Make Your Own Happiness

Posted by: jyoti ranpura <jyotiranpura@yahoo.com>

At a building construction site nearby, I observed that lots of labourers were working there and their small  children used to play various games.

One favourite game was to hold on to one another’s shirt and play “train-train”.

Someone would become the engine and others would become bogies.

Every day, these children used to take turns becoming the engine and bogies..

But, there was  one small boy wearing only a half pant who used to hold one small green *cloth* in his hand and become the guard daily.

So, once I went to him and asked him ..”son, don’t you also wish to become an engine or a bogie some time?”

He softly replied, “Sir , I don’t have a shirt to wear so how will the other children catch me to make the train?

But, it gave me a huge lesson…. he could have cried and sat at home and fought with his parents for not having enough money to buy  him a shirt.

But instead, he chose another way to play and enjoy himself..

In life, we don’t get all things we desire and we keep complaining ..

I dont have a bike,  I don’t have car , I don’t have this or that etc….

Life is like that ….we need to make it beautiful, play the game with what you have and be grateful for what we have.

This too shall pass,

End

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Words On Life

Is it also the rationale for having children…daughters at all?

End

Source: Words on Life

Motivating Performance……With Empathy

No odious comparison or put-down’s:

Thinking about it, employee engagement in many ways is not very diff from bringing up children! A similar situation that readily comes to mind is the recognition of team performance versus an individual’s.

Just when this post was being put together, this comes along: This Burger King employee was shamed on social media – her story here makes a sad reading.

In our daily bustle, we forget garbage needs to be removed, burgers flipped…

End

 

 

 

Source: Contributed in Quora by Shahid Akhtar studying Physics & Technology at Ajyal Almaarefah International School, Jizan

 

 

 

The Difference Between Knowledge And Its Practice

The reclusive Uttang Rishi stayed the forests for most of his life with little contact with the rest of the world. It was during one such long stay away from civilization that the war between the rift between the Pandavas and Kauravas ripened to enmity and ended in the calamitous war at Kurukshetra that resulted in the decimation of all the Kauravas. Always in penance the Rishi moved places. Pleased with his sincere devotion, Lord appeared and said, “I wish to grant you a boon, O most righteous sage! What would you ask of me?”

Uttang said, Oh Lord “I need nothing! The only thing that I, perhaps, may seek is that I may not lack for water wherever I am, since I travel in wild and inaccessible places.”

Lord replied “Granted!”

Once, Uttang Rishi was traveling through a desert and was afflicted by  severe thirst and could not find any water to drink. He remembered the boon of LORD and besought some water.

Lord summons Indira and instructs him to take the nectar (Amrit) and fulfill the Rishi’s thirst permanently making him immortal. Indira was surprised with Lord’s command as the Nectar was meant for deva’s and not humans. However it was an instruction from the Lord that could not be ignored..

Indira changes his attire He dresses himself as an ugly looking chandala (one who deals with disposal of corpses) and arrives before the Rishi along with a stray dog.   The Rishi is dismayed. He follows the Rishi and pleads him to take the divine water he is carrying from his deerskin container.

Uttang Rishi was aghast. How could he, a Rishi, take water from a chandala? Thrice the chandala offers water and thrice the Rishi refused. The Rishi declares that he would die of thirst rather than drink the water given by him and asks him to leave. The chandala disappears in fraction of a second leaving the Rishi in surprise.

He was pensive when Lord Krishna appeared before him.

Uttang Rishi complained:”Lord! You promised me water whenever I needed it. How could you send it in the hands of a chandala?”

Lord Krishna smiled and said, “O Sage! I asked Indra to give you divine nectar and make you immortal. Indra was hesitant saying that Amrit was not for normal human beings. I told that you were a realised soul and deserved immortality.

Indra felt that if you were truly a realised soul, you would know that all differentiation between people were only the creation of mortals and that all people were the same in the eyes of a realised soul and, thus, if you accepted the nectar from Indra in the guise of a chandala, you would deserve it. I agreed. You let me down…

End

 

 

Credits: Google Images and kmkvaradhan.wordpress.com minimally edited

 

Akbar And Birbal

Akbar and Birbal went out without the usual retinue, attired like merchants on visit to a far-out part of the kingdom.

At the town market,

Akbar: ‘Does anyone know me here?’

Birbal: ‘We will know soon, Jahampana.’

None from the milling crowd gave the emperor a second glance.

But many were looking at Birbal smiling at him. A few even waved at him.

‘Birbal, how do they know you? You were never in these parts as far as I now. And how could they recognize you in these clothes? Even your mother wouldn’t. If they did, they should know who is with you.’

‘You’re right, my Lord, they don’t know me here about.’

‘But I see them smiling at you.’

‘Could be because I smiled at them?’

End

 

 

 

Source: Adapted from Dina Thanthi in Tamil and image from folknet.in.

 

 

 

Life’s NOT fair!

“She got a mango Popsicle and I didn’t,” she whines, although the so-called Popsicle really just is a slice of fruit speared with a fork. But the fact that her sister got one and she didn’t makes it the most important slice of mango in the world at that moment.

“That’s right,” he says, and continues cooking. Sometimes she gets things
you don’t and sometimes, it goes the other way. That’s just how life works.

“But daddy,” she pleads, “it’s not fair!”

“Who said anything about fair?” he asks, a little incredulous. “You were just fine without it until she got it. What’s the problem?”

“It’s just not fair,” she insisted. “If she gets one, I should get one too.”

“Look,” he says, “turning toward her and leaning down to meet her eyes “the only time you need to worry about what’s your neighbor’s bowl is if you’re checking to make sure they have enough.” then he turns back to the stove and the girl, a little stunned, walks away.

End

 

 

Source: Quora.com (Suraj Motwani)

What Begins In Anger Ends In Regret (A Story For Children)

A long time ago during the reign of the Tokagawa Shogunate a samurai set out on an errand.

Precisely one year ago to the day he had lent 10 koku to a fisherman in a small coastal village nearby, and today was the day the fisherman had promised he would repay the debt.

The samurai arrived in the village at noon and upon inquiring at the fisherman’s home he was told by the fisherman’s wife that he would find the man down at his boat working on his nets.

Upon seeing the samurai coming up the beach the fisherman threw himself to the ground and bowed his head to the sand.

“Get up,” said the samurai, “As agreed it has been one year and I have come to collect the money you owe me.”

“I have not forgotten my debt to you,” said the fisherman, who now stood but with his head still bowed, “but it has been a very bad year for me and I regret that I do not have the money I owe you.”

Hearing this the samurai, who was not a man known for his patience, flushed with anger and quickly drew his sword, preparing to kill the fisherman then and there. “Why should I not simply slay you instead?” shouted the samurai as he raised the deadly blade above his head.

Fearing that his life was at and end and having nothing to lose the fisherman boldly spoke out. “For some time now I have been studying martial arts,” he replied, “and one of the lessons that my master teaches, is never to strike when you are angry.” “I beg you,” said the fisherman, “give me one more year to pay you what I owe.”

Thinking about what the fisherman had just said the samurai slowly lowered his sword. “Your master is wise,” said the samurai, “as a student of the art of the sword I too have heard that lesson many times, but sometimes I get so angry I act without thinking.”

Putting away his sword the samurai spoke in a voice that was use to being obeyed. “You shall have another year to repay your debt to me,” he said, “but when I return if you do not have all the money you owe me I shall not hesitate to take your life instead.” and without another word he turned and walked away.

Having left the village later than he intended to it was already dark by the time the samurai arrived home. Seeing no lights on in the house he crept in quietly not wishing to wake the servants or his wife. As he entered his bed chamber he noticed there were two persons lying on his futon, one he recognized as his wife and the other from their clothing was unmistakably another samurai.

Swiftly he drew his sword and as his anger quickly grew he moved in to slay them both. Just then, as he was about to strike, the fisherman’s words came back to him, “never strike when you are angry.” This time I shall follow the lesson he thought to himself, pausing he took a deep breath and tried to relax, then on purpose he made a loud noise.

Hearing the sound both his wife and the stranger immediately woke up and when his wife had lit a candle he found himself face to face with his wife and his mother who had dressed up in his clothes and another set of swords.

“What is the meaning of this,” he demanded, “I almost slew you both.”

His wife quickly explained that when he had not returned by night fall they decided to dress his mother up in his clothes so that in the event that an intruder entered the home they would be frightened off at the sight of a samurai in the house.

A that moment the samurai realized that his habit of “striking without thinking” had almost cost him the life of his wife and his mother.

One year later the samurai again walked down the same beach towards the fisherman. After exchanging the proper formal greetings the fisherman said, “It has been an excellent year my Lord, here is all the money I owe you as promised, and with interest.”

“Keep your money,” replied the samurai, “You do not know it, but your debt was paid to me long ago.”

End

 

Notes:

I looked hard for a quote on how anger impairs judgment to round up the story. This pithy one from Benjamin Franklin was the best I could find: “Whate’ers begun in anger ends in shame’.  Wasn’t too satisfied, so the search continued. Finally this beautiful and apt slokha from Bhagawad Gita (2.63) came up, capturing the inevitable progression resulting from anger:

Meaning: From anger incorrect knowledge (to justify one’s anger?) happens, instructions learnt over time to control senses and mind are forgotten, intellect is compromised resulting in one’s ultimate fall. This is based on the straight (not metaphorical) interpretations of various guru’s.

A preceding slokha is amazingly insightful on what anger is.

Story from: “‘DR. MAHESH’ drmaheswar_2013@yahoo.com [enjoythepics]” <enjoythepics@yahoogroups.com>

 

 

 

What You Get Is What You Give (A Story For Children)

 

 

‘You’re very fortunate to have arrived here on an auspicious day for us,’ Chitragupta (the book-keeper in the Heavens) said to the man standing before him. ‘It’s entirely due to your karma in your previous births you are awarded this kind fate. Your good fortune doesn’t end with it. If you are able to tell us just one act of yours, while you were down there in this birth, of compassion or charity, you’ll have an easy passage,’ he assured.

‘Now jog your memories and get ready. Of course, we’ll check our ‘Book of Deeds’ too. If it’s in there too you’re through.’

Hearing this, he was quite relieved of the tension that had built up since arrival: ‘That’s a cinch,’ he thought.

So he went about rummaging his memories. He thought and thought. Quite surprisingly nothing readily came to his mind. He went far back in years. Still no luck.

Finally he sat down with the head in his hands. An utterly broken man.

Chitragupta took pity on him.

‘Don’t know why, but I’ll do this for you.’

He summoned Sathyavaak, his deputy: ‘Kindly go down and check out if this man had done in his life time at least one act of charity or compassion and quickly report back.’

Just as Chitragupta was done attending to some other chore, Sathyavaak was back.

‘Tell us, Sathyavaak. What have you found out?’

‘My Lord, this was the most difficult assignment I’ve ever done.’

‘Go ahead, let’s have it.’

‘I searched low and high, east and west, south and north. No luck. Not a living soul spoke of any good deed done by this man. Finally I sat down wearily on a boulder in the bed of Cauvery in his village lamenting about the matter to myself and ready to return. Just then a scorpion emerged before me from under the boulder .’

‘Interesting! What does a scorpion have to do with all this?’

‘The scorpion told me an incredible story: One evening, returning from a bath in the river, this man encountered this scorpion on a sandy stretch in his path. Without any hesitation or fear this man rested his foot with all his weight squarely on the scorpion. The scorpion would have arrived here much before this man had the wooden sandal crushed it as intended. Luckily the scorpion sank into the loose sand and escaped unhurt.’

‘I’m not clear how all this…’

‘It’ll be in a moment, my lord. The scorpion said it would be mighty ungrateful of him if he did not narrate this incident to me in this man’s defence.’

The man listening in could make no sense yet of the story neither could he recall such an incident quite common place in his life to deserve special mention.  .

Sathyavaak continued: ‘All this seems to have happened when the scorpion found itself highly vulnerable on the sand patch away from any kind of shelter, eyed by its predator – a vulture – already perched near by and set to make a meal of the defenceless scorpion. That’s when the man here caused its burial in the sand from where it emerged only after dark and scampered to safety. It owes its life to this man.’

The man almost swooned at the end of the story.

‘Yes, a truly incredible a story you’ve brought back, Sathyavaak!

Chitragupta turned to the man: ‘This one act of yours, completely unintended, saves you from the clutches of Yama. You’ll have a safe passage as I had promised. But it makes me sad you wasted a life-time of opportunities. Do you know the planet earth is the only place in the entire creation where you could cause happiness to others and feel it come back and bathe you in its warm glow?’ And it’s so easy! I hope your story reaches others to mend their ways while there’s still time.’

The man doubled in remorse walked away following his escort.

End

 

Source: Image from moviegalleri.net (cinemakeldam_randi_movie_rajendra_prasad_master_bharath_9918)

More about Chitrgupta (Wiki):  Chitragupta (Sanskrit: चित्रगुप्त, ‘rich in secrets’ or ‘hidden picture’) in the Hindu pantheon of gods is known to be incredibly meticulous, and with his pen and paper he tracks every action of every sentient life form, building up a record of them over the course of their life so that when they die the fate of their soul can be easily determined between Heaven or Hell. These perfect and complete documents are referred to in mystical traditions as the Akashic records, and as they contain the actions of each person from birth to death, they can be said to contain every action taken in the universe.

 

 

The Lion And The Fox

A Sufi story on serving others tells of a man who prayed continually for the awareness to succeed in life.

Then one night he dreamed of going into the forest to attain understanding.

The next morning he went into the woods and wandered for several hours looking for some sign that would provide answers.

When he finally stopped to rest, he saw a fox with no legs lying between two rocks in a cool place.

Curious as to how a legless fox could survive, he waited until sunset when he observed a lion come and lay meat before the fox.

“Ah, I understand,” the man thought. “The secret to success in life is to trust that Creation will take care of all my needs. I don’t need to lose sleep on providing for myself. All I have to do is totally surrender to my all-sustaining Creator.”

Two weeks later, weakened and starving, the man had another dream.

In it he heard a voice say, “Fool. Be like the lion, not like the fox.”

End

Story from read.goodweb.cn pointed to by mirthandmotivation.com/ and image from fineartamerica.com

Take Care This Karmic Rule Doesn’t Get You

Once there was a king who distributed food and dakshina every morning to the Brahmanas (priests) on pilgrimage visiting his court.

One day, as he was giving out food to the priests, an eagle flew above holding a dead snake in his claws. Out of the mouth of the dead snake fell a drop of poison into the food that the king was distributing.

No one knew or saw this had happened, so the king continued distributing the food.

The Brahmana who accidentally got the poisoned food from the king died. The king felt very sad about it.

One of the servants of Yamaraj (the god of death) whose duty was to distribute karma to the living beings was faced with a problem. On this occasion of the poisoned food given out by the king, he did not know who to give the karma (of causing the Brahmana’s death). His rule-book was silent on eventualities of this kind.

After all, it was not the eagle’s fault that it carried the dead snake in its claws (since this was its food), nor was it the dead snake’s fault, nor was it the king’s fault because he did not know that the poison had fallen into the food.

While the Yamadhoota (the servant of Yamaraj) stood vexed, on the following day, a fresh batch of Brahmanas on pilgrimage headed towards the king‘s court.

On the way they asked a lady for directions to the king’s palace. Pointing to the right direction she cautioned: ‘But, be very careful, the king is known to kill brahmanas!”

The moment the lady faulted the king, the Yamadhoota was immediately relieved. Now he knew he had a rule in his book for the intractable problem on hand.

He gave her the karma of brahmana’s death.

That was for making unjust and untrue allegations against the king.

End

Source: bhagavatam-katha.com/danger-story-dont-find-faults-in-others/