Old Photos- Vintage Photos- Part 3

 

Shankaracharya temple on Takht-e-Suleiman hill - Srinagar Kashmir 1880's

 

Manasbal Lake - Kashmir 1880's



Loyal Native Officers taken at Umballa (Ambala) - 1850's

 

Indian Prince with Sword - Vintage Photograph 1870's



The Lahore Gate of the Delhi Red Fort - 1860's



Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib Sikh Gurdwara in Amritsar Punjab - 1880's

Old Photos- Vintage Photos-Part2

Hooghly River at Low Tide along Custom House Ghat - Calcutta (Kolkata) 1865



Photographer: Samuel Bourne
Source: British Library



Cows on the pavement of Harrison street in Calcutta - 1903 

Photographer: James Ricalton

Source: British Library



Old Photos- Vintage Photos-Part 1



Indian Snake Chammer-1880

  

Swami Vivekananda's first photo as a Wandering monk at Jaipur - 1888



Sellers are Waiting in Garment Stores for Customer - 1880's

  

Vintage Photograph Of Traders and Buyers in a Dehli Market

  

Burmees Family-1880

 

Buffaloes are wallowing in water-1880



Gold smith at work-1880



Old Photos-Vintage India



Holwel's Monument, Kolkata



Sward Swalloing trick- Calcutta




Fort Williams & Red Road, Calcutta




Family Planning, Calcutta




Bengal club, Calcuta



Charm Of Charity

A poor young man was helpless, homeless and hopeless. He lost his job and had no one to help him. Depressed and dejected, he decided to commit suicide. He collected all the coins he had with him and bought from a shop a ripe banana wrapped in an old newspaper. He opened the packet and started to eat his last food when an old beggar approached him. With trembling lips, the beggar told him that he has not had anything to eat for several days and was too weak to walk.

The young man felt pity and gave the banana to the beggar. He ate it with great joy and thanked him. While leaving, the beggar gave him a very old coin, saying, "Thank you very much. You gave me everything you had. Kindly accept this coin as my humble gift."

When the old man departed, he carelessly glanced at the piece of paper used to wrap the fruit. There he saw an advertisement from an agency dealing with old coins. Any one possessing old coins was invited to visit the agency and receive suitable price for their old coins on the spot. Out of simple curiosity, he carried the coin to the agency, which was quite close to him. He showed the coin gifted by the beggar.

The person managing the agency stared at it and exclaimed in excitement, "What a surprise! It is very rare and several centuries old. It is worth a fortune!" He was given a hefty sum of money as the price of the rare coin. Jumping with joy on receiving the unexpected amount of money, he searched everywhere to find the old man who gifted him the coin. He wanted to share his joy and the money with the beggar. But he could not find the beggar anywhere. He started a new life with renewed hope and enthusiasm.

Kindness cannot be given away. It always comes back!

Beautiful Horse

A wild horse became envious of the zebras which are naturally blessed with beautiful black stripes all over their body. The horse spent sleepless nights meditating about a method to get decorated with beautiful stripes like a zebra. He sought the advice of a monkey who was the best scholar, artist and beautician of the forest.

The monkey led the horse to a place where a wildfire had just burnt down several trees. Using the pieces of charcoal from the burnt wood, the monkey painted fine stripes on the body of the horse. The happy horse thanked the monkey and joined a group of zebras who accepted him without a doubt.

As they were grazing together, a heavy rainfall occurred. The 'painted zebra' was in great trouble. The stripes of charcoal dissolved in the rain and created a dirty mess. The stripes lost their outline. The zebras rejected him. The horse ran away with a disfigured body. He came to his own relatives who were reluctant to accept him seeing his weird appearance.

Dejected and depressed, he approached the monkey who created the stripes and requested him to end his misery. The monkey led him to a stream and washed his body, rubbing hard with the husk of a coconut. Having restored his natural appearance, the horse watched his appearance in the still water. He said to himself, "I am really beautiful!"

Every creature is blessed with a unique form and appearance. We must be ready to accept the gifts of God instead of worrying about our appearance. Comparing our features with those of others and trying to imitate others creates unnecessary worry. Let us look at the less privileged brothers and thank God for His generous gifts. That is the path to peace and progress.

Unity in Diversity

Three cats lived in neighbouring houses. They were close friends and used to meet to discuss matters of common interest. One of them was white in colour. Another one was black. The third was brown. One day the black cat argued that his colour was the best as he could hide in dim light and pounce on the prey without getting noticed. He added that the white colour of his friend was a terrible disadvantage in catching a prey in dim light.

The white cat retorted that white was a superior colour as it was a combination of all colours and a symbol of purity. He added that black was the absence of any colour and a symbol of hell. When the argument became uncontrollable, the brown cat intervened. He said, "I will tell a story. Listen carefully and then decide which is the better colour." He narrated a novel story:
"Before the creation of cats, God made models of cats using clay. Then he put them one by one in the fire to strengthen and harden them before instilling life into them. When he introduced the first model in the furnace, he had no idea about the optimum time for hardening. He kept it for a long time and it got charred and over burnt. That was how the first 'black' cat was created. He learned a lesson but brought the black model to life. All black cats are his descendants. The next time, God was very cautious to avoid overheating. So he removed the model from the furnace a bit early to avoid overheating. The model was under burnt and white in colour. The white cats descended from him. Now God became proficient in the art and science of hardening the models. So the third experiment was successful and the model was removed after correct heating. It was perfect and had a beautiful brown colour. All brown cats, including me, are his descendants. We were heated and hardened correctly for the optimum time and temperature. Now you know who is the result of a perfect creation."

The story amused the black and white cats though they knew that it was fictitious. They stopped their fight and became friends again, realizing that external appearance is insignificant and that nobody wins by an argument.

Man has fought thoughtlessly, throughout human history, arguing about the superiority of one race over others. Men may differ in characteristics and qualities such as calibre, caste, character, charm, cognition, colour, community, complexion, costume, courage, creed, culture and customs. But he is the roof and crown of creations and a noble work of God. We must appreciate unity in diversity and harmony in variety.

Bad Habits

A wealthy man requested an old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits. The scholar took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there.

The youth held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The youth pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all.

“Now pull out that one,” said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.

“Now take this one out,” said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge. “It’s impossible,” said the boy, panting with the effort.

“So it is with bad habits,” said the sage. “When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted.”
The session with the old man changed the boy’s life.

Don’t wait for Bad Habits to grow in you, drop them while you have control over it else they will get control you.

Fear

"I am fear. I am the menace that lurks in the path of life, never visible to the eye but sharply felt in the heart. I am the father of despair, the brother of procrastination, the enemy of progress, the tool of tyranny. Born of ignorance and nursed on misguided thought, I have darkened more hopes, stifled more ambitions, shattered more ideals and prevented more accomplishments than history could ever record.

"Like the changing chameleon, I assume many disguises. I masquerade as caution. I am sometimes known as doubt or worry. But whatever I'm called, am still fear, the obstacle of achievement.

"I know no master but one. It's name is understanding. I have no power but what the human mind gives me, and I vanish completely when the light of understanding reveals the facts as they really are, for I am really nothing."

"You see, if you have the courage to acknowledge your fears, you will be taking the first step toward controlling them instead of them controlling you. And if you take the next step toward understanding, you will be able to move past them to compassion,... perhaps even to love."

Faith

There was a tightrope walker, who was so good that he could walk between two twenty stories building on a tight rope with a balancing pole.

Thousands of people would watch him perform his breathtaking feat. After he walked across the building he would have his assistant sit on his shoulder and he would proceed to walk across the building.

Everybody were amazed and gave him a thunderous applause. He asked them whether they believed that he could do it again. The crowd said, “Yes, we believe that you can!”

After a while he asked the crowd again, “Now, who wants to volunteer to
get on my shoulder?” With that the crowd became silent.

There is a difference between Believe and Faith. We can believe what we see. In the above story, the crowd believed in the tightrope walker because they saw him perform the feat. But when he asked them “Who wants to get on my shoulder?” everyone was silent. You see, the crowd had Belief but they did not have Faith. This story clearly illustrates the difference between belief and having faith.

Prayer for Brother

Two brothers lived in constant poverty. The elder brother was satisfied with his humble assets and led a life of peace and contentment. But the younger brother was always unhappy, ambitious and greedy. He wanted to enjoy all the pleasures of life and was envious of his wealthy neighbours. He rejected his elder brother’s views with contempt.

One day they met a saintly preacher on the way. The younger brother complained about his constant poverty and God’s apparent cruelty. The preacher consoled him and advised them to pray for receiving richer resources if it is the will of God.

They returned to their homes and resumed their prayers with greater zeal. The younger brother soon started receiving several blessings. His land gave a rich harvest and he obtained a loan to start a new business. His financial status soared steadily. But his elder brother remained poor as before. The younger brother considered his brother to be unworthy to receive the blessings of God as his prayers were not answered so far.

The saintly preacher later returned to their village and met both the brothers. He was surprised to find that the younger brother had become a successful and wealthy businessman in a short period. The preacher asked him why he did not share a part of his blessings with his elder brother who was still very poor. The rich man replied that the blessings he received were the results of his own fervent prayers and his brother did not deserve any gift because even God had disregarded his prayers and deserted him.

Then the preacher told him, “You are thoroughly mistaken, my son. God has answered all the prayers of your brother.”

“But I don’t find that he received any blessing from God. He is unworthy to get the grace of God and I don’t care for him”, the rich man replied.

The preacher corrected him, “I know what he had prayed for. He was praying to God for you. He was praying that all your prayers shall be answered and your wishes be fulfilled. He did not pray for his own prosperity. Whatever you enjoy now is the result of his intercession. You should be thankful to him for ever.” These words transformed the rich man.

He learned that the blessings we receive need not be the fruits of our own prayers or efforts alone, but can be the results of the prayers of others for us.

What is Life?

Life isn't about keeping score. It's not about how many friends you have. Or how accepted you are. Not about if you have plans this weekend or if you're alone.

It isn't about who you're dating, who you used to date, how many people you've dated, or if you haven't been with anyone at all. It isn't about who you have kissed, it's not about sex.

It isn't about who your family is or how much money they have. Or what kind of car you drive. Or where you are sent to school. It's not about how beautiful or ugly you are. Or what clothes you wear, what shoes you have on, Or what kind of music you listen to.

It's not about if your hair is blonde, red, black, or brown. Or if your skin is too light or too dark. Not about what grades you get, how smart you are, how smart everybody else thinks you are, or how smart standardized tests say you are. It's not about what clubs you're in or how good you are at "your" sport. It's not about representing your whole being on a piece of paper and seeing who will "accept the written you."

But, life is about whom you love and whom you hurt. It's about whom you make happy or unhappy purposefully. It's about keeping or betraying trust.

It's about friendship, used as a sanctity or a weapon. It's about what you say and mean, maybe hurtful, maybe heartening. About starting rumors and contributing to petty gossip.

It's about what judgments you pass and why. And who your judgments are spread to. It's about whom you've ignored with full control and intention. It's about jealousy, fear, ignorance, and revenge. It's about carrying inner hate and love, letting it grow, and spreading it.

But most of all, it's about using your life to touch or poison other people's hearts in such a way that could have never occurred alone.

Only you choose the way those hearts are affected, and those choices are what life's all about.

A Story

An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.

His house was filthy, and a stench came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbours could not stand the smell anymore,so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.

The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.

Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment. We should remain true to our course; which may mean committing yourselves to things that people around you would normally disapprove. Let nothing distract us from being happy, let nothing else determine our fate, but ourselves. What makes us happy is what matters in the end, not what we acquire.

The Fruit

There were once a group of three lost men in the mountain and they only had a fruit to feed all of three, who were almost fainting from starvation. Then God appeared to them and told them he would test their wisdom and depending on what they would show would save them. So God asked them what may they ask Him to fix that problem and get everybody fed.

The first one said: "Then make appear more food", God answered that it was an answer with no wisdom, since you should not ask God that magically make appear the solution to problems without working with what we have.

The second one said then: "So make the fruit grow to make it enough", to which God answered no, since the solution is not to ask always the multiplication of what we have to fix the problem, since the human being can never be satisfied and therefore it would never be enough.

The third one then said: "My good God, even though we are hungry and we are proud, make us small ourselves so the fruit would be enough". God said: "You have answered right, since when man makes himself humble and small before my eyes, he will see prosperity".

Know that it is always taught that somebody else fix the problems or to look for the easy way out, always asking God to fix everything without us changing or sacrificing anything. That is why so many times it seems God does not listen to us since we ask without letting anything be left aside and always wanting to win. Many times we are selfish and want always everything for us.

We will be happy the day when we learn that the way to ask God is by seeing ourselves as weak, and by being humble leaving our pride aside. And we will see that by making us small in luxuries and by being time at heart we will see prosperity from God and see the way how He does listen.

The Empty Soap Box

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high- resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.

No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a workman was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution.

He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Moral of the story: Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem. So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems. "If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything; if you look at what you have in life, you have everything.

The Tree & The Flower

One day there was a tree and a flower that sat close to each other on a large prairie. The sun was shining bright and the air was crisp with the warm summer breeze. The grass flowed freely and bent with the wind. The flower sitting there with its green leaves and brightly coloured flower blazing its scent and colour across the prairie for anyone to see and smell.

The tree stood wide and tall with its branches flowing out; its branches floating free on the gentle breezes of the wind. The branches were full of bright green leaves that glistened in the sun. The tree was majestic but very much humble to what its become.

One day the flower had many visitors to its pedals which made it glad. The flower was proud that it was noticed and liked among the insects that visited it. The flower boldly spoke and said with such fact, "I am well noticed for I can spew my scent out to those that want to smell and follow it. I am feeling good about myself for I have brought these things to me and they have pollinated my flower."

The tree looking down in a rather disappointed sort of way spoke his words quietly and softly, "Your flower is bright this I must truly say, but your words are too strong for you notice little of why they have come to this land. They come not for the brightness of your flower or scent but for the food that is all around you in this wide open land. Your words are arrogant considering how small you really are. They come to me as well to feed on these flowers that I bear. They feast in the powder that collects within all flowers. No matter who they are or where they stand."

The flower shot back, "but you just don't get it do you? I am very bright and I am for a reason. I am better than you and this I can prove. I am well known throughout these parts that spread so far and so wide. The truth that I speak will stand long before my eyes."

The tree just sat there in nothing but amazement, for the flower refused to see what was truly being said. The flower sat there so smug in its glory and gleam. It was proud that it had proven that a flower is much greater than a tree. It refused to see that tree was covering its head from the storms that came by. Covering its head from the rains that devoured all else in its way. The tree just stood there doing just what it does best. Sheltering all, that needs its protection. Giving life to those that know where to look and using its branches to support all life there.

Later that day a four-legged came along. It smelled the rich scent of that wonderful flower. Its rather strong scent was sweet to its nose. It wanted to find where this scent flowed from. And see where it grows. It came on the flower and there it sat in its glory. Sitting there so it did before. It brightly and smelling its own glory.

The four-legged smelled that flower like no other seemed there was nothing like it that met its grand smell. The four- legged was so impressed it just couldn't wait. It opened its mouth and ate that flower head. The tree sat there in horror at what it just saw. That poor flower had lost its lovely smell and its bright grandeur.

The moral of this story is nothing to seek. When you open your mouth, you better be prepared. For what you seek may not be what you want. The power of words flow strong and flow true. The power of words may one day come back to eat you.

The Master

When one Guru was dying, one of his deciple asked him "Guruji, who was your master?"He said, "I had thousands of masters. If I just relate their names it will take months, years and it is too late. But three masters I will certainly tell you about. "

"One was a thief. Once I got lost in the desert, and when I reached a village it was very late, everything was closed. But at last I found one man who was trying to make a hole in the wall of a house. I asked him where I could stay and he said 'At this time of night it will be difficult, but you can stay with me - if you can stay with a thief".

"And the man was so beautiful. I stayed for one month! And each night he would say to me, 'Now I am going to my work. You rest, you pray.' When he came back I would ask 'Could you get anything?' He would say, 'Not tonight. But tomorrow I will try again, God willing.' He was never in a state of hopelessness, he was always happy. When I was meditating and meditating for years on end and nothing was happening, many times the moment came when I was so desperate, so hopeless,that I thought to stop all this nonsense. And suddenly I would remember the thief who would say every night, God willing, tomorrow it is going to happen. "

"And my second master was a dog. I was going to the river, thirsty and a dog came. He was also thirsty. He looked into the river, he saw another dog there -- his own image -- and became afraid. He would bard and run away, but his thirst was so much that he would come back. Finally, despite his fear, he just jumped into the water, and the image disappeared. And I knew that a message had come to me from God: one has to jump in spite of all fears."

"And the third master was a small child. I entered a town and a child was carrying a lit candle. He was going to the temple to put the candle there.'Just joking,'
I asked the boy, 'Have you lit the candle yourself?'
He said, 'Yes sir.'
And I asked, 'There was a moment when the candle was unlit, then there was a moment when the candle was lit. Can you show me the source from which the light came?'
And the boy laughed, blew out the candle, and said, 'Now you have seen the light going. Where has it gone? You will tell me!' My ego was shattered, my whole knowledge was shattered. And that moment I felt my own stupidity. Since then I dropped all my knowledgeability. "

"It is true that I had no master. That does not mean that I was not a disciple -- I accepted the whole existence as my master. My Disciplehood was a greater involvement than yours is. I trusted the clouds, the trees. I trusted existence as such. I had no master because I had millions of masters I learned from every possible source. To be a disciple is a must on the path. What does it mean to be a disciple? It means to be able to learn. to be available to learn to be vulnerable to existence. With a master you start learning to learn. "

"The master is a swimming pool where you can learn how to swim. Once you have learned, all the oceans are yours."

The Way Out

One day Buddha came into his assembly of the monks. It must have been just a morning like this. His sannyasins were sitting and waiting for him. They were puzzled because this was for the first time that Buddha had come with something in his hand – a handkerchief. They all looked at the handkerchief. What was the matter? There must be something special in it. And Buddha sat on the platform and rather than starting speaking to the assembly he looked at the handkerchief, started tying a few knots in it, five knots in all.

The whole assembly watched – what is going on? And then he asked the assembly, ”Can anybody tell me: is this handkerchief the same as it was before the knots were tied?”

Sariputta said, ”This is a tricky question. In a way the handkerchief is the same because nothing has changed, in a way it is not the same because these five knots have appeared which were not there before. But as far as the inner nature of the handkerchief is concerned – its nature is concerned – it is the same; but as far as its form is concerned it is no more the same. The form has changed: the substance is the same.”

Apple seed

One day I stopped to think about growing apples. I was munching a delicious, juicy apple and took a big bite. As a result I got an apple seed into my mouth. I spat it out into my hand, with the intention of throwing it away. But instead I looked at the apple seed. Really looked. It was very dark brown, almost black. Its shape reminded me of a candle flame. A little dark brown candle flame…

I realized I was holding an apple tree in the palm of my hand. A little seed with the potential to become a beautiful big tree - a tree that could grow thousands of apples in its lifetime. Thousands of apples, each containing several seeds, each capable of growing a new tree which again could produce thousands of apples. Why then the world wasn't filled with apple trees?

It is a rule of nature that only a few of these seeds grow. Most never do or are destroyed early on in their growth. And it came to my mind it's quite often so with people's dreams also. Wonderful ideas come to our minds but they die too soon - we don't tend to the little saplings, we don't protect them as we should. And then one day we wonder what happened to our dreams - why did they never come true?

I put the apple seed on the table, and bent down to see how the light was reflected from it, this nature's tiny wonder. I wondered when someone was seriously growing apples, how many times they had to try to get a seed to germinate? How much work did it require?

Maybe it was like with our dreams: the seeds of your dreams did not automatically grow. Like planting an apple tree It might take many trys: like a hundred job applications to get that good job. You might send your manuscript out two hundred times before it was accepted. You might meet dozens of people until you met the true friend.

But if you kept on sowing the seeds of your dream, one day you would succeed. And after that others would comment you were lucky to be successful - when in fact you probably failed more often than you would like to count. But you were good at failing - you learned, you adapted, and then with your new knowlegde you tried again. And again. And again. And one day success was yours.

I picked up the apple seed again - but instead of throwing it away I took an empty flower pot, poured some earth into it and planted the seed. Maybe one day it would grown into a proud tree. I'd never knew if I didn't try.

Who is the highest

Once there was a very pious devotee who was utterly devoted to his family deity. He worshipped this deity every day, sitting cross legged in front of the shrine in his home.One day during his meditation, he observed that the prasad or food offered to the deity, which is customarily eaten by the devotee after worship, was snatched away by a mouse and eaten in front of his very eyes. The devotee was astonished to see this and concluded that the mouse was more powerful than the deity. Otherwise, how could it dare to eat the offering? So he grabbed hold of the mouse, and tying it with a string to the place of worship, decided to worship this creature instead of the deity.

He removed the picture of the deity from the shrine, and started worshipping the mouse. One day his cat, jealous of the attention the mouse was receiving, pounced upon the tiny creature. The two had a terrible fight, but of course the poor mouse was killed in the battle.

Now it was quite clear to the devotee that the cat was more powerful than the mouse, so he started worshipping the cat whom he had previously neglected. This continued for some time until one day the devotee's dog entered the room of worship. Seeing the attention that the cat was getting from his master, the dog became furiously jealous and violently attacked the cat. The unhappy cat was bitten and scratched all over and bled in many places. When the devotee considered the situation, it became quite clear to him that the dog was more powerful than the cat.

So he removed the cat from the place of worship and placed the dog there instead. He now began to worship the dog, who was tied with a rope to the shrine. The animal's continual barking, however, was a source of great irritation to the devotee's wife. One day in utter exasperation, she threw a brick at the barking dog. It landed on his head with a thump. The poor dog was in great pain and cried piteously over his wound.

The devotee, hearing the whimpering of the poor dog, came into the room, and seeing what had happened, concluded that it must be due to the superior power of his wife. So he decided to let the dog go and to worship his wife. He said to her, "At long last I realise that you are the most powerful. Only you can be the object of my adoration!"

The wife was thunderstruck at these remarks, to say nothing of being puzzled and embarrassed. How could she be the object of his adoration, she thought, since all her life she had been made to feel like his servant, constantly at his beck and call? She finally consented, however, since she had no alternative.

Now the devotee's wife had become his object of adoration and worship. He addressed her with words of devotion and praised her divine qualities. So devoted was he that he had the impulse to worship her even when she was asleep. He would awaken her and make her take her place at the shrine where he could adore her. Or if she were in the shower, he would call her to come out. No matter what she was doing she would have to stop and come to the shrine to be worshipped.

Finally the devotee's wife became so fed up with this farce that she told him the whole thing was nonsense. At this he became furious. "Nonsense?" he echoed. "How dare you criticise my wisdom?" And he yelled at her loudly. The poor frightened woman began weeping bitter tears.

Now, seeing his own power, it became very clear to the devotee that he was the strongest of all. So he started worshipping himself, saying, "I am God, I am the greatest, I am everything." But it did not take him much time to realise that he was merely a prey to his desires. It was his desires that were compelling him to action, either good or bad. So since his habit was to worship the most powerful force, he started worshipping his desires. But he quickly gave this up, for he saw immediately that his desires had no strength of their own. It was his senses that compelled the desires to possess and be possessed.

Then the devotee started worshipping the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. He was now pondering deeply on these subtle things which he was worshipping. After much thought, he concluded that it was the mind which was responsible for the functioning of the senses.

So he began worshipping his mind, and felt proud that he had progressed so far from the ignorant animals he had worshipped only a few months before. But he found that his mind was far from satisfaction, and even farther from perfection. So he catered into his heart. The heart, in spite of having peace and joy and harmony, was still lacking in absolute fulfilment. He was yearning for the supreme power. He concluded that the heart was not enough, so he entered into his soul.

There, in union with his own soul, he got the first glimpse of his divine fulfilment. He plunged deep into the spiritual life. But the individual soul, he found, is not all pervading or all fulfilling. He aspired for the highest. He went even deeper. Deep within he discovered the Supreme Self. Here, at the end of his journey, the Brahmin saw that the Supreme Self is the most powerful. The Supreme Self, which has neither beginning nor end, is all pervading and all fulfilling. The Supreme Self, which is both Creator and Creation, is the Highest.

The Goatherd

There was once a goatherd . He raised many goats by the side of his house. One morning, as usual, before he started herding the goats, he counted them one by one.

After counting and recounting for several times, he found out that one was missing. "Why do my goats decrease one?" scratching the back of his head, wondering. After investigating, he noticed that there was hole somewhere in the barn wall, that must be the cause, he thought.

Seeing it, his neighbor advised the goatherd immediately fix the barn so that he wouldn't lost more goats. But he pass the advice. He only replied, "I have lost one goat. Now it is too late even to fix the barn. Just let it be."

The next morning, when counted, out of his surprise, his goat decreased by one again. This time he regretted. This time he immediately fixed his barn. After the barn was fixed, there was no more missing goat.

Even the smallest mistake should be handled immediately, should not wait until the problem get bigger. The bigger the problem, the more complex it is to fix it, the more time is needed and the more costly it is. Every mistake should also be analyzed, understand the roots, and make it as guidepost for future actions. Thus, not repeating the same mistake.

The Drunkard

A drunkard decided to carry a lamp to the pub anticipating his intoxicated state and stumbling steps post drinking.After drinking to his heart's content, as he was about to fall headlong on the floor, he managed to steady himself and reached out to his lamp.

As the man strode his way home,he dashed into a buffalo, bumped into a donkey and stumbled with a tree. He tried to peer at his lamp in the darkness of the night.

“What has happened to my lamp?”

Finally the man fell by the roadside and the next morning he was carried home by some of his friends.

The pub owner during the midday visited the man, “You carried my cage away with my parrot instead of taking your lamp!”

Similarly one does not go too far on the spiritual path with just reading the holy scriptures. One should be meditative enough to capture the import of it says.The soul of the scriptures has to be grasped than just reading them.

Wild Boars

There was a village that was attacked by wild boars.Everyday the wild boars would enter the village to rampage the whole village of their food. The villagers tried various means to fight and chase away the wild boars, but without much success.

One day a wise man approached the village headman to offer his advice. He told the villagers that they will have to follow all his advice and directions. Out of desperation, the villagers agreed. The wise man told the villagers to gather all the food from every household and put it in the middle of a big empty field. They followed his advice, and immediately they saw hundreds of wild boars approaching the vicinity where the food was placed. The wild boars were apprehensive initially, but after a while they went for the food.

Once the wild boars had a taste of the food they came back for the free food everyday. And everyday the villagers would put more food in the field and the wild boars would come to have their free meals. After a while, the wise man asked the villagers to erect four poles at the four-corners of the field.The wild boars were too busy having their food that they did not take notice of what was happening.

After a few weeks, the wild boars developed the habit of having free food. The wise man then asked the villagers to put fencing around the field, with a large gate through which the wild boars can enter to have their food. Finally once the fencing and the gate were completed the villagers closed the gate and all the wild boars were trapped inside the field. The wild boars were finally defeated!

Habits are easily developed but difficult to get rid of. The wild boars were trapped because out of their greed, they developed the habit of having free food, and without having to work for their food. They became so comfortable, that they did not realize they were being trapped. Most of us are like the wild boars because we become too comfortable with our jobs and businesses that we do not realize we are in one way or another being "trapped". We seek security rather than freedom!

The Petal

I am a pretty and soft Petal. I am part of the beautiful Flower but I am still a flower in my own right. I have same quality and attributes as the Whole Flower. I am beautiful. I am Unique. I am Wholesome and Complete. The flower cannot be flower without me. There are other Petals in the flower too. These petals also look like me though they are little different in color, shape and texture but their properties are also same as me. All together we form a beautiful flower. Flower is not flower without each of us. Each of us cannot survive without each other. We all need each other for our survival. We are incomplete without each other. We all are interdependent on each other. It is my false EGO which makes me say that 'I am not depending on any one else'.

Similarly, I am a peaceful, loving and divine Soul in the Universe. I have my own light, knowledge and depth. There are other souls also though little different from me. All souls together form a huge incomprehensible Divine Spirit. The Soul is part of the Spirit and reflects its spark. The Soul has same properties as that of the Spirit. The Spirit shines and sparkles when Soul merges with it. None can survive without each other. The Soul takes a human body to feel and experience the bright knowledge of the cosmic Spirit. Spirit thrives in taking the Soul back into its fold for it increases its own brilliance.

I cannot help but imagine how electric it would feel when after completing my 70-80 years of earth life I will go back and realise my place in the whole flower. How foolish of me to think that I am just a petal just because I cannot see the complete flower and my own important place in it. Thus, I have to learn to love each and every creation of the Spirit around me unconditionally to become the part of the Bloom.

Only the feeling of Love is Real which unites Soul with the Spirit. Till I realize and actualize this internally, I will be caught in cycle of birth and death. Once I start loving each and all as I, I would be earning the Master’s Degree from the University of the God – the Divine Spirit of Universe. Thereafter, I need not come back again to Earth School again.

I have to realize that I am that big ONE and that big One is 'I'. I have to understand and experience the Oneness of the Universe that 'I am the Spirit and the Spirit is I'. Ultimately, everything is illusion except the only truth I AM THAT

The Sailor

A story is told of a man taking a trip on an old wooden sailing ship.He was out of the deck one day and saw one of the crew-members climbing the ropes, going up to the crows nest. When he was about half way up, the ship pitched to one side and he was thrown overboard.

When he hit the water, he began to scream for help, and flail his arms wildly, as he struggled to survive. The traveler watched as a sailor walked over to the rail of the ship, and calmly observed the man in the water. After a short while the man in the water tired, and began to sink.

Immediately the sailor standing by the rail jumped overboard, and rescued the drowning victim. After both men were safely on board, the traveler went over to the rescuer and asked, why did you wait so long to jump in the water and rescue this man?

He calmly replied, I have found that as long as a man is struggling in the water, there is a greater chance that he will get us both killed if I jump in too quickly, and try to save him. I have learned that it is better to let them struggle awhile, and when they come to the end of their own strength, I can then jump in and rescue them.

Are you like the drowning man in the story? Have you fallen from your place of comfort and safety, and you are now struggling just to survive? Have you cried out to God to come and rescue you immediately? It is possible the God is waiting until you have come to the end of yourself, and stop struggling in a vain attempt to save yourself, through any means. When you finally admit you cant save yourself, God will jump into the water and save you!

Holy Man

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him.

When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. "I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside.

As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man.Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside.

He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!"
"You already have," said the old man.

"Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant... see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

If you feel love and respect for all people that you meet, you will receive inward peace.Every step you take in life is significant. There are meanings to all and every event that takes place.

The Real Talent

After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a master who was renowned for his skill as an archer. The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull's eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot.

"There," he said to the old man, "see if you can match that!"

Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain. Curious about the old fellow's intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log.

Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit.

"Now it is your turn," he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground.

Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target.

"You have much skill with your bow," the master said, sensing his challenger's predicament, "but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot."

"The real talent is being able to apply your skills even in the most adverse situation- without fear, hesitation, or doubt."