The Clever Wife

A very long time ago there lived in a far corner of China, in Sinkiang, a good and simple man named Fu-hsing, who had an unusually clever wife. All the day long he would run to her with questions about thus-and-such, or about such-and-thus, as the case might fall out; and no matter how difficult the problem he took to her, she always thought of a solution. Thanks to her wondrous acumen, the house of Fu-hsing prospered mightily.

Fu-hsing was remarkably proud of his wife and often spoke of her as his "Incomparable Wisdom", his "Matchless Wit", or his "Dearest Capability." He only wished that all who passed his house could know it was her cleverness had brought him such great prosperity. For months he puzzled his head over a suitable way of declaring his gratitude, and at last conceived of a couplet that delicately conveyed his feeling. He inscribed the lines on twin scrolls and posted them on the gate before his house:

"A Matchless Wit like Fu-hsing's
Does with ease a million things."

All who passed the house saw the scrolls, and those who knew Fu-hsing thought what a scrupulous and honest husband he was to thus praise his wife. One day, however, the district magistrate happened to pass that way. On reading the scrolls, he drew his mouth down and his eyebrows together in a terrible frown.

"What a boastful, conceited fellow lives there!" he thought. "What appalling arrogance! Such windbaggery should not go unpunished!" When he returned to his quarters, he sent a clerk with a stern summons for Fu-hsing to appear before him forthwith.

The summons so frightened Fu-hsing that he could scarce speak enough words to tell his wife of it."…can't understand ... I'm law-abiding ... good citizen ... pay taxes and tariffs without cheating . . ." He pulled frantically at his hair, sprinkling strings of it on the floor. "My dear Capability, what can I have done to bring upon me this summons?"

His wife laid a calming hand on his before he could tear out the last of his sparse hair. "It must be," she said after a moment's thought, "that the scrolls on the gate have given offence. Really, it is not worth worrying about! Go with the clerk to see the magistrate and have no fear. If you run into difficulty, we can talk it over when you return."

Much relieved, Fu-hsing went off with the clerk and soon was standing before the magistrate, whose eyebrows by now had nudged so close together that they were quite entangled with each other. He sat glowering behind an immense table, his arms folded magisterially into his sleeves.

"So!" he exclaimed. "This is the braggart who posts scrolls on his gate to boast of his extraordinary cleverness!" He leant forward to glare into Fu-hsing's face, the terrible eyebrows bristling like angry hedgehogs. "You would have the world believe you can do anything at all, would you! No matter how difficult? Very well." Loosing his arms from his sleeves, he struck an angry fist on the table. "I have three small tasks for you to perform. At once! For a fellow of your prodigious talents, they should provide no difficulty. No difficulty whatsoever.

"First, then," and pound went the fist, "you shall weave a cloth as long as a road.

"Second," pound, pound, "you shall make as much wine as there is water in the ocean.

"Third," pound, pound, pound, "you shall raise a pig as big as a mountain."

With an awful smile, the magistrate uncurled his fist to waggle a long finger under poor Fu-hsing's nose. "Of course, if you do not accomplish these tasks for me one-two-three, you will soon learn how this court deals with swollen heads!"

Wretched and anxious, Fu-hsing hastened home to his wife and stammered out the three impossible demands made by the magistrate.

His wife threw back her head and laughed. "Foolish husband!" she said. "The hardest problems are those with the simplest answers!"

Fu-hsing continued to wring his hands. "But what shall I do? I know that you can accomplish anything, but this is beyond all reason..."

Madame Fu-hsing's smile stopped him. "It is really quite simple. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow you must go back to the magistrate and present to him three quite ordinary implements which I shall make ready for you. I will give you certain words to take along with these devices, and you must say them to the magistrate just as I tell them to you."

Fu-hsing attended well to his wife's instructions, and the next morning, carrying a ruler, a large measuring bowl and a balancing scale, he presented himself to the magistrate once again. When he started speaking, the eyebrows were as tightly knotted as before, but as Fu-hsing continued, and laid in turn the three measuring devices before the magistrate, the brows gradually lifted up and away from his eyes until they became flying birds of astonishment.

"This morning, as I was setting out to do the tasks you gave me," Fu-hsing began, "I realized that I needed further instruction from you before I could finish. Therefore, your Honour, I have taken the liberty of bringing these three measures to facilitate your task. I must respectfully ask you, first, to measure the road with this ruler that I may know the length of the cloth I must weave; second, measure the ocean's water with this bowl that I may know how much wine I must make; and third, weigh the mountain with this balance that I may know how big a pig I must raise."

Fu-hsing made a deferential bow. "Just as soon as you have set the standards, your Honour, I shall be pleased to finish the tasks." So confounded was the magistrate at the cunning solution to his three problems that he allowed Fu-hsing to go without punishment, and never ventured to bother him again. Truly, the magistrate believed Fu-hsing's Matchless Wit could do a million things.

A Short Story on Self Confidence

There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. ”I can see that something is troubling you,” he said.

After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.”

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

“I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.”

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Shake It Off and Step Up

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ — or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer felt sorry for the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and asked them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back: he should shake it off and step up! This is what the old mule did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself.

No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up! You guessed it! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually end up blessing him. All because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

Paint the Town Green

There was a millionaire who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted so many physicians and was getting his treatment done. He did not stop consulting galaxy of medical experts; he consumed heavy loads of drugs and underwent hundreds of injections.

But the ache persisted with great vigour than before. At last a monk who has supposed to be an expert in treating such patients was called for by the millionaire. The monk understood his problem and said that for sometime he should concentrate only on green colours and not to fall his eyes on any other colours.

The millionaire got together a group of painters and purchased barrels of green color and directed that every object his eye was likely to fall to be painted in green colour just as the monk had directed.

When the monk came to visit him after few days, the millionaire's servants ran with buckets of green paints and poured on him since he was in red dress, lest their master not see any other colour and his eye ache would come back.

Hearing this monk laughed said "If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few rupees, you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and all other articles and also could have saved a large share of his fortune. You cannot paint the world green."

The Chinese Bamboo Tree

You take a little bamboo seed, plant it, water it, and fertilize it for a while...and nothing happens.

In the second year, you water it, fertilize it...and nothing happens.

In the third year, you water it, fertilize it...and nothing happens.

How discouraging can it become.

In the fourth year, you water it, fertilize it...and still nothing happens. This is very frustrating.

In the fifth year, you continue to water and fertilize the seed.....and then sometimes during the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree begins to sprout.

In the Far East, there is a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree. This remarkable tree is different from most trees in that it doesn’t grow in the usual fashion. While most trees grow steadily over a period of years, the Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t break through the ground for the first four years. Then, in the fifth year, an amazing thing happens – the tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate. In fact, in a period of just five weeks, a Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet. It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.

Life often works in a similar way. You can work for weeks, months and even years on your dream with no visible signs of progress and then, all of the sudden, things take off.

Keep watering your bamboo tree !!!

Ana Fidelia Quirot – a real story

The Barcelona Olympic 800 metres bronze medalist suffered horrendous burns in 1993 while washing clothes in a kerosene driven washer. The kerosene spilled on to her body and then ignited. So badly burned and so close to death was she, that the doctors induced her labour in an attempt to at least save the baby she was carrying.

Her partner at the time was world record high jumper, Javier Sotomayor. Unfortunately, the baby did not survive.

Running for her life the small woman lay in the hospital in Havana. Terrible burns covered her body. She could not move and she could not see. She could hear a voice close to her bed. “If Ana lives,” the doctor said, “she will never run again.” But Ana Quirot, the famous international runner, could not accept these words.

After a month in intensive care Quirot herself beat the odds and slowly recovered.



She returned to running as just part of her mental and physical recovery. Her once beautiful body and face was now horribly scarred and it became a stark reminder to what she had overcome every time she stepped onto the track.

In 1995 one of the greatest comebacks in history was completed. Quirot won the 800 metres world title in Gothenburg. The tears that flooded down her face when she received the Olympic silver in Atlanta behind Russian Svetlana Masterkova, spoke volumes of the pain she had endured.

But she was not finished yet. Quirot defended her world title in 1997 in Athens defeating the great rival Maria Mutola.

"Sports made me start training again,” Quirot said. “It would have been impossible for me to come back without sports. If I had not run again, I believe I would have died, And when I started training again, that gave me life."

Tiger in the Toilet

Once a stranded tiger entered a washroom in a corporate office and hid in a dark corner. Since there were people outside the washroom through the day, the tiger was afraid to come out. Many people frequented the washroom, but the frightened tiger didn't touch anyone. However, after four days it couldn't bear hunger anymore, so it caught a man who had come in and ate him. This man happened to be an Assistant General manager in the organization, but nobody noticed his disappearance.

Since nothing untoward happened, the tiger became bold and after two days caught another man and tae him. This man was the General Manager of the organization. Still nobody worried over the disappearance.

Next day, the tiger caught the Vice President who was a terror in the organization. Again nothing happened. The tiger was very happy and decided that this was the perfect place for him to live.

The very next day the happy tiger caught a man who had entered the washroom while balancing a tray of teacups in one hand. The frightened man fell unconscious. Within fifteen minutes, a huge hue and cry ensued, and everyone in the office started looking for the man. he search team reached the washroom, flushed out the tiger and saved the unconscious man.

He was the tea supplier in the office.

Think Out of the Box

Many hundreds of years ago in a small town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the merchant's debt if he could marry the daughter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.

The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender's wife and her father's debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the merchant's garden. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick her pebble from the bag.

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one.

Steve Jobs...

While I doubt there is anyone under the age of 60 who does not know who Steve Jobs was, there are many things about the man you may not know. Although he wore his private life close to the vest, there are some aspects of it you may find quite interesting.

• Steve was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs. Although Steve’s biological mom wanted her son to be adopted by college graduates and Paul and Clara were not. They promised Steve would go to college when he grew up.
• Steve dropped out of college after one semester to save his parent’s money. He did drop-in though for 18 months.
• While dropping in on classes, he slept on the floors of his friends’ places, turned in coke bottles for 5 cents to use the money to eat with, and hiked 7 miles across town once a week to get a decent meal at the Hare Krishna temple in town.
• Steve’s original aspiration was to become a Buddhist Monk. After traveling to India with one of his best friends from Reed College. Upon his return with shaved head, he became a Buddhist.
• He worked with Steve Wozniak for Atari game systems before Apple Computers. They reportedly were paid $5,000 for their work of which he shared $375 with Wozniak.
• We all probably know that Steve Jobs began Apple Computers, Inc., in 1976 with Steve Wozniak in his parents’ garage. But there was a third member, Ronald Wayne. After two weeks Ronald left for a one time payment of $800 for his share of Apple stock. Reportedly this stock would be worth $22 billion today.
• Steve lured John Sculley from Pepsi-Cola to become Apple’s CEO in 2003. Coincidentally it was John Sculley who then fired Jobs in 2005. Steven would later comment on it saying “the heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”
• He was dyslexic

The Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

The great fire and the little water

Among the Aztec people of Mexico, it is said that a long time ago there was a great fire in the forests that covered our Earth. People and animals started to run, trying to escape from the fire. Our brother owl, Tecolotl, was running away also when he noticed a small bird hurrying back and forth between the nearest river and the fire. He headed towards this small bird.

He noticed that it was our brother the Quetzal bird, Quetzaltototl, running to the river, picking up small drops of water in his beak, then returning to the fire to throw that tiny bit of water on the flame. Owl approached Quetsal bird and yelled at him: "What are you doing brother? Are you stupid? You are not going to achieve anything by doing this. What are you trying to do? You must run for your life!"

Quetzal bird stopped for a moment and looked at owl, and then answered: "I am doing the best I can with what I have."

It is remembered by our Grandparents that a long time ago the forests that covered our Earth were saved from a great fire by a small Quetzal bird, an owl, and many other animals and people who got together to put out the fire.

Two Wolves

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt.

He said, "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one."

The grandson asked him, "Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?"

The grandfather answered: "The one I feed."

The Race

In old times, fable retells the story of the young athletic boy hungry for success, for whom winning was everything and success was measured by such a result.

One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running competition in his small native village, himself and two other young boys to compete. A large crowd had congregated to witness the sporting spectacle and a wise old man, upon hearing of the little boy, had travelled far to bear witness also.

The race commenced, looking like a level heat at the finishing line, but sure enough the boy dug deep and called on his determination, strength and power .. he took the winning line and was first. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however. felt proud and important.

A second race was called, and two new young, fit, challengers came forward, to run with the little boy. The race was started and sure enough the little boy came through and finished first once again. The crowd was ecstatic again and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, again expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.

"Another race, another race!" pleaded the little boy. The wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers, an elderly frail lady and a blind man. "What is this?", quizzed the little boy. "This is no race" he exclaimed. "Race!", said the wise man. The race was started and the boy was the only finisher, the other two challengers left standing at the starting line. The little boy was ecstatic, he raised his arms in delight. The crowd, however, was silent showing no sentiment toward the little boy.

"What has happened? Why not do the people join in my success?" he asked the wise old man. "Race again", replied the wise man, "...this time, finish together, all three of you, finish together" continued the wise man. The little boy thought a little, stood in the middle of the blind man and the frail old lady, and then took the two challengers by the hand. The race began and the little boy walked slowly, ever so slowly, to the finishing line and crossed it. The crowd were ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man smiled, gently nodding his head. The little boy felt proud and important.

"Old man, I understand not! Who are the crowd cheering for? Which one of us three?", asked the little boy. The wise old man looked into the little boy's eyes, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, and replied softly .. "Little boy, for this race you have won much more than in any race you have ever ran before, and for this race the crowd cheer not for any winner!"

The Farmer & The Baker

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court.

The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, amour Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter."

The Secret of Happiness !!!

A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life.

But one day he saw a swan. "This swan is so white," he thought, "and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world."

He expressed his thoughts to the swan. "Actually," the swan replied, "I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation."

The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, "I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors."

The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him.

After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. "Dear peacock," the crow said, "you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet."

The peacock replied, "I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo.

I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere."

सुखी वही है जो अपना सुख बांटता है

एक पौराणिक कथा के मुताबिक नारद मुनि इधर-उधर घूमते हुए पृथ्वी लोक पहुंचे। सबसे पहले वह गरीबों की एक बस्ती में गए। वहां उन्होंने एक निर्धन व्यक्ति का हालचाल पूछा। उसने अपना दुखड़ा सुनाते हुए कहा- महाराज, मैं बहुत कष्ट में हूं। कृपया ऐसा कुछ करें कि इस नारकीय जीवन से छुटकारा मिले।

गरीब की झोपड़ी से निकलने के बाद नारद मुनि अमीरों के इलाके में पहुंचे। एक धनवान का हालचाल पूछा। उसने कहा- नारद जी, आप तो सबकी खबर रखते हैं। भगवान से कहकर मेरा कुछ भला करवाइए।

जब नारद जी वहां से निकले तो रास्ते में साधुओं के भेस में कुछ ढोंगी लोग मिले। नारद जी ने उनका भी हाल पूछा। ढोंगियों ने कहा- आप तो स्वर्ग का आनंद ले रहे हैं। एक बार हमें भी मौका दीजिए।

सबकी खबर लेने के बाद नारद जी स्वर्ग लोक लौट गए। उन्होंने भगवान विष्णु को सारा हाल कह सुनाया। भगवान विष्णु ने उस गरीब के विषय में कहा- मैंने उसे हर तरह का गुण प्रदान किया है। उसके पास बल और बुद्धि है। वह अपनी बुद्धि का प्रयोग कर तथा मेहनत करके अपनी और अपने परिवार की स्थिति सुधार सकता है। अगर वह बैठ कर यह प्रतीक्षा करता रहे कि कोई दिव्य पुरुष आकर उसके परिवार में धन वर्षा कर दे तो यह असंभव है। यह उसकी मूर्खता होगी। संसार का कोई भी कार्य छोटा नहीं होता है।

भगवान विष्णु ने धनवान के बारे में कहा- मैंने उसे इसीलिए अधिक धन प्रदान किया था ताकि वह अपने अतिरिक्त धन को गरीबों में बांटे लेकिन उसने अपना धन वंचितों को न देकर अपने पास ही रखा। इसलिए उसे चैन नहीं मिल रहा। वह मानसिक कष्ट में पड़ा हुआ है और उन ढोंगी साधुओं को देखो। वे लोगों को लूट रहे हैं। उनका उद्देश्य केवल अपने लिए सुख प्राप्त करना है। उन्हें कभी स्वर्ग का आनंद नहीं मिल सकता है।

इस कथा में जीवन के एक महत्वपूर्ण सत्य की ओर इशारा किया गया है। बताया गया है कि जीवन में सभी तरह के सुख परिश्रम से ही मिलते हैं। बगैर कर्म किए कुछ भी प्राप्त करने की आकांक्षा गलत है। ईश्वर ने या प्रकृति ने मनुष्य को शरीर के अलावा बल और बुद्धि प्रदान किया है ताकि वह पृथ्वी पर उपलब्ध संसाधनों का अपने लिए प्रयोग कर सके। लेकिन इंसान मेहनत और त्याग करना ही नहीं चाहता है। यह एक आम प्रवृत्ति है। कुछ लोग अपनी गरीबी के लिए ईश्वर को या अपने भाग्य को कोसते रहते हैं। वे चाहते हैं कि ईश्वर उनके सामने सब सांसारिक चीजें लाकर रख दें जिससे उनकी जिंदगी सुधर जाए। वे बिना कष्ट उठाए सारे सुख उठा लेना चाहते हैं। कुछ लोग शुरू में थोड़ी मेहनत कर धन कमा लेते हैं लेकिन धीरे-धीरे उनमें आलस्य और अहंकार आ जाता है। वे अपनी जमीन भूल जाते हैं। वे केवल अपने स्वार्थ के लिए जीने लगते हैं। दूसरों से कटकर जीने से उनके भीतर निराशा, अवसाद (डिप्रेशन) और असुरक्षा आदि घर करने लगती है। उनका जीवन कष्टमय हो जाता है। असल में लोगों को यह अहसास ही नहीं रहता कि सुख का रास्ता भी त्याग से होकर गुजरता है।

जो व्यक्ति दूसरों के भले के लिए सोचता है, उनके लिए अपनी संपदा का कुछ हिस्सा त्याग करता है, वह संतुष्ट रहता है। सुख बांटने से ही बढ़ता है। स्वार्थ और अहंकार से ही समाज में शोषण, अत्याचार और भ्रष्टाचार बढ़ता है। अगर हर व्यक्ति की सोच का दायरा बड़ा हो हो तो समाज की कई बुराइयां अपने आप खत्म हो जाएंगी। हमें एक तरफ तो यह मानना होगा कि हम अपने श्रम से कुछ भी हासिल कर सकते हैं लेकिन दूसरी तरफ संतोष का भाव भी मन में रखना होगा। और जहां तक हो सके दूसरों को भी सुखी बनाने का प्रयास करना होगा।

Testing for Gossip

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute", Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right", Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No,",the man said, "Actually I just heard about it and ..."

"All right", said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary."

"So", Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well", concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

7 Principles of an Eagle

1. Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or with other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle. When Moses went to commune with God on the mountain, he left the crowd at the foothills. Stay away from sparrows and ravens.

Eagles fly with eagles.

2. Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not.

Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.

4. Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm's winds to lift it higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.

We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

5. The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle. The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her.

Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

6. When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth and picks thorns laying them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns.When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass it on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again.Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare. When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air.As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly.

The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes; The preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success; The being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not experiencing life, not progressing and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and live on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns.

The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper.Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

7. When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.

We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us without adding to our lives..

Make a Pearl

Most of us can afford to take a lesson from the oyster. The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this: Irritations get into his shell. He does not like them; he tries to get rid of them. But when he cannot get rid of them, he settles down to make of them one of the most beautiful things in the world. He uses the irritation to do the loveliest thing that an oyster ever has a chance to do. If there are irritations in your lives today, there is only one prescription: Make a pearl.













It may have to be a pearl of patience, but anyhow, make a pearl. All it takes is love and faith to do it.

The Old Alchemist

Once upon a time, there lived an old man with his beautiful daughter. She fell in love with a handsome lad, and the two married with the old man’s blessing. The young couple led a happy life, except for one problem: the husband spent his time working on alchemy, dreaming of a way to turn base elements into gold. Soon enough, he ran through his patrimony, and the young wife struggled to buy food each day. She finally asked her husband to find a job, but he protested. “I am on the verge of a breakthrough!” he insisted. “When I succeed, we will be rich beyond our dreams!”

Finally the young wife told her father about the problem. He was surprised to learn that his son-in-law was an alchemist, but he promised to help his daughter and asked to see him the next day. The young man went reluctantly, expecting a reprimand. To his surprise, his father-in-law confided in him, “I, too, was an alchemist when I was young!” The father-in-law inquired about the young man’s work, and the two spent the afternoon talking. Finally the old man stirred with excitement. “You have done everything I did!” he exclaimed. “You are surely on the verge of a breakthrough. But you need one more ingredient to change base elements into gold, and I have only recently discovered this secret.” The old man paused and sighed. “But I am too old to undertake the task. It requires much work.”

“I can do it, dear father!” the young man volunteered. The old man brightened. “Yes, perhaps you can.” Then he leaned over and whispered, “The ingredient you need is the silver powder that grows on banana leaves. This powder becomes magic when you plant the bananas yourself, and cast certain spells upon it.”

“How much powder do we need?” the young man asked. “Two pounds,” the old man replied.

The son-in-law thought out loud, “That requires hundreds of banana plants!”

“Yes,” the old man sighed, “and that is why I cannot complete the work myself.” “Do not fear!” the young man said, “I will!” And so the old man taught his son-in-law the incantations and loaned him money for the project.

The next day, the young man bought some land, and cleared it. He dug the ground himself, just as the old man had instructed him, planted the bananas, and murmured the magic spells over them. Each day he examined his plants, keeping weeds and pests away, and when the plants bore fruit, he collected the silver powder from the leaves. There was scarcely any on each plant, and so the young man bought more land, and cultivated more bananas. After several years, the young man collected two pounds of the magic dust. He rushed to his father-in-law’s house.

“I have the magic powder!” the young man exclaimed. “Wonderful!” the old man rejoiced. “Now I can show you how to turn base elements into gold! But first you must bring your wife here. We need her help.” The young man was puzzled, but obeyed. When she appeared, the old man asked his daughter, “While your husband was collecting the banana powder, what did you do with the fruits?”

“Why I sold them,” the daughter said, “and that is how we earned a living.”

“Did you save any money?” the father asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“May I see it?” the old man asked. So his daughter hurried home and returned with several bags. The old man opened them, saw they were full of gold, and poured the coins on the floor. Then he took a handful of dirt, and put it next to the gold.

“See,” he turned to his son-in-law, “you have changed base elements into gold!”

For a tense moment, the young man was silent. Then he laughed, seeing the wisdom in the old man’s trick. And from that day on, the young man and his wife prospered greatly. He tended to the plants while she went to the market, selling the bananas. And they both honored the old man as the wisest of alchemists.

The Story of the Indian Squirrel

Three Striped Palm Squirrel (also known as Indian Palm Squirrel) is a small rodent found abundantly to the south of Vindhyas. If the legend is true, it is during the Ramayana days that the squirrel acquired its trademark three stripes. The story goes like this.

Prior to the war, the vanara-sena consisting of monkeys and bears were busy building the bridge to Lanka. The construction was heavy-duty work. Some monkeys noticed a squirrel running back and forth in the construction site. They got curious and tried to observe what the squirrel was up to. The little brown squirrel dipped in the sea and rolled on the sands till its body was fully covered with sand. It then ran to the site of construction and shook the sand off its body and ran back to get the next ‘load’ of sand. Another version of the story says that it carried little pebbles in the mouth. In any case, the impact of its work was minimal; but the little squirrel went about the routine in full earnest. The monkeys found it amusing and started to mock the squirrel and the bears soon joined them in the act. The squirrel was quite upset in being teased and ran straight to Rama to complain. It had to stand tall on its little feet and shout to make itself heard to Rama – quite tall compared to the rodent. Rama heard the squirrel and his heart melted seeing tears in its eyes. He acknowledged the contribution of the squirrel, however small it was, in his efforts to bring Sita back. Rama ran his fingers on the back of the animal as a gesture of acknowledgement. That movement of Rama’s fingers earned the squirrel its stripes, which are carried even today by the three striped palm squirrels.

This story which highlights the importance of recognising the contribution of everyone in an endeavour, however big or small the impact may be, does not appear in the Valmiki Ramayanam. Its source is believed to be one of the South Indian versions of Ramayana.

Philosophy of Five & Hundred and Five

During the vanavasa of the Pandavas, Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni and their friends wanted to go to the forest with all their entourage to tease the Pandavas. They thought that the Pandavas will burn with jealousy and anger. They also calculated the Draupadi would be furious to see the women folk of Kauravas. Though the seniors of the court discouraged this attempt, Duryodhana found an excuse of inspecting their cow-sheds to visit Dwaitavana close to the base of Pandavas. But all hell broke loose when Duryodhana and his men tried to enter a lake which was already occupied by some Gandharvas. This resulted in a battle between the Gandharvas and the Kuru army. The Kurus were no match for the Gandharvas. Karna fought for a long time, but in the end with his chariot and bow broken, he had to run away from the battlefield.

Duryodhana, Dussasana and their women were taken prisoners by the Gandharvas. Duryodhana’s soldiers ran to the Pandavas who were nearby to seek help. Bheema heard about the events and commented that Duryodhana deserves such treatment and that the Gandharvas had done what Pandavas ought to have done long back.

Yudhishtira heard Bhima’s remarks and immediately reprimanded him. He explained to Bheema that friction within the family is nothing unusual. But when an external element confronts the family, it is time to unite and defend the honour of the family. It is wrong on the part of Pandavas not to help Duryodhana when he, his brothers and women are in trouble. Kauravas are bitter enemies of Pandavas, but against a third person they had to stand united. “We are five against a hundred. But against a common enemy we are a hundred and five”.

The Pandavas took on the Gandharvas and freed Duryodhana and his people.

Narada humbled

Narada was a great musician and he was proud of that. There were times when this pride slipped into arrogance. He felt that there were no musicians at par with him. Vishnu sensed this and wanted to teach Narada a lesson. He induced Narada to meet Hanuman to hear him sing.

Hanuman was a great exponent of music and accepted Narada’s request to sing. He kept his veena on a rock while listening to Hanuman. The great vanara rendered a piece which was so enthralling that the hard rock melted. After enjoying the song, Narada tried to pick his veena only to find the instrument embedded into the rock which hardened once the singing stopped. Hanuman suggested that Narada could sing and melt the rock to get his veena. In spite of several attempts, Narada’s rendering never affected the rock. Hanuman sang again to soften the stone and allow Narada to retrieve his veena.

A humbled Narada was thankful to Hanuman for helping him get the veena back. Narada’s arrogance vanished and after the incident, he never considered himself the greatest of all.

The Wise Quail

Once, the Buddha was a wise quail, the leader of a flock. One day, a hunter came into the forest. Imitating the quails' own calls, he began to trap unwary birds. The wise quail noticed that something was amiss. Calling his flock together, he announced, “My fellow quail, I am afraid that there is a hunter in our forest. Many of our brothers and sisters are missing. We must be alert. Danger is all around us. Still, if we work together we can stay free. Please listen to my plan. If you should hear a whistling call—twe whee! twe whee! twe wheel—as if a brother or sister were calling, be very watchful! If you follow that call, you may find darkness descending upon you.

"Your wings may be pinned so that you cannot fly, and the fear of death may grip your heart. If these things happen, just understand that you have been trapped by the hunter's net and do not give up! Remember, if you work together you can be free. Now, this is my plan. You must stick your heads out through webs of the net and, then, you must all flap your wings together. As a group, though you are still bound in the net, you will rise up into the air. Fly to a bush. Let the net drape on the branches of the bush so you can each drop to the ground, and fly away from under the net, this way and that, to freedom. Do you understand? Can you do this?”

“We do understand,” answered all the quail as one, “and we will do it! We will work together and be free.”

Hearing this, the wise quail was content. The very next day a group of quail were pecking on the ground when they heard a long whistling call. “Twe whee! twe whee! twe whee!” It was the cry of a quail in distress! Off they rushed. Suddenly darkness descended on them and their wings were pinned. They had indeed been trapped by the hunter's net. But, remembering the wise quail's words, they did not panic. Sticking their heads out through the webs of the net they flapped their wings together, harder and harder and slowly, slowly, with the net still draped upon them, they rose, as a group, through the air. They flew to a bush. They dropped down through the bush, leaving the net hung on the outer branches, then flew away, each in their own direction, this way and that, to freedom.

The plan had worked! They were safe! They had escaped from the jaws of death. And, oh, they were happy!

But the hunter was not happy. He could not understand how the quail had escaped him. And this happened not just once, but many times. At last, the hunter realized the truth. “Why,” he said, amazed, “those quail are cooperating! They are working together! But it can't last. They are only birds, featherbrains after all. Sooner or later they will argue. And when they do, I shall have them.” And so, he was patient.

Now, the wise quail had had the same thought. Sooner or later the birds of his flock would begin to argue, and when that happened they would be lost. So he decided to take them deeper into the forest, far from their present danger.

That very day something happened to confirm the wise quail's thought. A quail was pecking on the ground for seeds when another bird of the flock, descending rapidly, accidentally struck it with its wing-tip. “Hey! Watch it, stupid!” called the first quail, in anger.

“Stupid is it?” responded the newly-landed quail, flustered because he had been careless, “Why are you so high and mighty? You were too dumb to move out of my way! Yes, you were too dumb, you dumb cluck!”

“Dumb cluck is it?” cried the first quail, “Dumb cluck? Why, talking of dumb, it's clear that you can't even land without slapping someone in the face! If that isn't ‘dumb,’ I don't know what is! Who taught you to fly anyway—the naked-winged bats?”

“Bats is it?” yelled the second quail, enraged, “Bats? Why, I'll give you a bat, you feathered ninny!” And with a loud chirruping whistle he hurled himself straight at the other quail. Chasing furiously after one another, loudly hurling insults and threats back and forth, they flew, twisting and turning, between the great, silent trees of the grove. An argument had started and, as is the way of arguments, no end was in sight.

The wise quail was nearby and he heard it all. At once he knew that danger was again upon them. If they could not work together the hunter was sure to have them. So again he called his flock together and said, “My dear brother and sister quail. The hunter is here. Let us go elsewhere, deeper into the forest and there, in seclusion, discipline ourselves, practicing our skills in working together. In this way we shall become truly free from the danger.”

Many of the birds said, “Though we love our present home, we shall go with you, Wise Quail. The danger is great and we wish to find safety.”

But others said, “Why go from this pleasant spot? You yourself, Wise Quail, have taught us all we need to know in order to be free. We know what to do. We just have to stick our heads out, flap our wings together, and fly away. Any dumb cluck can do it! We're going to stay.”

So some of the birds flew off with the wise quail, while the others stayed. A few days later, while some of those who stayed were scratching around for their dinner, they heard a whistling call. “Twe whee! twe whee! twe whee!” They ran to answer the call when suddenly, darkness descended upon them. Fear gripped their hearts. They were trapped in the hunter's net! But, remembering the wise quail's teaching, they stuck their heads through the net, and one bird said, “On the count of three we all flap. Ready? One two, three…”

“Hey!” called another bird, “Who made you boss? Who said you could give the orders?”

“I'm the hardest worker and the strongest,” said the first bird. “When I flap my wings, the dust rises from the earth and whirls up in clouds. Without me you'd never get this net off the ground. So I give the orders, see?”

“No, I don't see!” shouted another bird. “What you've just described is nothing. Why, when I flap my wings, all the leaves move on the trees, the branches bend and even the trunks sway. That's how strong I am. So if anyone should be giving orders around here it's me!”

“No, me!” shouted a third bird.

“Me!” yelled a fourth.

“No! No! Listen to me!” screamed the first bird again above the rising din. “Flap Flap! Flap! I tell you. Flap your wings all together when I say ‘three!’” But no one flapped. They just argued and argued. And as they argued, the hunter came along and found them and their fate, alas, was not a happy one. But the quail who had gone off deeper into the safety of the great forest learned, under the wise quail's guidance, how to really cooperate. They practiced constantly, until they were, indeed, able to work together without anger or argument. Though the hunter tried many times to catch them he never could. And if he never caught them, why, they're still free today.

A Hispanic Fable

Once there lived a very poor woman who lived alone with her only child.

One day the son, who was only ten, decided to seek work. “Mother,” he said, “let me go out and look for work.”

His mother would not permit him to go because he was too young. But the boy insisted that he should go out and look for work to help support her. He bothered her so much that one day she finally relented. She prepared a packsack with provisions for her brave young son, gave him her blessing, and sent him on his way. The lad then loaded the provisions on his donkey and set out to look for work. He didn’t know which direction to take, so he wandered until he was far from home.

But the Virgin Mary, who was the boy’s patron saint, and the prayers of his mother guided him. On the road he traveled he met a woman dressed in a blue robe.

“Where are you going, my son?” asked the woman, who was in truth the Blessed Virgin.

“I am looking for work to support my mother.”

“You are a good son, but you must be very careful because there are many evil men on this road who may harm you,” she warned him.

“They can’t harm me,” the boy answered, “because I have nothing they can steal.”

The Virgin smiled. “Since you are determined to continue your journey, here, take these three apples. Whenever you meet someone who wants to travel with you, cut an apple in half, but always cut one half smaller than the other. Offer both halves to the person, and if he takes the bigger half then do not count that person as your friend. He is a bad person, and may harm you. But the person who takes the smaller half will be a good friend whom you can trust.”

The boy tucked the three apples in his coat pocket and continued on his way. That evening he met a man who asked him if they could travel together as companions and the boy agreed. When they stopped to rest that evening the boy cut one of the apples in half, remembering to leave one half smaller than the other. He offered them to the man. The man reached for the bigger half.

This is not a good companion, the boy thought. And he was right because it was the intention of the man to steal the donkey once the boy was asleep.

That night, although he was very tired, the boy didn’t sleep. When he was sure the man was asleep he got up very quietly, gathered his provisions and hurried to his donkey. He loaded his burro and fled.

When the thief got up to steal the burro he found both the boy and the donkey gone. The thief cursed his luck and wondered how the boy had known his intentions.

Later on his journey, the boy met another man. The man suggested to the boy that they could travel together since they were going in the same direction. The boy agreed. That evening he cut the second apple in half, again cutting one half smaller than the other. He offered them to the stranger and the man immediately took the biggest half. So the boy knew this was another sly man to beware of.

That night as soon as the man had fallen asleep the boy got up very quietly and carried his pack to where his burro was hobbled. He packed his provisions and was far away by the time the thief awakened to find himself alone with his evil intentions.

The very next day the boy met up with an old man.

“Where are you going, my son?” the old man asked.

“I am going to the city to look for work,” the boy replied.

“There are many thieves on this road. They might harm you.”

“They can’t harm me,” the boy answered, “because the prayers of my mother and the Blessed Virgin Mary protect me.”

“Very good, my son,” the old man nodded. “I am going in the same direction. Why don’t we travel together?”

The boy agreed and they continued together. That evening when they had arrived at a campsite, the boy cut his last apple in half, again leaving one half smaller than the other. He offered them to the old man, and the old man took the smaller piece.

And so the boy knew that he had met a good companion with whom he could travel. That night he slept soundly, confident that he had met a good friend. When he awoke the sun was already high in the sky. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, but the old man was gone. The boy leaped out of his bedroll and ran in search of his burro. But when he went down to the pasture he found them both. The old man had simply moved the burro to where there was better pasture. From that day on they traveled together and became good friends, and eventually the boy found work, and sent money to his mother.

This Is Good

An old story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”

“No,” his friend replied, “This is good!” “What do you mean,’This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” “If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you.”