मन को मारो नहीं अंकुश रखो:

किसी राजा के पास एक बकरा था ।
एक बार उसने एलान किया की जो कोई
इस बकरे को जंगल में चराकर तृप्त करेगा मैं उसे आधा राज्य दे दूंगा।
किंतु बकरे का पेट पूरा भरा है या नहीं
इसकी परीक्षा मैं खुद करूँगा।
इस एलान को सुनकर एक मनुष्य राजा के पास
आकर कहने लगा कि बकरा चराना कोई बड़ी बात नहीं है।
वह बकरे को लेकर जंगल में गया और सारे दिन
उसे घास चराता रहा,, शाम तक उसने बकरे को खूब घास खिलाई
और फिर सोचा की सारे दिन इसने इतनी घास खाई है
अब तो इसका पेट भर गया होगा तो अब इसको राजा के पास ले चलूँ,,
बकरे के साथ वह राजा के पास गया,,
राजा ने थोड़ी सी हरी घास बकरे के सामने रखी तो बकरा उसे खाने लगा।
इस पर राजा ने उस मनुष्य से कहा की तूने
उसे पेट भर खिलाया ही नहीं वर्ना वह घास क्यों खाने लगता।
बहुत जनो ने बकरे का पेट भरने का प्रयत्न किया
किंतु ज्यों ही दरबार में उसके सामने घास डाली जाती तो
वह फिर से खाने लगता।
एक विद्वान् ब्राह्मण ने सोचा इस एलान का कोई तो रहस्य है, तत्व है,,
मैं युक्ति से काम लूँगा,, वह बकरे को चराने के लिए ले गया।
जब भी बकरा घास खाने के लिए जाता तो वह उसे लकड़ी से मारता,,
सारे दिन में ऐसा कई बार हुआ,, अंत में बकरे ने सोचा की यदि
मैं घास खाने का प्रयत्न करूँगा तो मार खानी पड़ेगी।
शाम को वह ब्राह्मण बकरे को लेकर राजदरबार में लौटा,,
बकरे को तो उसने बिलकुल घास नहीं खिलाई थी
फिर भी राजा से कहा मैंने इसको भरपेट खिलाया है।
अत: यह अब बिलकुल घास नहीं खायेगा,,
लो कर लीजिये परीक्षा....
राजा ने घास डाली लेकिन उस बकरे ने उसे खाया तो क्या
देखा और सूंघा तक नहीं....
बकरे के मन में यह बात बैठ गयी थी कि अगर
घास खाऊंगा तो मार पड़ेगी....अत: उसने घास नहीं खाई....

" यह बकरा हमारा मन ही है "

बकरे को घास चराने ले जाने वाला ब्राह्मण " आत्मा" है।

राजा "परमात्मा" है।

मन को मारो नहीं,,, मन पर अंकुश रखो....
मन सुधरेगा तो जीवन भी सुधरेगा।

अतः मन को विवेक रूपी लकड़ी से रोज पीटो..
--------------------------------
कमाई छोटी या बड़ी हो सकती है...
पर रोटी की साईज़ लगभग सब घर में
एक जैसी ही होती है...!!
------------------------------------
अगर आप किसी को छोटा देख रहे हो, तो आप उसे;

या तो "दूर" से देख रहे हो,
या अपने "गुरुर" से देख रहे हो !

The Two Tadpoles – A Story About Creating Habits For the Future !

Two tadpoles, Ted and Todd, hatched from the same batch of eggs. 
They swam around excitedly, wiggling their little tails with great enthusiasm. They swam up to their mum and exclaimed, “Look what we can do, look why we can do.”
The mother frog looked at the two tadpoles with great pride and called them closer. She then explained the process of metamorphosis and how they will eventually lose their tail and grow legs. This news impacted the tadpoles differently.
Ted was excited about the future and continued to swim with energy and enthusiasm, occasionally looking back to see when his legs would start forming.
Todd, however, thought to himself, “What’s the point of exercising my tail? It’s only going to drop off eventually anyway.”
As a result, Ted kept strengthening his tail and increasing his stamina, but Todd’s tail got weaker and his energy levels dropped.
The mother frog took Todd to one side and suggested that he start using his tail more. “But what’s the point? It’s only going to drop off anyway,” Todd replied.
After a little while, the two tadpoles’ tails dropped off and their legs grew.
Ted was excited and hopped around with energy and enthusiasm.  The consistent and energetic use of his tail had equipped him for this development.
Todd was less enthused. He was sort of glad that he now had legs, but he just didn’t have the energy to use them.
He didn’t know why, he just couldn’t be bothered.
There are times in life when we are being prepared for the future, but it’s not always in the ways we expect.
When we are learning calculus or ancient history in high school, we aren’t learning it because we are going to use it, but because the skills of learning will be valuable in the future.
When we start work, we do menial and low-level tasks, not because it’s the best use of our skills or because it’s what we learned to do in our previous studies, but because we will develop the necessary work ethic and level of initiative for later in our careers.
So the next time you think to yourself, “What’s the point? I’m never going to use this in the future,” remember the lesson of the two tadpoles.
Remember that the habits you form today will make a significant difference to your levels of success in the future.

The Perspective Required For Real Wealth & Happiness

There’s a story about an American doctor who visited the African nation of Mali on a missions trip.  As she tended to the medical needs of the local people, a woman asked her how many children she had.  “None,” she replied.
The local woman looked at her with mournful eyes and said that she was sorry. The doctor asked the woman how many children she had.  The woman beamed as she responded, “Eight.  I’m very fortunate to be so rich.”
The doctor realised that the women of Mali measured their wealth very differently.  It wasn’t in financial or material terms, but in the number of children they were privileged to bear.
It’s a great reminder that there are a lot of people in the world who have a lot of money, but don’t consider themselves to be wealthy.  And many who we would define as poor who see themselves as very rich.
There are a lot of people who live in very fortunate circumstances, but are far from happy.  Whilst there are people living in the most desperate of situations who are able to laugh and sing.
Real wealth and happiness comes when you look at what you have and are grateful for it.
If you want to be wealthier and happier, I would suggest that you don’t need more money or material things, but a change in perspective.
Feeling good about the future is important for our happiness. We all need goals to motivate us and these need to be challenging enough to excite us, but also achievable.   If we try to attempt the impossible this brings unnecessary stress.
Choosing ambitious but realistic goals gives our lives direction and brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we achieve them.
Personal happiness is influenced by having goals and  the resources to attain those goals.  Although our genes influence about 50% of the variation in our personal happiness, our circumstances (like income and environment) affect only about 10%.  As much as 40% is accounted for by our daily activities and the conscious choices we make. So the good news is that our actions really can make a difference.
What are the things that help you to feel wealthy and happy?

जरा सोचो:

फजूल ही पत्थर रगङ कर आदमी ने चिंगारी की खोज की,
अब तो आदमी आदमी से जलता है..!
मैने बहुत से ईन्सान देखे हैं,जिनके बदन पर लिबास नही होता।
और बहुत से लिबास देखे हैं,जिनके अंदर ईन्सान नही होता।
कोई हालात नहीं समझता ,कोई जज़्बात नहीं समझता,
ये तो बस अपनी अपनी समझ की बात है...,
कोई कोरा कागज़ भी पढ़ लेता है,तो कोई पूरी किताब नहीं समझता!!
"चंद फासला जरूर रखिए हर रिश्ते के दरमियान!
क्योंकि"नहीं भूलती दो चीज़ें चाहे जितना भुलाओ....!...
..एक "घाव"और दूसरा "लगाव"...

छोटी छोटी बातों को हमेशा नज़र अंदाज़ करो:

एक प्रोफ़ेसर कक्षा में आये और उन्होंने छात्रों से कहा कि वे
आज जीवन का एक महत्वपूर्ण पाठ पढाने वाले हैं ...

उन्होंने अपने साथ लाई एक काँच की बडी बरनी ( जार ) टेबल पर रखा और उसमें
टेबल टेनिस की गेंदें डालने लगे और तब तक डालते रहे जब तक कि उसमें एक भी गेंद समाने की जगह नहीं बची ...
उन्होंने छात्रों से पूछा - क्या बरनी पूरी भर गई ? हाँ ...
आवाज आई ...
फ़िर प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने छोटे - छोटे कंकर उसमें भरने शुरु किये धीरे - धीरे बरनी को हिलाया तो काफ़ी सारे कंकर उसमें जहाँ जगह खाली थी , समा गये ,
फ़िर से प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने पूछा , क्या अब बरनी भर गई है , छात्रों ने एक बार फ़िर हाँ ... कहा
अब प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने रेत की थैली से हौले - हौले उस बरनी में रेत डालना शुरु किया , वह रेत भी उस जार में जहाँ संभव था बैठ गई , अब छात्र अपनी नादानी पर हँसे ...
फ़िर प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने पूछा , क्यों अब तो यह बरनी पूरी भर गई ना ? हाँ
.. अब तो पूरी भर गई है .. सभी ने एक स्वर में कहा ..

सर ने टेबल के नीचे से
चाय के दो कप निकालकर उसमें की चाय जार में डाली , चाय भी रेत के बीच स्थित
थोडी सी जगह में सोख ली गई ...

प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने गंभीर आवाज में समझाना शुरु किया

इस काँच की बरनी को तुम लोग अपना जीवन समझो ....

टेबल टेनिस की गेंदें सबसे महत्वपूर्ण भाग अर्थात भगवान , परिवार , बच्चे , मित्र , स्वास्थ्य और शौक हैं ,

छोटे कंकर मतलब तुम्हारी नौकरी , कार , बडा़ मकान आदि हैं , और

रेत का मतलब और भी छोटी - छोटी बेकार सी बातें , मनमुटाव , झगडे़ है ..

अब यदि तुमने काँच की बरनी में सबसे पहले रेत भरी होती तो टेबल टेनिस की गेंदों और कंकरों के लिये जगह ही नहीं बचती , या
कंकर भर दिये होते तो गेंदें नहीं भर पाते , रेत जरूर आ सकती थी ...
ठीक यही बात जीवन पर लागू होती है ...

यदि तुम छोटी - छोटी बातों के पीछे पडे़ रहोगे
और अपनी ऊर्जा उसमें नष्ट करोगे तो तुम्हारे पास मुख्य बातों के लिये अधिक समय
नहीं रहेगा ...

मन के सुख के लिये क्या जरूरी है ये तुम्हें तय करना है । अपने
बच्चों के साथ खेलो , बगीचे में पानी डालो , सुबह पत्नी के साथ घूमने निकल जाओ ,
घर के बेकार सामान को बाहर निकाल फ़ेंको , मेडिकल चेक - अप करवाओ ...
टेबल टेनिस गेंदों की फ़िक्र पहले करो , वही महत्वपूर्ण है ... पहले तय करो कि क्या जरूरी है
... बाकी सब तो रेत है ..
छात्र बडे़ ध्यान से सुन रहे थे ..

अचानक एक ने पूछा , सर लेकिन आपने यह नहीं बताया
कि " चाय के दो कप " क्या हैं ?

प्रोफ़ेसर मुस्कुराये , बोले .. मैं सोच ही रहा था कि अभी तक ये सवाल किसी ने क्यों नहीं किया ...
इसका उत्तर यह है कि , जीवन हमें कितना ही परिपूर्ण और संतुष्ट लगे , लेकिन
अपने खास मित्र के साथ दो कप चाय पीने की जगह हमेशा होनी चाहिए।

A pebble in my shoe -A story about dealing with problem:

Tom and his mentor Dwyer were on their customary weekly walk through the forest when Dwyer sat down on a large rock to take off his shoe.

“What are you doing?” asked Tom.  “I have a pebble in my shoe,” explained Dwyer.

“What are you stopping for? I have a pebble in my shoe as well, but we don’t have time to stop, so stop slowing us down.”

“I can assure you Tom, me stopping isn’t holding us back at all, but will end up saving us time and probably pain further down the track.”

“Pfft,” said the young man as he turned and walked on by himself, leaving the old man behind to remove the annoying pebble.

After about 20 minutes of walking, Tom could hear footsteps behind him and was surprised to see Dwyer making ground on him.  “Why are you limping?” the old man asked with a glint in his eye. “You know why?  I have a pebble in my shoe!” Tom retorted. “Why don’t you just stop and remove it?” “Because I don’t have time.”

They walked side by side for a while, but eventually, despite his best efforts and pride, Tom’s sore foot really started to slow him down and his limp became more pronounced.  He was determined not to show any pain, but he was conscious that he was now slowing down his walking partner, so he sat down on a large log and took off his shoe to remove the pebble.

When he did, he noticed a small amount of blood seeping through his sock. He removed that too and saw that he had a very sore, bleeding welt where the pebble had been rubbing.  He grimaced as he looked up at his mentor who smiled broadly, showing very little pity for his young protege.

“You know what the message here is don’t you?  Always deal with problems straight away.  You may think that you don’t have the time, but you’ll save yourself a lot of time and pain if you get the pebble out of your shoe before you get too far down the road.”

Tom nodded as he put his bloodied sock back on.

Life is full of pebbles that find their way into our shoes. They could be relationship issues, financial issues or problems at work.  If you constantly think about how you were wronged in the past by someone or some institution, then that is the pebble in your shoe.

The journey through your life is comprised of individual steps. These Moments are each distinct and unique aspects of the universe, but you will use your consciousness to string those individual steps together into what you call the journey of your life. So to be unforgiving is like walking with a pebble in your shoe. Each step of your journey you re-remind yourself that you are in pain. And rather than stopping and removing the pebble from the shoe of your conscious identity, you instead continue on, getting angrier and angrier at the pebble.

Don’t be upset by the pebbles themselves. They will have gotten into your shoe by nature. There’s no way to avoid them. Just the act of walking will kick some up, and every now and then one will make it inside the shoe of your conscious identity and eventually it will find its way to somewhere painful. So it getting there is inevitable. But you continuing to walk on it is choice.

Let me encourage you today to take the time to deal with problem now before they cause you too much pain and cost you time in the future.

लक्ष्मण की गाथा:

लक्ष्मण जी के त्याग की अदभुत कथा । एक अनजाने सत्य से परिचय---  
-हनुमानजी की रामभक्ति की गाथा संसार में भर में गाई जाती है।
लक्ष्मणजी की भक्ति भी अद्भुत थी. लक्ष्मणजी की कथा
के बिना श्रीरामकथा पूर्ण नहीं है
अगस्त्य मुनि अयोध्या आए और लंका युद्ध का प्रसंग छिड़ गया.-
भगवान श्रीराम ने बताया कि उन्होंने कैसे रावण और कुंभकर्ण
जैसे प्रचंड वीरों का वध किया और लक्ष्मण ने भी इंद्रजीत और
अतिकाय जैसे शक्तिशाली असुरों को मारा.
अगस्त्य मुनि बोले- श्रीराम बेशक रावण और कुंभकर्ण प्रचंड वीर
थे, लेकिन सबसे बड़ा वीर तो मेघनाध ही था. उसने अंतरिक्ष में
स्थित होकर इंद्र से युद्ध किया था और बांधकर लंका ले आया
था. ब्रह्मा ने इंद्रजीत से दान के रूप में इंद्र को मांगा तब इंद्र
मुक्त हुए थे. लक्ष्मण ने उसका वध किया इसलिए वे सबसे बड़े
योद्धा हुए.
श्रीराम को आश्चर्य हुआ लेकिन भाई की वीरता की प्रशंसा
से वह खुश थे. फिर भी उनके मन में जिज्ञासा पैदा हुई कि
आखिर अगस्त्य मुनि ऐसा क्यों कह रहे हैं कि इंद्रजीत का वध
रावण से ज्यादा मुश्किल था.
अगस्त्य मुनि ने कहा- प्रभु इंद्रजीत को वरदान था कि उसका
वध वही कर सकता था जो चौदह वर्षों तक न सोया हो, जिसने
चौदह साल तक किसी स्त्री का मुख न देखा हो और चौदह
साल तक भोजन न किया हो.
श्रीराम बोले- परंतु मैं बनवास काल में चौदह वर्षों तक नियमित
रूप से लक्ष्मण के हिस्से का फल-फूल देता रहा. मैं सीता के साथ
एक कुटी में रहता था, बगल की कुटी में लक्ष्मण थे, फिर सीता
का मुख भी न देखा हो, और चौदह वर्षों तक सोए न हों, ऐसा
कैसे संभव है.
अगस्त्य मुनि सारी बात समझकर मुस्कुराए. प्रभु से कुछ छुपा है
भला! दरअसल, सभी लोग सिर्फ श्रीराम का गुणगान करते थे
लेकिन प्रभु चाहते थे कि लक्ष्मण के तप और वीरता की चर्चा
भी अयोध्या के घर-घर में हो.
अगस्त्य मुनि ने कहा- क्यों न लक्ष्मणजी से पूछा जाए.
लक्ष्मणजी आए. प्रभु ने कहा कि आपसे जो पूछा जाए उसे सच-
सच कहिएगा.
प्रभु ने पूछा- हम तीनों चौदह वर्षों तक साथ रहे फिर तुमने सीता
का मुख कैसे नहीं देखा, फल दिए गए फिर भी अनाहारी कैसे रहे
और 14 साल तक सोए नहीं, यह कैसे हुआ.
लक्ष्मणजी ने बताया- भैया जब हम भाभी को तलाशते ऋष्यमूक
पर्वत गए तो सुग्रीव ने हमें उनके आभूषण दिखाकर पहचानने को
कहा. आपको स्मरण होगा मैं तो सिवाए उनके पैरों के नुपूर के
कोई आभूषण नहीं पहचान पाया था क्योंकि मैंने कभी भी उनके
चरणों के ऊपर देखा ही नहीं.
चौदह वर्ष नहीं सोने के बारे में सुनिए- आप औऱ माता एक
कुटिया में सोते थे. मैं रातभर बाहर धनुष पर बाण चढ़ाए पहरेदारी
में खड़ा रहता था. निद्रा ने मेरी आंखों पर कब्जा करने की
कोशिश की तो मैंने निद्रा को अपने बाणों से बेध दिया था.
निद्रा ने हारकर स्वीकार किया कि वह चौदह साल तक मुझे
स्पर्श नहीं करेगी लेकिन जब श्रीराम का अयोध्या में
राज्याभिषेक हो रहा होगा और मैं उनके पीछे सेवक की तरह छत्र
लिए खड़ा रहूंगा तब वह मुझे घेरेगी. आपको याद होगा
राज्याभिषेक के समय मेरे हाथ से छत्र गिर गया था.
अब मैं 14 साल तक अनाहारी कैसे रहा! मैं जो फल-फूल लाता
था आप उसके तीन भाग करते थे. एक भाग देकर आप मुझसे कहते थे
लक्ष्मण फल रख लो. आपने कभी फल खाने को नहीं कहा- फिर
बिना आपकी आज्ञा के मैं उसे खाता कैसे. मैंने उन्हें संभाल कर
रख दिया. सभी फल उसी कुटिया में अभी भी रखे होंगे.
प्रभु के आदेश पर लक्ष्मणजी चित्रकूट की कुटिया में से वे सारे
फलों की टोकरी लेकर आए और दरबार में रख दिया. फलों की
गिनती हुई. सात दिन के हिस्से के फल नहीं थे. प्रभु ने कहा-
इसका अर्थ है कि तुमने सात दिन तो आहार लिया था.
लक्ष्मणजी ने सात फल कम होने के बारे बताया- उन सात दिनों
में फल आए ही नहीं. जिस दिन हमें पिताश्री के स्वर्गवासी
होने की सूचना मिली, हम निराहारी रहे. जिस दिन रावण ने
माता का हरण किया उस दिन फल लाने कौन जाता.
जिस दिन समुद्र की साधना कर आप उससे राह मांग रहे थे, जिस
दिन आप इंद्रजीत के नागपाश में बंधकर दिनभर अचेत रहे, जिस
दिन इंद्रजीत ने मायावी सीता को काटा था और हम शोक में
रहे, जिस दिन रावण ने मुझे शक्ति मारी और जिस दिन आपने
रावण-वध किया- इन दिनों में हमें भोजन की सुध कहां थी.
विश्वामित्र मुनि से मैंने एक अतिरिक्त विद्या का ज्ञान
लिया था- बिना आहार किए जीने की विद्या. उसके प्रयोग
से मैं चौदह साल तक अपनी भूख को नियंत्रित कर सका जिससे
इंद्रजीत मारा गया.
भगवान श्रीराम ने लक्ष्मणजी की तपस्या के बारे में सुनकर उन्हें
ह्रदय से लगा लिया.

Have a life with no regret:

................It was their anniversary, and Aarthi was waiting for her husband Rajiv to show up after office in the evening.

Things had changed since their marriage a few years ago, the once cute couple couldn't-live-without-each-other all these years, had turned bitter quarreling for petty issues and stopped talking, living under one roof as strangers.

Fighting over every little thing, both didn't like the way things had changed and Aarthi was waiting to see if Rajiv remembered as it was their anniversary today !!!!!!!

Just as the door bell rang...............she ran to find her husband drenched in rain and smiling with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

The two started to mend and re-live the old days. Making up for fights, then was d plan for champagne, light music as it's raining  !! It was perfect.

But the moment paused when the phone rang..........

Aarthi went to pick it up and it was a man on otherside "Hello ma'am I'm calling from the police station. Is this Mr Rajiv Mehra's number?"

"Yes it is!"

"I'm sorry ma'am; but there was an accident and a man died".

We got this number from his wallet; we need you to come and identify his body."

Aarthi's heart sank.!!! She was shocked!

She said, But my husband is here with me?"

"Sorry ma'am, but the incident took place at 4 pm, when he was boarding the train."

Aarthi was about to lose her conscience.

How could this happen??? !!!!!!!

She had heard about the soul of the person coming to meet a loved one before it leaves !!!!!!

She ran into the other room with tears in her eyes.

He was not there. It was true !!!!!!!!  had he left her for good  ????? !!!!!

Oh God !!! She would have died for another chance to mend with him for every little fight they fought !!!!

She cried and fell on the floor in pain. She lost her chance !!! Forever !!!!

Suddenly there was a noise from the bathroom, the door opened and Rajiv came out and said "Darling, I forgot to tell you that, my wallet got stolen today while coming in the train"...........on hearing this her heart cried for him and tears rolled down her face with happiness for being alive.

LIFE MIGHT NOT GIVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE. SO NEVER WASTE A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAN STILL MAKE UP FOR YOUR WRONGS!!!

Let's start making amends.

To parents

To Spouse

To siblings

To relatives

To friends

And many more..........

No one has a promised tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Life with no regrets!

Have a wonderful day....enjoy every single moment from now on....keep smiling.

जो जिसके पास है वही देता है:

एक बार एक व्यक्ति ने..
एक..नया मकान...खरीदा..
उसमे.फलों का बगीचा भी था..
...
...मगर पडौस के मकान पुराने थे..और उनमे कई लोग रहते थे.
...
..कुछ दिन बाद उसने देखा कि पडौस के मकान से किसी ने बाल्टी भर कूडा उसके घर ...दरवाजे पर डाल दिया है..
.....
..शाम को उस व्यक्ति ने एक बाल्टी ली उसमे ताजे फल रखे ..
और उस घर के दरवाजे पर घंटी बजायी....
..उस घर के लोग बेचैन हो गये.
और वो सोचने लगे कि वह उनसे सुबह की घटना के लिये लडने आया है..
..अत वे पहले ही तैयार हो गये और बुरा भला बोलने लगे..
.मगर जैसे ही उन्होने दरवाजा खोला....
.....वे हैरान हो गये...रसीले ताजे फलों की भरी बाल्टी के साथ...
...मुस्कान चेहरे पर लिये नया पडोसी सामने खडा था...
.........सब हैरान थे....
....उसने कहा....जो मेरे पास था वही मैं आपके लिये ला सका...

.....
.....
...........सच है जिसके पास जो है वही वह दूसरे को .....दे सकता है...
..जरा सोचिये..
.कि मेरे पास दूसरो
के लिये क्या है..
.....
...........दाग तेरे दामन के धुले ना धुले
नेकी तेरी कही तुला पर तुले ना तुले.....
मांग ले अपनी गलतियो की माफी खुद से.
क्या पता आँख कल ये खुले ना खुले.......
प्यार बांटो प्यार मिलेगा,

Stop being a glass....Become a lake....:

Once an unhappy young man came to an old master and told he had a very sad life and asked for a solution.

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

“How does it taste?” – The Master asked.
“Terrible.” – spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake.

The Master said, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the Master asked, “How does it taste?”

“Good!” – remarked the apprentice.
“Do you taste the salt?” – asked the Master.
“No.” – said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the ‘pain’ depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”

I loved this story as it gives us all a helpful reminder about the importance of having a resourceful perspective to help us deal with the inevitable challenges that life brings us.

So, let me ask you today, are you a lake or a glass ?

जमाने को रंग बदलते देखा है:

मैंने .. हर रोज .. जमाने को .. रंग बदलते देखा है ....
उम्र के साथ .. जिंदगी को .. ढंग बदलते देखा है .. !!

वो .. जो चलते थे .. तो शेर के चलने का .. होता था गुमान..
उनको भी .. पाँव उठाने के लिए .. सहारे को तरसते देखा है !!

जिनकी .. नजरों की .. चमक देख .. सहम जाते थे लोग ..
उन्ही .. नजरों को .. बरसात .. की तरह ~~ रोते देखा है .. !!

जिनके .. हाथों के .. जरा से .. इशारे से .. टूट जाते थे ..पत्थर ..
उन्ही .. हाथों को .. पत्तों की तरह .. थर थर काँपते देखा है .. !!

जिनकी आवाज़ से कभी .. बिजली के कड़कने का .. होता था भरम ..
उनके .. होठों पर भी .. जबरन .. चुप्पी का ताला .. लगा देखा है .. !!

ये जवानी .. ये ताकत .. ये दौलत ~~ सब कुदरत की .. इनायत है ..
इनके .. रहते हुए भी .. इंसान को ~~ बेजान हुआ देखा है ... !!

अपने .. आज पर .. इतना ना .. इतराना ~~ मेरे .. यारों ..

वक्त की धारा में .. अच्छे अच्छों को ~~ मजबूर हुआ देखा है .. !!!

कर सको......तो किसी को खुश करो......
दुःख देते ........तो हजारों को देखा है.

Be bold enough:

DON’T BE TOO QUICK TO JUDGE !!!

A  lovely little girl was holding two apples with both hands.

Her mum came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile, “My sweetie, could you give me one of your two apples?”

The girl looked up at her mum for a few  seconds, then she suddenly took a quick bite of one apple, and then quickly on the other. The mum felt the smile on her face freeze.  She tried hard not to reveal her disappointment.

Then the little girl handed one of the bitten apples to her mum,and said, "Mummy, here you are. This is the sweeter one.”

No matter who you are, how experienced you are and how knowledgeable you think you are, always delay judgement. Give others the privelege to explain themselves.

What you see may not be the reality. Never conclude for others.

Let’s face it.

We all do it.

We judge. We like to label others. Put them in boxes. We don’t like “undefined” people.

We extrapolate based on our interactions and observations.

Judging makes us feel safe, comfortable because we’ve “defined” a person and because we have that definition, we know how to act accordingly. We move on to the next person and do the same until our entire social circle is defined.  It helps give us a sense of control, of safety and you could probably trace it back to primal days when we needed to make quick snap judgments of another person in terms of whether or not they posed a threat.

But despite our best efforts to judge, we all know deep down inside we can’t really judge another person.

Who are we to judge?

If you can catch yourself judging, if you can realize the differences in people, and accept them for who they are, you’ll find that others will accept you, you’ll accept yourself, and you’ll live life in peace and harmony.

Life is too short to waste time and energy judging other people.

It’s time to rise above it.

The Unconditional Sacrificing Love !!!

The family doctor told little John that he could save his sister's life by giving her some blood. The little five-year-old girl was very near death, she was a victim of the same deadly disease from which John, her elder brother of age eight, had made a marvellous recovery two years earlier. The only chance for  restoration to health was a blood transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the illness. Since the two children  [John and the sick little sister] had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor.

"John, would you like to give your blood for your sister Mary?" the doctor asked him. 

The boy hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble out of fear. Then he finally smiled, and said, "Yes, Doctor. I'll give my blood for my sister."

Soon the two children were wheeled into the operating theatre - Mary, now very pale and thin; John, robust and the picture of health. Neither of them said a word, they both remained silent but when their eyes met, John grinned. As his blood siphoned into Mary's veins, one could obviously see new life come into her weak and tired body.

The ordeal was almost over when John's brave little voice broke the long silence, "Say Doctor, when will I die?" It was only then that the doctor realised what the moment of hesitation, the trembling of the lip, had meant earlier. 

Being just a little boy, John actually thought that when giving his blood to his sister he was giving up his life!  And in that brief moment, the final decision that he had made was the greatest love of all... The doctor was moved by the little boy's brave final decision... the unconditional sacrificing love...

Sacrificing out of what you have is human nature, but sacrificing all of what you have needs a lot of LOVE.

What about you?  What are some of the sacrifices you have made that have benefited your life?  What are some of the sacrifices that you have seen in other people’s lives that have inspired you to reach out to others in sacrificial love?

The principles of self-sacrifice have shown that when we put others above ourselves, we are the ones who benefit the most.  It is said in one of the Holy Book,  “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Nowadays people always think of what they can get in return before giving, if the return is less than their givings, then they will be reluctant to give.  Always think of what you can do to help others and not just what you can get from them.

It's a Bridge .... !!!

Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.

Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days work,” he said.

“Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?”

“Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor, in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll go him one better. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence – an 8-foot fence – so I won’t need to see his place anymore. Cool him down, anyhow.”

The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

The older brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.

The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.

About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped.

There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge… a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work handrails and all – and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.

“You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.”

The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother.

“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but, I have many more bridges to build!"

One of the most common pieces of career advice given is: “Don’t burn bridges.” You can never know when you’ll cross paths again with an old coworker or boss. But what happens if your relationship ends badly?

It’s essential to make a strong effort to fix the relationship. Not only is it the right thing to do, but if you fix the damage now, you might avoid a broken reputation in the future.

While you should avoid burning bridges at all costs, here are five steps to fixing a negative work relationship:

1. Admit you made a mistake.

Be the bigger person. Step up and apologize. No matter what you did, the other person will be appreciative when you make the effort to make amends. Apologizing can be difficult, especially if you believe the other person was wrong. Plus, it’s often embarrassing to admit your mistakes. However, you cannot fix a relationship and move on if you don’t take this first step. Say, “I’m sorry.”

2. Do it now, not later.

Never wait to fix things with your boss, even if it may feel difficult to approach them immediately after the issue. When you can confront the issue in a timely matter, it will help improve your relationship. If you wait several weeks or even months to offer an apology, the individual could have stewed about the problem and you will appear unprofessional or even lazy.

3. Pick your battles.

Ask yourself, is a little spelling error or missed voicemail going to cost you your job? It’s easy to allow the little mistakes to become a bigger problem than they really are. In reality, if you apologize to your boss continuously for your minor mistakes, they will begin to focus on your mistakes instead of your successes. Make sure, when you feel like you need to apologize to your boss, it is a real issue — not a tiny mishap.

4. Stop gossiping.

We all know it’s easy to talk behind a coworker’s back, especially once you’re not on good terms. If you’re trying to mend your relationship, you need to stop gossiping about them. When you continue to talk behind their back, you run the risk of the gossip getting back to them. If this happens, your apology will not appear sincere and the whole relationship will come crumbling down around you. Gossip is a sure-fire way to relapse into an even worse relationship. Just avoid it at all costs.

5. Listen.

Accept the other person’s apology (if they give you one). And hopefully they will apologize too, since you were the one who initiated the amends. Listen to everything they have to say and thank them. Once you both apologize, you’re both on an equal playing field for the future.

Think about a time where you could have prevented an issue at work. For example, you forgot to complete an assignment with a strict deadline. Could you have prevented the missed deadline by double-checking your calendar?

Burning bridges is something that can be prevented in the long-run if you just pay attention and learn from your mistakes. Your place at work and the relationships you have with your co-workers is invaluable. Make sure you are making the effort to maintain positive relationships at work so you can have those connections throughout your career.

The Boiling Frog Syndrome:

Put a frog in a vessel of water and start heating the water… As the temperature of the water rises, the frog is able to adjust its body temperature accordingly… The frog keeps on adjusting with increase in temperature…

Just when the water is about to reach boiling point, the frog is not able to adjust anymore…  At that point the frog decides to jump out… 

The frog tries to jump but is unable to do so, because it lost all its strength in adjusting with the water temperature…

Very soon the frog dies. What killed the frog?

Many of us would say the boiling water…

But the truth is what killed the frog was its own inability to decide when it had to jump out… 

We all need to adjust with people and situations, but we need to be sure when we need to adjust and when we need to confront / face..

There are times when we need to face the situation and take the appropriate action… 

If we allow people to exploit us physically, mentally, emotionally or financially, they will continue to do so… We have to decide when to jump…Let us jump while we still have the strength !!

Think on It !!!

Struggle of Our Life:

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?” “Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer”, he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to it and what you make out of it. Life is all about leaning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

Sometimes life can feel totally screwed up.  No matter how hard we try, we keep running into dead ends or banging our head against a wall or failing to achieve or do the things we want to do.

 We have great plans, amazing ideas — but we just can’t seem to launch them. Maybe we have constant money problems, difficulties with relationships, or emotions that drain our energy and enthusiasm.  We look around and see other people succeeding and  living exciting lives. It all seems like smooth sailing for them.

 So we’re left wondering, “What do they know that I don’t? Why is it always such a struggle for me?”

 It’s true, some of us come into the world with more — more opportunities, more money, better parents, more intelligence, an outgoing personality, or better looks. But we do have the capacity to make the best of what we’re born with.  We have the capacity to change, to evolve, to succeed, and to be happy — if we figure out the root cause (or causes) of our self-defeating, limiting behaviors.  

 No one enjoys looking at themselves with honesty and revealing the dark corners of their lives. But within you lies the key to changing your life for the better. Self-awareness is always the first step toward personal evolution and empowerment. Knowledge is power. Knowledge calls for action. Start now !