Moral Stories

[Ramesh Ramnani]

जय सांई राम।।।

न देने वाला मन

एक भिखारी सुबह-सुबह भीख मांगने निकला। चलते समय उसने अपनी झोली में जौ के मुट्ठी भर दाने डाल लिए। टोटके या अंधविश्वास के कारण भिक्षाटन के लिए निकलते समय भिखारी अपनी झोली खाली नहीं रखते। थैली देख कर दूसरों को लगता है कि इसे पहले से किसी ने दे रखा है। पूर्णिमा का दिन था, भिखारी सोच रहा था कि आज ईश्वर की कृपा होगी तो मेरी यह झोली शाम से पहले ही भर जाएगी।

अचानक सामने से राजपथ पर उसी देश के राजा की सवारी आती दिखाई दी। भिखारी खुश हो गया। उसने सोचा, राजा के दर्शन और उनसे मिलने वाले दान से सारे दरिद्र दूर हो जाएंगे, जीवन संवर जाएगा। जैसे-जैसे राजा की सवारी निकट आती गई, भिखारी की कल्पना और उत्तेजना भी बढ़ती गई। जैसे ही राजा का रथ भिखारी के निकट आया, राजा ने अपना रथ रुकवाया, उतर कर उसके निकट पहुंचे। भिखारी की तो मानो सांसें ही रुकने लगीं। लेकिन राजा ने उसे कुछ देने के बदले उलटे अपनी बहुमूल्य चादर उसके सामने फैला दी और भीख की याचना करने लगे। भिखारी को समझ नहीं आ रहा था कि क्या करे। अभी वह सोच ही रहा था कि राजा ने पुन: याचना की। भिखारी ने अपनी झोली में हाथ डाला, मगर हमेशा दूसरों से लेने वाला मन देने को राजी नहीं हो रहा था। जैसे-तैसे कर उसने दो दाने जौ के निकाले और उन्हें राजा की चादर पर डाल दिया। उस दिन भिखारी को रोज से अधिक भीख मिली, मगर वे दो दाने देने का मलाल उसे सारे दिन रहा। शाम को जब उसने झोली पलटी तो उसके आश्चर्य की सीमा न रही। जो जौ वह ले गया था, उसके दो दाने सोने के हो गए थे। उसे समझ में आया कि यह दान की ही महिमा के कारण हुआ है। वह पछताया कि काश! उस समय राजा को और अधिक जौ दी होती, लेकिन नहीं दे सका, क्योंकि देने की आदत जो नहीं थी।

 अपना सांई प्यारा सांई सबसे न्यारा अपना सांई

ॐ सांई राम।।।

[fatima]

 

Once upon a time there lived a special kind of bird which had two necks and shared a common stomach.


One day, one of the heads found a jar of nectar and on seeing this other head also wanted to taste the nectar but the first neck refused to let it have it. Enraged, the other neck soon found a jar of poison and it consumed it. The poison reached the common stomach and both the necks perished.

.MORAL: Sharing of a good thing with others is always good

[fatima]

Once upon a time there lived a jackal that strayed into a city in search of food. He was hungry and was being chased by a group of dogs. He accidentally entered the house of a dyer and fell into a vat of indigo (blue), and was stained blue from head to toe. When he escaped from the house back into the forest, all animals were surprised at his appearance and could not place its identity. Taking advantage of the situation, the jackal decided to play the situation to his advantage. He proclaimed that he was Fierce Owl, sent by the king of Gods, Indra, to earth to guard the forest.

The gullible animals believed the jackal. The jackal then appointed the Lion as his Prime minister, tiger as his guardian of the bed chamber and the elephant was made the door keeper. He then drove all the jackals out of sight from the forest for fear of being recognized. The animals would hunt food and bring it to the self proclaimed king and the king would distribute the food to all equally just as a king would do. So he was leading a life of luxury.


One day a herd of jackals were passing by howling to their glory. Unable to control his natural instinct, Fierce Owl showed his natural voice and howled at the top of his voice. Hearing this howl, the animals realized that they had been fooled by a jackal and killed the jackal instantly.

 

MORAL: Excess of Greed is harmful.

[fatima]

  A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

  "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
 
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
 
When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
 
The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
 
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Care and love your Parents as you would expect your children to love and care for you.

Remember, as you sow, so shall you reap, and regardless of your relationship with your Parents, you will miss them when they are gone.

[fatima]

In the kingdom of Naoda lived a poor shepherd named Balloo. He used to be paid in food and clothes only every day for grazing the cows of the village Kistopur where he lived.

One day a thief stole the temple bell and hid away on the nearby hilltop. He hung the bell in a cave where he did his stolen booty. One day a tiger saw him the in the forest nearby and devoured him.

 A group of monkeys lived on the trees near the cave. As we all know, the monkey is a very mischievous animal. Seeing the bell hanging in the cave, they started using it as a swing. In the process, the bell pealed loud and strong. After one would get fed up, another monkey would jump on the bell and swing on it. In this way the bell would ring the whole day.

A few villagers became curious and went up to find out this mysterious happening. As they reached the forest, they found the skeleton of the thief who had been killed by the tiger.

They all agreed that it was the job of a man eating giant and ran away. The word spread over the village and news reached the ling. They called it Rogue-Bell Ringer.

The Villagers were afraid and started fleeing from the village. The shepherd had no cattle to graze and started starving. He decided that it would be better to die than be hungry all the time but before dying he would fight the rogue.

He picked up of his staff and huge bad and started climbing the hillside. As he reached the cave on the hilltop, he shivered with fear but as he peeped inside, he burst out laughing on seeing the monkeys and their pranks. He had solved the riddle of the ringing bell.

He put all the treasure hidden in the cave inside the bag and then shooing away the animals, he pulled down the bell. Then carrying both, he reached the king's palace.

The king was very worried to hear of the villagers fleeing from the village and when he heard the truth from the shepherd, he was delighted. He praised him for his bravery and gave him a lot of wealth for his honesty.


LESSON: "Bravery is the quality of facing adversity even when you are mortally afraid."[/b]

[fatima]

THE MOUSE WHICH TURNED INTO A LION:

In a dense forest lived a great sage named Bhrigu Rishi. He lived a secluded life in a small shelter where he spent his days in prayer. A small mouse also lived near the shelter and over the years became a very pious and an ardent disciple of the sage.

Whenever Bhrigu sat deep in meditation or sang hymns in praise of God, the mouse would also sit near him and meditate. His only problem was that being a mouse, he was always in fear of his life from cats, dogs and vultures and this fear was biggest obstacle.

Bhrigu Rishi had been observing the mouse over the years and knew about his fear. Having pity on him, he decided to end this problem, once for all, by transforming the mouse in to a lion. He could then move boldly and meditate with peace.

The sage was a hermit with extraordinary powers, acquired over the years through his prayers and meditation. He could achieve or be blessed with whatever he desired by praying to God.

He started his meditation and when he reached the level of supernatural he prayed, " Oh God! The mouse is one of your ardent devotees, but his prayers are disturbed because he lives in fear all the time. I pray that you change him into a lion so that he can overcome this fear".

The almighty granted him this wish and the mouse became a lion. The surprising result of this was that his outlook was also transformed to the attributes of the jungle king. He would roam over the forest freely and all the other animals would bow and greet him fearfully. He has hailed as their leader.

Only the sage know of his original state of mouse and this reality made him treat him still like a mouse. This was resented by the 'mouse turned lion' because it would affect his dignity. Once the other animals know of it they would then ridicule and disrespect him. He decided to kill the sage, his benefactor, so that the secret was not revealed to others.

After being mentally prepared to do the killing, he rushed off to the hermitage.

Bhrigu Rishi had extraordinary powers and the moment he saw the lion rushing at him, he read his mind. This ungratefulness made him very angry and he transfixed lion with his stare.

As the lion stood trembling before the sage, he got reverted back to his original physical state of a mouse.

If the 'mouse turned lion' had not forgotten his earlier days and thought ill of his benefactor, he would not have been reverted back to mouse again.

Lesson: "Never be ungrateful to your benefactor. A person, who becomes rich or powerful and forgets his earlier periods of misery, is destined to stumble in life, again and again.]

[fatima]

   Karnapriya was the Prince of Thandar. He was an intelligent and handsome young man but all his wit failed when a snake bit him.

The Prince became dull and slowly turned dark complexioned and withered. The King and his Ministers were surprised one day to find him missing. After a lot of search they found him in the neighbouring kingdom dressed like an ascetic and living in the temple premises.

Karnapriya was spending his days in the service of God and ate whatever he received in his begging bowl.

The King here had two daughters who were also very pious. They came to the temple every morning and prayed. After prayers the elder princess would say, " Hail the King, who provides all that we need and deserve."

The younger Princess Kalawati would bow before the idol of Vishnu and Say, " I am satisfied with whatever you have given. O God! This is my fate."

The King was very annoyed to hear this. He was the provider and his own daughter did not acknowledge this instead she accepted that whatever luxury she enjoyed was only because of her destiny.  He got her married to Prince Karnapriya and asked her to leave the Palace.

Princess Kalawati accepted this turn of events, also, as her fate and tried to make the best of it. They moved away from the temple and set up house near the forest.

One day as the Prince cut the wood for fire, Kalawati went in to the forest to gather fruits and vegetables. When she came back she found Karnapriya sleeping under the tree. As he exhaled his breath, blue flames came out and this attracted a big snake which spread its hood and inhaled the Prince's breath.

Kalawati hid behind a tree and watched this. Soon another huge snake came out of the hole nearby. It fumed and hissed. "Why do you disturb the Prince, you scoundrel? Leave him alone, he is mine."

The black snake hissed back, "I can cure the Prince by just rubbing my body against him whilst you can only add to the poison. You hide a huge amount of gold ornaments and coins in your hole, why don't you bring them out and help him if you love him so much?"

Princess Kalawati heard this exchange and decided that God had sent her an opportunity to benefit from.

She took up her sword and hacked both of them to death. She then picked the black snake and rubbed Karnapriya's body with it. Lo and Behold! The Prince stood up as handsome as earlier with an aura around him.

Both Karnapriya and Kalawati then dug up the Snake's treasure and what a treasure it was! Gold, Diamonds and emeralds dazzled in the sunlight, enough to suffice an emperor.

They embraced each other with joy and knelt to pray. Soon a voice was heard, "This is the reward for all your piety and you will be blessed shortly with a son who will be the handsomest of all. Go back to your kingdom and fulfill your responsibilities."

They both went back and were welcomed amongst a lot of fanfare. All citizens hailed and sang their praises and they lived happily ever after.


Moral :'No one can challenge fate but you can change your destiny through perseverity and hard work.'

[fatima]

A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls. The prince was not amused.
"Am I a girl that you give me dolls?" he asked.

"This is a gift for a future king," said the man. "If you look carefully, you'll see a hole in the ear of each doll."

"So?"

The sage handed him a piece of string.

"Pass it through each doll," he said.

Intrigued, the prince picked up the first doll and put the string into the ear.

It came out from the other ear.

"This is one type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him, comes out from the other ear. He doesn't retain anything."

The prince put the string into the second doll. It came out from the mouth.

"This is the second type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else."

The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process. The string did not reappear from anywhere else.

"This is the third type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him is locked up within him. It never comes out."

"What is the best type of person?" asked the prince.

The man handed him a fourth doll, in answer.

When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other ear.

"Do it again," said the sage. The prince repeated the process. This time the string came out from the mouth. When he put the string in a third time, it did not come out at all.

"This is the best type of person," said the sage. "To be trustworthy, a man must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out."

[SS91]

The story of the bird with the two necks

Once upon a time there lived a special kind of bird which had two necks and shared a common stomach.
.
One day, one of the heads found a jar of nectar and on seeing this other head also wanted to taste the nectar but the first neck refused to let it have it. Enraged, the other neck soon found a jar of poison and it consumed it. The poison reached the common stomach and both the necks perished.
.
MORAL:   Sharing of a good thing with others is always good.

[SS91]

The Loss of Friends

Once upon a time, Amarasakti ruled the city-state of Mahilaropyam in the south of India. He had three witless sons who became a matter of endless worry for him. Realizing that his sons had no interest in learning, the king summoned his ministers and said:

“You know I am not happy with my sons. According to men of learning an unborn son and a stillborn son are better than a son who is a dimwit. What good is a barren cow? A son who is stupid will bring dishonour to his father. How can I make them fit to be my successors? I turn to you for advice.”

One of the ministers suggested the name of Vishnu Sharman, a great scholar enjoying the respect of hundreds of his disciples. “He is the most competent person to tutor your children. Entrust them to his care and very soon you will see the change.”

The king summoned Vishnu Sharman and pleaded with him “Oh, venerable scholar, take pity on me and please train my sons into great scholars and I will make you the lord of hundred villages.”

Vishnu Sharman said “Oh, king, listen to my pledge. Hundred villages do not tempt me to vend learning. Count six months from today. If I do not make your children great scholars, you can ask me to change my name.”

The king immediately called his sons and handed them to the care of the learned man. Sharman took them to his monastery where he started teaching them the five strategies (Panchatantra). Keeping his word, he finished the task the king entrusted him in six months. Since then, Panchatantra became popular all over the world as children's guide in solving problems of life.

Now begins the Loss of Friends (first of the five strategies) series. These are stories that figure in a dialogue between two jackals named Karataka and Damanaka.

Long, long ago, a merchant named Vardhaman lived in a town in the south of India. As he was resting on his bed one day it struck him that money was the axis of the world and that the more he had of it the more he would be powerful. Even enemies seek the friendship of a rich man, he told himself. The old become young if they have riches and the young become old if they do not have wealth. Business is one of the six ways that help man amass wealth. This was his logic.

Mobilizing all his wares, Vardhaman set out on an auspicious day for Madhura in search of markets for his goods. He began his travel in a gaily-decorated cart drawn by two bullocks. On the way, tired of the long haul, one of the bullocks named Sanjeevaka collapsed in the middle of a jungle near river Jamuna. But the merchant continued his journey asking some of his servants to take care of the animal. But the servants abandoned the bullock soon after their master had left. Joining him later, they told him that the bullock was dead.

In fact, Sanjeevaka was not dead. Feeding on the abundant fresh and tender grass in the forest, he regained strength and began to merrily explore the jungle, dancing and singing in joy. In the same forest lived Pingalaka, the lion.Sanjeevaka, content with his new life in the jungle would waltz and sing uproariously with joy. One day, Pingalaka and other animals were drinking water in the Jamuna when the lion heard the frightening bellow of the bullock. In panic, the lion withdrew into the forest and sat deeply lost in thought and surrounded by other animals.

Sensing the predicament of their king, two jackals, Karataka and Damanaka, sons of two dismissed ministers, were clueless as to what had happened to their king.

“What could have happened to the lord of the forest,” asked Damanaka.

“Why should we poke our nose into affairs that are not our concern? Haven't you heard the story of the monkey which pulled out the wedge from the log,” asked Damanaka.

“Sounds interesting. Why don't you tell me what happened to the monkey,” pleaded Damanaka.

“Now, listen,” said Damanaka and began narrating the story of the monkey.

Jaisairam

[SS91]

The Monkey And The Wedge

  A   merchant once started building a temple in the middle of his garden. Many masons and carpenters were working for the merchant. They took time off every day to go to the town for their lunch. One day, when the workers left for lunch a batch of monkeys landed at the temple site and began playing with whatever caught their fancy. One of the monkeys saw a partly sawed log of wood and a wedge fixed in it so that it does not close up.

Curious to know what it is, the monkey began furiously tugging at the wedge. At last the wedge came off, not before trapping the legs of the monkey into the rift of the log. Very soon, not able to get his legs out of the closed wood, the monkey died.

“Therefore,” Karataka told Damanaka, “it is not wise to poke our nose into affairs that are not our concern. We have a food store. Why should we bother ourselves about this lion?”

Damanaka retorted, “Food is not the centre of our life. The elders have said that wise men seek the help of the king to help friends and harm foes. There are hundred ways of collecting food. What matters is a life full of learning, courage and wealth. If living somehow is the goal, even the crow lives long eating leftovers.”

“True, but we are not ministers any more. The elders have always said that the stupid person who offers uncalled for advice to the king invites not only insult but also deceit,” said Karataka.

“No,” Damanaka said, “anyone who serves the king with devotion is bound to earn his favour in the long run. The one who does not remains where he is. Those who understand why the king is angry or generous will one-day rise in office. It is necessary to be in the good books of the king.'

“Okay, what do you want to do now?” asked Karataka.

“You know the king is scared now. We will ask him what frightens him and using the six ways of diplomacy get close to him.”

“How do you know the king is scared?”

“Changes in posture, signs, pace, actions, conversation, looks and expression indicate the working of the mind. I will approach the fear-struck king today and with my intelligence, I will dispel his fear and once again become his minister,” said Damanaka.

“How can you do it when you do not know principles of service?” asked Karataka.

Damanaka told him all he knew and learnt about what makes a good and loyal servant in the service of the king.

“In that case, I wish you all good luck,” said Karataka.

Taking leave of Karataka, Damanaka then called on the king. Recognizing that he was the son of his old minister, King Pingalaka told his sentry to bring him into his presence. Damanaka came down on his knees to pay respects to the king.

“We haven't seen you for a long time,” the king said.

“I don't know of what use I can be to you, my lord. Yet, according to the learned, there are occasions when every person however high or low will be of use to the king. For generations we have served the king with devotion. Yet I am out of your majesty's favour.”

“All right, competent or incompetent you are the son of our old minister. Go ahead and tell me whatever you have in your mind,” the king ordered Damanaka.

“May I ask you humbly, my lord, what made you come back from the lake without drinking water,” asked Damanaka reluctantly.

“O' Damanaka, haven't you heard the great and frightening sounds in the distance? I want to leave this forest. The strange animal that could make such sounds ought to be as powerful as the sounds he makes.”

“Your majesty, if it is only sound that is your problem, I wish to submit that sounds are misleading. I can tell you the story of the jackal, how it overcame the fear of sound.”

Let us hear it, said the king.

Jaya Jaya Ram Sai Ram     Jaya Jaya Ram Sai Ram             Jaya Jaya Ram Sai Ram       Jaya Jaya Ram Sai Ram

[SS91]

The Jackal And The Drum

  A hungry jackal set out in search of food and ended up at an abandoned battlefield whence he heard loud and strange sounds. Scared, he thought, “I must disappear from here before the man who is making these sounds gets me.” After a while he told himself, “I must not run away like that. Let me find out what really the sounds are and who is making them because whether it is fear or happiness one must know its cause. Such a person will never regret his actions. So, let me first look for the source of these noises.”

Warily, the jackal marched in the direction of the sounds and found a drum there. It was this drum, which was sending the sounds whenever the branches of the tree above brushed against it. Relieved, the jackal began playing the drum and thought that there could be food inside it. The jackal entered the drum by piercing its side. He was disappointed to find no food in it. Yet he consoled himself saying that he rid himself of the fear of sound.

“Therefore”, Damanaka told king Pingalaka, “your majesty should not be afraid of sounds. I seek your permission to go and see what the sounds are.”

“Okay,” said the king. Taking leave of the king, Damanaka proceeded in the direction of the sound.

The king now began worrying himself about Damanaka's intentions. “He may have a grudge against me for dismissing him once. Such persons seek revenge. I should not have taken him into confidence. Let me keep an eye on him. Wise men have always maintained that it is difficult to kill even a weak man who does not easily trust others but easy to kill a strong man who readily trusts others,” the king thought.

As the king kept an eye on him, Damanaka moved slowly towards Sanjeevaka, the bullock, and found that he was after all an animal and thought, “This is a good omen. This will help me to get back into the good books of the king. Kings never follow the advice of their ministers unless they are in peril or grief. Just as a healthy man never thinks of a doctor, a strong and secure king also never remembers the need for a minister.”

Assured that what he saw was only a bullock, Damanaka returned to the king and told him what he saw.

“Is it true?” the king asked.

“The king is God. The man who lies to a king perishes. He alone has the power to grant favours.”

“I believe you. Great men do not harm weaker people. They take on only their equals. That is what is unique about brave people.”

“What your majesty says is true. Sanjeevaka is great. If your lordship permits me, I will persuade him to be one of your servants.”

“All right, I am taking you back as a minister,” said the king, pleased.

Damanaka at once hurried back to Sanjeevaka and told him to stop bellowing and come and meet his king. But the bullock wanted who this Pingalaka was. “What? You do not know our lord? Wait, you will know shortly the cost of this ignorance. There he is, surrounded by his retinue under the banyan tree.” Sanjeevaka thought his days were numbered and pleaded with Damanaka, “Sir, you seem to be a man of great wisdom and wit. You alone can save me. I can come only if you can assure me that no harm will come to me.” Damanaka told the bullock to wait for the right time to meet the king.

Returning to the king, Damanaka told him “My lord, he is not an ordinary being. He is the vehicle of Lord Shiva. He told me that Lord Shiva had permitted him to feed on the tender grass in the neighbourhood of Jamuna. But I told him that the forest belonged to our lion king who is the vehicle of goddess Chandika. You are our guest. You can see our king and seek a separate space for you to graze. He agreed to this plan provided he has an assurance from your majesty.”

“Yes, certainly. But I will need assurance from him in return. Bring him here,” the king told Damanaka. Going back to the bullock Damanaka advised him, “You have the assurance of the king. But this new position should not go to your head. We have to work together. That is how we can prosper. Otherwise, he who does not respect everyone, however high or low, will forfeit the favour of kings like Dantila.”

“What about Dantila?” asked Sanjeevaka.
Jaya Jaya Sai Jaya Jaya Ram  Jaya Jaya Sai Jaya Jaya Ram  Jaya Jaya Sai Jaya Jaya Ram

[SS91]

The Buzzard, The Bat, and the Bumblebee



If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them.

[SS91]

Trees That Wood

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.


 
 

[SS91]

How the Ketaki Fell from Grace

 
Once while Vishnu and Brahma were quarrelling about which of them was superior to the other, Shiva, in the form of a column of light,appeared beside them. The column seemed to have no beginning or end, stretching upwards and downwards as far as the eye could see. The two gods decided that whoever found the top or the bottom of the column first would be deemed to be superior to the other.


So they set out, Vishnu in the form of a boar, and Brahma in the form of a swan. Vishnu descended for aeons together, but could not find the base of the column, and finally gave up the search. Brahma, soaring upwards, was equally unsuccessful in reaching the top. He saw a ketaki flower wafting down, and catching it, returned to the starting point where Vishnu was waiting for him.
Then followed a spot of duplicity. Brahma, claiming success, waved the flower, which he said he had found at the summit, in Vishnu’s face. Vishnu doubted his claim. He asked the ketaki if what Brahma said was true. The flower said it was.

The barefaced lie infuriated Shiva, and he cursed the flower (another version says the flower refused to substantiate Brahma’s claim and that it was Brahma who cursed it). The ketaki, till then considered the best among flowers, lost its importance and was never again offered in worship except on Mahashivratri when it makes a shy appearance.