STORY OF THE DAY

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Jai Sai Ram. Excellent story to convey the right message. If only we can have enough saburi, patience..and be not so judgemental..we will definitely experience the beautiful seasons.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

ॐ सांई राम।।।

ईमानदारी की शक्ति
 
एक बार राजस्थान में भारी अकाल पड़ा। चारों तरफ त्राहि-त्राहि मची थी। लोग अन्न के लिए तरस कर रह गए थे। वर्षा का मौसम खत्म होने को था, लेकिन बारिश की एक बूंद जमीन पर नहीं गिरी। जमीन सूख कर पत्थर हो गई थी। वहां का राजा बहुत परेशान था। उसने कई तरह के अनुष्ठान और यज्ञ कराए, दान दिए, लेकिन वर्षा नहीं हुई। एक दिन किसी ने राजा से कहा, 'महाराज, इस नगर में एक व्यापारी रहता है। यदि वह चाहे तो वर्षा हो सकती है।' राजा उस व्यापारी के पास गया और बोला, 'भाई, आप कोई उपाय कीजिए जिससे वर्षा हो जाए। व्यापारी हाथ जोड़ कर बोला, 'महाराज, मैं एक साधारण आदमी हूं। भला मैं कैसे वर्षा करा सकता हूं।' लेकिन राजा नहीं माना और वहीं अनशन पर बैठ गया और बोला, 'मैं यहां से तब तक नहीं जाऊंगा जब तक वर्षा नहीं हो जाती।'

अंत में व्यापारी ने अपना तराजू उठाया। आंगन में खड़ा होकर आकाश की तरफ मुंह करके बोला,' हे देवता, आप साक्षी हैं कि मैंने इस तराजू से कभी कम या ज्यादा नहीं तौला है। हमेशा ईमानदारी बरती है। यदि यह तराजू हमेशा सत्य और ईमान का सौदा ही तौलता रहा है तो हे देवराज इंद्र, मेरी और इस तराजू की ईमानदारी की रक्षा करो। वर्षा कराओ प्रभु।' कुछ ही देर बाद आकाश में बादल मंडराने लगे और देखते ही देखते वर्षा शुरू हो गई। बहुत तेज बारिश हुई। यह देख कर राजा चकित हो गया और बोला, 'सेठ, मैंने न जाने कितने अनुष्ठान कराए, लेकिन इंद्र भगवान खुश नहीं हुए और वर्षा नहीं हुई। तुम्हारे एक शब्द में वह कौन सा जादू था कि देखते ही देखते धरती वर्षा से लबालब हो गई।'

व्यापारी बोला,' महाराज हमारे अंदर वर्षा कराने की कोई शक्ति नहीं है। यह तो इस तराजू की ईमानदारी की शक्ति है। ईमानदारी के आगे भगवान भी झुक जाते हैं। महाराज आज लोगबाग अपने स्वार्थ के लिए सत्कर्म करना भूल गए हैं। ईमानदारी भूल गए हैं। यही समस्त दुखों और कष्टों का कारण है। इन सबका निवारण ईमानदारी है।'  

अपना सांई प्यारा सांई सबसे न्यारा अपना सांई

ॐ सांई राम।।।

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

JAI SAI RAM.

Once there lived a beggar in a village. One fine day in the village path appeared the golden chariot of God in front of him. He was very happy as he thought he would get a good amount of alms that will end his poverty. The chariot stopped. God glanced at him and came down with a smile. He held out his right hand and said, "What have you to give to me?"

The astonished beggar said to himself, "What a jest! God is opening His palms to me—a beggar!" He stood confused for a few moments and then he took out a little grain of corn from his bag and put it on the hand of God.

At the end of day the beggar emptied his bag and, lo and behold, he found a little grain of gold in the poor heap of alms he had received. He bitterly wept and lamented his miserliness. He wished he had had the heart to give his all to God.

The moral of this story is: (a) the secret of receiving is giving. The beggar received a grain of gold in return for a grain of corn. Not only this, when you give, God entitles you to receive more than what you give. Didn’t the bagger receive gold in return for the corn, he gave? (b) The more you give, the more you receive. Had the beggar given more, he would have received more.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

जय सांई राम।।।

बहुत खूब। बहुत बढ़िया सन्देश है छोटी सी कहानी में हम सब के लिये।

इसीलिये तो कहते है अपना सब कुछ अर्पित कर दो बाबा को, समर्पित कर दो सब कुछ जो भी जिसको तुम अपना कहते हो। समर्पित करते ही सब कुछ उसका तुम्हारा हो जायेगा। जानती हो क्या है वो जिसको हम अपना कहते है, अपना मान के संजो कर रखते है सारी उम्र...अन्त तक.?

अपना सांई प्यारा सांई सबसे न्यारा अपना सांई

ॐ सांई राम।।।

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Ab Bhai ji,,humari samjh kahan itni ki ein sawalon kaa jawab den..kya aap Ego ko refer kar rahen hai ya fir Fear ko? Acha Ab aap hi bata dena kal kyonki aap tou makadi ki giraft sey bachkar soney jaa chuke hain..hum yehann par apne mind ko socheny denge tab tak.
Jai Sai Ram.

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SO MUCH FOR THAT MUCH !  HOW MUCH FOR THIS MUCH ?

Once, there lived a poor man in a hut. He grew lot of green leafy vegetables in his back yard and lived on selling them daily which was hardly sufficient.

He had a deep feeling of donating things to the poor but he him self being poor, could not help. So, he went on donating one bunch of greens everyday.

For this act of his, God made him a King in his next birth. Due to the Poorva Punya, the King had the knowledge of his previous birth and started to grow a big garden of greens. He started to donate bunches of greens to all daily.

But, while donating, he would say "SO MUCH FOR THAT MUCH !  HOW MUCH FOR THIS MUCH ?"

God has observed this and got irritated. One day, he himself came to take the alms (greens) and the moment the

king uttered 'SO MUCH FOR THAT MUCH !  HOW MUCH FOR THIS MUCH' ,

God replied "THIS MUCH ONLY FOR THIS MUCH" and disappeared.

Jai Sai Ram

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Kavita Didi,  this story you have posted has really puzzled me so much that I am asking you.. pls explain if possible.  I am getting message that king could have done much much more in his current birth rathe rthan what he is doing when affordability is not an issue yet he did only "THIS MUCH". When he was poor and couldnt even afford to eat..he then donated greens too ( he did THAT MUCH). Hence God was is not happy and stated "THIS MUCH ONLY FOR THIS MUCH"

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

Dear Anju ji, Sai Ram

The king in his previous birth, though not well posited, donated a single bunch of green everyday and was blessed to become a king. But, even after becoming a king, he thought, by giving several bunches of greens a day would take him to a much higher position in the next birth which the God did not like and said THIS MUCH ONLY FOR THIS MUCH ( that means you will get greens only in return of greens).

God gives us more to do better things. In other words, as we go upwards,       ( whatever be the aspect - financial / spiritual ) we should act accordingly.

Baba bless us all
Sai Ram

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Is That So?

Hakuin Zenji, an 18th century Japanese Zen master, was known for his piety. It so happened once that an unmarried girl from his neighbourhood got big with child. When questioned by her parents, she named the monk as the father of the unborn child. Enraged, the parents minced no words and lambasted the monk severely. Hakuin Zenji would neither refute nor accept the allegation. “Is that so?” was all he would reiterate.

When the child saw the light of the day, it was brought to Hakuin Zenji. The monk would now find food for two, though in the wake of his soiled reputation, he would, many a time, receive more barbs than food. By the time the year was out, the girl-mother could stand it no longer and revealed the identity of her lover, a fish market help, to her parents. The parents apologised to the monk, repeatedly begged his forgiveness and the custody of the child. The sage handed over the child to them, mumbling a whisper: “Is that so?”

Innocence is neither defensive nor offensive, neither reactive nor proactive. When first the monk said, “Is that so?”, he perhaps meant: “Is this what these people believe?” As he was aware of who he was, he was like an alien to their belief system. He didn’t depend upon their opinion to define himself. To him the charges were irrelevant offscourings that called for no response either in yes or no. While his reputation played see-saw, he turned around and spoke to existence: “Is that so?” A man of piety owes his allegiance only to existence.

When the child was brought to him, he took yet another existential dispensation. A sage does not question anything dished out to him by existence. Any hesitation would be tantamount to a disregard of existence. J Krishnamurti would call such an attitude “choicelessness” but a sage does not choose even “choicelessness” because that would mean losing his inner dynamics, his inner balance. In Zazen Wasan, Hakuin Zenji’s song in praise of zazen, he sings: “We stand beyond ego and past clever words/ Then the gate to oneness of cause-and-effect is thrown open”.

What the child needed immediately was a father’s love and protection and not the gossiper of idle village folks. Being in present was his metier. And so he baby-sat the child till the day he was asked to part with it. Had he not developed any bond with the child? We don’t know. We only know that he remained rooted in the fulcrum of his inner balance. For him depth of living was more meaningful than any length of living. For length we scour the past and the future but depth happens in the hear and now. There was no knee-jerk action from him, only a lover’s plaint to existence: “Is that so?”, that is to say, What is this joke, now?

The sound of one hand clapping is a beautiful gift of Hakuin Zenji to Zen. This koan like any real koan cannot be solved. But it is an existential treat to be experienced. We who bobble in the ambit of bubble chambers created and sustained by a ceaseless flow of frivolous thoughts, would do well to work on it to get a glimpse of Hakuin Zenji’s envious, yet accomplishable, state.

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Jai Sai Ram.

There was once a man who was very rich and very miserly at the same time. The villagers disliked him intensely. One day he said to them, "Either you're jealous of me or you don't understand my love of money-God alone knows. But you dislike me; that much I know. When I die, I won't take anything with me. I will leave it all for others. I will make a will, and I will give everything to charity. Then everyone will be happy."
Even then people mocked and laughed at him. The rich man said to them, "What is the matter with you? Can't you wait a few years to see my money go to charity?"
The villagers didn't believe him. He said, "Do you think I'm immortal? I'll die like everyone else, and then my money will go to charities." He couldn't understand why they didn't believe him.
One day he went for a walk. All of a sudden it started raining heavily, so he took shelter under a tree. Under this tree he saw a pig and a cow. The pig and the cow entered into conversation, and the man overheard what they were saying.
The pig said to the cow, "How is it that everybody appreciates you and nobody appreciates me? When I die, I provide people with bacon, ham and sausage. People can also use my bristles. I give three or four things, whereas you give only one thing: milk. Why do people appreciate you all the time and not me?"

The cow said to the pig, "Look, I give them milk while I'm alive. They see that I am generous with what I have. But you don't give them anything while you're alive. Only after you're dead do you give ham, bacon and so forth. People don't believe in the future; they believe in the present. If you give while you are alive, people will appreciate you. It is quite simple."
From that moment on, the rich man gave all he had to the poor.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

The World Is What You Like To Think It Is

Socrates was sitting outside of the gates of Athens. A man came up to him and said, “I am thinking about moving into Athens. Can you please tell me what it is like to live here?” Socrates replied, “I would be happy to tell you, but first would you please tell me what it was like in your previous home city?” The man roared, “Oh, it was awful. The people stab you in the back and rob you blind. I am leaving only enemies”. Socrates frowned and continued, “Well, you best be on your way because you will find the same thing here in Athens”.

Later another man stopped to speak to Socrates and inquired, “I was considering moving here to Athens. Can you tell me what it is like to live here?” Socrates asked the visitor: “First tell me, what was it like in your previous home city?” The man smiled and said, “Where i come from the people all work together and help each other. Kindness is everywhere and you are never treated with anything but the utmost respect”. “Welcome to Athens”, smiled Socrates, “You will find the same thing here”.

The world is what we think it is. The outside is a reflection of our inner self. If we look at the negative side of things, then our outlook would be bleak. And if we are an optimistic we would feel that positive things surround us everywhere. The first person had negative traits whereas the second person had everything good to say about his home city.

Most situations in our life can be seen as a relationship interaction, be it a personal relationship such as internal dialogues, or our dealings with a friend, family member, or co-worker. All things around us are merely reflections of our self-emanations. If we learn to live our lives with this understanding, then we have no one to blame for our lives. Usually we want to blame other people and the outside world for everything. The physical world is a projection of our beliefs and feelings which we then think is “reality”. As a man thinks, so he becomes.

To take charge of our lives, we have to go within and become intensely honest with ourselves about ourselves. Start accepting that whatever comes to us comes because we have attracted it with thoughts, beliefs and feelings. We can take charge of our lives by taking charge of our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and tendencies.

Belief is the thermostat that regulates what we accomplish. A person who believes he is worth little, receives little. If you believe you are unimportant, so everything you do has an unimportant mark. As time goes by, lack of belief in ourselves shows in the way we talk, walk, act. Unless we readjust our thermostat, we shrink in our own estimation. And, since others see in us what we see in ourselves, we grow smaller in the estimation of others.

You are a product of your thoughts. When you adjust your thermostat, you move forward. When you believe in yourself, good things do start happening. Your mind is a conception workshop producing numberless thoughts. You have to explore your inner self, “Think doubt and fail; Think victory and succeed”.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Enjoy Differences For Variety Spices Life

A young couple asked, “We have been married for several years but the only thing common between us is our irreconcilability. We are not able to make decisions; our indecisiveness is our common point. We don’t even smile at each other. What do we do?” My response is simple: Celebrate. Celebrate your differences. Make your differences fuel your togetherness. Just imagine how boring life would be if there were no differences.

Often people say they are upset that life is full of contradictions. Life is not so small that we can put it into compartments like good and bad, right and wrong, evil and noble. Life is vast; so vast that it is big enough to include contradictions in its fold.

The Kali symbol is a good illustration of this. Goddess Kali is shown dancing on the chest of her husband, Shiva. She loves her husband and at the same time dances on his chest, almost killing him. Life is full of contradictions. One has to accept them gracefully and at the same time change whatever is possible. We also have to learn to accept what cannot be changed.

While we’re discussing differences, let us also accept the fact that the context of a relationship should be one of love, and not of expectation. Love has to go through transformation and purification. Only then would we find that we are bigger than our differences, and that we are slaves to differences.

Differences add richness, variety and spice to life. One should be creative in a relationship. In a music concert, there would be different musical instruments but all of them are harmonised to create symphony. The many tones, pitches and notes come together in a pleasing symphony. Exactly in the same way, you are different, your spouse is different. Learn to enjoy the differences.

The most important aspect in a relationship is that we should stand for transformation and growth. Transformation involves de-hypnotising ourselves. We are hypnotised into believing that love begins where differences end. Differences in fact add richness to life. The only thing one should be alert to is that differences should not be based on the ego; but on inner growth.

We can operate either from personality or from innocence. Personality comes from ego while innocence comes from a childlike nature. That which arises out of ego makes you feel heavy whereas what arises out of childlike innocence makes you feel light. When we are happy and pure and operate from innocence, our logic will have a different lustre, our understanding would have a different aura. It becomes divine. On the contrary, when we are impure and unhappy, our logic becomes dull and dry.

The greatest decision one has to make is the decision to be good, happy and helpful to humanity. In every organisation it is important to take healthy decisions and create good discipline. This adds character to organisational culture. Enjoy life’s differences and make decisions that take you closer to your destination:

Life is an opportunity, cash in on it./
Life is an adventure, get into it./
Life is a tragedy, grow from it./
Life is a struggle, make it sacred./
Life is a song, sing it./
Life is a promise, meet it./
Life is a game, play it./
Life is a duty, fulfil it./
Life is a challenge, face it./
Life is a dream, realise it./
Life is beauty, feel it./
Life is bliss, experience it.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

जय सांई राम।।।

प्राचीन समय की बात है. एक नगर में अत्यंत समृद्ध सेठ रहता था. उसकी अत्यंत रुपवती विवाह योग्य कन्या ने अपने विवाह के लिए बड़ी विचित्र किस्म की शर्त रखी थी. शर्त यह थी कि जो युवक कीचड़ से भरे तालाब में नख-शिख तक डुबकी लगाने के उपरांत एक गिलास जल से अपने शरीर को भली प्रकार साफ कर लेगा, उसी से वह विवाह करेगी.

यूँ तो शर्त आसान सी प्रतीत होती थी, परंतु सैकड़ों युवक इस कोशिश में असफल रहे थे. एक गिलास पानी में समस्त शरीर का कीचड़ भला कैसे साफ हो सकता था. सेठ को अपनी कन्या के विवाह की चिन्ता सता रही थी. परंतु उस रुपवती कन्या का कहना था कि कोई न कोई बुद्धिशाली युवक किसी दिन आएगा और उसकी इस शर्त को पूरा कर उसे ब्याह ले जाएगा. अन्यथा, उसे कुंवारी रहना ही मंजूर है.

अंततः दूर देश के एक अत्यंत चतुर युवक को इस स्वयंवर के बारे में पता चला. वह उस रुपवती कन्या से ब्याह रचाने चल पड़ा. उसने कीचड़ भरे तालाब में डुबकी लगाई और धूप में खड़ा हो गया. फिर साथ लाए बांस की पतली कमचियों से कीचड़ को छीलकर-रगड़-रगड़ कर छुड़ाया. धूप में शरीर का बाकी बचा कीचड़ जब सूखकर महीन धूल में परिवर्तित हो गया तो उसने उसे भी रगड़ कर और झाड़कर साफ कर लिया. तदुपरांत एक गिलास जल से उसने अपने हाथ, और मुँह धो लिए. वह अत्यंत स्वच्छ, सद्यः स्नान किया हुआ प्रतीत हो रहा था.

रुपवती कन्या ने यह देखने के बाद अपने विवाह की स्वीकृति दे दी.

परंतु युवक ने कहा – नहीं. विवाह से पहले मैं भी इस कन्या की परीक्षा लूंगा. इसे भी मेरी परीक्षा में खरा उतरना होगा तभी मैं इससे विवाह करूंगा, अन्यथा नहीं. उसने उस रुपवती कन्या को एक सेर धान देते हुए कहा – अगर तुम सिर्फ इन्हीं और इतने ही धान का उपयोग कर मुझे छप्पन प्रकार के व्यंजन बनाकर मुझे भर पेट खिला सकती हो, तब तो तुम मेरी जीवनसंगिनी बनने के काबिल हो, अन्यथा नहीं.

उस रुपवती कन्या ने वह परीक्षा स्वीकार की और उसकी इस शर्त को पूरा करने के लिए उससे एक वर्ष का समय मांगा.

एक वर्ष बीतने के पश्चात् निश्चित समय पर वह युवक उस रुपवती कन्या के पास पहुँचा. उस रुपवती कन्या ने उसके लिए छप्पन प्रकार के विविध पकवान थालों में भर-भर कर सजा रखे थे. भोजन ग्रहण करने से पहले उस युवक ने आश्चर्य मिश्रित प्रसन्नता से पूछा – एक सेर धान से तुमने इतने सारे पकवान कैसे तैयार कर लिए?

उस रुपवती कन्या ने जवाब दिया – मैंने एक वर्ष का समय आपसे इसीलिए तो चाहा था. मैंने सेर भर धान को बढ़िया खेतों में बुआई करवाई और उसकी अच्छी फसल लेने के उपरांत उससे सौदा कर पकवानों की सामग्रियाँ ले लीं और इतने पकवान तैयार किए हैं. इन पकवानों में एक सेर धान और मेरी मेहनत के अलावा और कुछ भी नहीं लगा है.

इस प्रकार, उस चतुर युवक और रुपवती कन्या का बड़े ही धूमधाम से ब्याह हो गया.

अपना सांई प्यारा सांई सबसे न्यारा अपना सांई

ॐ सांई राम।।।

[mainhoonsaibeti]

The Ant & the Contact Lens


Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took hold on the rope and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens.

Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet Below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff.

She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every  stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it?  An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it.

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the  incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if you want Me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

JAI SAI RAM!!!

This is it! Just Wonderful! Very Nice Story...काश़। 'उसके' हर एक्शन को हम लोग Appreciate करना सीख सकें।

OM SAI RAM!!!