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 ‘.