FIRE TO BURN!

FIRE TO BURN!

 

Baba said, "I shall consider you blessed, when you will renounce all attachments" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XLIII & XLIV.

 

Raja Janak lived in a palace but regarded nothing as his own. He was a man of true renunciation. To him came, one day, a sanyasin who outwardly had renounced the world and put on an ochre robe. Seeing the king surrounded by pomp and grandeur, the sanyasin thought himself, "How could this man, living as he does in the midst of luxury, have attained God?"

 

Just then was heard a cry, "The palace is on fire!" Immediately, the sanyasin ran out to save his loincloth, which he had washed and hung on a rope to dry. When he returned, he was astonished to find Raja Janak sitting there unconcerned.

 

The sanyasin asked, "O King, did you not hear that the palace was on fire? How is it, then, that you sit here as though nothing has happened?"

 

Raja Janak quietly answered, "What is mine is with me; it cannot be burnt by fire."

 

Raja Janak was a man of true renunciation. 

 

WE CANNOT REFUSE GOD

WE CANNOT REFUSE GOD   George Washington and Peter Miller were school-mates as well as good friends. One became the first President of the United States; the other became a preacher, a man of God.   A man named Michael Wittman developed a strong hostility towards the preacher. He persecuted Peter Miller and troubled him in several ways.   All of a sudden, it came to pass that Wittman was implicated in a charge of treason, and was sentenced to death.   Miller walked seventy miles to Philadelphia to meet his old school-friend, who was not the President of the country. Washington greeted him warmly. "Well, Peter, what can I do for you?" he asked affably.   "For the sake of our old acquaintance George, I have come to beg the life of Wittman."   "No, Peter! Ask for something else," said Washington firmly. "His case is too black. I'm sorry I cannot spare the life of your friend."   "My friend!" exclaimed Miller. "He is the bitterest enemy any man ever had!" And he proceeded to describe in detail, what he had suffered at the hands of Wittman for over twenty years.   As Washington heard the story of his friend's persecution, he said, "Ah then, Peter, this puts another aspect upon the matter! You are pleading for the life, not of a friend; you're your bitterest enemy! Surely this is not the work of a man, it is something divine. I can refuse man, but I cannot refuse God. I will freely pardon your enemy."     http://vasukimahal.blogspot.com

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GOD ALONE IS OUR GIVER

GOD ALONE IS OUR GIVER   When Akbar was the Emperor of Delhi, there lived a hermit in a hut in the forest. Many people visited the holy man. At one time he felt a great desire to entertain his visitors. But how could he do so without money? So he decided to go to the Emperor for help, for the gate of Akbar's palace was always open to holy men.   The hermit entered the palace while the Emperor was at his daily devotions and took a seat in a corner of the room. He heard the emperor conclude his worship with the prayer, "O God, give me money; give me riches," and so on and so forth. When the hermit heard this he was about to leave the prayer hall, but the Emperor signed him to wait. When the prayer was over the Emperor said to him, "You came to see me: how is it that you were about to leave without saying anything to me?"   "Your Majesty need not trouble yourself about it," answered the hermit. "I must leave now."   When the Emperor insisted, the hermit said, "Many people visit my hut, and so I came here to ask you for some money."   "Then" said Akbar, "why were you going away without speaking me?"   The hermit replied: "I found that you too were a beggar; you too prayed to God for money and riches. There upon I said to myself, "Why should I beg of a beggar? If I must beg, let me beg of God."     http://vasukimahal.blogspot.com

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GO THROUGH THREE GATES

GO THROUGH THREE GATES   "Anyone can become angry – that's easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not easy," taught Aristotle.   With all the stress and pressure in our lives, it is easy to lose cool at the slightest irritation. While we are rushing home from work at the end of another exhausting day, we scream at the slow driver in front of us who apparently has all the time in the world. While we shop at the grocery shop, we get annoyed with the stock clerk who sends us to the wrong aisle when we are in search of the ingredients for tonight's lasagna. And while we are eating our dinner, we yell at the telemarketer who has the nerve to interrupt us in an attempt to sell us his latest wares.   The problem with losing your temper on a daily basis is that it becomes a habit. And like most habits, a time arrives when it becomes second nature. Personal relationships start unraveling, business partnerships begin to fall apart and your credibility decreases as you become known as "a loose cannon."   Effective people are consistent and, in many ways, predictable. Tough times call for cool people and they are always cool and calm when the pressure is on. Keeping your cool in a moment of crisis can save you years of pain and anguish.   Hurtful words unleashed in a single minute of anger have led to many a broken friendship. Words are like arrows: once released, they are impossible to receive. So choose yours with care.   An excellent way to control your temper is simply to count to 100 before you respond to someone who has irritated you.   Another strategy to use is what I call the "Three Gate Test." The ancient sages would only speak if the words they were about to utter passed three gates. At the first gate, they asked themselves, are these words truthful? If so, the words could pass on to the second gate. At the second gate, the sages asked, are these words necessary? If so, they would then pass on to the third gate, where they would ask, are these words kind? If so, then only would they leave their lips and be sent out into the world.   (Written by: Robin Sharma)       http://vasukimahal.blogspot.com

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BALANCE OR IMBALANCE?

BALANCE OR IMBALANCE? It was the sacred Janmastami Day – the Birthday of the Lord Krishna. A poor woman, whose husband had been paralyzed, had promised her three little starving children a Janmastami feast. She was a devotee of the Lord. She felt sure the Lord would send her enough and more to provide her children the promised feast. She entered a grocery store and asked for enough food for a feast for her children. When the owner asked how much she could afford, she answered, "My husband has been sick for many months. Truthfully, I have nothing to offer but a little prayer."   The man, an unbeliever, said sarcastically, "write your prayer on a piece of paper and you can have its weight in groceries.   Without hesitation, the woman took out of her pocket a folded note and handed it to him. "Here is my little prayer. I wrote it down during the night while I was watching over my ailing husband," she said. On the small piece of paper were written the words; "thou art my Refuge, Lord! Thou wilt provide all the things I need for tomorrow's feast; and more so that I can share it with other poor children on the sacred day of Thy birth!" The man read those words, laughed and put the piece of paper on one side of his scales. "Now let us see how much food this is worth," he said. To his deep astonishment and dismay, he found that nothing happened when he put her packet of flour on the other side. He was greatly upset when he added other things and still the scales would not move. Finally, he said to the poor woman, "I do not understand what is happening today. But I will be true to my promise. Take from the shop whatever you need, for it appears that your little slip of paper weighs more than all the things my shop holds." The woman took only the things she needed for the feast. With tear-touched eyes, she thanked the grocer and silently sang the praise of the Lord who provides for every need of His devotees. The grocer later discovered that the scales were out of order. "But why at that very time?" he asked himself, again and again. And why had the woman written out the prayer before she came to his shop? His heart was converted and he, too, became a bhakta of the Lord.       http://vasukimahal.blogspot.com

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