Real Partner

A cruise ship met with an incident at sea, on the ship was a pair of couple, after having made their way to the lifeboat, they realized that there was only space for one person left.

At this moment, the man pushed the woman behind him and jumped onto the lifeboat himself.

The lady stood on the sinking ship and shouted one sentence to her husband.

The teacher stopped and asked, "What do you think she shouted?"

Most of the students excitedly answered, "I hate you! I was blind!"

Now, the teacher noticed a boy who was silent throughout, she got him to answer and he replied, "Teacher, I believe she would have shouted - Take care of our child!"

The teacher was surprised, asking "Have you heard this story before?"

The boy shook his head, "Nope, but that was what my mum told my dad before she died to disease".

The teacher lamented, "The answer is right".

The cruise sunk, the man went home and brought up their daughter single-handedly.

Many years later after the death of the man, their daughter found his diary while tidying his belongings.

It turns out that when parents went onto the cruise ship, the mother was already diagnosed with a terminal illness.
At the critical moment, the father rushed to the only chance of survival.

He wrote in his diary, "How I wished to sink to the bottom of the ocean with you, but for the sake of our daughter, I can only let you lie forever below the sea alone".

The story is finished, the class was silent.

The teacher knows that the student has understood the moral of the story, that of the good and the evil in the world, there are many complications behind them which are hard to understand.

Which is why we should never only focus on the surface and judge others without understanding them first.

Those who like to pay the bill, do so not because they are loaded but because they value friendship above money.

Those who take the initiative at work, do so not because they are stupid but because they understand the concept of responsibility.

Those who apologizes first after a fight, do so not because they are wrong but because they value the people around them.

Those who are willing to help you, do so not because they owe you any thing but because they see you as a true friend.

Those who often text you, do so not because they have nothing better to do but because you are in their heart.

One day, all of us will get  separated  from each other; we will miss our conversations of everything & nothing; the dreams that we had. Days will pass by, months, years, until this contact becomes rare... One day our children will see our pictures and ask 'Who are these people?' And we will smile with invisible tears  because a heart is touched with a strong word and you will say: 'IT WAS THEM THAT I HAD THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE WITH'.

Burden of Life

One Sunday morning, a wealthy man sat in his balcony enjoying sunshine and his coffee when a little ant caught his eye which was going from one side to the other side of the balcony carrying a big leaf several times more than its size. The man watched it for more than an hour. He saw that the ant faced many obstacles during its journey, paused, took a diversion and then continued towards destination.

At one point the tiny creature came across a crack in the floor. It paused for a little while, analyzed and then laid the huge leaf over the crack, walked over the leaf, picked the leaf on the other side then continued its journey.

The man was captivated by the cleverness of the ant, one of God’s tiniest creatures. The incident left the man in awe and forced him to contemplate over the miracle of Creation. It showed the Greatness of the Creator. In front of his eyes there was this tiny creature of God, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to analyze, contemplate, reason, explore, discover and overcome.

A while later the man saw that the creature had reached its destination – a tiny hole in the floor which was entrance to its underground dwelling. And it was at this point that the ant’s shortcoming that it shared with the man was revealed.
How could the ant carry into the tiny hole the large leaf that it had managed to carefully bring to the destination? It simply couldn't!

So the tiny creature, after all the painstaking and hard work and exercising great skills, overcoming all the difficulties along the way, just left behind the large leaf and went home empty-handed.

The ant had not thought about the end before it began its challenging journey and in the end the large leaf was nothing more than a burden to it. The creature had no option, but to leave it behind to reach its destination. The man learned a great lesson that day.

That is the truth about our lives too.

We worry about our family, we worry about our job, we worry about how to earn more money, we worry about where we should live,  what kind of vehicle to buy,  what kind of dresses to wear, what gadgets to upgrade......
only to abandon all these things when we reach our destination –
The Grave.

We don’t realize in our life’s journey that these are just burdens that we are carrying with utmost care and fear of losing them, only to find that at the end they are useless and we can’t take them with us.....

Devotion for the Nation

Been to Laddakh for a week long family trip.
Local driver was 28 years old chap named Jigmet.
Jigmet's family consist of his parents, wife and two kid girls.

This was the conversation with Jigmet, during our drives in deep Himalayan Ranges.

Prashant -: At the end of this week tourist season in Laddakh will end. Are you planning to go to Goa, the way Nepali Workers from Hotels do ?

Jigmet -: No, I am local Laddakhi, so I won't go any where in winter.

Prashant -:What work will you do in winter ?

Jigmet -: Nothing, will sit up quietly at home ( chuckles and winks )

Prashant -: For six months, up to next April ?

Jigmet -: I have one option for working. It's to go to Siachen.

Prashant -: Siachen ? What you will do there ?

Jigmet -: Work as Loader for Indian Army.

Prashant -: You mean, you will join Indian Army as Jawan ?

Jigmet -: No, I have crossed age limit to join Army. This is a contract job for Indian Army. With my few friend drivers, I will travel 265 kilometers to Siachen Base camp, My medical examination will be done there to check, if I am fit enough for this job. If I am declared fit, then Army will issue us uniforms, shoes, warm clothing, helmets, etc, We will have to walk up mountains for 15 days to reach Siachen. There is no motorable road to reach Siachen. We will work there for 3 months.

Prashant -: What work will you do ?

Jigmet -: It is of loader. To carry load on our back from one chowki to other in Siachen. All supplies are airdropped there. We do the job of picking it up and carrying it in Chowki.

Prashant -: Why Army does not use Mules or vehicles for shifting of loads ?

Jigmet -: Siachen is a glacier. Trucks or other vehicle will not work there. Ice scooters make too much of sound, which will attract attention from enemy around there. Use of vehicle will result in firing from other side.We go out in the middle of night, generally around 2 am and pick up load silently and bring back to barracks. We can't even use a torch. Mules or horses cannot be used because at the altitude of 18875 feet, in winter temperature of minus 50 no animal will survive.

Prashant -: How can you lift load on your back where oxygen levels are low ?

Jigmet -: we carry maximum 15 kgs at a time. and we work maximum for 2 hours in a day. Rest of the time is for recapturing

Prashant -: That is very risky

Jigmet -: Many of my friend died there. Some of them fell in bottomless crevasses. Some got shot down by enemy bullets. The biggest danger we have in Siachen is of frost bites.  

Prashant -: This is life threatening

Jigmet -: Yes, but it's rewarding, We are paid Rs 18000/- per month. Since all expenses are taken care of, we can save around Rs 50000/- in these three months. This money is precious for my family, for my daughter's education.and finally I have feeling that I am serving Army, which means my nation.

Prashant -: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Struggle of Life

A man, an avid Gardener saw a small Butterfly laying few eggs in one of the pots in his garden.

Since that day he looked at the egg with ever growing curiosity and eagerness.

The egg started to move and shake a little.

He was excited to see a new life coming up right in front of his eyes.

He spent hours watching the egg now.

The egg started to expand and develop cracks.

A tiny head and antennae started to come out ever so slowly.

The man's excitement knew no bounds.

He got his magnifying glasses and sat to watch the life and body of a pupa coming out.

He saw the struggle of the tender pupa and couldn't resist his urge to "HELP".

He went and got a tender forceps to help the egg break, a nip here, a nip there to help the struggling life and the pupa was out.

The man was ecstatic!

He waited now each day for the pupa to grow and fly like a beautiful butterfly, but alas that never happened.

The larvae pupa had a oversized head and kept crawling along in the pot for the full 4 weeks and died!

Depressed the man went to his botanist friend and asked the reason.

His friend told him the struggle to break out of the egg helps the larvae to send blood to its wings and the head push helps the head to remain small so that the tender wings can support it thru its 4 week life cycle.

In his eagerness to help, the man destroyed a beautiful life!

Struggles help all of us, that's why a bit of effort goes a long way to develop our strength to face life's difficulties!

As parents, we sometimes go too far trying to help and protect our kids from life's harsh realities and disappointments.

We don't want our kids to struggle like we did.

Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Dan Kindlon says that over-protected children are more likely to struggle in relationships and
with challenges.

We're sending our kids the message that they're not capable of helping themselves.

To quote clinical psychologist,
Dr. Wendy 's Moral:

"It  is  Our Job  to  prepare  Our  Children  for  the  Road & Not  prepare  the  Road for  Our Children"

Our Own Reflection

Once a dog ran into a museum where all the walls, the ceilng, the door and even the floor were made of mirror.
Seeing this the dog froze in surprise in the middle of the hall, a whole pack of dogs surrounded it from all sides, from above and below.
Just in case, the dog bared his teeth, all the reflections responded to it in the same way.
Frightened, the dog frantically barked. The reflections imitated the bark and increased it many times. The dog barked even harder and the echo was keeping up. The dog tossed from one side to another, biting the air - his reflections also tossed around snapping their teeth.
Next day in the morning, the museum security guards found the miserable dog, lifeless and surrounded by a million reflections of lifeless dogs.
There was nobody, who would make any harm to the dog.
The dog died by fighting with his own reflections.
The world doesn't bring good or evil on its own.
Everything that is happening around us is the reflection of our own thoughts, feelings, wishes and actions.
The World is a big mirror.
Strike a good pose!
Smile from deep within.
Life is beautiful.

Blind Leading Blind

One late evening a donkey was walking down a street. It was getting dark and it was difficult for the donkey to see where he was going. The frightened donkey stood under the shade of the tree and was wondering what to do. Sitting above him on a branch was a curious owl. The owl looked at the donkey and asked, “Oh, Mr. Donkey why are you standing under the tree so late at night, where are you going?” “I have a long way to go to reach my home in the neighboring village, but I have a problem,” said the donkey. “I cannot see very well when it gets dark.” The owl said, “Oh! But I can see very well at night. I happen to be going that way too. I can show you the way.” The donkey was happy to have a guide who could see.

The owl sat on the back of the donkey and the donkey traveled through the night under the owl’s directions and was able to avoid many pit falls. However eventually the night came to an end and day light was beginning to break. Now instead of the donkey, it was the owl that could not see. But this owl was not willing to give up his role as a guide and further more the donkey that was able to see was still depending on the owl for guidance. Continuing their journey the now blind owl told the donkey to turn left. When they did they both fell into a rapidly flowing river and were never seen again

Message : We should accept others help when needed, but should never become dependent on anyone. Do not be blind when you need not be blind like the donkey did. Keep your eyes open to see what you are able to see without getting blind dependence. Also out of ego don’t assume more than what you are capable of doing, like the owl in the story.

Value of Life

एक आदमी ने भगवान बुद्ध  से पुछा : जीवन का मूल्य क्या है?

बुद्ध  ने उसे एक Stone दिया और कहा : जा और इस stone का
मूल्य पता करके आ , लेकिन ध्यान रखना stone को बेचना नही है I

वह आदमी stone को बाजार मे एक संतरे वाले के पास लेकर गया और बोला : इसकी कीमत क्या है?

संतरे वाला चमकीले stone को देखकर बोला, "12 संतरे लेजा और इसे मुझे दे जा"

आगे एक सब्जी वाले ने उस चमकीले stone को देखा और कहा
"एक बोरी आलू ले जा और इस stone को मेरे पास छोड़ जा"

आगे एक सोना बेचने वाले के
पास गया उसे stone दिखाया सुनार उस चमकीले stone को देखकर बोला,  "50 लाख मे बेच दे" l

उसने मना कर दिया तो सुनार बोला "2 करोड़ मे दे दे या बता इसकी कीमत जो माँगेगा वह दूँगा तुझे..

उस आदमी ने सुनार से कहा मेरे गुरू ने इसे बेचने से मना किया है l

आगे हीरे बेचने वाले एक जौहरी के पास गया उसे stone दिखाया l

जौहरी ने जब उस बेसकीमती रुबी को देखा , तो पहले उसने रुबी के पास एक लाल कपडा बिछाया फिर उस बेसकीमती रुबी की परिक्रमा लगाई माथा टेका l

फिर जौहरी बोला , "कहा से लाया है ये बेसकीमती रुबी? सारी कायनात , सारी दुनिया को बेचकर भी इसकी कीमत नही लगाई जा सकती ये तो बेसकीमती है l"

वह आदमी हैरान परेशान होकर सीधे बुद्ध  के पास आया l

अपनी आप बिती बताई और बोला "अब बताओ भगवान , मानवीय जीवन का मूल्य क्या है?

 बुद्ध  बोले :

संतरे वाले को दिखाया उसने इसकी कीमत "12 संतरे" की बताई l

सब्जी वाले के पास गया उसने इसकी कीमत "1 बोरी आलू" बताई l

आगे सुनार ने "2 करोड़" बताई lऔर जौहरी ने इसे "बेसकीमती" बताया l

अब ऐसा ही मानवीय मूल्य का भी है l

तू बेशक हीरा है..!!लेकिन, सामने वाला तेरी कीमत,
अपनी औकात - अपनी जानकारी -  अपनी हैसियत से लगाएगा।

घबराओ मत दुनिया में.. तुझे पहचानने वाले भी मिल जायेगे।

Respect Yourself,
You are very Unique..👌👌👌👌👌

Leave of blessing

There is a blood bank inside the Tata Motors premises in Jamshedpur (there are blood banks in other plants as well). If you donate a bottle of blood, not only you are given off for that day, but you can also avail an extra leave within 7 days of donating the blood. Employees use it to extend their holidays. So, there is no shortage of leaves ever!! Needless to say, Tata loses several man-hours through this policy.
Once while having a conversation with the employees of the company, Ratan Tata was asked a question (by a senior official), "People take undue advantage of the policy. We lose several man-hours due to this. The blood is replenished within 24 hours, you know. Why to give that extra holiday within 7 days of donating blood."
Ratan Tata smiled. He always does. And then came a calm reply. "Encouragement is something I don't need to teach you. Only a few people donate because they want to. Talking about man-hours, we may be losing some man-hours doing that, but have you ever thought of the number of man-hours that get added to the person's life who receives that blood in the time of necessity? I am ready to sacrifice some of our man-hours for the better good of humanity."
 A gem, a true gem of a person.

May God Bless him...

Valentine Day for All

वेलेंटाइन डे आते ही छोटू की आँखों में एकख़ुशी की लहर दौड़

जाती थी ! मंदिर के साइड से लगे दुकान पे

काम करने वाला छोटू

हर बार की तरह इस बार भी खूब सारे

गुलाब की पंखुड़िया खरीद

लाया था ! छोटू को ये

नहीं पता था की वेलेंटाइन डे

होता क्या है ? पर ये जरूर पता था उसे

कि आज दस का बिकने

वाला गुलाब पच्चास में बेचेगा ! वह सुबह से

दौड़ भाग में

लगा था इस उम्मीद में कि आज

अच्छी कमाई कर

लेगा वो..दो तीन घंटे में उसके सारे गुलाब बिक

गए ! उसने

जल्दी से पैसो का गुना भाग करके पाँच

सौ अलग निकल

लिया !

अब फुर्ती से भागकर सेठ के पास

पंहुचा उसकी उधारी चुकाई !

और दनदनाता हुआ बाजार पहुंच गया हीरामन

के

दुकान पे..

“अरे छोटू आज बड़ी जल्दी आ गया रे तू

तो ..?

हा चच्चा आज चौदह फरवरी है न

अरे हाँ में तो भूल ही गया था ..

“बता क्या चाहिए ?

वो हरी वाली फ्रॉक तो दिखाना चच्चा ,

छोटू ने

चहकते हुए कहा

“महंगी है नहीं ले पायेगा

कित्ते कि है ?

“पुरे चार सौ अस्सी कि बोल पैक कर दू क्या.?

छोटू ने कुछ देर सोचते हुए कहा ..

ठीक है चच्चा कर दो पैक..

पाँच सौ में चार सौ अस्सी गया बचा बीस..

अच्छा बीस कि डेरी मिल्क

भी पैक कर दियो चच्चा..

“ये ले कहते हुए चच्चा ने उसे पैकेट थम दिया..

छोटू फुदकते हुए घर पंहुचा माँ से

पूछा “छोटी कहा है..?

यही कही खेल

रही होगी..?

छोटू ने उसे जल्दी से ढूढ़ा और जादू

कि झप्पी देते हुए बोला

“हैप्पी वेलेंटाइन डे छोटी ”

🙏🏻🌹सोच सोच का फरक है प्यार तो प्यार ही होता है🌹🙏🏻

Real Master

Adi Shankara was walking through the market place with his disciples.

They saw a man dragging a cow by a rope.

Shankara told the man to wait and asked his disciples to surround them.

“I am going to teach you something” and continued...

“Tell me who is bound to whom? Is the cow bound to this man or the man is bound to the cow?

The disciples said without hesitation “Of course the cow is bound to the man!. The
man is the master. He is holding the rope. The cow has to follow him wherever he goes. The man is the master and the cow is the slave.”

“Now watch this”, said Shankara and took a pair of scissors from his bag and cut the rope.

The cow ran away from the master and the man ran after his cow. “Look, what is
happening”, said Shankar

“Do you see who the Master is? The cow is not at all interested in this man. The cow in fact, is trying to escape from this man.” This is the case with our MIND.

Like the cow, all the non-sense that we carry inside is not interested in us. WE ARE INTERESTED IN IT, we are keeping it together somehow or the other. We are going crazy trying to keep it all together under our control.

The moment we lose interest in all the garbage filled in our head, and the moment we understand the futility of it, it will start to disappear. Like the cow, it will escape and disappear.” We can allow disappearing of all the unwanted things from our mind and feel relaxed.

Eternal Happiness

After years of hard & dedicated service to his Company, Rahul was being appointed at  an elegant reception as the new Director.

It was a small function where his wife Anita , a Home Executive & some of the wives of the other persons in top management were also present.

In an adjacent room, Ann, the wife of the CEO of the Company, asked Rahul's wife a very odd & usual question; "Does your  husband make you  happy?"

The husband, Rahul, who at that moment was not at her side, but was sufficiently near to hear the question, paid attention to the conversation, sitting up slightly, feeling secure, even filling his chest lightly in pride & hope,  would definitely not publically lower or degrade her husband, would answer affirmatively, since she had always been there for him during their marriage and generally in life.

Nevertheless, to both his & the others' surprise, she replied simply; "No, no he doesn't make me happy…"

The room became uncomfortably silent, as if everyone were listening to the spouse's response. There was a sudden coldness in the air. The husband was petrified. A frown appeared on his face.

He couldn't believe what his wife was saying, especially at such an important occasion for him. To the amazement of her husband & of everyone!

Anita sat up firmly & explained in a modest but stern tone to the other wives who were present; "No, he doesn't make me happy… I AM HAPPY. The fact that I am happy or not doesn't depend on him, but on me. GOD has granted each of us intellect & discretion to reason, interpret & decide. GOD made me the person upon which my happiness depends.

I make the choice to be happy in each situation & in each moment of my life.
If my happiness were to depend on other people, on other things or circumstances on the face of this earth, I would be in serious trouble!

Over my life I have learned a couple of things: I decide to be happy & the rest is a matter of 'experiences or circumstances' like helping, understanding, accepting, listening, consoling & with my spouse, I have lived & practiced this many times.

Honestly true happiness lies in being content"

Relieved & reassured, a smile was clearly noticed on Rahul's face.

Happiness will always be found in contentment, forgiveness & in loving ourselves & others.
To truly love is difficult, it is to forgive unconditionally, to live, to take the "experiences or  circumstances" as they are, facing them together & being happy with conviction.

There are those who say I cannot be happy  :
· Because I am sick.
· Because I have no money.
· Because it's too cold.
· Because they insulted me.
· Because someone stopped loving me.
· Because someone didn't appreciate me.

But what they don't know is that they can be happy even though sick, whether it is too hot, whether they have money or not, whether someone has insulted them, or someone didn't love or hasn't valued them.

Being Happy is an attitude about life & each one of us must decide!

Being Happy, depends on us!

It Depends on Me.
I fall. I rise. I make mistakes. I live. I learn. I've been hurt but I'm alive. I'm human.
I'm not perfect but I'm Thankful.!!

Letter from a Father

Here's the inspiring letter, from her father, that Deepika Padukone read at the 61st Filmfare Awards:

Dear Deepika & Anisha,

As you stand on the threshold of life’s journey, I want to share with you some lessons that life has taught me. Decades ago, as a little boy growing up in Bangalore, I started my tryst with badminton. In those days, there were no stadiums and courts where sports people could train. Our badminton court was the wedding hall of the Canara Union Bank near our house, and it was there that I learned everything about the game. Every day, we would wait to see if there was a function in the hall, and if there was none, we would rush there after school to play to our hearts’ content. Looking back, I realise that the most important thing about my childhood and adolescent years was my refusal to complain about a lot in life. I was thankful for the few hours a week we had the opportunity to hit the shuttle back and forth. In fact, the foundation on which I based my career and my life was the refusal to whinge or whine about anything. And that is what I want to tell you my children, that there is no substitute for perseverance, hardwork, determination and passion for what you choose to do. If you love what you do, nothing else matters — neither awards nor compensation, not even the gratification of seeing your face in newspapers or television. When I won the All England Championship, the prize money in badminton became significant — £3,000 — a huge amount in those days. But that did not distract me from the sheer joy of having been instrumental in putting India on the global map of this game. Deepika, at eighteen, when you told us that you wanted to shift to Mumbai for a career in modeling, we felt you were too young and too inexperienced to be alone in a big city and in an industry we knew nothing about. In the end, we decided to let you follow your heart and thought it would be cruel to not give our child the opportunity to go after a dream that she lived and breathed for. If you succeeded, it would make us proud, but even if you didn’t, you would not have any regrets that you did not try. Deepika, I have learned that you can’t always win in life, that everything you want might not come your way. That events don’t always turn out as you want them to. To win some, you have to lose some. You have to learn to take life’s ups and downs in your stride. The amount of effort that I put in my game never varied from the first day till my retirement. Even during my toughest times, I focused on what I had, instead of dwelling on what I did not. I had the ability to make the best of the worst circumstances and remain steadfast to my goal. Remember how I constantly tell you both about the importance of making your way up in the world without waiting for your parents to pull strings? I believe it is best for children to work hard to make their dreams come true and to not have things handed to them on a platter. When you are home visiting us, Deepika, you make your own bed, clear the table after meals, and sleep on the floor if there are guests at home. If you occasionally wonder why we refuse to treat you like a star, it is because you are our daughter first and a film star later. The cameras that follow you everywhere and the arc lights will eventually fade and what will remain is the real world. Strive to generate positivity around you even though you are too new and too small a player to effect a big change. You are in an industry where there’s always going to be big money, but I believe that it is important to try to be the best in whatever you do regardless of the money. The things that really matter in life are relationships, honesty, respect for your parents and elders. Material success is important, not fundamental to happiness and peace of mind. I can’t tell you enough about the rejuvenating power of prayers and a little faith. Spare a few minutes of your day to close your eyes and meditate, to think about God and you will see how much faith in His power will strengthen you. In the end, when your career is behind you, what remains is family, the friends that you have made. Live a life that is healthy and one that will allow you to live with your own conscience. Everything else is transient. And remember, no matter what, we are always going to be there for you.

Lovingly,
Pappa

Real Help

भैंस की मौत ! Life Changing Story in Hindi
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एक दार्शनिक अपने एक शिष्य के साथ कहीं से गुजर रहा था। चलते-चलते वे एक खेत के पास पहुंचे। खेत अच्छी जगह स्थित था लेकिन उसकी हालत देखकर लगता था मानो उसका मालिक उस पर जरा भी ध्यान नहीं देता है।
खैर, दोनों को प्यास लगी थी सो वे खेत के बीचो-बीच बने एक टूटे-फूटे घर के सामने पहुंचे और दरवाज़ा खटखटाया।

अन्दर से एक आदमी निकला, उसके साथ उसकी पत्नी और तीन बच्चे भी थे। सभी फटे-पुराने कपड़े पहने हुए थे।

दार्शनिक बोला, “ श्रीमान, क्या हमें पानी मिल सकता है? बड़ी प्यास लगी है!”
“ज़रूर!”, आदमी उन्हें पानी का जग थमाते हुए बोला।

“मैं देख रहा हूँ कि आपका खेत इनता बड़ा है पर इसमें कोई फसल नही बोई गयी है, और ना ही यहाँ फलों के वृक्ष दिखायी दे रहे हैं…तो आखिर आप लोगों का गुजारा कैसे चलता है?”, दार्शनिक ने प्रश्न किया।

“जी, हमारे पास एक भैंस है, वो काफी दूध देती है उसे पास के गाँव में बेच कर कुछ पैसे मिल जाते हैं और बचे हुए दूध का सेवन कर के हमारा गुजारा चल जाता है।”, आदमी ने समझाया।

दार्शनिक और शिष्य आगे बढ़ने को हुए तभी आदमी बोला, “ शाम काफी हो गयी है, आप लोग चाहें तो आज रात यहीं रुक जाएं!”

दोनों रुकने को तैयार हो गए।

आधी रात के करीब जब सभी गहरी नींद में सो रहे थे तभी दार्शनिक ने शिष्य को उठाया और बोला, “चलो हमें अभी यहाँ से चलना है, और चलने से पहले हम उस आदमी की भैंस को चट्टान से गिराकर मार डालेंगे।”

शिष्य को अपने गुरु की बात पर यकीन नहीं हो रहा था पर वो उनकी बात काट भी नहीं सकता था।
दोनों भैंस को मार कर रातों-रात गायब हो गए!

यह घटना शिष्य के जेहन में बैठ गयी और करीब 10 साल बाद जब वो एक सफल उद्यमी बन गया तो उसने सोचा क्यों न अपनी गलती का पश्चाताप करने के लिए एक बार फिर उसी आदमी से मिला जाए और उसकी आर्थिक मदद की जाए।

अपनी चमचमाती कार से वह उस खेत के सामने पहुंचा।
शिष्य को अपनी आँखों पे यकीन नहीं हो रहा था। वह उजाड़ खेत अब फलों के बागीचे में बदल चुका था… टूटे-फूटे घर की जगह एक शानदार बंगला खड़ा था और जहाँ अकेली भैंस बंधी रहती थी वहां अच्छी नस्ल की कई गाएं और भैंस अपना चारा चर रही थीं।

शिष्य ने सोचा कि शायद भैंस के मरने के बाद वो परिवार सब बेच-बाच कर कहीं चला गया होगा और वापस लौटने के लिए वो अपनी कार स्टार्ट करने लगा कि तभी उसे वो दस साल पहले वाला आदमी दिखा।

“ शायद आप मुझे पहचान नहीं पाए, सालों पहले मैं आपसे मिला था।”, शिष्य उस आदमी की तरफ बढ़ते हुए बोला।
“नहीं-नहीं, ऐसा नहीं है, मुझे अच्छी तरह याद है, आप और आपके गुरु यहाँ आये थे…कैसे भूल सकता हूँ उस दिन को; उस दिन ने तो मेरा जीवन ही बदल कर रख दिया। आप लोग तो बिना बताये चले गए पर उसी दिन ना जाने कैसे हमारी भैंस भी चट्टान से गिरकर मर गयी। कुछ दिन तो समझ ही नहीं आया कि क्या करें, पर जीने के लिए कुछ तो करना था, सो लकड़ियाँ काट कर बेचने लगा, उससे कुछ पैसे हुए तो खेत में बोवाई कर दी… सौभाग्य से फसल अच्छी निकल गयी, बेचने पर जो पैसे मिले उससे फलों के बागीचे लगवा दिए और यह काम अच्छा चल पड़ा और इस समय मैं आस-पास के हज़ार गाँव में सबसे बड़ा फल व्यापारी हूँ…सचमुच, ये सब कुछ ना होता अगर उस भैंस की मौत ना हुई होती !

“लेकिन यही काम आप पहले भी कर सकते थे?”, शिष्य ने आश्चर्य से पूछा।
आदमी बोला, “ बिलकुल कर सकता था! पर तब ज़िन्दगी बिना उतनी मेहनत के आराम से चल रही थी, कभी लगा ही नहीं कि मेरे अन्दर इतना कुछ करने की क्षमता है सो कोशिश ही नहीं की पर जब भैंस मर गयी तब हाथ-पाँव मारने पड़े और मुझ जैसा गरीब-बेहाल इंसान भी इस मुकाम तक पहुँच पाया।”
आज शिष्य अपने गुरु के उस निर्देश का असली मतलब समझ चुका था और बिना किसी पश्चाताप के वापस लौट पा रहा था।
Friends, कई बार हम परिस्थितियों के इतने आदि हो जाते हैं कि बस उसी में जीना सीख लेते हैं, फिर चाहे वो परिस्थितियां बुरी ही क्यों न हों!
हम अपनी जॉब से नफरत करते हैं पर फिर भी उसे पकड़े-पकड़े ज़िन्दगी बिता देते हैं, तो कई बार हम बस इसलिए नये business के बारे में नहीं सोचते क्योंकि हमारा मौजूदा बिजनेस दाल-रोटी भर का खर्चा निकाल देता है! पर ऐसा करने में हम कभी भी अपने full potential को realize नहीं कर पाते हैं और बहुत सी ऐसी चीजें करने से चूक जाते हैं जिन्हें करने की हमारे अन्दर क्षमता है और जो हमारी life को कहीं बेहतर बना सकती हैं।
सोचिये, कहीं आपकी ज़िन्दगी में भी तो कोई ऐसी भैंस नहीं जो आपको एक बेहतर ज़िन्दगी जीने से रोक रही है…कहीं ऐसा तो नहीं कि आपको लग रहा है कि आपने उस भैंस को बाँध कर रखा है जबकि असलियत में उस भैंस ने आपको बाँध रखा है! और अगर आपको लगे कि ऐसा है, तो आगे बढिए…हिम्मत करिए, अपनी रस्सी को काटिए; आजाद होइए…
आगे बड़े पर अपने व्यावसायिक जीवन को सफल बना कर परिवार को उन्नति के पथ पर अग्रसर करे।

Existence of God

In 1881, a professor asked his student whether it was God who created everything that exists in the universe?

Student replied: Yes
He again asked:
What about evil?
Has God created evil also?

The student got silent...
Then the student requested that may he ask a question from him?

Professor allowed him to do so.

Student asked:

Does cold exist?

Professor said: Yes! Don't you feel the cold dear?

Student said:  I'm sorry but you are wrong sir.
Cold is a complete absence of heat...
There is no cold, it is only an absence of heat.

Student asked again:
Does darkness exist?

Professor Said:  Yes!

Student replied: you are again wrong sir. There is no such thing like darkness. It’s actually the absence of light.

Sir! We always study light & heat, but not cold & darkness.

Similarly, the evil does not exist. Actually it is the absence of Love, Faith & True belief in God.

The name of the student was...
Vivekananda...!!!

Sweetness of Sour Oranges

He often bought oranges from an old lady.
After they were weighed, paid for and put in his bag, he would always pick one from his bag, peel it, put a segment in his mouth, complain it's sour and pass on the orange to the seller.
The old lady would put one segment in her mouth and retort, "why, it's sweet," but by then he was gone with his bag.
His wife, always with him, asked, "the oranges are always sweet, then why this drama every time?"
He smiled, "the old mother sells sweet oranges but never eats them herself. This way I get her to eat one, without losing her money. That's all."
The vegetable seller next to the old lady, saw this everyday.
She chided, "every time this man fusses over your oranges, and I see that you always weigh a few extra for him. Why?"
The old lady smiled, "I know he does this to feed me an orange, only, he thinks I don't understand. I never weigh extra. His love tilts the scale slightly every time."
Life's joys are in these sweet little gestures of love and respect for our fellow beings. And in giving, not usurping. Not in money. 😄

Invaluable support

Every year, at the Australian Open, behind Roger Federer's coach (earlier Edberg and now Ljubicic), sits an elderly couple. There is a story to this couple, and it shows what a human being Federer is.

The couple, as Federer's die-hard fans would know, are Bob and Diana Carter, the parents of the tennis great's first international coach, the Australian Peter Carter.

Federer was just nine when Carter took him under his wing. In 2002, in a terrible tragedy, Carter died in a car accident in South Africa during a vacation with his wife.

The story goes that Federer (then 21) was so affected by the his coach's death, he ran through the streets of Toronto (where he was playing that day), bawling his heart out.

Carter had recognised Federer's genius at a young age, and was determined to make him an all-time great. For over a decade, Carter was at it before he died at the age of 37. He was not Federer's first coach, but the one who took him from relative obscurity in Basel in Switzerland to the threshold of international greatness.

So, coming back to Bob and Diana Carter. Federer feels so close and so indebted to them that, every year, since 2005, his team sends an all-expense paid itinerary to the Adelaide-based couple - first-class air tickets, bookings in the same hotel as Federer, food, winner's parties and even commiseration parties in Melbourne. And they sit in Federer's box at the Rod Laver Arena, supporting him as if he were their son.

They see their Peter in him. And Federer never forgets the Carter family's role in his life and career.

Federer, 34, may or may not win his 18th Grand Slam. But is he one of the greatest humans to have set foot on a tennis court? He sure is...

Miracle

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. They were moving to a smaller house because they could not afford to stay in the present house after paying the doctor's bills. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and there was no one to loan them the money.

When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation, 'Only a miracle can save him now', the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.

Clutching the precious piggy bank tightly, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the local drugstore. She took a quarter from her bank and placed it on the glass counter.

"And what do you want?" asked the pharmacist.

"It's for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He's really very sick and I want to buy a miracle."

"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.

"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?"

"We don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry," the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl.

"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs."

In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?"

"I don't know," she replied with her eyes welling up. "He's really sick and mommy says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought my savings".

"How much do you have?" asked the man.

"One dollar and eleven cents; but I can try and get some more", she answered barely audibly.

"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man, "A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."

He took her money in one hand and held her hand with the other. He said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a neurosurgeon. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again and doing well.

"That surgery," her mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost."

The little girl smiled. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.

Perseverance can make miracles happen! Miracle can come in various forms - as a doctor, as a lawyer, as a teacher, as a police ,as a friend, as a stranger and many others..

A river cuts the rock not because of its power, but because of its consistency.

Never lose your hope & keep walking towards your vision.