Facing River of Difficulties

A very tired traveller came to the banks of a river.

There was no bridge by which he could cross. It was winter, and the surface of the river was covered with ice. It was getting dark, and he wanted to reach the other side while there was enough light to see. He debated about whether or not the ice would bear his weight.
Finally, after much hesitation and fear, he got down on his knees and began very cautiously to creep across the surface of the ice. He hoped that by disturbing the weight of his body, the ice would be less apt to break under the load.

After he made his slow and painful journey about halfway across the river, he suddenly heard the sound of singing behind him. Out of the dusk, there came a 4-horse load of coal driven by a man singing merrily as he went to his carefree way. Here was the traveller, fearfully inching his way on his hands and knees. And there, as if whisked along by the winter’s wind, went the driver, his horses, his sled, and the heavy load of coal over the same river!

The story illustrates how many of us go through life.
Some stand on the bank of decisions unable to make up their minds about the course to take. Others stand on the banks trying to muster enough courage to cross over to the other side of the task or problem encountered.

On the other hand, some individuals crawl and creep through life for fear of thin ice.
Their faith is not strong enough to hold them up. Still there are those who whisked along whistling as they go. Their faith is UNSHAKABLE.

……When we face the river of difficulties, we do not have to fear, nor do we creep through life. God has promised to help, and with God’s help we can merrily make our way to the other side safely.

The Cage Door

A fable tells about two birds, each in a cage with food and water. One bird rebelled against his conditions, rejected the food and kept knocking his head against the cage door. A few hours later, he died of his injuries.

The other bird said, “Nothing’s worth dying that way.

Let me enjoy the food and water and be grateful for the little space in which I can fly.” At the end of the day, the master came to free both birds. But only one was ready and able to enjoy freedom while the other lost it once and forever.
Our life may get trapped in a cage. Closed doors might be health problems, job problems, financial limitations, feeling of rejection and insecurity, marriage problems, inability to meet your life partner, etc.

If we focus on the closed door, we will eventually act like the poor bird. But if we enjoy our life the way it is granted, we will eventually be freed. In such situations, “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Power Wintin

Believe In Yourself
and in your dream
though impossible
things may seem

Someday, somehow you'll get through to
the goal you have in view.
Mountains fall and
seas divide before
the one who in his stride

Takes a hard road
day by day
sweeping obstacles away.

Believe in yourself
and in your plan.
Say not - I cannot but, I can.

The prizes of life we fail to win, because we doubt the Power within.

Remember: Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction

Proud to be Indian - Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain

• India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
• India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented 'zero.'
• The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.
• The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
• According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
• Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
• Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
• The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
• The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.
• Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053.
• According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
• USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
• The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
• Chess was invented in India.
• Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India.
• When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilisation).
• The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

Quotes about India.
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
Albert Einstein.

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition.
Mark Twain.
If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.
French scholar Romain Rolland.

India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
Hu Shih.
(Former Chinese ambassador to USA)

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS. BUT, if we don't see even a glimpse of that great India in the India that we see today, it clearly means that we are not working up to our potential; and that if we do, we could once again be an ever-shining and inspiring country setting a bright path for rest of the world to follow. I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare of INDIA.
Say proudly, I AM AN INDIAN।

These facts were published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.

Don’t Abandon Your Dream

There were once 2 brothers who lived on the 80th level. On coming home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they have to climb the stairs home.

After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day. They left their bags then and climbed on. When they have struggled to the 40th level, the younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they have only 20 levels more to climb and decided to stop quarreling and continue climbing in peace. They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door.

And they realized that the key was in their bags which was left on the 20th floor..

This story is reflecting on our life…many of us live under the expectations of our parents, teachers and friends when young. We seldom get to do the things that we really like and love and are under so much pressure and stress so that by the age of 20, we get tired and decided to dump this load.

Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and dream ambitious wishes.
But by the time we reach 40 years old, we start to lose our vision and dreams. We began to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and criticize. We live life as a misery as we are never satisfied. Reaching 60, we realize that we have little left for complaining anymore, and we began to walk the final episode in peace and calmness.

We think that there is nothing left to disappoint us, only to realize that we could not rest in peace because we have an unfulfilled dream …… a dream we abandoned 60 years ago.

So what is your dream? Follow your dreams, so that you will not live with regrets.


Also Read.. related other post:
Dreams: Source of Inspiration and Motivation

Love is in the air...spread it everywhere

• When you are in love, an hour apart feels like a lifetime, but together, that same hour feels like a second in Paradise. I want to be in Paradise forever.
• If I tell you I love you, you'll think I'm lying. But I'd rather tell you I love you and let you think I'm lying than say I don't love you and know for sure I'm lying.
• Sometimes, the love we are looking for is right in front of us - too close for the eyes to see. So, close your eyes and let your heart see for itself.
• If I die never having loved, then I die never having lived.
• I love you takes seconds to say but a life time to commit to.
• You are so beautiful, you are my destiny, you are my complete soul, and after all you are me.
• If I was a flower in total darkness your love would be the little beam on light that keeps me alive.
• No man is worth your tears, and the one that is, won't make you cry.
• If you live to be a hundred I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.
• You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without.
• I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.
• True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen
• Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.
• There is no remedy for love but to love more.
• Love cures people both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it
• When you love someone, it is like an ocean. It goes up and down, but is always there.
• Some love lasts a lifetime. True love lasts forever.

Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let's be wise builders and role models.

Lord, we ask not that you move the mountains, but that You give us the strength to climb. "Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference" Take care of yourself, and those you love, ...today, and everyday!"

Ritual: Challenge belief systems and assumptions

When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice.

Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.

Moral:- A Perfect example to explain the ritual system which we follow. In almost all the religions we follow some kind of ritual, without trying to understand why we do that. Some spiritual people wear a special kind of hat etc. Some keep long hairs and some don't keep hairs. All these rituals are not helpful in the path to enlightenment.

The fish baking story: need for questioning

A little girl was watching her mother prepare a fish for dinner. Her mother cut the head and tail off the fish and then placed it into a baking pan. The little girl asked her mother why she cut the head and tail off the fish. Her mother thought for a while and then said, "I've always done it that way - and that's how grandma did it."

Not satisfied with the answer, the little girl went to visit her grandma to find out why she cut the head and tail off the fish before baking it.

Grandma thought for a while and replied, "I don't know. My mother always did it that way."

So the little girl and the grandma went to visit great grandma to find ask if she knew the answer.

Great grandma thought for a while and said, “Because my baking pan was too small to fit in the whole fish”.

Elephant and the Rope: Mind Block Story

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg.

No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

“Well,” he said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

It’s easy to accept some limits. It’s easy to fight some limits. The trick of wisdom is in knowing which to fight when.

Oh God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference

Eagle or Chicken: You are what you think of yourself

A man found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.

All his life, the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet in the air.

Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

The old eagle looked up in awe. "Who's that?" he asked.

"That's the eagle, the king of the birds," said the other fellow chicken. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth -- we're chickens."

So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that's what he thought he was.

Moral: Know yourself. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Then have the courage to refine your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses.

The dog and the leopard story

A lady takes her pet dog with her on a safari holiday. Wandering too far one day the dog gets lost in the bush, and soon encounters a very hungry looking leopard. The dog realizes he's in trouble, but, noticing some fresh bones on the ground, he settles down to chew on them, with his back to the big cat. As the leopard is about to leap, the dog smacks his lips and exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here."

The leopard stops mid-stride, and slinks away into the trees.

"Phew," says the leopard, "that was close - that evil little dog nearly had me."

A monkey nearby sees everything and thinks he'll win a favour by putting the stupid leopard straight. The dog sees the monkey go after the leopard, and guesses he might be up to no good.
When the leopard hears the monkey's story he feels angry at being made a fool, and offers the monkey a ride back to see him exact his revenge.

The little dog sees them approaching and fears the worse.

Thinking quickly, the little dog turns his back, pretends not to notice them, and when the pair are within earshot says aloud, "Now where's that monkey got to? I sent him ages ago to bring me another leopard..."

By keeping yourself calm and using your brain, you turn the avert dreadful situations.

Lesson: Creative thinking, Quick thinking, Avert disaster, Boldness

The blind men and the elephant story

There are various versions of the story of the blind men and the elephant. The blind men and the elephant is a legend that appears in different cultures - notably China, Africa and India - and the tale dates back thousands of years. Some versions of the story feature three blind men, others five or six, but the message is always the same. Here's a story of the six blind men and the elephant:

Six blind men were discussing exactly what they believed an elephant to be, since each had heard how strange the creature was, yet none had ever seen one before. So the blind men agreed to find an elephant and discover what the animal was really like.It didn't take the blind men long to find an elephant at a nearby market.

The first blind man approached the beast and felt the animal's firm flat side. "It seems to me that the elephant is just like a wall," he said to his friends.

The second blind man reached out and touched one of the elephant's tusks. "No, this is round and smooth and sharp - the elephant is like a spear."

Intrigued, the third blind man stepped up to the elephant and touched its trunk. "Well, I can't agree with either of you; I feel a squirming writhing thing - surely the elephant is just like a snake."

The fourth blind man was of course by now quite puzzled. So he reached out, and felt the elephant's leg. "You are all talking complete nonsense," he said, "because clearly the elephant is just like a tree."

Utterly confused, the fifth blind man stepped forward and grabbed one of the elephant's ears. "You must all be mad - an elephant is exactly like a fan."

Duly, the sixth man approached, and, holding the beast's tail, disagreed again. "It's nothing like any of your descriptions - the elephant is just like a rope."

And all six blind men continued to argue, based on their own particular experiences, as to what they thought an elephant was like. It was an argument that they were never able to resolve. Each of them was concerned only with their own idea. None of them had the full picture, and none could see any of the other's point of view. Each man saw the elephant as something quite different, and while in part each blind man was right, none was wholly correct.

There is never just one way to look at something - there are always different perspectives, meanings, and perceptions, depending on who is looking and how is he looking and with what perspective.

Lessons: Perception, Truth, Perspective

Mind Matter and Soul: Wake up to epiphany

Material nature is not independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord. As Lord Shri Krishna says, "Prakti (nature) is working under My direction." When we see wonderful things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know that behind this cosmic manifestation there is a controller. Nothing could be manifested without being controlled. It is childish not to consider the controller.

For instance, a child may think that an automobile is quite wonderful to be able to run without a horse or other animal pulling it, but a sane man knows the nature of the automobile's engineering arrangement. He always knows that behind the machinery there is a man, a driver. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is a driver under whose direction everything is working. Now the the living have been accepted by the Lord as His parts and parcels.

A particle of gold is also gold, a drop of water from the ocean is also salty, and similarly, we the living entities, being part and parcel of the supreme controller- Supreme Lord Shri Krishna.

We have all the qualities of the Supreme Lord in minute quantity because we are minute isvaras (Immeasurably small Lord) or subordinate isvaras. We are trying to control nature, as presently we are trying to control space or planets, and this tendency to control is there because it is in Lord Krishna. But although we have a tendency to lord it over material nature, we should know that we are not the supreme controller.

credit: excerpts from Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A C Prabhupada

Little eye upon you..

There are little eyes upon you,
and they're watching night and day.

There are little ears that quickly,
take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager,
to do anything you do;

And a little boy who's dreaming,
of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.

In his little mind about you,
no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly,
holds all that you say and do;

He will say and do, in your way,
when he's grown up like you.

There's a wide-eyed little fellow
who believes you're always right;

And his eyes are always opened,
and he watches day and night.

You are setting an example
every day in all you do...

For the little boy who's waiting
to grow up to be like you..........

Meaningful speech by CEO of Coca Cola

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

1. Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
2. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
3. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would to your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
4. Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
5. Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
6. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other, together.
7. Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
8. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
9. Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
10. Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
11. Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
12. Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today is a gift: That's why we call It "The Present."

:Bryan Dyson
CEO of Coca Cola

Mahatma Gandhi: Seven Deadly Sins

Mahatma Gandhi said that seven things will destroy us. Notice that all of them have to do with social and political conditions. Note also that the antidote of each of these "deadly sins" is an explicit external standard or something that is based on natural principles and laws, not on social values.

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce (business) without morality (ethics)
5. Science without humanity
6. Religion without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle

Wealth without work
This refers to the practice of getting something for nothing - manipulating markets and assets so you don't have to work or produce added value, just manipulate people and things. Today there are professions built around making wealth without working, making much money without paying taxes, benefiting from free government programs without carrying a fair share of the financial burdens, and enjoying all the perks of citizenship of country and membership of corporation without assuming any of the risk or responsibility.

Pleasure without conscience
The chief query of the immature, greedy, selfish, and sensuous has always been, "What's in it for me? Will this please me? Will it ease me?" Lately many people seem to want these pleasures without conscience or sense of responsibility, even abandoning or utterly neglecting spouses and children in the name of doing their thing. But independence is not the most mature state of being - it's only a middle position on the way to interdependence, the most advanced and mature state. To learn to give and take, to live selflessly, to be sensitive, to be considerate, is our challenge.

Many of advertisements, perhaps two-thirds of them, invite executives to indulge themselves without conscience because they "deserve it" or have "earned it" or "want it," and why not "give in" and "let it all hang out"? The seductive message is, "You've arrived. You don't need a conscience to govern you anymore." And in some ads you see sixty-year-old men with attractive thirty-year old women, the "significant others" who accompany some executives to conventions. Whatever happened to spouses? What happened to the social mores that make cheating on spouses illegitimate behaviour?

Knowledge without character
As dangerous as a little knowledge is, even more dangerous is much knowledge without a strong, principled character. Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered sports car in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs. Yet all too often in the academic world, that's exactly what we do by not focusing on the character development of young people.

Commerce (business) without morality (ethics)
If we ignore the moral foundation and allow economic systems to operate without moral foundation and without continued education, we will soon create an amoral, if not immoral, society and business. Every business transaction is a moral challenge to see that both parties come out fairly. The spirit of the Golden Rule or of win-win is a spirit of morality, of mutual benefit, of fairness for all concerned.

People get in trouble when they say that most of their economic transactions are moral. That means there is something going on that is covert, hidden, secret. People keep a hidden agenda, a secret life, and they justify and rationalize their activities. They tell themselves rational lies so they don't have to adhere to natural laws.

Science without humanity
If science becomes all technique and technology, it quickly degenerates into man against humanity. Technologies come from the paradigms of science. And if there's very little understanding of the higher human purposes that the technology is striving to serve, we becomes victims of our own technocracy. We see otherwise highly educated people climbing the scientific ladder of success, even though it's often missing the rung called humanity and leaning against the wrong wall.

The majority of the scientists who ever lived or living today, and they have brought about a scientific and technological explosion in the world. We may see an evolution, an occasional "revolution" in science, but without humanity we see precious little real human advancement. All the old inequities and injustices are still with us.

Religion without sacrifice
Without sacrifice we may become active in a church but remain inactive in its gospel. There is no real walking with people or going the second mile or trying to deal with our social problems. It takes sacrifice to serve the needs of other people - the sacrifice of our own pride and prejudice, among other things.

For example, I once observed a marriage where there were frequent arguments. One thought came to me : "These two people must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit toward each other or this union will never last." You can't have a oneness, a unity, without humility. Pride and selfishness will destroy the union between man and god, between man and woman, between man and man, between self and self.

Politics without principle
If there is no principle, there is no true north, nothing you can depend upon. The focus on the personality ethic is the instant creation of an image that sells well in the social and economic marketplace.

You see politicians spending millions of dollars to create an image, even though it's superficial, lacking substance, in order to get votes and gain office. And when it works, it leads to a political system operating independently of the natural laws that should govern - that are built into the Declaration of Independence : "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness . . . . "

In the movie The Ten Commandments, Moses says to the pharaoh, "We are to be governed by God's law, not by you." In effect he's saying, "We will not be governed by a person unless that person embodies the law." In the best societies and organizations, natural laws and principles govern - that's the Constitution - and even the top people must bow to the principle. No one is above it.


Credit: This article is excerpts from - "Principle Centered Leadership" by "Stephen R. Covey" from Chapter 7 - Seven Deadly Sins

Where is GOD? Where I can find GOD?

Once an inquisitive devotee asked a realized saint, “What is the form of God? Where does he live and where can I find him?”

The saint said, “God is everywhere and is all pervading. He is blissful, omniscient and immortal and He is your own self”. The devotee asked, “If it is so, why do I not perceive and have an experience of Him?” The saint replied, “As the God is all pervading, He is within your own mind as well but your mind is not in Him. Your mind is engrossed in the world.”

The saint in many ways tried to make him understand the existence of God but the devotee could not comprehend and realize God. The saint then told him, “Go to Haridwar, there in Ganga (Holy River in India), there is a fish of a strange colour and it can speak in the voice of human beings. The fish will give you an appropriate answer to your question”.

The inquisitive devotee bowed to the saint, touched his feet and started on his way to Haridwar. There he sat down in a corner and began to wait for the arrival of the strange fish. Whenever he saw any fish he repeated his question and asked where God lived and how could he see Him?

After sometime the strange fish came and asked the devotee “where from have you come?” The devotee replied, “A saint asked me to see you and I want to know where does God live and how can I see Him?” The fish said to him, “I am thirsty for the last seven days. So tell me where I can get water from.”

On listening to the words of the fish, the devotee laughed and said, “Oh foolish one, water is above you, below you, it is on your right, on your left and there is water on all you sides”.
When the devotee spoke like this, the fish became serious and said, “Oh, you innocent devotee. You are also foolish like me. God whom you are searching is above you, below you, on your right, on your left, and in brief he is on all your sides.

The devotee was a bit satisfied and said, “If so, why am I unable to see the blissful God and why am I so miserable?” The fish said, “The same is my question. If water is on all my sides why is my thirst not quenched?

The devotee knew the construction of the body of the fish and knew that so long as the fish swam straight with its face upward, no water can enter its mouth. To quench its thirst the fish has to swim upside down. If the construction of the body of the fish is not been like this, water can enter its body freely and it will die. So the devotee advised the fish to take a turn upside down to quench its thirst.

The fish then said to the devotee, “As we have to take a turn to quench our thirst, you should also take a turn to see God. Turn away from the desires to see God. In other words, when you turn the flow of the thoughts of your mind from the world to the blissful omniscient God, then all your sorrows will come to an end. The devotee did accordingly and realized his real Self.

Many Times In My Life

Many times in my life I have disappointed you,
and begun to stray.
But you have pointed me in the right direction,
and sent me on my way.

Many times in my life I’ve needed a helping hand,
and someone to pull me up.
It was you who gave that helping hand,
and always cheered me up.

Many times I’ve been sad and down,
and taken it out on you.
But you stood by me and comforted me,
In times that I was bad.

Many times I’ve needed support,
and to know someone was there.
It was you who held me up,
and showed me how to care.

Many times I’ve wanted to tell you this,
But never got a chance.
You have helped me out in life,
and got me where I am.

You were there for me through thick and thin,
You never gave up on me and you taught me how to care.
From the deepest of my heart I want to say I love you,
And to thank you for being there for me in times of good or bad.

Everyday is Valentine's Day

We don't need to celebrate Valentine's Day because we're romantic and thoughtful often. We do not need to set apart just one day for love.

Let us make love everyday, express it more often, spend quality time together more often... and you will soon realise - How superficial it is to celebrate valentine's day for just one day.

Love is not about exchanging expensive gifts or praising the skin beauty of your beloved. It's about loving them from bottom of your heart.

So lets not limit our love to just one day.

Love your family everyday
.....and lets celebrate St. Valentine's Day everyday!

The Paradox of our Time!

We spend more but have less.
We buy more but enjoy it less.
We watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We love too seldom and hate too often.

We've bigger houses and smaller families.
We've more conveniences, but less time.
We've more knowledge, but less judgment.
We've more experts, but more problems.
We've more medicine, but less wellness.
We've more degrees, but less sense.
We've multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We've taller buildings but shorter tempers.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space;
We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait;
We've higher incomes, but lower morals;

These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce;
These are the times of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is the paradox of time........

Cracked Pot - Our own story of unique flaws, imperfection and blemishes

A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which, he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, but the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, while the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was very ashamed of its imperfection, and was miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do -- or so it thought.

The cracked pot, after two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am very ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the water bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"For the past two years, I have only been able to deliver half of my real capacity, because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the cracked pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and compassionately said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot did notice the sun shining on the beautiful wild flowers growing along his side of the path, and this cheered it some. However, at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had again leaked out half its load, and so it apologized to the water bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and put it to good use. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path (for the return trip), and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For over two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. If you weren't the way you are, he wouldn't have the flowers for his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow Him, the Lord will use us, in spite of our flaws, to grace His Father's table in some way. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste.

Our lives are quite similar to that cracked pot. We are imperfect and broken; and at times, our sins and failures can really discourage us so badly that we feel like worthless nobodies. So as God calls you to the job He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to use them, so you too can help add beauty along the pathways He has chosen for you.

We should perhaps quit worrying about what we’re not and just give God what we are. No matter how cracked up we are, I am convinced that He has the power to mend every single cracks we have, but that’s if we will let Him. Think about this- it is because we’re imperfect that God has something to work with. Plus, it is only through cracks that light can begin to shine through.

Imperfections

No matter how much planning and preparation you do, something will not turn out the way you wanted it to be. Yet even when those inevitable disappointments do indeed come, you can adapt and make the very most of them.

Life is not perfect and yet it can be perfectly wonderful. It's great to aim for perfection, and even better to achieve excellence in spite of the imperfections you encounter. When people and situations refuse to cooperate, you can be amazingly adaptable. You can move toward excellence even in the most distressing, imperfect scenarios.

Though what you have is not perfect, you can work with it. Accept what you have, imperfections and all, with gratitude and enthusiasm. Don't spend your time waiting for the perfect situation, something which is not very likely to come. Go ahead with life as it is, with the bumps and the pitfalls, and give your best to every moment.

Valentine Day...Be my Valentine (True Love)...I'll always love you

February 14th, the day of Red Hearts and Cupids! I’ve never understood why we only set aside one day per year to focus on one of the most important things in the world—LOVE! Seems to me everyday should be the day for expressing how much we love and care for others.

With its paper cards and ribbon-tied boxes of chocolates, Valentine’s Day is the most popular day for people to dine out. In fact, if you don’t get a reservation a few weeks beforehand you may wait in line for hours to get a table at your favourite restaurant. But it’s also a day when many expectations turn to disappointments.
Romance does not have to be a bottle of expensive wine, or a bouquet of flowers. It can be a phone call to say, “I love you,” a homemade card, or simply doing the laundry for someone.

Love and Romance is not something you do once a year. It’s a daily lifestyle!

Tell your father, mother, wife, son, daughter, fiancée, beloved, brother or sister...or anyone whom you love. Shower your love on them, and remember it's not a love parade or love exhibition for just one day so just shower all your untainted, unsullied love on them. go spread the Love everyday every moment....

Don't search love, let love find you..
That's why it's called falling in Love..
Because you don't force yourself to fall..
You just fall and there shall be someone to catch you..

Caterpillar's Cocoon and Butterfly

Once a little boy was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it. The little boy got a large jar from his mother and put plants to eat, and a stick to climb on, in the jar. Every day he watched the caterpillar and brought it new plants to eat.

One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick and started acting strangely. The boy worriedly called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a cocoon. The mother explained to the boy how the caterpillar was going to go through a metamorphosis and become a butterfly.

The little boy was thrilled to hear about the changes his caterpillar would go through. He watched every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge. One day it happened, a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle to come out.

At first the boy was excited, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard to get out! Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it had and it could go no further.

The boy was so concerned he decided to help. He snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger and the butterfly quickly emerged!

As the butterfly came out the boy was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body would shrink and the butterfly’s wings would expand. But neither happened!

The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly…

The boy’s good intentions hurt the butterfly. His kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Without the struggle, the butterfly would never, ever fly.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. In fact, it is the struggle that causes you to develop your ability to fly.


When I asked god for strength, he gave me difficult situations to face.
When I asked god for brain & brown, he gave me puzzles in life to solve.
When I asked god for happiness, he showed me some unhappy people.
When I asked god for wealth, he showed me how to work hard.
When I asked god for favors, he showed me opportunities to work hard.
When I asked god for peace, he showed me how to help others.
God gave me nothing I wanted; he gave me everything I needed.
: Swami Vivekananda

Learning to live and living to learn

One must learn to manage oneself well before one can manage others well, says R Gopalakrishnan*, executive director, Tata Sons

Experience is a comb nature gives a man after he is bald! But all bald men are not old men. Nani Palkhivala once circulated a quotation about how youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but giving up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. There is much research all over the world about leaders who are learning for a lifetime. Such people are focused on the future, not on the past. They are addicted to life, as energised by it as they ever were. They seem to be forever young.

Actress Zohra Sehgal is 92. She says the secrets of her success are "a one-hour physical workout and those explicit scenes in novels." Actor Dev Anand is 80 and confesses that he does not smoke or drink, and believes that the way to be perennially young is to look ahead with excitement, and be alive all the time. Ustad Bismillah Khan is 87 and feels that "music is an ocean and I have barely reached the shore after so many decades. My search is incomplete and that's what keeps me going." Kathak dancer Sitara Devi is 79 and asserts, "I do riyaaz every single day. I am still learning to dance, now Bharata Natyam style."

I wish to share some lessons that I have learnt about staying young and zestful. I do so not merely from the perspective of my experiences so far, but also knowing that several "inexperiences" await me in the future. Sharing may help, it may even be interesting.

Manage yourself
You are defined in others' perception by your body, your mind and your time. All three require managing. It is a huge disadvantage not to be able to do so.
It pays to have a practical attitude about the role of your body. It is not the most essential thing about you, but it is the vehicle which carries what is essential. If you were given a car and told that it would be the only one for the rest of your life, you would take care of it in a certain way. Your body is the only one you'll ever have and you have to work hard to make it run longer and better.

The mind is a bit like a garden. If it isn't fed and cultivated, weeds will take it over. Just like your body would not be in good shape if it was fed only ice-cream, potato chips and hamburgers, you cannot feed your mind only with television, soap operas and Bollywood movies. Indulge your mind in the adventures it has been trained to undertake, do not waste it — read, think, write, do what turns you on in mental calisthenics.

The day has 24 hours for you, and so also for those you work with. Be respectful of your own time, and even more so, of other people's time. Diary and time management is a serious weakness of many top people and the higher the executive, the more deleterious are the effects of poor time management.

So, lesson number one is to manage yourself since nobody else can manage your body, your mind or your time.

Manage your conscience
Life is this great theater where we are all small actors. Ours is a role, cast by a scriptwriter. Our role in the play will for sure get over. That is when we peel off the grease paint, shed our costumes, and go "home to our maker". All the glory, if any, achieved during the drama of life will probably seem much less relevant at that time compared to the magical moment in the play. At that time, we will listen to the voice of silence and our own conscience. Will that be a pleasant voice?

We can make it so. By remembering throughout life what Gandhiji once said to beware of : politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, education without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity and worship without sacrifice.
It is essential to live a life with conscience. That is my second lesson.

Play to win, but with fairness
Life is competitive and, of course, you play to win. But will you do anything to win? Perhaps not. Winning without values provides dubious fulfilment. The leaders who have contributed the most are the ones with universal values — Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Manage your happiness
When I was offered a terrific professional opportunity as chairman of Unilever Arabia in 1990, my wife and I faced a dilemma: how would we cope with the restrictive lifestyle in Jeddah? My mother's advice was insightful and has stayed with me ever since, "If you both have decided to be happy, nobody can stop you. If you have decided to be unhappy, then nobody can help you." We spend our lives as though happiness is a destination and as though we are on a journey towards that destination. In reality, happiness is a companion on the journey. We can work for happiness or with happiness. The choice is ours.

Sir Thomas Lipton said, "There is no greater fun than hard work." You excel in fields that you truly enjoy, you feel happy when you feel stretched to your full potential. Success is only a by-product, not the aim of the act of working.

Life is hard… and not always fair
Scott Peck wrote, "Life is a series of problems. Do you want to moan about them or solve them?" We all meet people who crib about one thing or the other as though it was their birthright not to have those problems. I say, thank God for problems, if there were none, we would not be required, there would be no job for us to do!

As a matter of fact, life is also fun. We can feel the fun only if we see it as fun. I recall a fine movie called Zorba the Greek. It is a story about the relationship between two men, Zorba and the Boss. Boss has looks, intelligence, health, money and education. He is also a good person who is all locked up inside: he doesn't seem to enjoy life. He reads and he thinks, but he doesn't have fun. Then Zorba tells him, "You've got everything, Boss, except one thing — madness. A man needs a little madness or he never does cut the rope and be free." At the end, Zorba teaches Boss to dance, to laugh, and to let go.

My wife has been my Zorba!

Direction is more important than distance
Every golfer tries to drive the ball to a very long distance. In the process, all sorts of mistakes occur because the game involves the masterly co-ordination of several movements simultaneously. The golf coach always advises that direction is more important than distance. So it is with life.

Despite one's best attempts, there will be ups and downs. It is relationships and friendships that enable a person to navigate the choppy waters that the ship of life will encounter. When I was young, there was a memorable film by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart and Dona Reed, and named It's a Wonderful Life. It is about a man who is about to commit suicide because he thinks he is a failure. An angel is sent to rescue him. The bottom line of the film is that 'No man is a failure who has friends'.

Successful people think and radiate success
Attitude is the most important choice we can make. Research from Harvard and several top universities, all bear this out. These studies reveal that up to 85 per cent of our success in life is due to attitude, while only 15 per cent is due to ability! Whether 85:15 is correct or not, one thing is for sure, i.e. attitude is far more important than intelligence, education, special talent or luck. Tim Hansel writes in his book You Gotta Keep Dancin' that pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.

The world will not devote itself to making us happy. We have to form an attitude which enables us to adapt to the world, to think with an open mind and constructively. I learnt that success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is in the doing, not the getting. Success is in the trying, not the triumph!

Seek out grassroots-level experience
Ardous Huxley wrote, "Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him." So it is essential to seek out experiences at the grassroots-level, particularly early in one's career.

After studying physics and engineering, at an HLL interview for computer traineeship, I was asked whether I would consider marketing instead of computers. I responded negatively. After a couple of comfortable weeks in the swanky head office, I was given a train ticket to Nasik. Would I please meet Mr. Kelkar to whom I would be attached for the next two months? He would teach me to work as a salesman in his territory, which included staying in Kopargaon, Pimpalgaon and other small towns.

I was most upset. In a town called Ozhar, I was moving around from shop to shop with a bullock cart full of soaps and a salesman's folder in my hand. Imagine my embarrassment when an IIT friend appeared in front of me. I could have died a thousand deaths. After this leveling experience, I was less embarrassed to work as a despatch clerk in the company depot and an invoice clerk in the accounts department. Several years later, I realised the value of such grassroots-level experience. It is fantastic. I would advise young people to seek out nail-dirtying, collar-soiling, shoe-wearing tasks. That is how you learn about organisations, about the true nature of work, and the dignity of the many tasks that go into building great enterprises. The lesson is seek out grassroots experiences early in your career.

Learn to listen
We are all trained to speak — at school, at college debates, in tutorial colleges. Nobody teaches us to listen. Come to think about it, how does one train a person to listen? And then, there are two kinds of listening: to the words spoken and to the song behind the words. Most of us have not even learnt the former, let alone the latter.
Doug Ivester lasted only 28 months as CEO of Coke after having developed a successful career for several decades in the same company. Why? His critics thought he did not listen, that he was not sensitive to some important issues like minorities, the adulteration case in Belgium and so on. Eckard Pfeiffer of Compaq was fired by his board. Why? For surrounding himself with yes-men and ignoring those who would speak truths to him.

As a trainee at Hindustan Lever, we would be invited by chairman Prakash Tandon for lunch occasionally. It was a terrifying occasion. One of my trainee colleagues was bright, exuberant and garrulous. The chairman once gently admonished him, "Young man, as you progress in your career, will you promise me that you will listen more than you talk?"

The lesson is to avoid the congenital disability of not listening. Let us all learn to listen.

Deserve before you desire
The Chettiars of Tamil Nadu practiced a successful management development system for centuries. At 10, the youngster joined the business as podiyan (trainee), at 21, he became aduttavan (assistant), at 31, he became pangali (partner) and at 41, he became mudalali (proprietor). They had a system of rigour before reward.

At one stage of my career, I was appointed as the brand manager for Lifebuoy and Pears soap, the company's most popular-priced and most premium soaps. And what was a brand manager? It is a mini-businessman responsible for the production, sales and profits of the brand, accountable for its long-term growth, etc. I had read those statements, I believed them and here I was, at 27, "in charge of everything". But very soon, I found I could not move a pin without checking with my seniors. I expressed my frustration to the marketing director and gently asked whether I could not be given total charge. He smiled benignly and said, "The perception and reality are both right. You will get total charge when you know more about the brand than anyone else in this company — about its formulation, the raw materials, the production costs, the consumer's perception, the distribution and so on. How long do you think that it will take?"
"Maybe, 10years," I replied, "and I don't expect to be the Lifebuoy and Pears Brand Manager for so long!" And then suddenly, the lesson was clear. I was desiring total control, long before I deserved it. This happens to us all the time — in terms of responsibilities, in terms of postings and promotions, it happens all the time that there is a gap between our perception of what we deserve and the reality of what we get. It helps to deserve before we desire.

When you are older, you can and should be different from my generation. Ours is a great and wonderful country, and realizing her true potential in the global arena depends ever so much on the quality and persistence of our young people. Good luck in your journey, my young friends, and God be with you and our beloved Nation.

*Speech by R. Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons, at the HR Summit — Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, on October 11, 2003.

Drops of Oil

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man though, our young lad, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world.
The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have just then to explain the secret of happiness.

He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours. Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something, said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. As you wander around, carry this spoon without allowing the oil to spill.

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the castle, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. Well, said the wise man, did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in the dining hall? Did you see the garden that took the master
gardener 10 years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?.

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

Then go back and observe the marvels of my world, said the wise man. Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens and the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you, asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone. Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you, said the wisest of wise men. The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.

This story serves as just a little reminder that while we get all caught up in the frenzy of work and assignments, we mustn’t forget about the drops of oil, the things in life that really matter… friends, family, stuffed toys… and the ties that bind..

Don't Forget

Many times in our lives we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased you are still priceless to those who love you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are.

You are special. Don't ever forget it.

Bad Temper

Once upon a time there was a boy with a very difficult character. His father gives him a bag full of nails and tells him to drive one nail in the garden fence every time he loses his patience and/or has an argument with someone.

The first day the boy drives 37 nails in the garden fence. In the following weeks, the boy learns to control himself and the number of nails driven in the fence gets lesser every day:

The boy discovers that it is easier to learn to control himself than to hammer nails in the fence.

At last, the day comes when the boy does not drive any nails in the garden fence. Then he goes to his father and tells him that today he did not need to hammer any nail. His father then tells the boy to take out one nail from the fence for every day he succeeds in controlling his temper and not losing his patience. Many days pass and finally the boy can tell his father that he took out all the nails from the fence. The father brings his son in front of the fence and tells him:

« My son, you behaved well, but look how many holes you left in the fence »

It will never be the same. When you have an argument with someone and tell him bad words, you leave him with wounds like these. You can stab a man and then take the knife out, but you will always leave a wound. It does not matter how many times you say sorry, the wound will stay.

A wound caused by words hurts just as bad as a physical wound.

Friends are rare jewels, they make you smile and support you. They are ready to listen to you whenever you need it, they are behind you and they open their heart to you. Show your friends how much you love them.

Two brothers and the geese

Two sons work for their father on the family's farm. The younger brother had for some years been given more responsibility and reward, and one day the older brother asks his father to explain why.

The father says, "First, go to the Kelly's farm and see if they have any geese for sale - we need to add to our stock."

The brother soon returns with the answer, "Yes they have five geese they can sell to us."
That father then says, "Good, please ask them the price."

The son returns with the answer, "The geese are £10 each."

The father says, "Good, now ask if they can deliver the geese tomorrow."

And duly the sone returns with the answer, "Yes, they can deliver the geese them tomorrow."
The father asks the older brother to wait and listen, and then calls to the younger brother in a nearby field, "Go to the Davidson's Farm and see if they have any geese for sale - we need to add to our stock."

The younger brother soon returns with the answer, "Yes, they have five geese for £10 each, or ten geese for £8 each; and they can deliver them tomorrow - I asked them to deliver the five unless they heard otherwise from us in the next hour. And I agreed that if we want the extra five geese we could buy them at £6 each."

The father turned to the older son, who nodded his head in appreciation - he now realized why his brother was given more responsibility and reward.

Lesson: Deserve before you desire.

Rules of Life for being - "Human Being"

Read them, it will make perfect sense to you sooner or later...

1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in an informal school called Life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error. Experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".

4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. You can then go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end.
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. "There" is no better than "here."
When your "there" has become a "here," you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."

7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you either love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie inside you.
The answers to Life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.

10. You will forget all this!!
? :(

The World is waiting

You have the potential to be anything you want.
You are free to choose.
You are limited only by your fears.

Let your dreams take over.
Fly with the eagles, soar into life.

The world is waiting for you.

I would like to be a flower which blooms to full glory and dies, than being a tree that never blossoms.

I would like to be a spark that burns with a brilliant blaze for a moment, than being a light which cannot show path to anyone.

I would like to be a superb meteor which carries a magnificent glow, than being a sleepy and permanent planet.

I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.

I am born to Live. Not to Exist.

A Donkey Story

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.The jackass cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer and his neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, lots of dirt!

The trick to getting along well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!

Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the 5 simple rules to being happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

Born to Fly

I've been telling my dreams to the scare crow
About the places that I'd like to see.
I say, "Friend, do you think I'll ever get there?"
But he just stands there smiling back at me.

So I confess my sins to the preacher.
About the love I've been praying to find.
"Is there a brown eyed boy in my future?"
And he says, "Girl, you've got nothing but time."

But how do wait for heaven?
And who has that much time?
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know that you were born, yeah you were born to fly.

My daddy, he's grounded like the oak tree.
My momma, she's steady as the sun.
Oh, you know I love my folks, but I keep straing down the road.
Just looking for my one chance to run.

Yeah, cuz I will soar away like the blackbird.
I will blow in the wind like a sea.
I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams
And I will grow up where I'll wander wild and free.

Oh, how do you wait for heaven?
And who has that much time?
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know you were born, You were born to fly fly fly fly


:Sara Evans

Dreams: Source of Inspiration and Motivation

"Dream is not what you see in sleep, dream is the thing which does not let you sleep." President APJ Abdul Kalam

“You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'”
George Bernard Shaw

“Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.”

Great dreamers' dreams are never fulfilled, they are always transcended.
Alfred

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
C.S. Lewis

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”

To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan... believe... act!

A goal is a dream with a deadline.
Napoleon Hill.

Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams.

It may be those who do most, dream most.

As Much As I Dream
Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be...

Start Dreaming...............NOW!

Chinese New Year 2008

Chinese New Year is now celebrated throughout the world in different ways in parts of the world. It is a time to remember the friends, family and wish everyone prosperity and good luck. Let's be a part of it..

The 15-Day Celebration of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.

The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.

The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.

On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.

On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.

The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.

The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.

Fifteenth day of the new year.

On the fifteenth day of the new year Sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.

This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Story about Chinese Zodiac Sign

The 12 Zodiac animal signs are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

According to a popular legend a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor.

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox, came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle. Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying and belching fire into the air. Of course, the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back a little. Then, on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse's hoof is the snake, whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright, thus making it fall back and gave the snake 6th spot while the horse took the 7th.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the ram, monkey and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late—although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest—was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to finish line. Just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore

Life Lessons for Teenagers (may be for all)

Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it.
The average teen-ager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.

Rule No. 2: The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does.
It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)

Rule No. 3: Sorry, you won't make $40,000 a year right out of high school.
And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either, until you earn both. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.

Rule No. 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss.
He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you feel about it.

Rule No. 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either.

Rule No. 6: It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible.
This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about your mistakes -- learn from them.

Rule No. 7: Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now.
They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.

Rule No. 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't.
In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4.)

Rule No. 9: Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Not even Easter break.
They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)

Rule No. 10: Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitdotcom.
Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your F.R.I.E.N.D.S will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.

Rule No. 11: Be nice to nerds.
You may end up working for them. We all could.

Rule No. 12: Smoking does not make you look cool.
It makes you look moronic. Next time you're out cruising, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for "expressing yourself" with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.

Rule No. 13: You are not immortal.
If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven't seen one of your peers at room temperature lately. (See Rule No. 12.)

Rule No. 14: Enjoy this while you can.
Sure parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now. You're welcome.

Poison in Mind

A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law' s habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.
Days passed, and weeks passed.

Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not tolerate her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."

Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law because that would cause people to become suspicious."

Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you, when she dies you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. "Don't argue with her. Obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen." Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr.Huang had said about avoiding suspicion. So she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law' s attitude towards Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in- law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said,"Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude towards her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."

HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others will also be loved in return." God might be trying to work in another person's life through you.

Share this story with you near and dears, spread the POWER OF LOVE. "A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one."

Life is like a view from the window. You can't change the window even if you don't like it,but you can change the way you look at it.

Then you will see how beautiful life is.

God Does Exist

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always.

He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. suddenly, they touched the subject of God.

The barber said: “Look man, I don’t believe that God exists as you say so.”

Why do you say that?” - asked the client.

Well, it’s so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can’t think of a God who permits all of these things.”

The client stopped for a moment thinking but he didn’t want to respond so as to prevent an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy).

Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber: know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How come they don’t exist?”-asked the barber. “Well I am here and I am a barber.”

“No!” - the client exclaimed. “They don’t exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street.”

“Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me.”

“Exactly!”- affirmed the client. “That’s the point. GOD does exist, what happens is people don’t go to Him and do not look for Him that’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

Mind Matter and Soul: Bhagavad-Gita The Ultimate Truth

Here are some quote of the world's most famous personalities about Shri-Bhagavad-Gita:

"The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive one, of the summaries and systematic spiritual statements of the perennial philosophy ever to have been done"

Aldous Huxley
(English Writer)

"When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous."

Albert Einstein
(Theoretical Physicist)

"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."

Mahatma Gandhi
(Major political and spiritual leader of India)

"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."

Henry David Thoreau
(American author and philosopher)

"The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization."

Sri Aurobindo
(Scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru)

"The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states 'behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant.' This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita."

Carl Jung
(Swiss psychiatrist, influential thinker, and founder of analytical psychology)

"The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe."

Jawahar Lal Nehru
(Former Prime Minister of India)

"The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion."

Herman Hesse
(German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter)

"I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
(American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement)

"In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it."

Rudolph Steiner
(founder of Anthroposophy)

"From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures."

Adi Shankara
(Philosopher)

"The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity."

Aldous Huxley
(English writer)

"The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending and incarnating is to relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity."

Ramanuja
(Indian theologian, philosopher)

Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana are but three paths to this end. And common to all the three is renunciation. Renounce the desires, even of going to heaven, for every desire related with body and mind creates bondage. Our focus of action is neither to save the humanity nor to engage in social reforms, not to seek personal gains, but to realize the indwelling Self itself.

Swami Vivekananda
(Influential spiritual leaders of the philosophy)

"Science describes the structures and processes; philosophy attempts at their explanation. When such a perfect combination of both science and philosophy is sung to perfection that Krishna was, we have in this piece of work an appeal both to the head and heart."

Swami Chinmayanand
(former union minister state of India)

I seek that Divine Knowledge by knowing which nothing remains to be known!' For such a person knowledge and ignorance has only one meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! If not, you are ignorant. As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of Self, observing everywhere the object of true Knowledge i.e. God, all this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is contrary to this is ignorance."

Sri Ramakrishna
(Hindu religious teacher and an influential figure in the Bengal Renaissance)

Maharishi calls the Bhagavad-Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level." Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
(founder of Transcendental Meditation technique - schools and university with campuses in the US and China)

The Gita was preached as a preparatory lesson for living worldly life with an eye to Release, Nirvana. My last prayer to everyone, therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this ancient science of worldly life as early as possible in one's life.

Lokmanya Tilak
(Popular social reformer and freedom fighter)

I believe that in all the living languages of the world, there is no book so full of true knowledge, and yet so handy. It teaches self-control, austerity, non-violence, compassion, obedience to the call of duty for the sake of duty, and putting up a fight against unrighteousness (Adharma). To my knowledge, there is no book in the whole range of the world's literature as high above as the Bhagavad-Gita, which is the treasure-house of Dharma nor only for the Hindus but foe all mankind.

Madan Mohan Malaviya
(Popular social reformer and freedom fighter)