Story of the day

[SS91]

The Picture of Peace


There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.


One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the peaceful towering mountains that were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.


The other picture had mountains too, but these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."



subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

JAI SAI RAM!!!

Wonderful.......Just wonderful!!!

OM SAI RAM!!!

[ANKITA]

Sairam Subaji

EXcellent story !!  Sairam

[SS91]

The Color of Friendship

Once upon a time
the colors of the world started to quarrel.
All claimed that they were the best;
the most important,
the most useful,
the favorite

GREEN said:
"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was
chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."


BLUE interrupted:
"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the
water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."


YELLOW chuckled:
"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."
ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."
RED could stand it no longer, he shouted out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I bring fire into
the blood. I am willing to fight for a cause. I am the color of danger and of
bravery. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."
PURPLE rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, cheifs, and bishops have always chosen me, for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."


Finally INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."

So the colors went on boasting,
each convinced of his or her own superiority.
Their quarreling became louder and louder.
Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening.
Thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly.
The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: "You foolish colors,
fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest.
Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose,
unique and different?
Join hands with one another and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.


The rain continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across
the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder
that you can all live in peace.
The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."

And so, whenever a good rain washes the world,
and a Rainbow appears in the sky,


let us remember to appreciate one another.

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

A Gift of Love

"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.  When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped.  The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window.  The baby had been born without ears.  Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred.   When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.

He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy...called me a freak."  He grew up, handsome for his misfortune.   A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that.  He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.  "But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

The boy's father had a session with the family physician.  Could nothing be done?  "I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured" the doctor decided.  Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.  Two years went by.  Then, "You are going to the hospital, son.  Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need.  But it's a secret" said the father.  

The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged.  His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.  Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.   "But I must know!" He urged his father.  "Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him."

"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."   The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come . . . one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son.  He stood with his father over his mother's casket.  Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal . . . that the mother had no outer ears.

"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," he whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they"?  



Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart.  Real treasure lies not in what that can be seen, but what that cannot be seen.  Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what that is done but not known.

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI


Hopefully, this is the kind of thing that happens frequently,
everywhere.....

A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on
Broadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?"

"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boys reply.

The lady took him by the hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel he quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"

As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words :

"Are you God's Wife?

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

Lunch with God


There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer, and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps; he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected." Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!  


Jaisairam

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

Always Remember Those Who Serve You


 In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

 

JAISAIRAM

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[vaishali]

Wonderful story Subhadraji.........

Thanks for sharing these with us.

Omsai srisai jayjay sai

[SS91]

THANK YOU LORD

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.

My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said,

˜This is the Receiving Section.

Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many

angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and

scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second

section.

The angel then said to me, ˜This is the Packaging and Delivery

Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are

 processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for

them.

I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels

working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been

requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the

 door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel

was seated there, idly doing nothing.

˜This is the Acknowledgment Section," my angel friend quietly

admitted to me.

He seemed embarrassed. ˜How is it that?

There's no work going on here? I asked.

˜So sad, the angel sighed. ‘After people receive the

blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments.

˜How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked.

˜Simple the angel answered.˜Just say, "Thank you, Lord

˜What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

˜If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof

overhead and a place  to sleep.

you are richer than 75% of this world."
 

˜If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .....

you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this

day."

˜If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in

a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy."

˜And if you get this on your own computer, you are part

of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."

Also....

˜If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness

of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of

starvation ... you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.

˜If you can attend a prayer meeting without the fear of harassment,

arrest, torture or death .. you are envied by, and more blessed

than, three billion people in the world.

˜If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you

are unique to all those in doubt and despair.

˜Ok, what now? How can I start?



If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings and remind everyone else how blessed we all are!

 

ATTN: Acknowledgement Department

 

'Thank You Baba, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with.
 

Remain Blessed!

Duty is God, Work is Worship


subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

Sand and Stone




A story tells that two friends were walking through

the desert. During some point of the journey they had

an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in

the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but

without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY

BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where

they decided to take a bath. The one who had been

slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning,

but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the

near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST

FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend

asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand

and now, you write on a stone, why?

"The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us we

should write it down in sand where winds of

forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does

something good for us, we must engrave it in stone

where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STORE.


They say it takes a minute to find a special person,

an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but

then an entire life to forget them. ( I never forget uuuu )



subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

A king who realized that freedom from fear requires.....

giving up possessions and power...


The king set out on a royal elephant, followed by the entire court and many of the ordinary people of Mithila. When he entered through the garden gate he saw two beautiful mango trees. One was full of perfectly ripe mangoes, while the other was completely without fruit. He took one of the fruits and enjoyed its delicious sweet taste. He decided to eat more of them on his return trip.

 

When the people saw that the king had eaten the first fruit, they knew it was alright for them to eat. In no time at all the mangoes had been eaten. When the fruits were gone, some even broke the twigs and stripped the leaves looking for more.

 

When King Fruitful returned he saw that the tree was stripped bare and nearly destroyed. At the same time the fruitless tree remained as beautiful as before, its bright green leaves shining in the sunlight.

 

The king asked his ministers, "What has happened here?" They explained, "Since your majesty ate the first fruit, the people felt free to devour the rest. Searching for more fruits they even destroyed the leaves and twigs. The fruitless tree was spared and remains beautiful, since it has no fruit."

 

This saddened the king. He thought, "This fruitful tree was destroyed, but the fruitless one was spared. My kingship is like the fruitful tree - the more the power and possessions, the greater the fear of losing them. The holy life of a simple monk is like the fruitless tree - giving up power and possessions leads to freedom from fear."

Om Sai Ram!


subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

JAI SAI RAM!!!

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in our soul.  Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."

One stormy night years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia.Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night."Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked.  
 
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are taken" the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to use my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night."

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine besides I am on night shift", the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You are the kind of man who should be running one of the best hotel in the United State". The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good night.
 
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man, asking him to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street.

He then pointed to a great new building there, a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky. "That", said the older man, "is the hotel I have just build for you to manage".
 
"You must be joking", the young man said.

"I can assure you I am not", said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.
 
The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor, and the magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel... The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels.
 
The GITA says that we are not to turn our backs on those who are in need, for we might be entertaining angels.  Life is more accurately measured by the lives we touch than the things we acquire...
 
OM SAI RAM!!!

[SS91]

The Lord has no Fixed Form

There was an artist who had traveled far and wide and had built up for himself an extensive reputation. But so far he had not achieved access to Krishna! As much he was anxious to seek approbation from Lord Krishna as well. With his view, one day he got an appointment with Krishna, met Him and requested him to stay still, so that he could paint his picture. He prepared the outline and told Krishna that he would get ready the final painting in a week's time.

Krishna knew the ego of the painter. After a week, the painter brought a finished portrait, covered with a white cloth. In Krishna's presence, when he uncovered the painting, the painter himself was shocked at the lack of similarity between Krishna and the painting. The painter was completely surprised and asked for a week's time to get the job done.

The painter tried several times but every time the result was equally disappointing. In complete frustration and total dejection, he wanted to leave the city and go away. When he was going away, sage Narada met him. Narada told him that it was silly to attempt to paint the picture of Lord Krishna.

The Lord has no fixed form and He can change His face every second. Narada advised, "If you do want to paint Him, I will tell you a method which will enable you to do so." Narada whispered something into the ear of the artist. Following the advice given by Narada, the painter came back, with a white cloth covering something and again approached Krishna and told him that this time, he is welcome to change in any manner but the painting will look exactly like him. When the cloth was removed, Krishna saw only a mirror and this mirror reproduced an exact replica of Krishna. If therefore, you are imaging that God is like this or like that, it is not correct. You cannot describe God and your attempts will fail. Make your mind clear and clean; fill it with love and devotion; that will enable you to have the true vision of God.



subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[SS91]

Never impose your friendship on your so called friend!


Friendship is a golden thread woven by two friends around themselves to create a different world of their own, all by themselves. They distinguish their world from the rest of the world by their immense love for each other.  

Friendship can never be one sided, because if it is so, then one of the two is not a friend but a prisoner in the world so created by the other one who calls himself/herself as friend.  Such friendships never last longer! Because the so called prisoner either breaks open the chains and go away or get pressurized under the so called friendship of the so called friend and gets frustrated and rebels!  

In both the cases, I personally feel that the so-called friend is the one at fault (Obviously) and he is also the one who has to lose. Because he/she (whoever concerned) loses a ‘buddy’. He/She loses a person on whom he/She had showered all the love possessed by him/her.

Unfortunately, the love showered was like nailing the other person who was not interested.

So! The best way is to win over the person first, know what his/her wish is, whether the person is really interested in friendship! If no, then…

Do not lose hope; if you want a friend then you deserve that person.

Sooner or later, the seed of friendship will be sowed in the heart of that person and he would enjoy being your friend.

The world created, then, would be the most powerful and beautiful one, found on this earth.

Friendship is not measured by the time you were friends, it depends on how much you trust each other. It depends on immense affection towards each other.

This is why, often, friendships as old as many years are, less deep and true than those just born!

Friendship is an art, not known to all. Know it and you will be highly blessed.

Thus, this is one of the most important rule of friendship .It is the best way to start a lifelong friendship :

“Never impose your friendship on your so called friend!”


subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.