This too shall pass
A king once asked his Council of Ministers for a Mantra applicable at all times – happy and sad. The wisest of his ministers wrote a message on a piece of paper, folded it and told the king to keep it inside his ring. He advised the king to look at it when he was in his saddest and happiest moments. The king kept the folded paper in the ring without looking at the message, and forgot about it.
It so happened that in a few days, a neighbouring army attacked the kingdom. The king's army was not able to defend itself and the king was forced to flee from his palace, with the enemy hot upon his heels. He ran towards the forest and took refuge in the dark. Once he was sure that he had managed to evade the enemy soldiers, he pondered on his miserable situation and thought to himself, “I have never been in a worse condition. This is surely the saddest moment in my life.” Suddenly, it struck him – “Let me see the Mantra in my ring”.
Written on the piece of paper were the words, “This Too Shall Pass.” The wisdom in the message was clear to him. No doubt it seemed that he was passing through a very bad time, but this was only a phase. It would pass off and things could only get better from here. This thought gave the king tremendous strength of mind. As he sat in the forest, he began strategising. He then came out from his hiding-place, rounded up his soldiers who were dispersed in various villages, instilled courage in them and rebuilt his army.
Well prepared and determined, they marched toward the enemy, defeated them and regained the kingdom and palace. The king was jubilant. He stood on the palace veranda overlooking his kingdom, feeling extremely happy of his achievement and a tad proud of himself.
Just at that moment, a ray of light fell on his ring and shone brightly. The king was startled and realised, “This is my happiest moment... but this too shall pass. These happy moments are nothing but temporary. So, what am I feeling so elated about,” thought the king to himself.
Let us remember the Mantra in the king's ring, that no situation is permanent and neither is any emotion. We need not feel ecstatic during the happier moments in our life nor feel down in the dumps when the going gets rough. Let us perform our duties in life with a balance of mind, full dedication and sincerity at all points of time.
The less you expect, the more pleasant life gets.
