ANECDOTES.....2

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 40.                  SMART  SPIRIT
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          His father was a simple religious man who used to sing devotional songs in the temple and bring home sufficient PRASAD for the family. After his death, his son took over the traditional job of singing “bhajans” for their daily meals. He was a hopeless singer with a hoarse disturbing voice and a great nuisance to the visiting devotees. On growing complaint, the singer was asked to move to the extreme corner of the temple and continue his singing, to the great relief of all.  What was relief to the visiting public became a headache to the ghost which was staying quietly in that abandoned corner since long. The ghost was already forlorn, depressed and miserable.  Initially the ghost was happily listening to his song as a welcome diversion in its dull routine but within a few days, it became intolerable for it to continue staying there. The ghost was unable to handle the situation and all its efforts to drive him away proved futile, as the singer was dependent on his daily meals from the temple.                                                                                 

          A few times when the ghost tried to scare him away from the place, the singer became more disturbed and his singing became acute and intolerable. The ghost was getting on its nerves, finding no way to get out of the nuisance. You may be aware that ghosts have their own network;  their own ways and means of solving their problems. Let us see what happened.                                                  

        

          The king of the place visited the temple with his Queen and beautiful Princess for worship as the marriage of the Princess was going to take place. The wily ghost had a sudden brain wave to escape from the torture of the daily singer.

       Within a week,  the city was rife with rumors that the beautiful Princess was mentally disturbed and behaving in an erratic manner. Many physicians tried their best to find out the cause. She was behaving wildly and screaming at others and threatening them.   Even Witches, Exorcists, Sorcerers were called to find a way out.  After a long ritual by the Satanist, the frenzied Princess shouted at her father to bring that Musician from the temple to sing songs in front of her which she wanted to hear.  Immediately soldiers were sent and the surprised singer was brought in front of the delirious Princess. She asked him to sing his songs and to the surprise of the King and Queen, the Princess seemed to enjoy the songs and was slowly returning to her normal self. In a few days the Princess was her normal sweet self.  The Ministers suggested to the King, to retain this singer in the Palace itself, so that the princess would continue to be normal. The singer was also quite happy to find himself well employed in royal company, enjoying the luxuries and attention.    

      You must have guessed by now, what must have happened.  The tormented ghost, took possession and control of the Princess and clamored for hearing the songs of this wretched singer and thereby got rid of him at the temple and also paved the way for his daily meals at the palace.  The smart spirit is now back to its cosy corner in the temple..

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39                PURANDARA DASA
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        SRINIVASA inherited his father’s business of gemstones and pawn broking at the age of 20 and prospered and earned the title of "Navakoti  Narayana"  and was very close to Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara Samrajya.  His wife was pious, religious and charitable. Unlike his father, Srinivasa was greedy, miserly and mean to the extent of salvaging money even on food, medicine and clothes of his own family. He was the richest, merciless miser of 9 crores.
        The turning point came at the age of 30 when a poor man came to his shop asking for financial help for the sacred ceremony of his son. Srinivasa went on dodging him for many days. One day, the poor man went to Navakoti’s house and asked his wife for financial help. The pious lady gave her nose ring , gifted by her father, to the poor man. The poor man was so happy that he rushed to Navakoti’s shop to pawn it for money. Navakoti recognized the nose ring and was shocked to find it in the hands of the poor man. He took the nose ring and locked it inside his safe and told the poor man to come after one hour and collect the money as he had no ready cash.  He closed his shop and ran to his house to verify from his wife. The moment he confronted his wife and noticed the ring missing from her nose, he questioned her. The frightened wife ran inside her pooja room and locked herself. She prayed GOD to save her from this unexpected situation.   Navakoti was shouting at her " Where is your nose ring ? " and she replied that she had removed it in the bath room, while taking bath. Navakoti ran to the bath room and searched.  It was a miracle.  The nose ring was there. Navkoti was now satisfied and ran back to the shop to make the deal with the poor man. He opened his safe to check the nose ring once again.  The nose ring was not there…… vanished.  He was shocked to find it missing from where he had himself locked it in.  He was totally in trance not knowing what is happening to him.  What if, the poor man turns up for payment ?  He was in turmoil.  The poor man never turned up to collect the money. The traumatized Srinivasa returned home and heard his pious wife telling the truth to him. 
          The incident and the mystery of the poor man’s game, who was none other than Lord Shri Purandara Vitthala Himself, transformed him completely. Having realised his folly, he was ashamed of himself and decided to renounce all material belongings and become a dasa (servant) of God. Navakoti was converted to the belief in the virtue of a charitable life and gave away all his wealth to charity.  He left his house with his pious wife as a wandering poet, composing and singing songs in praise of the Lord.. In his very first song composition, he laments his wasted life of indulgence. In later years, he composed a song dedicated to his wife, for having shown him the path to God.  Tradition and legend holds that he composed more than 4 lakh kirtanas  in praise of Lord Narayana and other Devatas.  He is believed to be an avatar of Narada, the celestial singer and son of Goddess Saraswati. At the age of 40, Srinivasa was bestowed with the name of  PURANDARA DASA by Holy sage Vyasathirtha, the Rajguru of Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor of Vijayanagara kingdom. . He spent his last years in Hampi singing in Krishnadevaraya's durbar.  He died at the age of 80 at Hampi. The mantapa (mandap)  in which he stayed is now known as Purandara Dasa Mantapa (mandap) in Hampi .

           PURANDARA DASA [ 1484 to 1564 } is considered as one of the chief proponents of South Indian system of Music called Carnatic Music.  In honor of his  enormous influence, significant and legendary contributions to Carnatic Music, he is widely referred to as the Pitamaha or Father of Carnatic Music

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38                CHAIN     REACTION
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              On Friday evening at about 5 pm, Mrs Rekha was taking a walk towards the temple, when two motor cycle borne youths snatched her gold chain worth 1.25 lakhs and fled. Mrs Rekha immediately contacted her son Nitin on his cell phone, who had just dropped her in the same road and was riding ahead in the same route taken by the chain snatchers. She gave him the description of the duo, the rider wearing Blue T shirt and the pillion rider yellow shirt.   While listening to his mother,  Nitin noticed the two men matching the description riding towards him. He started his scooter and rode it zig-zig against their fast approaching motorcycle, causing the duo to crash down. The surprised duo gathered themselves up  and started quarreling with him. In the melee, Nitin  was quick enough to remove the ignition key of the motor cycle of the thieves.  Nitin charged them with  snatching the chain of his mother and demanded the chain back. When the crowd gathered and a Policeman was found approaching, the duo began to flee towards Kavlekar bridge.  Nitin contacted his friends waiting for him near the bridge and asked them to come immediately to the bridge and gave the description of the duo who have snatched the chain of his mother. On being accosted again, by Nitin’s friends in the bridge, one of the suspects jumped into the river bank and started running while another fled elsewhere.  Nitin and his friends chased the suspect along the river side road. When the suspect saw them pursuing, he jumped into the river and started swimming to the other side to escape from the pursuers. Meanwhile, the police arrived there on being alerted by the scooter accident and police mobile network. The suspect swimming in the river was asked to surrender. Fearing that he would drown in the rain-flooded river, the suspect ultimately surrendered. The Police held him and found the chain in his possession and are now pursuing the escaped accomplice.

          This is a true life modern crime trend in daily life in most of the cities. The complication came, while assessing the case for declaring the winner of the Reward of Rs.5000 for catching the notorious chain snatcher.  Who deserves the Reward of catching the thief ?

           The mother who promptly alerted with crucial details.. The son who way laid & removed the ignition key.. The friend who blocked his escape through the bridge.. The policeman who cornered him and recovered the chain ?  Please hurry up with your recommendation as the claimants are clamoring for early decision and payment….

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 37      TOUCH    ME     NOT

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It is easy to get angry especially if you are amenable to provocation. If you start believing that certain things make you angry, you are inviting trouble; because the mere happening of it will automatically make you angry. Your sub conscious mind will trigger you to get angry.  “ See it is happening.. Get angry and blow it off.”  You will sometimes proclaim in advance as a warning that you will get angry on certain spoken words or actions. In fact you will slowly identify yourself as a person likely to get angry on certain declared and self proclaimed matters and issues. Others are expected to abide by your terms or else face the heat.  This goes on and on, as long as it works. The aggressive person never examines himself as to why he gets angry and what is the escape route to get rid of it.

I remember in my childhood playing many games with my friends for hours together in the evening. While I have forgotten many of these games, I cannot forget the one played by my friend Sivaraman, He was very clever in involving others into a fight by provoking them in a novel way.  He used a very simple technique when we were together in a group. 

               “ Hey Ram..Do not touch the nose of  Shiva ”

The surprised Ram used to ask why.  He used to repeat “ Never touch his nose”  Now both Ram and Shiva will be wondering what is the matter.   Shiva whose nose is involved in the matter will also get into the trap.  Ram will get curious and insist what will happen if he touched the nose of Shiva.  Sivaraman used to say, 

               “ If you touch his nose, he will get angry..” 

Now Shiva gets an idea inserted in his mind by the mischievous friend.  Ram finds it quite interesting and would like to try.  Some other clever boy would challenge Sivaraman and say “ No.. He will not get angry..”  Now the issue of Shiva’s nose becomes a debate and Shiva becomes a victim of pressure and is forced to take an honorable stand. When Ram is pushed towards Shiva, it is time for him to react on an issue not at all relevant earlier. Invariably Shiva’s mind gets ready to resist any attempt by Ram to touch his nose. It is my nose.. Who are you to touch it..? Human psyche… When Ram tries to touch the nose, Shiva resists, struggles and fights.   Ultimately,  the normally gentle Shiva ends up a furious angry boy, trying to protect his nose from the prying hands of Ram.   We have gone through this game played on many of us in rotation.

What is to be understood from this incident, is the genesis for inheriting provocation progressing to anger,  Either it is a clever insinuation by others to which we get easily entrapped or we try to show our anger to prove  a belief held by others about us.  Anger is caused by a PHANTOM created by us and strengthening it by feeding on trivial things.     In any case, the root cause of anger is entrenched deep inside each one of us and is very difficult to identify and remove it forever.

The easy way out is “ Come on…Ram.. Touch my nose..”

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 36                             S  n  e a  k

He was transferred to a new station where he found it difficult to rent an accommodation for his family. With great difficulty and influence he was able to locate the owner of an abandoned and unoccupied house in a remote locality and managed to rent it. His family was very happy to join him at his new duty place.  The house was quite old and a little bit lonely but spacious.  A few houses nearby were occupied and there was nothing to be afraid of about security. In a few days a cat used to visit their house and started staying with them. The wife and child were quite happy with the new addition. A cup of milk was more than enough and it managed its meals with its rat-hunting prowess in the night.  A neighbor told her that she used to see snakes in the night.  Her husband, who used to return home late in the night after work hours, started carrying a torch as a stand by requirement.

The most bizarre event happened that night. A snake quite long and big was trying to enter the house in the night, through the gap between the doors of the house.  The house was of course bolted from inside and the lady and child was in their bedroom. The lady was half awake awaiting the  arrival of her husband.  The cat was there inside the house napping near the door, waiting for the return of the man from his work.  The snake found the gap between the doors and sneaked inside. At this moment the cat was disturbed and caught the head of the snake, mistaking it for a rat or mouse.  The snake was struggling to get released from the jaws of the cat and the cat was not releasing its grip.  The door was between the two and the cat was trying to pull the snake inside.  The snake whose body was outside the door was struggling in pain and its five feet long body was hitting the door again and again in an effort to get released from the jaws of the cat. The noise was getting louder.

The lady awoke with a start, hearing the sound of banging on the door. With sleepy eyes she rushed at the door to open it for her husband.  She opened the door and was startled to find something else happening there. The snake fell inside the house and circled around the body of the cat. The cat and the snake got entangled with each other and rolling inside the house, as if in a wrestling match.  She got frightened at this terrifying spectacle and started screaming.  God only knows what happened afterwards. The cat must have released its catch or the snake must have tightened its grip and strangulated the cat.  Suddenly both of them disentangled themselves.  The snake moved away escaping through the door into the night. The cat stood there watching. The lady was still screaming and shivering in fright, when the husband came home a little later.

A really bizarre night of terror and fear.

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35                    Litmus  Test

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The scholar with a flowing white beard and head gear was looking like a sage from Mythology, addressing the spell bound audience with pearls of wisdom about life, career and goals in life.

“      Life is a gift which should be lived prudently. We have to sustain ourselves by working at a job or business to earn our livelihood. You may like it or not.  It may be ethical or not. You may have no choice. You may be working as a clerk, singer, doctor, lawyer that does no harm to others. You may be working as a butcher, or in a weapons factory, or in a brewery or in underworld mafia that does harm to others.    People may admire you or despise you for your profession. It is not easy to make a living that does no harm to others. You may be working for someone who is nasty, corrupt and merciless. It is not possible to choose your job or business that is noble and satisfying. You may never get the type of job you want.  Many times, the job you get is the one you may hate to do it. You may have no option but to compromise on your inherent principles to earn your living ......................... "  

        It is true that in our life, we never get what we love to have.  It is also true that what we really have is not liked by us.  But we have no choice with the situation and carry on with the same.  Many times we realize that our likes and dislikes are due to our own faulty vision of reality. Therefore,  we should take care to get what we like or we will be forced to like what we get.  Life is very strange to understand  …..……

     
      Patience is better than wisdom; an ounce of patience is worth a pound of brain.  All men praise patience, but few can practice it; it is a medicine good for all diseases. Many people are born crying, live complaining and die disappointed.  Nothing is easier than fault finding; no talent, no brains are required to practice this grumbling business  ………..   
       
       Shame and fame are part of life.  Sometimes your instincts will trigger to do something crazy and illogical.  Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.  Stupidity is a talent for misconception.    Stupidity is not lack of knowledge but the illusion of having it. Stupidity is not a crime. Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reason is because we are stupid and make bad decisions. Stupid people don’t always know that they’re stupid. They might be aware that something is wrong, they might notice that things don’t usually turn out the way they imagined, but very few of them realize it.. Too many people, either ignorantly or intentionally, but happily go in the wrong direction.   Stupidity is a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it   


 At this juncture, the speaker took a break and looked at the audience, as if he was searching for someone,   a most stupid one,  probably. Having identified him in the crowd,   the speaker asked him politely   ......

 “ Sir.  Was it clear and have you understood all that I explained now ? ”

The bewildered man got up and said happily that he understood everything, as clear as crystal.                                                

 The speaker thanked him profusely and concluded that if he has understood,   it means all those present have understood the speech.
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 34        E S C A P I S T
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 We all want to escape occasionally. There are some occasions that are tricky, unpleasant or avoidable and make us wonder why we are stuck there at that awkward moment.  Closing your eyes and plugging up your ears won't alter the situation to change anything. Nothing's going to disappear just because you can't see what's going on.  You have to keep your eyes wide open and find a real escape from places where you feel trapped in an impossible situation, in an unpleasant place, with unfriendly people.  There are various ways of taking a temporary escape from the problematic place and if you find one, why shouldn’t you take it..?

This is the real story of four persons engaged in some important business as partners and for easy reference we shall call them by these names   viz., 

EVERYBODY,   SOMEBODY,  ANYBODY  and  NOBODY.

There was an important assignment to be done immediately on that day but it was not clear among themselves as who should initiate the process.

EVERYBODY was sure that   SOMEBODY  would do it.

ANYBODY  could have done it.

But  NOBODY  did it.

SOMEBODY got angry about that.

Because,   it was EVERYBODY’s  job.

But EVERYBODY thought that ANYBODY would do it.

NOBODY knew that EVERYBODY would not do it.

Eventually EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY.

SOMEBODY blamed EVERYBODY.

NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have done it.

      Hope the above real story clarifies the  “escapist solution”   to the problem under discussion.

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33            P H O B I A

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You cannot diagnose whether it is sub-conscious fears or inferiority complex that drive, a few of us more than others, crazy with neurotic behavior.  Our self doubt or deep rooted beliefs about not being good or worthy enough, results in embarrassing moments when  the fears grow bigger than ourselves, grabbing us by the tail and swinging us around. It is a sign of low self-esteem arising from self perception, timidity and spineless phobias.

Do you find it difficult to follow ?. Then the following incident will give you an idea of the above,  as an illustration.

 The man was sleeping soundly and was perhaps dreaming as his eye balls were rolling all around. Suddenly he started shouting “ I am a rat ” “ I am a rat” deliriously and his body was shaking wildly out of fear.  His wife woke up alarmed and shook her husband, who again shouted      “ I am a rat”. 

She said.. “Ok … just relax. It is alright.. Everything will be ok..”

 He woke up in a disturbed state and  took some time to recover and come back to normalcy.  He was actually sweating and his anxious wife pacified him.

The wife who was accustomed to such erratic incidents was finding this incident very strange and alarming.   Why did he shout that he was a rat ?. What was the problem that scared him to this extent ? She slowly cajoled him to disclose what happened and whether he was having a nightmare.

He said he had a dreadful dream, quite frightening and life threatening.  She said  “  That is ok but why did you shout that you are a rat ”.

 He said ‘ Yes. I was a rat in the dream and was chased by a cat.”

 She questioned again  “why did you say that you are a rat.”

He said “ I was chased by a cat and ran into the laps of a Rishi who was meditating in the jungle.” 

 She started listening.

“ I begged the Rishi to make me into a cat so that I will not be chased by cats and get rid of the fear of being killed.”

 She continued to listen.

“ The Rishi converted me into a cat instantly and the real cat which was chasing me was now disappointed and left me alone.”

“Within a few minutes I was chased by a dog and had to rush back to the Rishi and begged him to convert me into something stronger than dog. The Rishi was kind enough to convert me into tiger. Even though I was shivering in utter fear of life, I looked at the dog and  the dog looked at me with wide eyes and ran away with its tail tugged between its hind legs. The Rishi was quite happy with the situation.”

The wife was finding this quite interesting but still could not understand why he was shouting those words.

“ I was just relaxing after having escaped from the dog, and I suddenly came across the cat looking at me with wide eyes. It was the same wild cat which had chased and charged at me earlier.  I ran for my life, back to the Rishi to save me from the cat.  The  Rishi looked at me and said, “ Why are you afraid,  You are a tiger now ”  I could not believe and trust myself in front of the cat.  I shouted at the Rishi that I am not a tiger.. Save me..   I am a rat .. I am a rat…”   That is when you woke me up.”

The wife was now satisfied and patted his shoulders with greater understanding and kindness.  { You are not a tiger. You are a rat.  You are a rattled rat always }.  

 “ Don’t worry now… Go to sleep now.. I am here..  I will take care of you ”
                                oooo000oooo

                                                    

You cannot diagnose whether it is sub-conscious fears or inferiority complex that drive, a few of us more than others, crazy with neurotic behavior.  Our self doubt or deep rooted beliefs about not being good or worthy enough, results in embarrassing moments when  the fears grow bigger than ourselves, grabbing us by the tail and swinging us around. It is a sign of low self-esteem arising from self perception, timidity and spineless phobias.     Sometimes NIGHTMARISH..          OK

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32.                   “ SWAPNA ”    SUNDARI
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           The inauguration event was a great success considering the crowd. The VIP politician who came to inaugurate the Seniors Ashram, dramatically chose an elderly lady inmate, to cut the ribbon. The beaming old lady in the glare of flash lights, TV cameras and newsmen inaugurated it in great style. Later a TV cameraman took her aside for a special interview of her for telecast. The reporter was astonished when she replied that her name was  “ Swapna Sundari ”. In jest,  he admired her name and said that she must have been a real Swapna sundari for all,  in her younger days.

             ‘ Yes.. I was  Swapna Sundari  in real life and also in my  “ reel ”  life.  I am the same Swapna Sundari, the famous film heroine of yester years. I was once the dream damsel of the whole country.  All my films were box office hits running for more than hundred days, making my producers rich and richer. All the rich handsome and mighty men were at my feet.  I was living in the dream world of fame and adulation by the public for many years.  I always thought that I shall be in lime light of public life unforgettable and forever. My confidence in my beauty and fame made me feel that way, especially after that unforgettable incident many decades ago.”

         The astonished reporter who accidentally broke into this extra ordinary  “    Breaking news ” event,  prodded the old lady to continue her story.

            “ I was proceeding to Ooty in First class compartment of the train for my shooting.  I did not know that Mahatma Gandhi was also traveling in that train.  He was traveling in Third class compartment as usual. As the train was approaching the station, I found thousands of people standing in the platform, with garlands in their hands to welcome Mahatma Gandhi. Out of curiosity, I opened the door to watch the crowd getting ready to welcome the Mahatma. As my first class compartment was the first to enter the station, the crowd cheering Mahatma Gandhi noticed me standing near the door. You should have seen their face at that time. A look of surprise and excitement at seeing me standing and traveling in the train,  made them forget their purpose.  One by one they started chasing me and within seconds the entire crowd started chasing my compartment.  I was totally unprepared at this sudden development. The people who were shouting “ Mahatma Gandhi ki jai ” started cheering me by shouting my name.  A few of them started giving me the garlands in adoration. I started accepting the garlands and within a few minutes all the garlands meant for Mahatma Gandhi were offered to me.  Mahatma Gandhi was in the last compartment with a very few people greeting at him in reverence. I was in cloud nine that day…  an unforgettable day in my life.

           The reporter was looking at the old lady in wonder.

“ Look at me today.. I have to proclaim myself who I am and who I was.  You were not even born at that time when it happened.  But you do know Mahatma Gandhi who is still a living legend all over the world and his glory of eternal flame through his deeds and virtues, is immortal.  And my quest for it ended as a mere dazzling bubble ”

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31      G E T     L O S T
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A man complained that he could not see properly

The doctor showed  him the alphabet A and asked him to read

The man said  “ No… I cannot read”

The doctor fixed a glass and asked him the same question

The man said he cannot read it.

The doctor fixed a more powerful one and asked

The man said he cannot read.

The doctor fixed the highest powered glass and asked

The man again said   “No”.

The doctor was astonished how he cannot read even with that glass “

The man said he cannot read English alphabets.

So when a person is totally ignorant of English, no change of glasses will help him to understand English alphabets.  He must be given only those alphabets which he can understand. What is crystal clear to some is totally ambiguous to others.

To whom it is clear,  it is not clear how it is not clear  to others.

A group of friends were discussing about cases of persons getting lost while trekking in a remote area or in uncharted forests. A few of them survived miraculously after a great ordeal and others were presumed dead after years of search.   In the absence of GPSR functional mobile phones, it is really pathetic for the hapless adventurers to keep walking disoriented for several days aimlessly, without food or sleep, in some assumed direction fancied to be the required destination.  The harrowing environment infamous for testing human limits makes it impossible to survive and get back home safely.      How about some guidelines...?

“The easiest way to escape from getting lost forever, is to determine the direction, from the position of the sun or moon during the day or night,by a simple method.  ”

“ How is it possible.? ”

“  If it is day time, the position of sun in the early morning or late evening will indicate the direction viz., East in the morning or West in the evening. If it is night the position of moon will indicate the direction as East in the early night or West in the late night ”

“ It is not possible to come out of jungle so easily ’

“ Astronomy provides the method for finding direction at night. Once you stand still and ascertain the four directions, you can determine the direction to which you are proceeding and keep going at the same direction inspite of the confusing scenario. Boy scouts and Girl Guides use this technique frequently to return to their camp”

“  I do not understand how this is possible especially when the moon is crescent ”

“ Mentally draw a line that connects the horns of a crescent moon and then extend this line down to the horizon. In northern latitudes this will give an approximate indication of south. It works best when the moon is high in the sky and not too near the horizon.  The bulging side of the crescent moon indicates west early in the night and east late in the night.  The moon will of course rise and set very roughly in the east and west. There are some simple rules worth remembering, for example, a full moon will behave in the opposite way to the sun ”

“ You do not understand and go on lecturing endlessly as if it is so easy " 
                      ------oo00ooo----- 
  What is crystal clear to some is totally ambiguous to others

  To whom it is clear,  it is not clear how it is not clear  to others.

    WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT IN THE WAY WE PERCEIVE THE WORLD.

SOME ARE MENTALLY CLOUDED AND OBSESSED WITH ONE SMALL SECTION OF TRUTH.

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30.    HELL  HATH  NO   FURY
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 My Group Officer went on leave and I was to work under a new 0fficer for about a week.     The new 0fficer was an eccentric type and my usual rhyme of work was disrupted.    I found it difficult to cope up with his idiosyncrasies. The climax came on the day when I went to his room with my official papers and stood at his door, as he was busy reading some files. I coughed and made some sounds about my arrival, but he did not notice. I therefore entered and stood before him. He was still looking at his papers and failed to notice me. After a few minutes, I sat on the chair expecting him to finish his reading.

The moment I sat on the chair, he raised his head and looked at me angrily and asked,

 “ Who are you ? ”  I was shocked at this question.

I got up and said, “ Sir.  I am your officer ” 

He continued “ Why did you enter the room ?”  

I replied “ Sir.. This is an urgent case…”

 He interrupted “ Did you not see the red light? ”

I was upset with this type of arrogance, not experienced by me so far. I thought he was unnecessarily troubling me for no reason and whatever he was doing now was only a deliberate pretense to ruffle me. Was he immersed in his prayers or any great research work there ?  I got up with my papers and said “Sorry Sir.” and left the room forth with. I was so angry that I decided not to enter his room even if he wants me. It was a terribly humiliating experience while doing office work.

I went back to my section inflamed and enraged with anger making a firm decision not to go to his room hereafter.  Even if he calls me, I will not go there. Why should I undergo such humiliation? Just because he is just one grade up, he need not overdo such things to prove his superiority. I am not a guinea pig.

Within a few minutes the peon came and told that the 0fficer wants me. I was still furious and told him to convey that I will not come.  The peon was shocked.  He had never encountered such a reply, someone refusing to attend when called upon by a superior. He was still standing there and I told him again in clear words, “ Tell the 0fficer, I am not coming..”   The incident was escalating.  All those around me heard it and were surprised at this sudden outburst.  The staff started throwing glances at each other.   The peon waited for a few minutes and went back totally confused. I decided, come what may, I will not enter that room again. What does he think ? Is this his house ? Did I enter his bed room ? 

After some time, my phone rang and I did not take it. I was sure he was trying to contact me. I had already decided to go to the full distance. Come what may. I don’t care.  My staff was watching this new development churning up. My colleague officer sitting nearby looked at me curiously.  Suddenly his phone rang and he was attending the call.  It was my 0fficer asking him whether I was there in my seat. “Yes Sir.. He is in his seat.  I will call him”

It was going out of control. Now he is checking whether I am in my seat. First time in my official life, somebody is checking me. Meanwhile my colleague was holding the phone and called me to come there. I asked him who is calling. He answered that it was my officer. I shouted from my seat. “ Tell him I am not here.” The staff working under me was shocked to hear these words. My colleague was equally shocked and was still holding the phone, not knowing what to say or how to handle the situation. I was at my worst mood now. “ Hell hath no fury like a man scorned”

It was a bad day. Even my staff did not interact with me the whole day, to be on the safe side. My colleague tried his best to find out what was going on.  “ I have never seen you upset like this before..Tell me what happened..” I did not want to broadcast my humiliation. Gossip picked up its scent. I was wondering how to pass the next few days, until my previous officer turned up. I found it demeaning to go on leave myself merely to avoid this officer. I found myself totally disturbed even after reaching home.  Everything was irritating me. “ Who are you..Why did you enter my room.. Did you not see the red light ” These obnoxious words kept on ringing in my ears frequently. My wife and children smelt something wrong and kept away from me. I was slowly trying to dispel these haunting scenes from my mind.

We were about to sit for dinner, when the door bell rang. My son opened the door and found an unknown middle aged man asking for me. He came back and told me. I got up and was surprised to see my officer standing there. I had almost forgotten him for some time and now he was standing there in front of me, at my door. Totally unexpected.  The same man who asked me “ Who are you ? Why did you enter my room ? ”  was now standing  there in front of my door. I did not know what to say or how to react.  I was awe struck and he was awkward.

“ I am sorry ” the officer said. I was taken aback at this unusual situation. The entire tempest blowing inside my head so far vanished.  I became normal when I found an 0fficer elder to me by many years, coming all the way making inquiries to  locate my house and expressing regret. Recovering myself, I invited him inside my house.  “ I am sorry ”  he said once again and went away, leaving me spell bound, awestruck and speechless.

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29                 PRE TENSION
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A King indulging in power and pleasure was suddenly interested in finding out what  “desirelessness” would be like.  He called his Minister and asked him to locate the most utterly “ desireless ” person in the country and bring him to the court.

The Minister went on surveying, interviewing persons, saints, sadhus and sanyasis but found them unfit for producing before the King, who was a meticulous person. Totally exhausted, he decided finally to engage an actor and trained him extensively to make him impersonate the most desireless person in the country, to be produced before the King. When the actor was ready, he informed the King accordingly.  The King who wanted to see him immediately, sent horsemen and carriages to bring him to the palace. The Actor wisely refused to accept the invitation to see the King-- just  to prove his “desirelessness”..  “If the King desires he can come and see him”. The King was astonished and impressed by this refusal.

Next day the King proceeded towards the “desireless” man living in a remote area, on his elephant along with the Queen, followed by his Army chief, Ministers, soldiers and officials. The imposter was stunned and readied himself to play his best performance to suite the occasion.

The King descended from his elephant with his Queen almost 100 yards away from the hut of the “desireless” man and came walking towards him with great humility followed by his ministers and officials. The King, Queen and the Army chief bowed respectfully before the desireless man and paid respects.  They offered him flowers, fruits and gold coins as gifts.  The “desireless” man remained totally detached from the happenings and politely declined all the offers, with great foresight. The King was immensely pleased at this demonstration of desirelessness but pleaded fervently to accept his offerings and also visit the palace to honour him.. The desirelessman showed no inclination at all.  The King was very happy to have met and realized  his dream in real life and with great reluctance left the place taking back all his offerings. A perfect  desireless person. The Minster was also very happy to have succeeded in his assignment.

After this episode, the Minister came back to the impostor in the evening to settle the payment terms.  The Minister appreciated the impostor/actor for his excellent performance and gave him a bagful of gold coins, much more than agreed.  The desireless man declined to accept the payment.  The Minster said he has added more than agreed for. The desireless man again refused to accept.  With great reluctance, the minster took another packet and spilled extra gold coins to please the man. The man refused to accept again. The Minster was losing his patience and scolded him for acting too much and there is a limit for claiming payment.

The impostor said  “No sir.. I am not acting at all.  I am actually not interested in this payment anymore.. This assignment has opened my eyes and  taught me a lesson in my life.  A few days of practice and a few moments of pretending “desirelessness” has given me the pride and prestige never experienced in my life so far.  The King and Queen of this country bowing their heads before me along with the Army Chief and soldiers is no mean achievement in my life.  If a few moments of “desirelessness” could give me this achievement, why should I revert back to my old ways.  I have now become truly desireless.  I do not want this payment. Desirelessness is the highest form of bliss.  I am now redeemed. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and showing me a new direction towards enlightenment.”

MERE PRETENSION AS GOOD,   ALSO LEADS TO GOOD.

       Right from my adulthood, I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, to the readily accessible wants. If I limit my desires, I will have fewer things in my mind to struggle. I will have less to strain or worry as compared to when I have more aspiring desires.  Less Desire and Less worry will set my focus on right thing.   My attention will go into the right direction.   As a result, I will enjoy life more often than hunting after far off irresistible objects of desire. I would be able to appreciate things I have than be frustrated at not having things that I desire.   I have observed that those who enjoy life with few desires are calm, peaceful, without worry or tension.

                         … a Very Happy and Relaxed Man

________________________________________       28          TOWARDS  TOMORROW

  

What a mess I made of things
That was yesterday
Yesterday has taken wings
Hide mistakes away

Things I did, cannot be undone
Silly then to sorrow
Better is the task begun
On a bright new morrow

If I hadn't acted thus ....
SILENCE…   moaning heart
Useless now to fume and fuss
Make a brand new start

What a blow.... Fate is unkind
Grit your teeth?   Do not murmur
Smile as if you didn’t mind
Stand a little firmer.

Failed to day?    Today is past
Tomorrow is peeping round the door
Never doubt. You will win at last
That is what tomorrow is for

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  27            POST  MORTEM
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           He was an expert Astrologer.. Can forecast or predict by studying any part of the body,  hair, finger, palm, ear anything.. One day he found a skull washed ashore, while going for a walk. He sat down and studied the skull.. Man’s skull.. Someone who suffered a lot in life and probably committed suicide.. Premature death..  But there was still some more suffering yet to be undergone.   A  very strange case.   It made him curious.  How some suffering is still left to be undergone, after death? Quite queer and unusual. This disturbed him so much.. Something wrong.  It was a challenging case for an expert like him. He tried his best to find an answer.  Even after one hour of research, the skull was a baffling case.  He decided to carry it home and examine in detail leisurely. But his wife was very orthodox. She would not permit.  He somehow managed to smuggle it inside home without her knowledge and hid it in his room.

           It was a mind blowing complex case.  Every night, he locked himself in his room and examined the skull.  Some days even during daytime he was engrossed in unraveling the mystery..  His wife noticed his secret behavior inside his locked room and began to suspect what was going on. One day she confided her doubt to her neighbor lady friend. She promised to help by watching him through her window where from she had a view of his room. She found out that he was examining a skull frequently by running his fingers over it and also looking it closely and intimately.

          The neighbor lady enquired his wife, whether she is the second wife of this man.  The wife was shocked.  “No I am his first wife.. He was unmarried before marriage. ”  The neighbor surmised that the way he was behaving with the skull, it appeared that it must be his first wife or his sweet heart before marriage.  The wife was so enraged that when the husband was away, she broke into his room, located the skull and hammered it with the grinding stone, smashing it to pieces. She quietly resumed her work at kitchen, when the husband returned. 

       As usual, that night when the astrologer entered his secret room, he found the answer to his most baffling problem tormenting him for days together. The answer to his nagging doubt was staring at him.  The skull was shattered to pieces. That elusive and pending event,  yet to be undergone by that man, now a skull, has finally happened.  His mind was now clear and satisfied. He slept peacefully that night next to his wife who was still very stiff and awake.

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26   AFTER KURUKSHETRA WAR
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After the Kurukshetra war, Pandavas ruled Hastinapura and requested their uncle Drithrastra and Gandhari to preside over their Kingdom. In course of time the bereaved parents of Kauravas declined to remain in Hastinapura and proceeded on final pilgrimage, Kunti the mother of Pandavas also joined them. For some time they were under care and surveillance of Pandavas for care and help.  They soon  moved away from the care of Pandavs into the forests and jungles around Ganges, Drithrastra practiced and sustained life only by breathing, Gandhari by drinking only water and Kunti by eating once in a month. Sanjaya was also engaged in similar austerities. They never stayed in one place long enough to avoid being pursued by well meaning Pandavs. Once lost in jungles, the Pandavas grieved a lot remembering their uncle though blind but as strong as 1000 elephants; their aunt who gave birth to a hundred sons and their own mother who chose to lead an austere life than enjoying the wealth and pleasures  earned by her sons after great turmoil and a devastating war.

On one fateful day, the blind Drithrashtra smelt something burning far away and exclaimed. It was a forest fire raging nearby. In a short while the fire engulfed all trees making birds and animals flee from the area. It was at this moment the trio decided to embrace death in fire.  Sanjaya  found no way of saving them and he was asked to escape. They were already very weak and famished due to their austerities and were determined to face death by fire as a welcome opportunity than to continue their life without any purpose. They got into a trance and surrendered their bodily senses with open arms to the fast approaching forest fire. The end was not that accidental but as though they were waiting for it with open arms. That was the end of their lives.

Pandavas ruled  Hastinapura until they heard about Krishna’s death. The Pandavas lost interest in the world and decided to go to heaven.  Parikshit was appointed the king and they along with Draupadi donned deer skin and tree bark once again and proceeded towards the snow peaked Himalayas. After crossing many rivers and hills, they found a dog joining them in their journey. Yudhistra was leading them, followed by Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.  Draupathi was exhausted and lagging behind all of them.

When they were about to cross Himavat, Draupathi fell down dead. When Bhima was  moaning, Yudhistra commented, “ She was very partial and loved Arjuna more than all of us.”   After many more miles, Sahadeva fell dead and bemoaning Bhima recalled his humility and service to them.  Yudhistra commented that he was very proud of his wisdom.  After a few more miles of climbing, Nakula fell down dead.  Bhima admired Nakula for his peerless beauty.  Yudhistra said Nakula was vain of his physical features and considered himself most handsome. With the remaining trio, Bhima was shocked to find Arjuna falling dead. Bhima cried in anguish on the death of the mighty wielder of Gandhiva and admired the truthfulness of Arjuna. Yudhistra said Arjuna was proud of his heroism and boasted that he would kill all his enemies in one single day. They continued further and Bhima found himself staggering and asked Yudhistra to reveal about himself. Yudhistra said “ You were a great eater and never bothered what others wanted. You had a ravenous appetite and our mother Kunti kept half of the available food for you alone and the other half for the rest of the family. You are the strongest, crusher of elephants and skilled in wielding the mace.”

Yudhistra continued his journey. The mysterious dog was still following him. Suddenly he saw the chariot of Indira descending ahead of him and Indira invited Yudhistra to ascend the chariot.   “My wife and brothers are all dead and I cannot come without them”  Indira smiled and said “ They are already there and you will meet them.. Please come.”  Yudhistra said “ This dog is following me faithfully. I wish to take it with me”. Indira said “ There is no place for dogs in Heaven. You please leave it and come. There is nothing cruel in it, I assure.”

Yudhistra said “ I desire not for that bliss for which I have to abandon this dog and my virtue. I shall not give up this devoted dog even if my life is taken away.”

Indira said, “ You have acquired this bliss out of your own good deeds. You have abandoned your brothers.Why not this dog.?”

Yudhistra replied. “ It was beyond my power to revive my brothers. I did not renounce them.  But this dog is alive and devoted to me.How can I abandon it.”

At this moment a wonderful event happened. The dog transformed into God DHARMA..Yudhistra’s father… Smiling at Yudhistra,   Dharma said, 

 “ Glory to thy good nature. You have compassion for all creatures and exemplify it in your deeds. I had tested you all along and even at the last moment you are prepared to lose your bliss for the sake of a dog. Glory to you and your virtue..”
 

Yudhistra then ascended the chariot and granted the privilege of going to the world of GODs in his human form. So great was his righteousness.    Yudhistra had told only one lie in his otherwise sinless life.      For that he was made to enter Hell first and then moved to heavens   and thus ends the epic story.

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25.       I  HAVE  A   DREAM
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Once Chou dreamed that he was a butterfly. He fluttered about happily, flying around beautiful gardens, sitting on flowers, sucking sweet honey and quite pleased with the state that he was in, and knew nothing about Chou. Presently he awoke and found that he was very much Chou again.

 Now, did Chou dream that he was a butterfly or 

was the butterfly now dreaming that he was Chou?"

It is a thousand dollars question and a topic of intense interest in modern cognitive neurosciences. Is this a message?  If so what is the meaningful insight into this dream content ?.    Has it anything to do with his unconscious beliefs or desires ? Or just a freak happening of no significance.

Once Ching dreamed that he was chased by a ferocious dog and he woke up screaming and sweating.  From that day he was angry with dogs in general and started throwing stones at any dog found in the street.  A revengeful attitude instigated by a dream which has nothing to do with reality. 

Once Ping happened to confront a dog which looked at him ferociously. Ping was scared of the dog which was luckily chained. That night he dreamed being chased by a ferocious dog and he woke up screaming and sweating. Can you say that the dream was instigated due to the event of the day preceding the dream. From that day he was scared of all dogs in general. Can the fear psychosis be attributed to the dream. This raises the question of reality monitoring in dreams,.

Once a King was sleeping and dreamed that he was found begging in the streets for food.  When he woke up he could not believe why he was begging. The dream caused total disturbance and no one was able to counsel him on its significance. What was the meaning or significance of this dream ? Was it a mere distortion or something conveyed in concealed disguise ? Has it anything to do with the dreamer’s mental complex or perversions?. Should it be viewed as a super natural intervention foreboding bad times?  Why did it happen ?   Stress.. Tension, Threat or Fear…

Once a beggar in the street dreamed that he was the King of the place.  He found himself riding an elephant followed by a cheering crowd. He woke up in good cheer and found himself lying in the pavement.  Can you say that wish fulfillment was the motivation of this dream ?

“ All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”          Edgar Allan Poe

Many theories try to explain the significance of dreams like memory consolidation, emotional disturbance, threat simulation, wishful thinking, manifestation of fear, reflections of day time experiences, severe depression, anxiety etc.,  Evidence suggests that dreams sometimes assist in day time function and performance relating to problem solving or creativity.

“  I dream my painting and I paint my dream ”       Vincent Van Gogh

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 24       ANGER      CONQUERED

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Sacred Heart School starts at 9 am and students arrive in buses from various parts of the city.  Many of those who arrive early are instructed to assemble in the Hall and should not be loitering or playing in the area marked in yellow stripes where the buses carrying the students stop to disembark the students.

One day many boys were playing in that prohibited area marked in yellow stripes. Unexpectedly the Principal of the school arrived and found them playing in that unsafe area. He was horrified and lost his temper when he found them playing recklessly and shouted at them.

  “ Stop playing all of you…  Do not you know that you should not be playing in this area ? ”   All the surprised boys stopped playing. The Principal was raging with anger.

 “You are all going to be punished for that”     He yelled at them. The boys stood there looking down, with their heads hung, listening to the angry outburst of the Principal. After a few minutes of thinking, the Principal asked them aggressively.

“Alright..  Tell me  who prompted you all to play here.  Tell me his name. ”

All said  in chorus.   “ John. ”

The Principal was now red with anger and extremely upset.

“JOHN. Come with me to my room.. I will teach you a lesson. I will thrash you so much that you will never think of doing it again. ”

The frightened boy John came forward and stood in front of the angry Principal.   At this tense moment of crisis, the boy raised his head anxiously, looked straight into his eyes enquiringly and murmured ….

“I do not think you are such a bad person to punish me like that.  Sir.”

The Principal was stunned and taken aback by this innocent remark. The frankness and confidence of the boy about his good nature, was overwhelming.  A few seconds of profound silence followed in the tense atmosphere. The Principal did not know how to react when the boy gave such a reply.

Slowly a small smile appeared in the face of the Principal. He regained his composure. His face resumed his normal, pleasant, kind appearance as he started cooling down to his calm nature.

The innocent reply of the boy neutralized the uncontrollable outburst of fury of the Principal.  It was also equivalent to saying “ Sir. You are such a nice and good Principal. Why do you talk like this?  Did I make you angry by my behavior? Please pardon me for my mistake.”

 It was like pouring water on raging fire, probably the best course of action.  Sweet words played the trick in saving them from the worse situation. Such a volatile situation defused by an apt and appropriate response by the smart boy. The Principal, now back to his normal self, patted the boy affectionately and said                “ Do not do this again.. Go to your classes ”.            ANGER WAS CONQUERED. 
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23           GOD IS NOWHERE
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          In the open ground many children were playing foot ball, cricket etc, One boy was flying a kite as the breeze was ideal for the sport. He went on flying it high, loosening the string and pulling the string to make it rise higher and higher.  It was a wonderful breezy day and the forceful wind was taking it so high, almost touching the clouds.

          A passer-by watched the boy pulling the string systematically and making awkward and strange actions... and then asked,

            “ What are you doing ? ”

The boy replied, “ I am flying the kite..” 

            “ Where is the kite ? I cannot see it at all.”

 “ It is there in the sky, beyond the clouds..”

            “ How do you know the kite is still flying there ? ”

“ Yes.. I cannot see the kite.  But every time I pull the string, I can feel that the kite is there at the end of the string. ”

             The man was awakened.   

It is the same about realization of GOD also.  You cannot see but it is definitely a personal feeling of understanding.  It is through the string of meditation and prayer,   you can personally FEEL the presence of God.  Sometimes you can't sense God's presence because there's something blocking the link between the two of you,  like the clouds hiding the kite from your view. You find yourself discouraged at times, because it seems like God just isn't around.  God isn’t making himself known.  God's energy flows through us all whether we know it or not. Search within yourself… Connect to a higher power of your own understanding, to open a path to God, anything more powerful than you. Begin in earnest and all will be revealed. You will then be in tune with GOD all the time.

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22.                     M I N D     MATTERS 
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Psychology is the science of the mind. The human mind is the most complex machine on Earth.  Although we cannot observe the mind directly, everything we do, think, feel and say is determined by the functioning of the mind, the source of all thoughts and behavior.  The Mind is a private sphere to which no one but the owner has access. No one else can "know our mind."

 Let us understand our  mind from the following incident.        

A man was keeping a parrot as a pet and loved it so much. Later he brought a cat, as a mouse was disturbing him.

One day the cat caught the mouse in the kitchen. The man was so happy and appreciated the cat. Next time, the cat caught the pet parrot. The man was shocked and cried. He drove away the cat from the house. The cat came back one day with a crow in its mouth.  The man looked at it and went away without any emotion.

The point is, when it caught the mouse (he did not like the mouse in the kitchen} he was happy. When it caught his parrot (parrot was his pet) he was angry and sad. When it caught a crow he ignored it as he was not affected at all.

Anyway, whatever the cat did, was its own nature and has nothing to do with the man’s emotions. All his appreciation, anger, sadness or disinterested reactions were his own behavioral pattern based on, what the cat did.

Your  MIND is like the cat.   It does what it likes arbitrarily, in its own way. You cannot control the cat always. You cannot control your mind also.   It is a wayward vagabond. You must therefore try to understand your mind…and use your mind.

You should realize that our mind is actually an invisible government or ruling power inside our head. Our mind is just like a muscle molded, where our tastes are formed and our ideas suggested. The more you exercise the more it can expand further and get stronger. Our mind controls us with likes, dislikes, desires and fears, poisoned by unnatural or artificial beliefs. It is they who pull the wires which control the mind.  Such minds punish us with flashbacks, painful memories, unbearable emotions, self-harm and what not.  The eye of the storm is what goes on in our mind, how we think, feel, digest and react to the confusion of what goes on around us.

You must understand the mental processes and patterns of your mind and cooperate to live together as a smoothly functioning entity. Discipline your mind every morning with pure thoughts, messages, and ideals by the commonly employed system of mind control --- of relentless repetition of positive statements.    

 MASTER  YOUR  MIND.        IT MATTERS.

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21        FEAR    IS A BURDEN    YOU CARRY

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      There was a Sanyasi who was traveling from place to place with his disciple. He had no possessions except his brown cloth and a water-filled kamandal, as a symbol of ascetism.  The disciple always took care of him and followed the Sanyasi where ever he went  The Sanyasi never stayed in one place for more than two days, as per the tradition. Whenever they reached a new place they used to be received by the Head man of the village, who used to make temporary arrangements for their stay and discourses. Before occupying the new place for lodging, the Sanyasi used to ask the Head Man, “ Is there anything to be scared of,  in this place ? ”  The Head man used to say,  “ Nothing to be afraid of,   Swamiji.. This is a safe and peaceful place..”  The sanyasi used to sleep in the night, keeping his Kamandal near his head.  The disciple also stayed with the sanyasi. The Sanyasi and the disciple used to take bath in the nearby river or pond, perform their daily rituals as required by custom.  The Head man  used to arrange “Satsangh” and all the villagers used to take part in it. Next day sanyasi and disciple would  leave the village to the next destination.

       In the next village, they were received by the Landlord and offered a place to stay. As usual, the Sanyasi asked the Landlord whether it is a safe place to stay.  The Landlord assured the Swamiji that there was nothing to fear about the place.

        That night while the Swamiji was sleeping with the Kamandal near his head, the disciple could not get his sleep.  He was wondering why the Swamiji was always worried and afraid of something before occupying his new lodging place.  It kept on troubling his mind whole night.

       Next day morning the Swamiji and his disciple went to the nearby river to take bath. The Swamiji left the Kamandal at the bank and entered the water to take his ritualistic bath.  The disciple took the opportunity to examine the Kamandal, which appeared to him as the source of fear. When the swamiji was busy dipping his head into the water, the disciple managed to open the Kamandal and found a few sparkling diamonds under a layer of TULSI leaves. 

           After the satsang with the villagers, the Swamiji and disciple left the village next day. In the new town, as usual, the Swamiji was given a big room near the temple for their stay. The swamiji asked the Landlord whether it is a safe place to stay. Before the Landlord could answer, the disciple replied that it is a very safe place to stay and there is nothing to be afraid of.  The Swamiji was surprised and asked his disciple,     “ How do you know..?  ”        The disciple replied.. “  Your fear was thrown into the river, yesterday.. ”
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