FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 34: WHEN DEATH STRIKES !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 34

 

WHEN DEATH STRIKES!!!

 

A prosperous shopkeeper who had a chain of shops was inspired by the story of AJAMILA, (SQ – 30) wanted to outwit God & take a short cut! He named all his sons after Gods! His plan was to call their names when the moment comes!!! When he became quite old, he realized that his end had come & so he started calling all his sons' names (Calling God by proxy!) one by one 2 or 3 times hoping he would breathe his last right at that moment. But death didn't come then.

 

All his sons were standing before him leaving their shops waiting for some last minute instruction from their father. The father saw all the sons standing there & suddenly exclaimed, "Alas! You've all left your shops & come. Who would be looking after the shops? Who would collect the money? Some body might come & steal!" Right then he breathed his last!!!

 

The shops & the money were in his mind throughout his life & he couldn't switch over to God at short notice even though he named all his sons after Gods! It's no mean achievement to think of God at the last moment & have his name on ones' tongue if we haven't practiced it enough!

 

There are a surge of emotions & thoughts that would invade us at the last moment. Mind is like a monkey & it would play tricks. Hence it requires years & years of practice!

 

God of death doesn't give notice & he's not a photographer who says, "I'm going to click. Are you ready?"

 

We've no choice in the matter. We can't get it sooner if we welcome it nor can we avoid it or run away from it! From the time we're born, our march to the cremation ground has started.

 

Spirituality lies in destroying our animal tendencies & rising to the level of divinity! This is a skill & hence needs constant practice so that it gets honed to perfection!!!

 

"As long as there dwells breath in the body, so long they enquire of your welfare at home. Once the breath leaves, the body decays, even the wife fears that very same body!

 

O Distracted One! Why worry about wife, wealth? Is there not for you the One who ordains? In the 3 worlds it is the association with the good saintly people alone that can serve as a boat to cross the sea of change, birth and death." - Adi Shankaracharya's Bhaja Govindam

 

RESPONSES…

1. Dear Sir,

 Day before yesterday's CHAPPATHI and today's CARROT were really good stuff. 

 

They reminded me a "scene" in Mahabharat.  King Karnan after his death goes to heaven out of his good deeds.  He felt terrible hunger.  He could not quench his thirst / hunger even after eating many fruits / rice / vegetables and all. 

 

On the way, Lord Naradha appeared before Karnan and advised Karnan to put Karnan's Index Finger in his mouth.  What a surprise!!!!  Karnan became alright and he did not feel hungry and thirsty.  He asked Lord Naradha about this secret.

 

Lord Naradha told him that Karnan did all Dhaanams and Dharmams except "Anna Dhanam".  However, once when Karnan was on the way to forest for hunting, a poor brahmin came across and asked Karnan about the place where "Anna Dhanam" is provided.  Karnan showed the way to that poor Brahmin with his Index Finger.

 

If the Index finger itself has got that power, imagine the power that whole Body, Atma gets... thanks

Regards

GANESAN R

 

2. Sir,

You have given message that what you thought you will become? I.e. thoughts make our mind.  Our karma's decided by our thoughts.  So our journey continues with pleasant memories with both sides of coins (i.e. pains & gains) Life time explanation with simple example. (THE CARROT)

Regards

KALYANARAMAN R S

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 33: THE CARROT !!!

 SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 33

THE CARROT!!!

 

One of the most excellent stories told at the Chicago Parliament of Religions was given by a Russian.

 

A woman, who was a thief, a cheat, and of generally evil repute, was lying on her death bed, and was now frightened at the prospect of what awaited her after her death.

 

Though she had had, during a long life of evil doing, no thought of religion or of God, yet now she began to cry loudly and more vociferously to God to have mercy on her. So much did she cry that at last she attracted the attention of the angel Gabriel, who came to see what the matter might be?

 

"Oh Sir," said the woman, "what am I to do?"

 

"What is the matter?" asked the angel.

 

"Sir, all my life I have done not one good thing, and now, I am about to die. What will become of me?"

 

"Is there not one good act of which you can remember? Think," replied the angel.

 

After much thought the woman remembered that when she was a young woman one day she was almost starving, and then she found a carrot, which was the only food she had got for two days. As she was about to eat it, another woman, as badly off as her, came to her, begging.

 

Though it was contrary to her usual nature, the carrot was divided between them. This incident the dying woman apologetically related to the angel, who replied: "Hold on to that carrot and it will save you."

 

The woman held on to the carrot when she died. And as she was being drawn up to heaven by the carrot, many others, who had died after leading a life as evil as her own began to cling to her, in the hope of sharing her escape.

 

At that, she got jealous and cried out: "Get off; the carrot is mine." No sooner after she had said this the carrot broke, and she fell back into the place of torment.

 

One small deed of 'unselfishness' had been sufficient to outweigh her bad Karma, but her selfishness had undone, in a moment, the previous good!!!

 

PS: Life is like a train journey. Whichever stage we are in our life, we must learn to make our journey comfortable and happy. No point in carrying heavy unwanted luggage with us; that will make our journey miserable. Selfishness, Anger, hatred, envy, jealousy - these are the heavy luggage we should avoid. Only then our journey would be a pleasure. – SATHYA SAI BABA

 

SAIRAM

Moderator,

http://groups.google.co.in/group/premasai_gurukulam

Reply to: premasai.gurukulam@gmail.com

(Extracted, compiled & edited from RADIO SAI JOURNALS)

Selective responses…

1. Dear Sir,

The anecdote connects to the message so well. (The BOOMERANG)  Further those relating to day to day life / activities help us recall the messages easily. 

Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

ANNAPOORNA R

2. Sir

All the Stories in SQ have high moral values which is very significant for our daily life. Thanks for sending the mail.

 

SQ-32 (THE WOLVES) can be related to SQ-31 (The Boomerang), wherein the woman fed all along wolf#1 and fed wolf#2 for only one day and faced disaster.

Regards

SRIVATHSUN R

3. "THE WOLVES" is the best quotient and very powerful.  We are the masters of our mind to choose the right. 

Thanks & Regards,

KRISHNAN K V

 

4. Sir,

 As you sow... So shall you reap...? For the problems of our life, we are the Solutions ...was excellently explained by Chappatis.... "(SQ – 31)

Regards,

GANESAN R

5. Sairam

Very interesting spiritual teachings from you. Many thanks for sharing this with every one.

Regards

Padmanabhan.j

6. Your quote really touched my heart...... You have such inspiring quotes that you render. Thanks for those enlightening information. There is so much truth in it. Take care
Regards
Tanuja

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 32: THE WOLVES !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 32

THE WOLVES!!!

"Well, I called it the case of having two wolves inside me!" The young boy listened with rapt attention as his Grand father went on with his rather interesting story.

"The first wolf is absolutely harmless, and what's even better is that it seeks peace and harmony around it. It sees only the good in people, never the bad. It doesn't take offense even if someone is nasty to it. Instead, it has a good word for anyone and everyone who crosses his path."

 "Go on, Grandpa," begged the little boy.

Grandpa continued, "This other wolf is a monster. It is under the dangerous delusion that it is the only perfect thing on the planet and constantly finds fault with everything and everyone around it. It has a shallow ego and gets piqued easily. This wolf is always filled with anger and hate. It doesn't realize that hate and anger will get it nowhere."

"When you hear me talk of the second wolf, don't you think it is utterly foolish? Don't you approve of the first wolf and wish the second one never existed? Do you want to know more?"

The boy replied immediately, "Oh, yes, Grandpa, please tell me more."

"These two wolves inside me scream for attention. Each one struggles to push the other to take centre stage. When wolf #1 is the winner for the day, everyone loves me and thinks I'm an angel! But hell breaks loose when wolf #2 decides to be the bully. Wolf #1 is pushed away and all that the world sees of me is a cruel, angry, unreasonable, difficult person to deal with."

"There is a constant tug of war over my spirit, and sometimes it leaves me rather tired and hopeless!" the grandpa continued.

The boy looked intently into his grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandpa?"

The grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed!!!"

The boy was speechless & asked, "The one you feed?"

"Naturally", said the grandfather. "Whichever wolf I feed becomes stronger at that time!"

"You mean to say, if you don't feed the 2^nd wolf, it would die! In which case, why do you feed it at all?" the boy was curious.

"Ah! That's the challenge always and that's the choice I need to make all the time!!!" acknowledged the grandpa. "You see that God has given us enough freedom to make our choice, to do whatever we want but there is also a catch!"

"God also has decreed that with every choice we make, there is a consequence attached to it. That's all. So it's up to us not to feed the 2^nd wolf & up to us to kill it!" the grandpa concluded.

The boy nodded enthusiastically & he had learnt so much that day.

PS:  "Anger, pride, and other passions reduce man to the level of a lunatic and sometimes degrade him to the level of an animal. One's anger is one's greatest enemy and one's calmness is one's protection. One's joy is one's heaven and one's sorrow is one's hell. He who is possessed by anger will be hated by people. Anger leads to many great sins. It is caused by weakness, not of the body but of the mind. To give strength to our mind it is necessary to fill it with good thoughts and good feelings." – SATHYA SAI BABA

A Few Responses…

1. Dear Sir,

SQ – 31: The saying is very true Sir, but the boomerang might not come back in this very birth, but it will come back for sure. Though every child is born equally, some are born to poor parents and with a "Silver Spoon". This might very well be the boomerang of the past karmas. Also we note that politicians amass so much wealth robbing the people of their own country and we see that nothing happens to them till their death. Maybe their misdeeds boomerang on them in their next birth……….

Regards

RAMKUMAR S

 

2. The SQ – 31 is simply moving and powerful. Great feeling.

Thanks & Regards

Ramachandran G

 

3. Dear Saibandhus,

Humble Pranams at the LOTUS FEET OF SWAMI. 

"THE BOOMERANG " is an Excellent, Creative & Soul touching 'teaching' which explains so profoundly the spiritual axiom that whatever one does - good or bad- finally comes back to him/her. The explanation is very plain, simple and very easy not only to understand but also to remember in all our dealings. Wonderful!

Please continue service of such worthiness. May our BHAGAWAN BLESS YOU ALL?

Yours Saibandhu,

Ranganatha.Rao.

 

SAIRAM

Moderator,

http://groups.google.co.in/group/premasai_gurukulam

(Extracted, compiled & edited from RADIO SAI JOURNALS)

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 31: THE BOOMERANG !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 31

 

THE BOOMERANG!!!

SCENE - 1

 

A woman baked 'Chappatis' for the members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chappati on the window-sill, for whosoever. There would be someone who would invariably take it away.

That someone turned out to be a dirty looking & smelling hunchback who came everyday and took away the chappati. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: "The good you do, comes back to you: The evil you do, would also come back to you!"

 

Everyday, as the woman placed the chappati on the window-sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him. She prayed for his safe return.

 

This went on, day after day.  Everyday, the hunch-back came, picked up the chappati and uttered the words: " The good you do, comes back to you: The evil you do, would also come back to you!" He never thanked her for the chappati!!!

The woman felt very irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself.  "Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle!   What does he mean? I must teach him a lesson!"

 

SCENE – 2

 

Just about a few miles away from this house there was a thin & lean man in tattered & torn garments. He suddenly came from nowhere, was hungry & starved & was begging for some food. He didn't have the strength to even walk properly.

 

At that time, as if God sent, this hunchback reached that place, took pity on him & shared with him half a chappati that he had taken from the window sill earlier. It was an amazing scene of a beggar helping another one!

 

This also continued for a few days & the thin man thanked the hunchback profusely & said, "I'm slowly getting back my strength now & so tomorrow I shall go to my house. Your half chappati has given me enough strength that I can attempt to walk!!!"

 

SCENE - 3

In the meanwhile the lady who was making chappatis was quite exasperated that the hunchback wasn't even thanking her & so decided to do away with him.  "I shall get rid of this hunchback since he's so ungrateful" she said.  And what did she do?  She added poison to the chappati she prepared for him & kept it on the window sill for the hunchback!

 

As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chappati and muttered the words: "The good you do, comes back to you: The evil you do, would also come back to you!" The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman due to which she had kept a poisoned chappati!

 

SCENE - 4

 

The hunchback as usual met his other 'beggar friend' & told him, "Today you're going to your house, isn't it? So today, I shall give you a full chappati which you can eat on your way when ever you feel hungry. Today your need is greater than mine!" The man took the chappati, thanked him again & started walking slowly.

 

He was nearing his house when he felt hungry & started eating the 'poisoned' chappati which the hunchback had given! He started feeling weaker but somehow managed to reach the house & knock on the door.

 

SCENE - 5

 

It turned out to be the same house where the lady was giving chappatis to the hunchback. As she opened it, she was shocked to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. 

 

As he saw his mother, he feebly muttered, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. There was this dirty hunchback who used to give me half a chappati everyday & that used to give me enough strength. There was so much love & magic in the half chappati! Today he was kind enough to give me the whole chappati which I've eaten!"

As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale.  She trembled & leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chappati that she had made that morning. She screamed in agony but no words came out & just then the man, her son for whom she prayed every day as she kept the chappati on the window sill fell in her arms & died! It was too late!!!

 

The hunchback's words kept on echoing in her head: ""The good you do, comes back to you: The evil you do, would also come back to you!" Just like the 'boomerang'!!! The son had returned safely due to the chappati & died in her arms due to the chappati!!!

 

SAIRAM

Moderator,

http://groups.google.co.in/group/premasai_gurukulam

(Extracted, compiled & edited from RADIO SAI JOURNALS)

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 30: WHEN DEATH COMES CALLING !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 30

 

WHEN DEATH COMES CALLING !!!

 

Lord Vishnu was telling his consort Lakshmi, "Even if the humans are not able to conceive the idea of a Lord or a God, they must be able to know what Love is by experience, is it not? They have experienced the love of parents, of a friend, or of a brother or sister, or towards their own children. That love is itself a spark of God. God could respond if one cries longingly even for a physical mother or father if not God's name."

 

One dark night when Vishnu and Lakshmi were journeying through the sky, they saw a man perched on the branch of a tree, about to fall on the ground through sheer exhaustion of limbs. Lakshmi pleaded on his behalf and wanted that Vishnu should save him; and Vishnu preferred that she should save him, instead since she has equal or even more powers than him!!!

 

Meanwhile, the fall became imminent and so Vishnu & Lakshmi decided that if the man shouted "Amma (mother)," while falling down, Lakshmi should hasten to arrest his fall and if he shouted, "Appa (father)," Vishnu should help and see that no bones are broken & that he doesn't get injured!

 

The man fell, but he shouted neither 'Amma nor Appa', but screamed 'Ayyo' (a sigh of misery)! And so he had to be left severely alone in agony with some broken bones!!! After some time he passed away!"

 

In the sixth skanda of Srimad Bhagavatam, Parikshit asks Shukacharya how to avoid hell and its' horrid experiences. Shuka says the practice of spiritual discipline is the remedy. He said, "If a man, with a feeling of passionate attachment, unites his mind with Krishna's feet even once, he will not see Yama or his emissaries with noose in hand, even in a dream!"

 

Shukacharya then narrated the story of Ajamila. Ajamila was once a very noble brahmin, performing his duties and prescribed rituals most sincerely and was also a good husband, good son and good father. Once when he was in the forest to gather the fuel-wood for his rituals, he fell for a woman, heart and soul. Actually the woman was one of very low morals.

 

From that time onwards he lived with her, abandoned his family and his own parents. He got ten children by her, made a living and supported this large family by blackmailing rich people, by cheating, fraud and gambling. He was particularly fond of the youngest child, Narayana, by name. The attachment to the child was so pronounced that whether he was eating, drinking, relaxing or working, he would always want Narayana to be by his side and partake of his food or participate in his enjoyment.

 

 

When finally the call from Yama, the God of Death, came, it came suddenly and in his agony he cried: O Narayana. Narayana!!! He called aloud with great fear.

 

The messengers of Yama who almost got him in their noose suddenly found from within his heart four well-clad beautiful angel-like figures, each with four hands, preventing the messengers of Yama from discharging their duty. They said, "The one name of God absolves and purifies sins of all kinds, small or large. Even when he has uttered the name without really intending to call the Supreme Lord, it purifies him!!!" Thus they prevented Yama from taking away his soul!

 

That's why we have the habit of giving our children names of Gods & Goddesses! It is a question of practice. When we are thirsty, we don't want all the water from the well. One glass will suffice. Here is a match box with some 60 matches; if we want to light a fire we need to strike one match, not the entire box of matches.

Some more responses…

1. Dear Sir,

Many thanks for your kind message. You have given a new meaning for patience which always tests one's ability to achieve supremacy in life! Hope after reading this mail (SQ – 29) people's perception will be changed and you have given new approach to achieve our objectives in life. Clear thoughts with clear examples. 

Regards

KALYANARAMAN R S

2. Dear Sir,

 I never cease to be awed by the way SQ manages to drive home the point with the help of your spiritual quotes, examples and short stories.

 

We youngsters always have these misconceived notions that spirituality is something which is to be pursued only in old age after we have enjoyed our life in our youth, but SQ has been an eye opener for us.

 

I happened to receive a mail with statistics a couple of months back. But I never imagined that these statistics could be reproduced in the form of a spiritual story,

(SQ- 29) giving us a wonderful message that we need to be thankful for mental peace and material comfort bestowed by God on us, than to hanker after things which can just give us momentary feeling of happiness.

 

This write up of SQ is much more intense and thought provoking than the mail which only had statistics in it.  I think the effort taken for compiling these articles for SQ is really commendable and hope that you continue to nourish us daily with your spiritual anecdotes.

Regards

REVATHI

3. Dear Mr.Murali

 'Green with envy' (SQ – 28) was a wonderful response to my query...Thank you.

 

In fact, your SQ has become quite a repository of spiritual knowledge that besides your quotients, the debates and the exchange of ideas and thoughts have also become equally popular. I have become quite an avid reader of all these and where possible, I have also started partaking in these discussions.

 

Thank you once again for this wonderful opportunity to 'learn' and to 'debate'.

 

May your column grow from strength to strength?

Regards

JAWAHAR.N.R

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 29: JOURNEY TO THE HEAVENS !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 29

 

JOURNEY TO THE HEAVENS!!!

 

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.

 

My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the 'Receiving Section'. Here, all petitions and letters to God said in prayer are received."

 

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps of paper from people all over the world!

 

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section. The angel then said to me, "This is the 'Packaging and Delivery Section". Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them."

 

I noticed again how busy the angels were there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested for and were being packaged for delivery to Earth!

 

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there practically idle. "This is the 'Acknowledgment Section'," my angel friend quietly admitted to me.

 

"How is it that there's no work going on here?" I asked.

 

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."

 

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings and what blessings should we acknowledge?" I asked.

 

The angel gave an emphatic reply. "If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your body, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... You are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy. And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity." 

 

"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... You are ahead of more than 700 million people in the world."

 

"If you can attend a place of worship without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death ... You are envied by, and more blessed than 3 billion!"
 
"If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all. So count your blessings every day & simply thank God for everything! This is the least expected from a spiritual person." said the angel.

 

"But why everyone is not doing that knowing fully well that God is all powerful & present everywhere?" I asked.

 

The angel gave a beautiful example: "When a tree bears fruit, not all the fruits in a bunch ripen at the same time. Similarly, when a plant bears flowers, not all the flowers blossom at the same time. Some are in the process of blossoming, others are fully blossomed, yet a few remain as buds. Only the fully blossomed flower spreads its fragrance. Similarly, people too are in different stages of evolution ---some are at a blossoming stage and some others are like the fully blossomed flower, spreading their fragrance. We have to wait patiently they reach the 'fragrance stage'!!!"

 

PS: The message is more important than the statistics given here!!!

 

A few responses received…

1. Sir,

Spirituality, as conveyed by you, always inspires.  (SQ – 27)   Thank you.

PARAMESH KRISHNAIER

 

2. Dear Sir,

Whenever and wherever we excel in any activity, we must pray our sincere tributes to almighty as with out his wish, nothing can be achieved.  One who see god in every thing, ultimately he can also realize god lives in his or her soul.  Material benefits, ego, arrogance, power, positions are the purity killers.  One has to seek a right balance in all these to realize who is god.  Your messages are in a class of its' own & the examples are very appropriate.

 

Sai Baba has given us the definition of life and we who actually determine whether we reach divine or come back in human form to this filthy earth depending upon our present karma.

SURESH S

 

3. Sir

Relevant question in modern times and wonderfully answered with the help of a story. (SQ – 28)

The best thing is we can relate to the story and make an attempt to change our perception about people around and situations happening around us, rather than complaining and blaming our fate.

Thank you for this article.

 

Regards

REVATHI VENKATARAMAN

 

SAIRAM

Moderator,

http://groups.google.co.in/group/premasai_gurukulam

(Extracted, compiled & edited from RADIO SAI JOURNALS)

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 28: GREEN WITH ENVY!!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 28

GREEN WITH ENVY!!!

Dear Sir,

 

Good morning.

Can the feeling of envy or jealousy ever vanish? As long as the human race is in existence, do you feel it would be possible to avoid this? Obviously one should possess a high degree of maturity or a philosophical outlook towards life which could probably negate or do away with such feelings. But this is one nature that has been prevalent in all our Puranas, folklores and mythology which has been the cause of and resulted in so much misery.

 

More than the people who harbor such feelings, it is the victims who are the targets of such envy who are normally worst affected, is it not?

 

How can spirituality help both the 'tormentor' and the 'tormented' as it were?

Regards

JAWAHAR.N.R

There was once a millionaire who was bothered by two aches, one in his stomach and the other in his head! He was diagnosed and treated.

He was examined and treated by a galaxy of medical experts. He consumed heavy loads of drugs, and underwent centuries of injections. But the aches persisted with greater vigor than ever before!

At last, a monk arrived at the scene & witnessed his agony. He spoke very kindly to him, and pronounced the fault to be in his eyes!!! "Set your eyes correct and the head on top and the stomach below would both behave very sweetly! To improve the eye, concentrate on only one color. Concentrate on green. Do not let your eyes fall on red or yellow, or any other color", he advised the rich man.

The rich man got together a group of painters and purchased barrels of green color and directed that every object on which his eye was likely to fall be painted thick green. The millionaire's malady resulted in a rich harvest for paint craftsmen!!!

When the monk came back to him after about 10 days, the craftsmen ran toward him with a bucket of green paint for he wore a red gown! They started throwing the green paint on the monk's dress! He wondered why, and got the answer from the painters that their master dare not cast his eye on any color other than green as per strict instructions!!!

The holy man got shocked & then reprimanded the rich man and said that he had wasted lakhs of rupees as a result of his monumental stupidity.

"If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth perhaps Rs300/- , you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and pans, and chairs and sofas and also a pretty large share of your fortune! You cannot paint the world green. All you have to do first is to change the lens that covers your eyes!!!" the monk said.

The holy man continued, "Transform yourself first to get rid of all your aches & only after that can you even attempt to transform the World!"

PS: This story is our response to your question. It's never, "WHO'S RIGHT & WHO'S WRONG". It's always, "WHAT'S RIGHT & WHAT'S WRONG"! That's the PARADIGM SHIFT we need to bring in our thinking. First we need to change our lens! Consequently when we know that envy, jealousy, anger, desire, lust, outburst etc…sap our energy & are detrimental to our spiritual progress or otherwise, we should take conscious steps to throw them out of our system. They're like that unwanted guest & have to be kept away. (Read SQ – 3: THE GUEST!)

We don't have to take refuge in the Puranas or mythology & take consolation by saying that even some of the great saints also succumbed to them! They're mentioned in these epics only for the human beings to realize the danger in harboring these 'Vasanas'.

As far as the 'tormented' is concerned, you would get your answer from SQ –19. (THE IMMUNITY) We need to build that wall, that armor around us in the form of 'good thoughts, words & deeds'. There is no other choice!!! When we realize that God Himself is residing within us, how can anything affect us at all?

We need to remember that, "NOONE CAN MAKE US UNHAPPY WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION! NOONE CAN MAKE US DISAPPOINTED WITHOUT OUR CONSENT! NOONE CAN MAKE US ANGRY WITHOUR OUR WILL! IT IS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE THAT WE NEED TO MAKE ALL THE TIME!!!

Both MAHAVIRA & BUDDHA said, "FIRST SEEK REFUGE WITHIN YOU."

Another reader's response…

Sir,
 
I really enjoy reading SQ...Thanks a lot. I wish more and more people read and understand.
Regards
Kamalakar Pandit

SAIRAM

Moderator,

http://groups.google.co.in/group/premasai_gurukulam

(Extracted, compiled & edited from RADIO SAI JOURNALS)

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