Life

 

Be done with it

Once, a wise man held a seminar to teach people how to get rid of sorrows in their life.

Many people gathered to hear the wise man’s words.

The man entered the room and told a hilarious joke to the crowd. The crowd roared in laughter.

After a couple of minutes, he told the same joke, and only a few of them smiled.

When he told the joke for the third time, no one smiled anymore.

The wise man smiled and said, “You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why do you cry over the same problem over and over?”

FRUIT OF DEEDS

 

Fruit of deeds

One day Shankar and Parvati went on a tour. 

On the way they noticed that many children were swimming in a pond, but one child was sad and sitting alone.

Parvati asked Shankar, “Why is this child sad?”

Shankar said, “Look at the child carefully.”

Parvati saw that the child did not have both hands, because of which he was unable to swim.

Parvati requested Shankar to give hands to this child using His power so that he can swim too.

Shankar  said, “We cannot interfere in anyone's work because every soul faces the consequences of his deeds.”

On repeated requests by Parvati, Shankar gave him hands. That boy also started swimming in the water.

After a week, Shankar and Parvati passed from there again. This time the case was reversed, only that kid was swimming and all the other kids were outside.

“Did you see that?” Parvati asked in a worried tone. “That boy is drowning the kids in the water and so they all are running.”

Shankar replied, “Every person bears the fruits according to his deeds. God is not responsible for anyone's deeds.”

He did the same thing by hands in previous lives so he did not have hands.

He has started harming others again by using hands.

Nature works according to the rules, no bias with anyone.

 

According to the deeds, someone is handicapped, someone is beggar, someone is poor, someone is rich but everyone is changeable.

If someone does bad deeds today while living in palaces or in the intoxication of money, then he will have to pay for it tomorrow.

 

 

An incident from the life of Amitabh Bachchan

 Be humble, it costs nothing.

This incident is from the life of Amitabh Bachchan.

It was narrated by him.

Amitabh Bachchan says.....

At the peak of my career, I was once travelling by plane. The passenger next to me was elderly gentleman dressed in a simple shirt and pants. He appeared to be middle class and well educated.

Other passengers perhaps recognised who I was but this gentleman appeared to be unconcerned about my presence. He was reading his paper, looking out of the window, and when tea was served, he sipped it quietly.

Trying to strike a conversation with him I smiled.

The man courteously smiled back and said “Hello”.

We got talking and I brought up the subject of cinema and movies and asked, “Do you watch films?”

The man replied, “Oh, very few. I did see one many years ago.”

I mentioned that I worked in movie industry.

The man replied, “Oh that’s nice. What do you do?”

I replied, “I am an actor.”

The man nodded, “Oh that’s wonderful!”

And that was it.....

When we landed, I held out my hand and said, “It was good to travel with you. By the way my name is Amitabh Bachchan.”

The man shook my hand and said, “Thank you. Nice to have met you. I am J.R.D. Tata.”

I was stunned at his reply.

I learned on that day that no matter how big you think you are, there is always someone bigger.

J.R.D. Tata, a business icon taught me a lesson for life.

“Be humble, it costs nothing.”

We meet a lot of people in life. But few leave a permanent memory. All we need to do is respect and accept.

Goddess Durga

 Durga

Goddess Durga, (Maa Shakti or Devi Maa) is the protective mother of the universe.

She is one of the most popular deities, a protector of all that is good and harmonious in the world.

Sitting astride a lion or tiger, the multi-limbed Maa Durga battles the forces of evil in the world.

In Sanskrit, Durga means "a fort" or "a place that is difficult to overrun," an apt metaphor for this deity's protective, militant nature.

Maa Durga is sometimes referred to as Durgatinashini, which literally translates into "the one who eliminates sufferings."

As major gods and goddesses have multiple incarnations, Durga is no different; among her many avatars are Kali, Bhagvati, Bhavani, Ambika, Lalita, Gauri, Kandalini, Java, and Rajeswari.

When Durga appears as herself, she manifests in one of nine appellations or forms: Skandamata, Kusumanda, Shailaputri, Kaalratri, Brahmacharini, Maha Gauri, Katyayani, Chandraghanta, and Siddhidatri. Collectively known as the Navadurga.

Befitting her role as mother protector, Maa Durga is multi-limbed so that she may always be ready to battle evil from any direction.

In most depictions, she has between eighteen arms and holds a symbolic object in each hand.

Durga carries a variety of weapons and other items that she uses in her fight against evil. Each has a symbolic meaning.

Maa Durga is frequently depicted standing atop or riding a tiger or lion, which represents power, will, and determination.

In riding this fearsome beast, Maa Durga symbolizes her mastery over all these qualities. Her bold pose is called Abhay Mudra, which means "freedom from fear."

 

 

FESTIVALS

 

NAVARATRI

During the festival of Navratri, Hindus celebrate the goddess Durga’s victory over the evil Mahishasura. It is said that Lord Brahma, who is the creator among trinity, had bestowed Mahishasura the gift of immortality, ensuring that he would never die. Nevertheless, this boon has one condition the one who would be able to defeat Mahishasura would be a woman. Mahishasura accepted the gift happily as he didn’t believe any woman could kill him. However, after passage of some years, no deity was able to stop Mahishasura and his followers from attacking humanity on Earth as they became stronger over time.  After seeing this situation, the three most powerful Hindu gods—Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva decided to unite and create the goddess Durga, who will be powerful and strong enough to defeat Mahishasura. To defeat Mahishasura, the gods gave lots of weapons to the Goddess Durga before going for the battle.

The demon fought with Goddess Durga for ten days. These ten days were really difficult for Goddess Durga. During these days, Mahishasura constantly changed his form to mislead the goddess Durga. But when he at last transformed into a buffalo, Goddess Durga was able to win over him. Hence, this way, Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura and got victory over the demons.

During these nine days of Navratri, some devotees also observe fast. The nine colours of Navratri have great significance. They symbolise nine incarnations of the Goddess. There is a lot of dancing that is Garba done during the festivities as well! Some people also do Dandiya Raas during Navratri. From elders to youngsters, all enjoy these nine days of Navratri with full joy and excitement.

Words Worth Reading

                             The 5 Ws of life

 WHO you are is what makes you special.

Do not change for anyone.

 WHAT lies ahead will always be a mystery.

Do not afraid to explore.

 WHEN life pushes you over, you push back harder.

 WHERE there are choices to make, make the one you won’t regret.

 WHY things happen will never be certain.

Take it in stride and move forward.

STORY FROM PANCHATANTRA

 The Frozen Snake

A man was returning home from work one cold winter evening, when he saw something black on the ground.

It was a snake.

The snake appeared frozen.

Feeling sorry for the reptile, the man wrapped it in his blanket to keep it warm.

When he reached home, he set the snake gently down before the fire so that it will feel warm.

The man’s children were excited and waited around the snake and watched it gradually come back to life. 

Wanting to help the snake recover faster, the man’s youngest son bent down to stroke it.

However, the snake raised its head, bared its fangs and was about to strike the boy when the man struck it with his axe.

Moral of the Story: Don’t expect a snake to change its nature.There are some who never change their nature, regardless of how good we behave with them. Always stay alert and maintain the distance from those who only think about their benefits.