Stories for Life
Learn how the Lord works!!!
From an email sent by MM Elango
Once there was a sweeper in the Well Known temple and he was very sincere and devoted.
Every time he saw thousands of devotees coming to take darshan of the Lord, he thought that the Lord is standing all the time and giving darshan and He must be feeling very tired.
So one day very innocently he asked the Lord whether he can take the place of the Lord for a day so that the Lord can have some relief and rest.
The Deity of Temple replied, “I do not mind taking a break. I will transform you like myself, but you must do one thing. You must just stand here like me, smile at everyone and just give benedictions.
“Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything. Remember you are the deity and you just have faith that I have a master plan for everything.”
The sweeper agreed to this.
The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man came and prayed to the Lord. He offered a nice donation and prayed that his business should be prosperous.
While going, the rich man inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there. Now the sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to control himself and keep quiet.
Just then a poor man came and he put one coin in the Hundi and said that it was all he could afford and he prayed to the Lord that he should continue to be engaged in the Lord’s service.
He also said that his family was in dire need of some basic needs but he left it to the good hands of the Lord to give some solution.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Lord for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently.
The sweeper in the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep smiling.
At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for his safe journey as he was going on a long trip.
Just then the rich man came with the police and said that somebody has stolen his wallet and seeing the sailor there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he might have taken it.
Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the sailor is not the thief and he could not say and he was greatly frustrated.
The sailor looked at the Lord and asked why he an innocent person is being punished.
The rich man looked at the Lord and thanked Him for finding the thief.
The sweeper in the deity form could no more tolerate and he thought that even if the real Lord had been here, he would have definitely interfered and hence he started speaking and said that the sailor is not the thief but it was the poor man who took away the wallet.
The rich man was very thankful as also the sailor.
In the night, the real Lord came and He asked the sweeper how the day was.
The sweeper said, “I thought it would be easy, but now I know that your days are not easy, but I did one good thing.”
Then he explained the whole episode to the Lord. The Lord became very upset on hearing this whereas the sweeper thought the Lord would appreciate him for the good deed done.
The Lord asked, “Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no faith in me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all those who come here?
“The entire donation which the rich man gave was all stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he wants me to reciprocate unlimitedly.
“The single coin offered by the poor man was the last coin he was having and he gave it to me out of faith.
“The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if the sailor were to go in the ship that night he was about to die because of bad weather and instead if he is arrested he would be in the jail and he would have been saved form a greater calamity.
“The wallet should go to the poor man because he will use it in my service. I was going to reduce the rich man’s karma also by doing this and save the sailor also.
“But you cancelled everything because you thought you know my plan and you made your own plans.”
God has plans and justice for everyone….we just have to have patience…………
Naran
We always do everything partially. We believe in God. We have trust in God. We have bakthi. But nothing is total.
We say we are surrendering. Only one part of the mind surrenders. The other parts will doubt and prevent our total surrender.
When we have total surrender we accept what is happening and when we accept instead of resisting, God’s plan is revealed.
When you totally surrender, you will not question anything but witness anything that is happening.
Is it possible to reach that stage?
I don’t know. But we have to try and keep on trying.
Daily Pray, “Let all parts of my mind surrender”.
With this intention, chant the mantra, “Om Hum Namaha”.
Hum is the Bija mantra which will make one to surrender to god. All the inflexible resisting doubting parts will join the surrendering part.
When you wake up in the morning say, “This is the God-given day. Whatever I do, I do it for him.”
Love Lost and Found – an unbelievable story
Naran
I will tell you a story written by a Hungarian in the Reader’s Digest magazine.
This is the story about a Hungarian, born in Hungary, but settled down in America.
It was the year 1947-48. Daily he used to go to the railway station, to board the train and go to his office. He will catch the train exactly at 9’O cloak.
On 10th January’ 1948, after going to the station he suddenly thought to visit his friend and then go to the office. He decided to visit him.
He caught another train. He met his friend and came back to the station around 11 and boarded the train for his office.
The train was fully packed. He could not get into the train but jostled and managed to get into the train. He was standing.
Near that place, a person who was sitting suddenly got up, and He sat in that place.
Next to him there was a person, who was immersed in reading a newspaper. Out of curiosity, he looked into what the other person was reading.
To his surprise and amazement it was a Hungarian Newspaper. This man thought that he found another Hungarian and felt immensely happy.
He started talking to him. Both of them talked in their own language.
For some reason, the person who was reading the newspaper was immensely sad. He asked him, “Hey why you are sad? What happened to you?” Then that man told his story.
The other man’s story
“When the Second World War started, I was a student then. I was caught by Germans and kept in the concentration camp. The war was over and prisoners were set free. I went back to my village and to meet my family.
“Unfortunately I could not find anybody. There was no person available to enquire about them. A child approached me. I enquired about my family members.
“The child said that the all my family members were killed except for one lady, who was taken as a prisoner by the Germans.
“Now where and how can I find my wife?” saying this, he wept because he had lost his wife.
“Where can I search my wife? I don’t know whether my wife is alive or not? I am not able to find out. I travelled to Paris and then settled down here.
“Now, I have stopped searching for my wife”.
The story didn’t end here, otherwise it will not be a story
Suddenly our friend remembered having a met a Hungarian lady a week back. Fortunately, he had her number.
Going by the details of this person he phoned her up, told her about his new Hungarian friend and asked her to find out whether he was her husband or not.
The moment our friend talked to her, the other man started shedding tears. He said, “Yes I have found my wife. Fortunately, my wife is also here” and thanked this person.
This article ends with five questions.
- Why should I suddenly decide on that day of 10th Jan 1948, to visit my friend?
- Why I took that train in spite of heavy crowd?
- Why should I catch that train at that time?
- Then when I went inside suddenly a person got up and gave me the seat. Why?
- Why should this person be reading the Hungarian paper? At that time had I not read that paper, what would have happened?
He leaves us to come out with our own answers
We are made to believe that we are taking the decisions. We are made to believe that we are doing everything perfectly.
However, everything is done by the divine. The divine is so compassionate that we are made to believe that we are taking the decisions. It is the divine who plans everything.
As per the divine order, every second, every minute and every hour is important. That’s why we have to understand the value of time.
Normally, when we understand the value of the time, we understand then that every event is a necessity. Whether we want it or not, it has to happen.
When we believe this or when we accept any event as is, the divine will reveal itself. Till we resist our life, the divine is not revealed.
We may have pleasure in talking about the divine. But, when we experience the divine, we will not be in a position to talk about it.
All the events are only divine experiences, but with the help of the mind, we totally resist.
Story of Rama
Rama to be crowned
Dasaratha, the King of Ayodhya, decided to install his son Sri Rama as the Crown Prince. All the people whole-heartedly accepted it.
The whole of Ayodhya went into rapturous joy. Singing and dancing, all were discussing about Rama becoming the King.
While the whole world was happy and celebrating, there was darkness in one chamber. It was Kaikeyi’s. She is the second wife of Dasaratha.
Kaikeyi Passes the Evil Message to Rama
Rama got the message that Dasaratha wanted to meet him. So he hurried to Kaikeyi’s Apartment.
He sensed the tension in the silent chamber. Rama saw his father. Beside him Kaikeyi stood like an evil spirit.
Rama prostrated at the feet of Dasaratha. Then he moved towards Kaikeyi, who moved away from him like an insane person.
The king did not speak a word. His eyes were shedding tears and remaining shut. He just said “Rama” in a broken voice and tears escaped from his eyes.
Rama was confused. He said to Kaikeyi, “Have I done anything to annoy my father? Or is he unwell? I should not ask this – did you both quarreled?”
Kaikeyi said, “There is nothing wrong with you. He wanted to tell you something but he dare not. Therefore, I will tell you. Long before, your father gave me two boons. Last night, when I asked him to honour it, he was not ready.”
Rama wondered at the harshness of Kaikeyi. There was so much malice in her tone. She said “Rama, if you can fulfill your father’s promises. I will tell you what I asked him for”.
“Why do you ask me? I will do anything to keep my father’s word.I will honour it – whatever it may be”.
Kaikeyi said “I want Bharatha to be crowned, instead of you. You should spend fourteen years in the forest, dressed like a rishi”.
Rama Agrees to Honour His Father’s Words
Without a moment of hesitation, Rama said,” Yes definitely I will go to the forest. Why is there such a conflict over this? Please send messengers at once to bring Bharatha. I am happy to see Bharatha crowned.”
Kaikeyi said in a cold voice, “Leave that to me. When Bharatha comes, you need not be here. As long as you are here, your father will not crown Bharatha. The sooner you leave, the better it is.”
Dasaratha swooned. Rama sprang to him.
Now Rama’s eyes were full and he said quietly, “Father, you have not understood me. You could have asked me yourself. I would have gone happily then. It pains me that you have doubted my love for you. I will go at once. I will not come back for 14 years. I just want to see my mother Kaushalya and convince her that this is not a tragedy but a divine order. For me, thegod’s grace has unfolded in this manner.”
Then he touched Kaikeyi’s feet and quickly walked out of the room. Behind him, he heard his father break down calling “Rama” several times and sobbing like a child.
Lakshmana Gets Angry
Lakshmana who accompanied Rama became angry and hot tears came out of him like a river. Rama just put his hand around his shoulders and consoled him.
His face became more radiant. There was no sorrow and no disappointment on his face now. Determination and the will to do anything vibrated through him. He became more handsome.
Rama Consoles His Mother
Rama explained everything to his mother Kaushalya, who spent the whole night in prayer.
Kaushalya broke down and said, “Rama when you were born, I thought Gods have blessed me. I never enjoyed the love of your father. I was neglected by him. Since then you are the light of my days. I cannot live without seeing your face, Rama.”
Her frail figure shook with sobbing. Her lip was uttering “Rama, Rama”.
Rama’s Mother Bless Him
Finally, she accepted for Rama’s departure and blessed him. “In all the fourteen years of your life in the forest, be sure that Dharma (the divine order) and Satyam (truth) will always be with you. You will always be surrounded and protected by them and the Divinity”.
Rama prostrated to her and left her.Lakshmana then shouted, “I will not allow this. A king should think of what is good for the kingdom and not what suits his favorite wife. I will just kill him as well as Kaikeyi.”
Rama remained silent. He let him vent his grief, knowing it was sorrow that was expressed as anger and threat.
Rama Explains Speaks About Total Acceptance
You know about Vairagya (determination). We sat at Guru’s feet and learnt. We should implement in life, what we learnt. Love for me should not resort to violence. Violence is never Dharma.
You have to help me by letting me go in peace. Anger and grief will make us stagnate. When we just accept the Divine order, our life is taken care of by the divine.Divine order is the one, which makes our destiny.
It is not that Mother Kaikeyi is evil or that she hates me. Only that Divine order uses her, even against Kaikeyi’s own nature. Do you know she is the most wounded of all!
Calm yourself. When disappointment strikes you, think with your intellect and not with your burning emotional part. What is next?
Accept everything that comes to you. When you accept, you will find innumerable ways to live and do things. While resisting, all the life doors are closed.
Acceptance is nothing but surrendering. Surrender! Surrendering alone can allow divine to work for you. When divinity takes care of your life, you are the most fortunate.
How to attain Peace and Harmony
Whether you agree or disagree with me, just observe what happens around you.
Whatever is happening right now is what you need at this moment, because every scene in the drama of life is preparation for the next scene.
Mullah was Sad One Day…
Naran S Balakumar
A Story about Happiness and Of Course Sadness…!!!
His friend asked him, “Why are you sad?”
Mullah replied, “My uncle died a month ago. He has willed his property to me. I just thought about it and feel sad”.
“What a fool you are? He was eighty when he died. Moreover, all his property is yours now. Instead of being happy, why should you feel sad and weep?”
“No! No! The matter is different. Last week, another uncle of mine died and he also has written his property in my name”.
“So what. Now,you should be doubly happy. He is also as old as this uncle. There is nothing to mourn or loathe. Cheer up yourself”.
“Shall I tell you one more thing?”
“Please go ahead”.
“My grand father who was ninety years old died yesterday, after giving Rs. 2 lakhs to me”.
Greatly angered the friend replied, “I don’t understand the reason for your sadness then”.
Wiping his tears, Mullah said, “All my rich relatives had died. Now, there is nobody among my relatives old enough to die and give his property to me”.
This is the mentality of a negative (Bach Flower) Gentian person. His mind is not happy about what he gets. The Gentian mind feels sad about what he has not got.
Never it’s late to Teach Moral Stories
A Modern Day Mother’s Story to Her Child
Chitra
My son is studying in VII standard.
I am always worried about him. He does not listen to us – parents.
Even at this age, his anger is terrible. Suppose we scold him, he shouts back saying, “You are not my mother. I will go and stay in my friend’s house”.
He does not read his lessons, getting bad remarks from the school. He is lying and he tries to dupe me.
Naran
Have you ever told Puranic stories and Moral Stories to your child in the age between five and seven?
Chitra
No. At that age, he only saw Superman and Spiderman in T.V.
Naran
This is the problem of the modern day parents. We never tell our children any moral stories when they grow up.
The children are always fond of stories. There is no grandmother or grandfather around to tell them the stories.
Children, if they listen to stories, they will grow better – morally and mentally.
Chitra
Now what I can do?
Is there any way I rectify the situation?
Naran
Yes definitely, instead of brooding or worrying you take the tapping picture, write your son’s name and tap on the points while reading moral story of your choice.
Do one story for 21 days and see how he improves.
By tapping like this both the healer (mother) and healed (son) are benefited.
Zen Tea – Stories for Life
There is a story about a Zen Master.
The master was making tea.
A person known to him visited him. The Zen Master offered him tea.
Then a stranger visited him. The master offered him tea too.
Watching this, his neighbour asked, why he offered tea to them – for both known and unknown persons.
As a reply to him, the Zen master offered tea to this neighbour too.
A Depressed Patient
June approached Naran S. Balakumaras she was having bouts of depression.
She tapped while she listening to the story of the Zen Master. Within four rounds of tapping, her laughter shook the hall.
This story is available in CD.
Story of Valmiki
Valmiki chanted Mara, but ended up as a greatest writer in India of all times.
Though, he started his life as a thief. Looting and feeding his family. He felt that he was protecting them and doing his duty.
The great sage Narada was passing by. He was about to steal from Narada too, who questioned him on his stealing ways.
Narada: Why do you steal?
Valmiki: It’s my duty to protect my family. I know only to steal.
Narada: By killing others you are acquiring lot of bad karma. Go and ask your family members whether they can take part any of your karma.
(Valmiki goes to his family)
Valmiki: Can any of you take part of my karma that I have incurred due to my stealing habits.
Valmiki’sMother: I didn’t know anything about the bad things you were involved in. Therefore, in no way I can be part of it.
(The other members of his family replied in similar lines)
Valmiki (to Narada): Nobody is willing to take part of it. What’s the salvation for me then?
Narada: Chant Rama Nama, 24 hrs a day.
Valmiki chanted Mara as he heard Rama as Mara. He chanted for many years to come. A pit formed over him. People heard only the sound.
When he came out of his meditation, he wrote the famous epic Ramayana.