Stories
Dedication Matters the Most
Long ago (around 600-500 BC), a boy name Panini was studying in gurukula under a great master. Panini was unable to remember whatever taught by his master even though he was very active and dedicated in his learning. The master took personal attention to teach Panini as he was too dedicated, but all efforts went in vain, as he uses to forget very next moment. The master got angry and took a stick to hit on Panini palm, but suddenly he stopped his action. Panini got surprised and asked the master “Why did you stop!”, the master replied saying, “OH MY God! Fate is you will remain illiterate, you have no education line on your palm.” From tomorrow you need not come here, start learning other skills from a different master apart from the education. Hearing this, Panini asked his master “Sir, could you please tell me where the education line would lie on my palm, if it had been?” The master showed the child the location of the education line on his own palm. Disappointed Panini left the place.
After few days Panini was back to gurukula, looking at him the master responded, “My dear student, as I told you, it is your fate, you can’t be educated and it is not your problem, please go back.” Hearing this Panini held out his right palm and asked the master “Will I become a scholar now?” Looking at the palm, the master got shocked as Blood was oozing out of the palm, where the education line was supposed to be, there was a deep line which was etched with a sharp stone. The master was speechless and was astonished by his student insatiable quest for knowledge. He hugged Panini by saying, my dear student, I shall put all my effort to teach you.
Panini learned with exceptional brilliance and dedication and became a great scholar, who later systematized grammar in the Sanskrit language. His masterpiece is a major treatise entitled, ‘Ashtadhyayi’. His logical rules and techniques have influenced modern linguistics considerably. Thus Panini could challenge and change his fate by etching the mark on his palm by a painful cut.
What it shows from the above real story is that mind matters the most. The dedication and determination can take anyone to any level. To be successful your desire should be greater than your fear of failure.
Aware of Monkey Trap
Life is like a monkey trap. We don’t know we cling to the materialistic attachment without our awareness. To illustrate, there is a story about a monkey who come across a trap. The farmer to safeguard his coconut farm from the monkey, where he used to keep transparent pots filled with nuts with an opening slightly bigger than the monkey’s hand. When the hungry monkey puts its hand through the small hole to get the nuts, now the hand is turned into a fist and cannot be pulled out its hand holding the nuts in its fist. If it only opened its fist again, it could escape, but clinging to what it wants keeps him trapped.
In our life also people are using this type of traps by encashing our ignorance. OR, we ourselves get into a trap without our knowledge and thinking that it is the reality. Only we should know how to come out of it with constant self-inquiry and self-talk.
What is life?
Life is something like this…. You are walking alone in the woods and without observing a deep pit you fall into it. But managed to catch hold of a branch fallen from the above tree. Holding the branch firmly you are looking down the pit, you realize the pit is narrow, too deep and if fallen down, no way to come out of it. Now you are looking up, seeing the branches of the tree and the sunlight passing through it. There is a chance that you can come out of the pit by climbing up using the branch, but you see a snake on the branch that you are holding. At the same time, few drops of honey are dropped from the honeycomb built on the branch of the tree directly on to your lips. Now are you going to enjoy the taste of the honey or not?
Life is like this - problems, challenges and happiness are part of life. We can understand life by looking backwards but we must be lived forwards by looking the life positively and enjoying every moment of our life.
Desire is for you or for others
A middle-class family lady happened to pass in front of the jewellery shop and saw a beautiful necklace with diamond studs displayed in the front showcase. She felt, wearing that necklace she will be the happiest lady in the universe and will look very pretty than anyone else, but the price is way beyond her imagination. God appears and blessed her a wish saying, the necklace is yours with one condition, you can wear and admire your beauty looking in the mirror and can enjoy your happiness any number of times till your death, but no one will be able to see the necklace. The lady kept quiet, not knowing what to answer. God gave some concessions in his blessing, God said, OK others can see the necklace, but the condition is, you have to wear the same necklace throughout your lifetime.
What is your response to this? Do you want this kind of desire to be fulfilled? If the answer is no, then why do you compare with others?
