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.