitely lays down that the king is appointed as a servant of the people and he gets a share from the people’s income in the form of tax for his maintenance and protection of the country. His primary duty is to take care of the people. And people have the power to banish him if he is found unworthy.Kautilya was a great politician and administrator. His greatness lies in his practical outlook, the more thorough way in which he welded theory and practice on fundamental moral principles. It is said that when Megasthanes came to India and heard about Chanakya ( Kautilya ) he wanted to meet him , He sent words and was allowed to go to the hut in which Chanakya was living. When he reached there, it was evening. Chanakya was writing something under the dim light of an earthen lamp .He welcomed the guest and asked him the purpose of his visit.

The foreigner replied that he had come to see him and talk to him about himself and on different topics. Chanakya asked him to wait. Then he took another lamp and after lighting it ,he put off the first lamp. Then he invited Megasthenes to sit on a mat .Megasthanese sat down but could not hide his curiosity. He asked Chanakya,” I feel there must be a reason that you have put off the first lamp and lighted another one , but I don’t find any difference in them , neither in the make and size nor the light that is coming out. Please tell me why you changed the lamp ?’.

“ Before changing it , I asked you about your purpose. I came to know that it is a personal meeting and not an official one. So I put off the official lamp whose oil comes from the government treasury and I lighted the lamp for which I purchase oil from my salary. While doing a personal work , I can’t misuse the government’s money,” Chanakya gave a simple reply.

It was really unbelievable for the visitor. He knew Chanakya was all powerful in the Mauryan Kingdom, yet he was behaving in such an honest way. He bowed before him and said,” This is the reason of your immense power”!
How many Chanakyas are there now a days?

Inspiration Bytes: A guilty conscience dreads its own shadow

A guilty conscience dreads its own shadow

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A rich man had many servants .One day his silver-pot was stolen. He suspected his servants to have done it ,but could not find out the culprit. At last he hit upon a plan. He gave one stick to each and said:” All these sticks are equal. Each stick is three feet long. But, by tomorrow morning, the stick of the thief shall grow one inch longer than those of others”.

All went back to their places. At night the thief thought to himself, ‘The master is a very wise man. I have stolen the pot, my stick will grow one inch longer and I shall be found .It is better if I cut one inch of my stick’. So he took his stick and cut off one inch. The next morning the master called them again to show their sticks .He saw that one stick was shorter than the other sticks by one inch. So the owner of the stick as the thief. The wise master got back his silver-pot back and the guilty servant was dismissed.

A man possessing a guilty conscience can never succeed or prosper in life.

Inspiration Bytes: Adapt, Adjust, accommodate, and you will have all success in life

Adapt, Adjust, accommodate, and you will have all success in life

Once two sheep were passing over a narrow bridge . They were coming from different directions . They met in the middle of the bridge. The bridge was only a log of wood. They could not turn back.

One sheep said: “I am very sorry .I did not notice you coming. What should we do now? We cannot go back”.

The other said:” You are not to blame . I also did not see you. It is my fault .I shall jump into the water and you may pass on”.

The first shouted:” No, don’t do that; you will certainly be drowned, because the water is very deep and the current is strong. I shall lie down and you pass over my body gently”.

Then the first sheep lay down flat and the other passed over its body very gently .In this way both of them were able to cross the bridge .They thanked and bade each other good-bye .

Mutual help and co-operation lead to happiness.

Inspiration Bytes:The source of wisdom

The Source of Wisdom

Akbar once asked Birbal from where he had acquired all his wisdom. Birbal said:” From fools , I observe their actions and try not to repeat their mistakes. Thus I get wiser and wiser . There are enough fools and mad men around to provide any one with wisdom”.

Learning from the mistakes and experience of others is the most efficient and inexpensive way of learning

Inspiration Bytes: Doors to success

Doors to success

Edison was conducting a new experiment in his laboratory. He had appointed a young scientist, aged 18, to assist him .To start with, the young man worked very enthusiastically, but as time passed and success eluded him, he was disappointed and developed a feeling of frustration. He lost his patience .He ultimately made up his mind that he would not waste any more time in the futile pursuit. Whenever he went to Edison to inform him of his decision , he would see a strange glow in the eyes of that old man and would therefore go back without uttering a word .Edison was going strong with his work as ever .Every day he would conduct some new experiment. When he failed in one experiment , he would take up another one .

After three months, the patience of the young man was exhausted. One day , when he did not see Edison face to face , Edison asked him to face up and go to his work. The young man however wanted to be excused on one pretext or the other. Edison persisted ,”when you are on the verge of success , you want to retract”. Expressing surprise the young man said,“Success is still far away as it was when we started work three months ago”.

Encouraging the young man, Edison said, “It appears you lack knowledge of arithmetic. We have conducted a large number of useless experiments so far .This means the number of useless experiments to be conducted now is much less. If there are 300 methods of doing a work and we have not succeeded in 200 of these, the number of remaining method is 100 only. We are near success with every passing day .What a big great fool you are! When we are so near success , you have lost heart and hope .”. Encouraged by these words of Edison , the young man took to his work whole heartedly and succeeded.

Inspiration Bytes: A millionaire at the feet of a saint

A Millionaire at the feet of a saint

The famous multi-millionaire of America, John D. Rock feller, on being motivated by his friends, reached Chicago to meet an Indian saint who was staying there. Many of the thoughts and ideas of the saint impressed his mind deeply. However he did not instantly like the idea of the saint:” Any wealth of a rich man which is not spent on relieving the sufferings of the masses is as good as wasted .The public has a right over the wealth which is earned from it “.

Rock feller left the place where the saint was preaching . The idea of the saint however kept on haunting him . On a deep reflection , he understood the import of the idea . He visited the saint again after some days and handed over to the saint some papers which contained many schemes of public welfare .He was very happy and said:’ I have been shown the true and straight path of life .Man is mortal and his name and fame are are immortal.” and the Rockfeller Foundation came into being. The Foundation has set up many Science Research centres, Hospitals, Agricultural Research Institutes , Educational Foundations and instituted many scholarships for researchers and students. All these are the result of divine vision of that saint .
The great saint was none other than Swami Vivekananda .

Inspiration Bytes: Perseverance of Einstein

Perseverance of Einstein

Someone once asked Einstein , a great scientist of the world , the cause of his greatness . In reply, Einstein said: ‘I was a dullard in school and my class fellows used to call me a dunce. Some of them even inscribed ‘dunce’ on the back of my shirt. Teachers never encouraged me.Instead they would sarcastically remark that I could not learn mathematics ever. However I never considered myself to be inferior. I worked very hard. Even when I was physically exhausted, I never lost tract of my goal. Even in adverse circumstances I kept on working with patience and perseverance and just because of that I could achieve my goal.’’

Inspiration Bytes: Human beings , Demons or Animals - What are they?

Human beings, Demons or Animals- What are they?

Once Socrates , one of the greatest preachers to a large audience . A young ill=bred person from amongst the audience , who was jealous of Socrates , hit Socrates on his back with his leg .This demonic behaviour of the young man incited the audience to kill him .

Socrates however silenced the audience .When people had settled down, he started again from where he had stopped preached .
People were impatiently shouting that the guilty be punished .Socrates again calmed them and said: “ Will it befit you if an ass hits you with its leg you also hit it with your leg ? It is true that many human beings have hidden animal-like and demonic qualities. On the other hand many animals have human and divine qualities . It is the way we conduct ourselves that determines whether we are human beings , demons or animals .”

Inspiration Bytes: Save the teacher

Save the Teacher

One day Aristotle and his disciple Alexander were cruising in a boat in the sea . Suddenly there was a storm. The boat was about to capsize and both of them were on verge of drowning . Instantly when a boat man rushed towards the king Alexander to save him , Alexander exhorted him , “ Oh boat man, first save my teacher before you save me,”

By God’s grace , the boat did not capsize and both of them were saved . The boat man was very surprised at the behaviour of the king .He therefore asked Alexander , “ Pray, it is a natural instinct that in a calamitous hour a person would like to be saved first . Why did you then want the other person to be saved first ?”. Alexander explained, “ Aristotle is my teacher. Whereas I can’t create a single Aristotle, he can create thousands of Alexander like me.”

In reality , a teacher’s status is very exalted and it is not possible to describe his greatness in words .

Inspiration Bytes: Complaint

Complaint

Sheikh Saadi was a wise fakir (mendicant) had authored many books. In one of his books he narrates : ‘ I had no shoes to wear and I had been complaining about it to God . It so happened that on one occasion I saw an unfortunate crippled person who had no feet and hands , He was crawling on his back on the earth . The sight had an electrifying effect on me . I immediately fell at the feet of God and thanked Him profusely for having given me everything, what if I did not have shoes, my feet were alright”.

It is He who is the giver of everything, even of human body.

Inspiration Bytes: The great painter Vincent Van Gogh

The great painter Vincent Van Gogh

The renowned painter of Holland , Vincent Van Gogh, would remain engrossed in painting all the time . Totally absorbed in his work, he would work untiringly to give expression to his ideas by sprinkling colours in his paintings. However none of his paintings could be sold in his life time .

The members of his family considered him mad . “ When no one is prepared to purchase your paintings , why should you paint at all ? You don’t even recover the cost of your colours, “they would say.

When a person once dared to ask Vincent the reason for his persistence, Vincent replied, “To be lost in the world of painting is my hobby. This is my meditation too . The pleasure that I derive from my paintings sustains me , and this is the value I get from my paintings . What I really wish to find , I find in my paintings .”

Today Vincent’s paintings are valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Inspiration Bytes: Praiseworthy revenge

Praiseworthy revenge

A king of China was informed that his opponents had risen in revolt. He immediately set out to annihilate them .He took a pledge that he would return to the capital only after achieving his goal. As soon as he reached near the insurgents , they surrendered. Everybody thought that the king would kill every one of them. They were however surprised at the courteous behaviour of the king with insurgents who were all spared . Mustering up courage , the chief minister said to the king , “ Sire , how can you violate your pledge in this manner ?”.
The king replied , “ I am firm on my pledge . I have annihilated my opponents by abolishing animosity from their hearts . See , they are now my friends “. Feeling sorry for his conduct, the ministers said , “Without doubt ,my lord, you have taken the revenge which is praise worthy and worth emulation !”

Inspiration Bytes: The Great Christ

The Great Christ

Christ was taking his food . Some wicked persons came and sat near him. On seeing this , some critics addressed the Christ’s disciples thus : ‘ What sort of man is your teacher ? He is eating in the company of wicked and sinful people ?”. When the matter reached Christ , he said: “ Dear brothers , it is the sick , and not healthy , who need the physician , likewise it is the sinful who need the reformer. That is why I eat in the company of these fallen brethren.”
Hearing this , the critics of Christ felt really ashamed.

Inspiration Bytes: Perform your duty

Perform your duty

Once the sheep said to their master , “ We give you wool . We produce milk for you .And yet you do not give us enough to eat . This dog does not give you anything and yet it partakes of your food. Is this not injustice ?’’. Before the master could reply, the dog said , No , this is not . It is fair justice . I provide you protection . Otherwise wolves may prey on you or thieves may steal you . If ever I am not alert in protecting you , you may not be able to move or graze because of constant fear .”

Inspiration Bytes: Be happy with what you have

Be happy with what you have

A tortoise was always sad. She felt she was not good looking. She was ashamed of her slow pace and small size.

She hated her shell because she thought that it made her ugly. So she told her only friend a frog ,” I’m useless. I’m fat and ugly. All the animals make fun of me and my shell. They laugh when they see me walking.”

The frog replied” Everyone has something good and nice about them. No one is useless, don’t be upset because of others. No one is perfect in this world. You should be proud of what you are. You should never look down upon yourself.”

Suddenly, they heard a horse galloping towards them. The frog jumped into the pond to save himself, but tortoise could not escape and the horse ran over the tortoise. The frog thought that the tortoise got hurt. It came out of the water and towards the tortoise, which had disappeared into her shell.

Just then, the tortoise came out of the shell. Nothing had happened to her. “ So, how lucky you are that you have a shell. If the horse had stepped on me I would have got hurt. But it stepped on you and nothing happened to you because of your strong shell. Be proud of your shell which is so strong that it could save you from the horse”, said the frog.

“Very true, my friend, I will never be ashamed of my shell .I will never hate myself and my shell. It has saved my life and I will always remain happy with whatever I have “ , replied the tortoise .

The frog looked at his dear friend and smiled .

Inspiration Bytes: The spider's web

The spider’s web

A king , with his small army was fighting bravely .But then he saw many of his soldiers being killed quickly. He knew that the enemy king was stronger and mightier , and had a much bigger army than him . He knew that because he had a small army , he would surely lose . His soldiers started running away from the field . This made him very sad . He knew that he had almost lost . He turned his horse and went towards the hills . There he saw a cave . He went inside and lay down.

He felt bad as he knew that his losing this battle meant that he would lose his kingdom . His palaces , cities and the whole state would be taken over by his enemy. He thought of his dear queen and his sons, and his eyes were filled with tears.

All of a sudden , his eyes fell on a spider spinning a web in a corner on the wall of the cave. It took a long time for the spider to spin a web . First , it swung from one end to another . Then it wove lines in between . The king looked at the spider working so hard . The spider spun a very big web and then , it went to one side waiting for insects to stick to it , so that he could eat them.

Suddenly , the king’s horse neighed outside and a bird flew off near the king . The bird’s wings scraped against the web and the web was completely broken .

The king felt very sad for the spider and waited to see what he would do next .

The spider came again and started spinning all over again . This time it spun an even bigger web . Suddenly , a gust of wind blew and the web was carried away with it . But the spider remained on the wall .

Again, the king watched to see what the spider would do , as the second web had also been spoiled .

The king was surprised when he saw the spider begin to spin its web again .

The king sat up and thought , ‘ the spider has not given up though its web has been broken twice . How brave the spider is ! I should learn from him . If a small creature like a spider has not lost his will , then I , a king must not give up hope . I should not run away from my responsibilities . I will fight again’.

The king got up and rode his horse. He collected all his men again and marched towards the battle field . He was surprised to see some of his brave men still fighting . His heart was filled with a deep sense of gratitude for those loyal soldiers . The king shouted to all his soldiers , “We have to win. We will not give up till we die “. With a new found will and strength , the king and his soldiers attacked the enemy and fought a fierce battle . The soldiers were inspired by their king’s confidence . They pledged to fight and win the battle .

Even though many soldiers were hurt and killed , no one left the field. They fought till the end with a lot of courage .

In the end , the king won even though his army had been small. The enemy army ran away from the battle field . All the soldiers celebrated their victory , and the king promised to give them many rewards .

All the soldiers shouted , ‘ Long live the king ! We are so lucky to have such a brave king who does not give up’.

But the king closed his eyes and thanked the spider for the lesson he had taught him. He remained grateful to the spider who had unknowingly given him the courage to face his enemies .

Moral - Success comes to those who fight hard against all odds .

Inspiration Bytes: Living in the present

Living in the present

Joe Hyams was learning Aikido from Master Han . Once he sand wiched his practice session between business appointments . His performance at the practice hall that day was absolutely poor . In spite of his knowing the Aikido movements , he performed poorly ,.Simply because he kept on glancing at the clock after each motion .

“Your mind is elsewhere “, said Master Han.

Joe admitted that he was thinking about his next appointments . Then master bowed to Joe , signalling the end of the lesson . On his way out Joe found Han waiting at the door way .

“ You must learn to live in the present “ , preached Han , not in the future or past . Zen teaches that life must be seized at the moment . By living in the present you are fully aware of yourself . By thinking about things other than what you are engaged in distracts you from the present “.

Insight- The majority of us fall in the same bracket- split between the things we have done and the things we are going to do . We leave the present unattended , hence problems and miseries grow , and life eventually breaks down .

Inspiration Bytes: Each has some talent

Each has some talent

A little effort and proper guidance can draw one away from the frustration of one’s inabilities or oddities. We all have some talent in one thing or other . Finding it and developing it will definitely help to build a positive image of your self .

Charles Steinmetz was born with a crooked leg and arched back bone that gave him a hump. During his childhood , children shunned him because of his clumsy body and inability to participate successfully in many activities. Using the greatest asset blessed upon him , Charles ignored his physical disabilities about which he realised he could do nothing and worked to excel his mind. At the age of five he could conjugate Latin verbs . At seven he learnt Greek and a little Hebrew .At eight he had a good understanding of algebra and geometry . When he went to college , he excelled at studies . He graduated with honours . He had saved money so that he could rent a dress suit for the convocation. But the college authorities posted a notice on the bulletin board excusing Charles from the ceremony .

Later he went to America. Several companies denied him a job because of his awkward appearance. Eventually , General Electric employed him as a draughtsman for twelve dollars a week. There in addition to his regular duties , he spent long hours in electrical research . After sometime the Chairman of the board of General Electric Company recognised his rare genius , He said, “ Here is our entire plant . Do anything you want with it . Dream all the day, if you wish .We will pay you for your dreaming .”

Charles worked long hours .During his life time he patented more than two hundred electrical inventions and wrote many books and papers on problems of electrical theory and engineering .
Developing one’s mind overshadows one’s physical frailities . The lustre of knowledge leaves a dazzling impression up on those who come to hear such person .

Inspiration Bytes: Secret of Righteousness

Secret of Righteousness

Dara was a humble shepherd in the land of Persia. He was extremely poor, but was endowed with deep wisdom. He possessed shrewd insight and a great understanding concerning the nature of man and things.

The shah of Persia (King), coming to know of Dara’s wisdom and insight, took him into his service. Dara soon rose to the highest position as the Shah’s chief councillor and trusted Prime Minister. This made the other nobles very jealous and they eagerly awaited o proper opportunity of bringing disgrace upon him and pulling him down from the high status that he occupied.

The Shah had unlimited confidence in Dara and once sent him as Governor designate to one of the most important provinces of his great kingdom. In his absence the hostile and jealous nobles reported many uncharitable things about Dara to the Shah. They accused him of corruption and told the Shah that he had amassed great riches by misappropriating royal revenue , and that he always took his ill-gotton treasure with him , closely secured in a chest .Wherever he went , this chest followed him on a camel’s back , and he opened it only at night within the privacy of his own tent. He never once parted with the chest or ever opened it in public . This was the grave charge.

The Shah trusted Dara implicitly but the nobles insisted upon Dara being examined and exposed .At last the Shah paid a surprise visit to him and , entering his tent at night , said , “ O Dara my faithful friend ! Show me the contents of that chest .I am curious to see what is in it.”

Though he was reluctant , Dara obeyed the royal command , and before all slowly unlocked the chest , raising the lid and opening it fully. And to the astonished gaze of the onlookers was revealed an old shepherd’s cloak of plain , simple cloth , brown with dust and tattered with age .Except for this there was nothing else inside the chest, no gems , gold , silver , brass or even a single copper .

The mystified Shah looked at the silent Dara and the latter explained : “ Oh shah , you know now what I guarded closely all these years . This shepherd’s garment I wore in the days before you found and favoured me with thy royal kindness . But position, prestige and power are dangerous things for the unwary man . They raise one high but pull down into the dust as well . Prosperity and plenty , authority and respect , turn a man’s head and take him away from the straight path . He alone is safe who constantly remembers who he was before fortune smiled upon him and God graced him . This alone reminds him to remain ever humble , righteous and true .Therefore I have retained this old cloak of mine to remind me of my former life. I look at it every night , lest I forget it in the intoxication of my present position and glory . This keeps me humble , true and simple”. Royal master ! Though outwardly Dara Is thy chief counsellor and a great Governor by thy favour , yet , even to this day , in reality , he is the same simple shepherd, humble , poor and incorruptible . And his one constant prayer to the Lord is that he may continue to be so .”
Man should never change his human touch and should not let external changes and fortune turn his head and make him plunge into delusion and unrighteousness.

Inspiration Bytes: The man - The glory of the creation

The man- The glory of creation

The cunning fox was vexed at the glorification of man and his exalted position in God’s creation. He thought within himself: “Am I in any way less intelligent than man? Or is he less cunning than I am when he wants to cheat others? He is a living creature just as much as I am. In fact I am more contented than he. I don’t wear costly or a variety of clothes every season. I endure heat and cold patiently. I do not ask for cars to go from place to place. Though we animals possess all these and many more noble qualities, why should man be considered as superior to us? I shall see that this injustice is put to an end.

The fox ran here and there and incited other animals to join him. He was able to gather a number of them. Then they all went to the elephant. The wise elephant said, “Brothers, there is no doubt that there is some truth in what you say. Let us then go to another forest dweller and ascertain his views. There lives a sage in front in a cottage. Let us go to him and represent our case.”

They all agreed to the elephant’s suggestion and went to the sage. “Oh sage, you know me well,” barked the dog. “I am the symbol of gratitude. If a man beats me and gives me a morsel of food, I am grateful to him throughout my life and ready to give up my life in his service. But man forgets the services rendered to him and remembers the one wrong that his friend might have done. Completely ignoring the help received, he is ready to murder his own kith and kin if he is wronged once. How then, Sir, can you say that man is superior to beasts?

And this was the cow’s plea: “Man takes me to the pastures to graze. Sometimes he gives me a little straw or husk. In return I give him my nourishing milk. Sometimes he even starves my baby in order to feed him and his children. When I thus feed him and his family, he gives me shelter in a foul-smelling and unclean place at the back yard of his house. The moment I go dry, I am ill-treated and ignored. If I become old, I am driven out or sold to a butcher. Such is man who is considered very high. Please Sir, tell me why?”

Now it was the crow’s turn:” Has man got one quality that I possess, sage? Even if a small crumb of bread is thrown to me, I crow and call my brothers and sisters and share it with them. But man does just the opposite. However much he has, he hoards still more and even goes out of his way to snatch the bread of his neighbour. How can this selfish and greedy man is superior to me?

The fish whispered: ‘O sage! I shall not call man inferior to me, but I call him foolish! I cause him no harm. In fact I serve him by keeping the ponds, tanks, lakes and rivers clean. I eat away the dirt that is thrown into the river by him. But instead of being grateful, this foolish man catches me and kills and eats me even though there are enough varieties of vegetables available to him. Do you regard this foolish man superior to me?

The donkey brayed: ‘O Sir! The fish is quite right. Look at my pitiable plight. I am a beast of burden. I am famous for the divine quality of patience. I bear insult and injury patiently. Without my service, the people in the hills will perish for want of the necessities of life. I carry their food and other goods. What is my reward? Beating and more beating. Is this man superior to me?”

“Tell him everything, friends, tell him all about your qualities “chimed in the cunning fox.

“Sir, said the deer, “The very skin on which you sit and meditate on God belongs to our kind .Have you ever heard of man‘s skin being put to good use? In the matter of beauty, the most beautiful eyes of a damsel are often compared to mine. My lovely horns decorate man’s halls”.

“Can any man boast of having such a wonderful sense of smell as I have?”- enquired the dog.

“Can any man boast of having such a wonderful sense of sight as I have? Asked the kite.

“Can any man see during the night and the day with equal ease as I can? “- asked the cat.

“I can do great things, Sir. I have a big body. There are numerous stories about my intelligence. My tusk and bones are converted into lovely ivory images and idols. All this is true, Sir. But kindly enlighten us as to why man is considered superior to us. Though I do agree with the arguments of my friends, I feel that there must be some wise reason for this.”

All the animals waited patiently to listen to the sage.

The sage said, “Listen my friends of the jungle! All that you have said is true. But God has endowed man with a sixth sense, namely discrimination, the power which distinguishes the right from the wrong, the truth from the untruth, and the good from the evil. You are all governed by instinct. Man can develop intuition. He can control his instincts and through intuion and knowledge attain God “.

“And if he doesn’t?” asked the cunning fox.

“If he doesn’t, he is of course worse than a beast. If he does, he is far superior to all others in creation, said the sage.”
The animals went away satisfied.

Inspiration Bytes: Honesty brings its own rewards

Honesty brings its own reward

Once a king held a magnificent feast. He obtained plenty of grapes, oranges, apples and various kinds of vegetables and sweetmeats. But he could not get good mangoes.

Just at that time a fruit-seller was passing along the road in front of the palace with plenty of good mangoes. The gate keeper called him and said, ‘Today, the king will buy all your mangoes as there is a big feast. But you will have to give me half of your profit, and then only will I allow you to enter the palace.’

The fruit-seller was at first a little hesitant but finally consented. He was an intelligent man.

The king purchased all the mangoes and asked the fruit-seller,”How much money do you want?”

The fruit-seller replied, “Oh great king! I do not want money. Please beat me one hundred times with a stick.”

The king was amazed. He said, “Take money as much as you want. Your mangoes are very delicious. How can I beat you when you have given the fruits I was so urgently in need of? I have to offer you equally delicious with special thanks “. But the fruit-seller insisted “No, no you must only beat me a hundred times. I will then be immensely pleased and satisfied”.

The king asked his servant to beat him one hundred times mildly. The servant beat him fifty times and was about to raise the stick for the fifty first time, when the fruit-seller stopped him with these words,” Stop now! I have a partner. You will have to beat him also fifty times”.

The king was quite astonished! What sort of funny man he is! He asked,” who is your partner?”

The fruit-seller replied, “When I wanted to enter the compound of this palace, your gate keeper wanted me to share half of my profit with him. So he must get his share of fifty beatings.”

The king immediately sent for the gate keeper and asked the servant to thrash him fifty times severely and dismissed him from service at once. The fruit- seller received rich presents for his honest dealings.

Moral- Honesty always brings its own reward. Greed leads to selfishness, cheating, hypocrisy and brings down fall.

Ins[iration Bytes: The Brahmin and the demon

The Brahmin and the demon.

A Brahmin once lived in a region surrounded by forests, which was also home to a demon.

One day the demon found the Brahmin wandering alone and at once sat on the Brahmin’s shoulders and ordered him to move forward.

The Brahmin was very afraid and obeyed the demon’s command helplessly. The Brahmin noticed that the demon’s feet were very soft and curiously enquired about this.

The foolish demon replied, “I have taken a vow that I will not touch the ground with my wet feet.”

The Brahmin was thinking of a plan to free him from the clutches of the demon. As the Brahmin passed by a lake, the demon expressed his desire to have a bath. He instructed the Brahmin to stay there until he returned from his bath .The Brahmin knew that after his bath, the demon would certainly devour him. Suddenly he remembered the demon’s vow. So he ran away knowing fully well that the demon would not chase him with wet feet.

Moral – Alertness and creative idea can help us in a problematic situation that hampers our efficiency and retard success.

Inspiration Bytes: The Lion and the foolish Brahman

The Lion and the foolish Brahmins

Four Brahmins who were very good friends once lived in a village. While three were great scholars, the fourth was illiterate but had lots of practical knowledge.

One day, all the friends decided to go to another country to earn money. The three got a lot of rewards from the king. However, one of them decided not to give anything to the fourth friend from whatever he received from the king, saying, “He is not a scholar and has not read any scriptures .He has only some practical knowledge, which does not entitle him to rewards from the king.” So the second friend advised the fourth to turn back, as he was not a scholar. The third, however, convinced the others to allow him to accompany them, saying: “Friends! He is too our friend. We must not abandon him like this.

All of them then agreed to take him along and proceeded on their journey. As they were passing through a forest, they saw some bones on the ground and decided to test their knowledge. One collected the bones and erected the skeleton through the powers of his mantra. The second added flesh, skin and blood to the skeleton through the powers of his mantra. As the third was about to infuse a new lease of life into the animal through the the powers of his mantra, the fourth friend said, “Stop! This is a lion. Do not resurrect it, because it will eat all of us.”

All the friends laughed at him, saying that he was unduly concerned and they would certainly test their knowledge. When the fourth Brahmin realised that his friends were adamant on resurrecting the lion, he climbed a tree to save his life. As soon as the lion was brought back to life, he devoured all the Brahmins. When the lion went away, the fourth Brahmin came down the tree and quickly returned home.

Insight –The theoretical knowledge without practical abilities and common sense is useless and even harmful. To exploit scientific / technic knowledge you also need to know how to control it otherwise it will control you.

Inspiration Bytes: Nature is the best teacher

Nature is the best teacher.

Once Mullah Naseruddin undertook a journey on foot. He had already covered half the distance when the Sun was in mid-sky, hot and glowing. He was tired and wanted to take rest.

A huge tree that stood a little distance away from the road attracted his attention. He went and sat under the cool shade of the tree. Heaving a sigh of relief he looked around. He saw a little red fruit on the ground fallen from the tree. He looked up and saw the branches filled with numerous red fruits of the same size.” Oh, how foolish is nature! Giant like the tree stands and its fruits nothing more than the size of marbles that children play with. An ordinary creeper has pumpkin for its fruit while the huge tree has bead like fruits. Had I been the creator I would have adorned this tree with fruit twice the size of a pumpkin, “thought the Mullah.

The cool shade and the pleasant breeze lulled him into a nap. Not a minute passed. A tiny red fruit fell on his head and rolled down on theground. The Mullah woke up with a start. His head ached and his fingers were rubbing his forehead. Has caused me then another fruit dropped down on the earth with a startling sound. It took no time for the Mullah to detect what was responsible for his tingling forehead.

“My God! What a fool I am? exclaimed Naseruddin and told himself, ‘ Such a small fruit , what a pain it has caused me ! Had it been the twice the size of a pumpkin, Naseruddin‘s head would have broken. Certainly Nature is the best teacher for now I understand why this big tree is laden with small fruit.”

Inspiration Bytes: Foresight

Foresight

A competent person is one who can foresee tomorrow’S events today and plan with foresight ways of overcoming difficulties.

It was scorching heat in summer. Lakes and pools were drying up.

Look! The pool is drying. If this little water too evaporates, it would become impossible to go to another place. So, let us go away to a better pool with water right now,” said Deerghadarshi (who plans ahead).

“Why do you fear always? If such a dire situation arises, we will think about it then,” said Praaptakalajna (who decides on the spot).

“Well spoken! Our friend Deerghadarshi is always like that. He gets panicky easily and makes us anxious. This pool we live in is like an ocean. There is no trouble now. Should some dire calamity befall on us, we will see to it when it happens, “said Deerghasutra (who acts only after event takes place).

“Right, then remain here. Certainly I am leaving,” said Deerghadarshi. He had much foresight. He had been living a long while with his friends Praptakalajna and Deergha sutra in that forest pool. Since they were his friends, he forewarned them about the possible imminent danger in their best interest. What could be done if they chose to ignore? After all, they were fish! Ever bound to live in water! The summer is very severe. The pool would dry up tomorrow if not today. If the water began to evaporate would fisherman let us off or allow us to go to another place? Instead of getting caught in the stampede then holding on for dear life, wouldn’t it be better to precaution now? They don’t listen to my suggestion. What can I do? Thinking thus, with sigh, Deerghadarshi slowly made his way to another, much bigger pool.

Just as Deerghadarshi had predicted water in the pool began to dry up. Fisher men too came with their fishing nets. These fisher men were catching fish not only with tackles and nets but also with bare hands. What shall we do, Deerghasutra?-asked Praptakalajna. “We should have listened to our friend Deerghadarshi. Now I too cannot think of a way out, “said Deerghasutra jumping aimlessly in sheer panic.

One fisher man saw them. He caught Deerghasutra with his bare hands, killed him and threaded him. Seeing this Praaptakalajna‘s heart missed a beat. He trembled. He thought deeply and worked out a plan. He sidled up to the threaded fish and clamped his jaws on the thread. He stayed thus, motionless, as if dead. After the fish hunting was over, the fisher man dipped the garlands of threaded fish in a fresh water pool to wash off the slush. Praaptakalajna quickly dived deep into the pool and joined the other living things of the pool, with a prayer of thanks for the providential escape.

Inspiration Bytes: Value of Truth

Value of Truth

Truth means the identity of mind and speech .God has endowed man with the power of speech only to speak out what is in the mind. Bad thoughts arise in a man’s mind. He expresses them exactly through the speech. That will not be truth. Truth does not mean a mere identity of mind and speech. Good thoughts arising in a good mind, when expressed, become truth.

There was a great devotee of Goddess by name Abhirama Bhattar in Thirukkadavur in Tamil Nadu. Most of the time he was deeply engrossed in meditation on the Goddess Abhirami and was in state of ecstasy .Some people were jealous of him and told the king that Abhirama Bhattar was a drunkard and he pretended to be a devotee. The king Sarabhoji wanted to verify this allegation. One day when the king came there to have a darshan of Goddess at the temple he saw the devotee Bhattar there and asked him,’ what is the lunar day today?’ Bhattar was in a state of full joy .That day was a new moon day. The sky was pitch dark. But Bhattar was deeply meditating on the Goddess and was ecstatic. There was brightness inside him. He answered ‘Today is full moon day!’ The King thought what others told him about Bhattar was true. He told him derisively ‘Oh! Is that so? Has the moon appeared in the sky, let us see’, saying thus he looked at the sky.

At that time the full moon actually appeared in the sky. Since Abhirama Bhattar was firmly established in the truth when by mistake he spoke what was not true, The Goddess herself took off her ear ornament and threw it in the skies and made it shine like a full moon. The reason why the blessings or curses uttered by great holy men come true is that power of the truth. Whatever they say will happen. This is an incidental benefit of being truthful. But one should not practise truth with the expectation that whatever he says should happen. Only when truth is practised without such expectation the power will accrue on its own.

Inspiration Bytes: The Goat and the Rock

Goat and Rock

Once a milk vendor was busy selling his milk. In narrow lanes he wandered calling customers to buy his fresh milk. Whoever wanted would open his door and come out to buy his milk and the peddler would pick up the money and would go further to sell his milk.

It was noon. So the milk peddler wanted to rest for some time. The milk jug was heavy; half milk was left in that. So he kept it on a flat rock nearby and started eating his bread and cheese. Soon a goat keeper driving his bleating flock of goats came there. Seeing the milk peddler he happily greeted him with words ‘hello’. Hearing the loud voice of goat keeper, the goat which was going in front of him got startled and jumped over the rock where the milk jug was kept and dropped it down. The milk jug fell down breaking into pieces.

The milk peddler demanded money from the goat keeper for both milk and broken jar. But the goat keeper replied that it was not his fault but the fault was that of the goat. Both of them went to the

Judge and presented their case.

The judge hearing the case said that the milk vendor lost his milk and the container for no fault of his own. Without his jug it was not possible to carry out his business and feed the Family. Likewise there was no fault on the part of the goat keeper. There was no harm in his friendly greeting to the milk vendor. If he sold out his goat his family would suffer. So the fault was with the goat and rock. The judge ordered that both of them should be put into jail. Goat went peacefully and the stubborn rock had to be carried by twenty strong men.

The news of the strange event spread and all people wanted to attend the trial of the goat and the rock. All knew that the judge was an expert in sound judgement but the arrest of goat and the rock sounded madness.

Next day all people assembled inside the court curiously waiting for the judgement. The judge smiled and asked the guards to close the gates of the court room. Then the judge addressed all ‘you all have come to see what stupidity I do. I am disappointed that you are all thinking about me as mad and it is terrible. So I have decided to fine each of you one penny for such improper thoughts. You must pay the fine to leave the court yard.’

People laughed and paid the fine with a smile. The judge gave the entire collected money to the milk vendor with which he could buy a milk jug and sell fresh milk as he was doing earlier.

What a beautiful judgement!

Inspiration Bytes: The slowest may win the race

The slowest may win the race

The Garuda, the magical bird of Vishnu was hungry as, one day, he flew over a lake and saw a tortoise there. The tortoise diverted his interest suggesting that, before being eaten up, they should run a race to see who was the faster.

The magnificent bird agreed, and raised high into the air ready to fly. While he was doing that, the tortoise collected all his relatives and friends and placed them in such a manner that they covered every inch of the ground. When he was ready the tortoise called out “I am ready to start. Your highness may go through the air, while I shall move by water and we shall see who is the winner? The wages is that if I lose, you will be able to eat me up “.

Then the Garuda flew with all his might, and then stopped and called to the tortoise. And whichever direction he flew, a tortoise always answered him from somewhere ahead .He even flew as far as the great mountain, the Himalayas. At last he had to tell the tortoise that he had been outraced and he returned, baffled, to his home, a big tree, and to rest.

Inspiration Bytes: Devotion of Ekanath

Devotion of Ekanath

Ekanath was a saint from Maharashtra, India. His Bhavartha Ramayana is very famous. Ekanath was writing the Ramayana, and when he came to the portion in which he was graphically describing that Hanuman jumped across the ocean to Lanka, he so identified himself with his hero Hanuman that unconsciously he leaped into the air and landed on the roof of his neighbour’s house. The neighbour had always had a poor opinion of Ekanath, taking him for a humbug and religious hypocrite. He heard a thud on his roof and coming out to see what it was, discovered Ekanath lying down on the roof with a manuscript leaf in one hand and his steel pen. The palm leaf had verses describing how Hanuman leapt across the sea. The incident proved to the neighbour what a genuine bhakti Ekanath was and he became his disciple.

Once God appeared in a dream to Ekanath and asked him to go and repair the tomb of Jnaneshwar, a famous saint of Maharashtra. When Ekanath went there accordingly, he found a contractor ready to do all the work and take payment at the end. The contractor opened a big account note book in which all expenses were entered, with the names of all the workmen and wages to be paid to them. Everything went on systematically and when, the work of repairs having been completed, the accounts had to be looked into and the contractor and his big account book t totally disappeared. Then anyone Ekanath came to know that God was his contractor and did the work.

Inspiration Bytes: Conscience

Conscience

While going to a meeting with a friend the American President Abraham Lincoln saw a pig caught in a hole of slush. He immediately got down from his carriage and rescued the pig . As there was not much time for the meeting to begin, Lincoln walked in with his dirty clothes on. On enquiring the reason for the dirty attire , the friend narrated the incident. The onlookers were all in praise for the president’s great quality mercy .

The convenor of the meeting was introducing Lincoln, ‘our president is full of mercy .He did not bother about his clothes and saved the pig’, when he was interrupted by Lincoln who stood up and said,’ you have got me wrong. Seeing the pig struggle , my own conscience was struggling and hence I saved the pig not for its sake but to save myself ‘.

Inspiration Bytes: Origin of Logic

Origin of Logic

A deer came running into the hut of sage Utathya when he was performing a homa (havan). A hunter came there a little later and asked the sage whether he had seen his prey . While the sage was caught in a fix between saving the deer and telling the truth , the hunter requested him to reveal at least the direction the deer had taken .

Instantly the sage replied ,” O Great one ! Which direction should I show you ? The function of sight is performed by the eyes while it is the mouth that speaks . You question the organ of speech whether it has seen your prey . That which cannot see , how will it answer your question ? That which cannot speak how will it tell you the answer ? Hence I am unable to answer you “.

The hunter left the hut not knowing the whereabouts of the deer. And a new science , the science of Logic , was born from the words of the sage .

Inspiration Bytes: Acres of Diamonds

Acres of Diamonds

There is a famous Victorian lecture that was known as ‘Acres of Diamonds ‘ . Russell H. Conwell , a former newspaper correspondent and minister , delivered his speech more than 6000 times between 1877 and 1925 . When it was published it became an immediate best – seller and a classic in inspirational literature .

‘Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your backyard, if you but dig for them.’

Russell H . Conwell .

The story that Conwell told in his lecture had enormous appeal . It recounted the life of a Persian farmer named Ali Hafed who sold his farm and left his family to travel the world in search of wealth . He looked everywhere but he could not find the diamonds he wanted . Finally , alone and in despair as a homeless pauper , he ended his own life . His search for riches outside consumed him . In the meantime , the man who bought the land from Hafed was grateful for every blade of grass that was now his and lavished love and hard work on his farm . At night , surrounded by his family and eating the fruits of his labour , he was a contented man . Finally one day he made a remarkable discovery . In the back yard that Ali Hafed had abandoned was a diamond mine literally an acre of diamonds . The simple farmer became wealthy beyond his wildest dreams .

Conwell used this parable to illustrate an extraordinary and wonderful message . Within each of us lie a well spring of abundance and the seeds of opportunity .For each of us there is a deeply personal dream waiting to be discovered and fulfilled. When we cherish our dream and then invest love , creative energy , perseverance and passion in ourselves , we will achieve an authentic success .
We all have an acre of diamonds waiting to be discovered , cherished and mined . We all have a place from where to begin . Let you imagination soar , for it is your soul ‘s blue print for success . On the simple abundance path you will discover that your own opportunity for personal success , authentic happiness , and financial serenity is as close as your back yard .

Inspiration Bytes : Foot Prints

Foot Prints

A man saw in his dream that he was walking along the beach with the Lord . He also saw the events in his life and two sets of foot prints on the sand , one belonging to him and the other to the Lord .

He found that , on certain occasions which coincided with periods when he faced adverse situations and calamities , there were only one set of foot prints . He felt depressed and questioned the Lord why he was deserted even by the Lord during his troublesome periods .

The compassionate Lord said : I was always with you . Wherever you saw only one set of foot prints , they belonged to me only , because I carried you in times of distress .

Moral – God is always with his children .If man remembers and realises this truth , each moment of his life will be a moment of joy for him.

Inspiration Bytes : Gift of God

Gift of God.

Once Beethoven , the celebrated composer and musician , concluded his concert and was surrounded by friends and admirers . Struck with wonder at his obvious skill , they stared at him , wide – eyed . They were too overwhelmed by emotion to express themselves in words. They had all been carried away by the sweetness of his music . The solemn silence was broken away by the words of an enthusiastic lady : ‘ If only God had given me this uncommon gift of music . . . . . ‘.
Beethoven replied : you say the uncommon gift you find in me is the gift of God . Remember that you too can get this gift .Do you know what you should do ? . Play on the piano eight hours a day for forty years . That’s enough .You will be as good as I am .’

Inspiration Bytes

Inspiration Bytes

To my Inspiration Bytes.

Ashwin, Ayush, Aruna and Arvind.

Preface

Traditional stories endure generation after generation because – although some of them are not literal they resound in truths on a human scale. These stories all over the globe are mines of wisdom. Similarly the inspiring anecdotes from the lives of great men supply curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy. So there are no heights that cannot be scaled by a person who knows the secret of making his dreams come true which lies in these four c’s namely curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy.

I always find these stories and anecdotes offer a joyful resort among our busy daily life. Age and time is no bar. We can help the growing children and even adults at any stage of life gain a grasp and appreciation of basic virtues like honesty, compassion, courage, truth and perseverance by giving materials to read about them. So writing these inspiring stories and anecdotes is the permanent platform which they can have at their disposal a stock of examples illustrating what is morally right and wrong and thus these can be known and promoted .These stories are fascinating and help anchor our children in ethical life making their life a blessed one on this earth. Through these stories and anecdotes I welcome my grandchildren and others to a common world, a world of shared ideals, to a community of moral persons where we can dream and make our dreams come true.

Lalita Kuppuswamy

How Lord Ganesha protects his devotees?

There is story connected with Avvaiyar, a saint from Tamil Nadu.once two devotees of Lord Shiva started their journey to the mountain Kailasha , the abode of Shiva. They wanted to take Avvaiyar with them . Avvaiyar was engaged in performing puja to Ganesha .They asked her to hurry up with the puja and accompany them . But she told them , ‘ you may go as you please. Just to join you I will not hurry up with my worship . Worship to Ganesha is to me Kailasha’. They left . Avvaiyar completed her prayers . Lord Ganesha appeared before her , lifted her by his trunk and reached her to Kailasha in one swing . The other two persons reached Kailasha only after Avvaiyar.

Ganesha is the Lord who grants great benedictions with effortless ease .

Footnote: The next series of posts would be more stories for "Inspiration Bytes."