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.