Inspiring Quotes, Short Stories, Tales and Fables from "Akhand Jyoti" magazine (1).

The below mentioned Inspirational Tales and short stories make for a great read for both adults and children. The tales carry a fabulous message of living life purposefully and righteously.
These Inspirational Tales and Quotes  are  from the September 2003 issue, of Akhand Jyoti magazine. Akhand Jyoti or "Light Divine" is a magazine that captures the writings and thoughts of the Divine Sage and follower of Vedanta -Yugrishi Shriram Sharma Acharya. The magazine was started in 1936 and has millions of readers worldwide. A web link to read Akhand Jyoti online is available at the end of this article.

                         Inspirational  and Motivational Stories, Quotes,Tales and Fables:

STORY #1:

A king was in search of a spiritual guide. He made the following announcement to search out a GUIDE for himself and set a contest for this purpose: “The king will give land free to all participating saints . One who is able to construct the grandest mansion at the earliest time will be declared as the Raj guru. Many persons known as spiritual masters offered themselves to compete for the coveted position. They took land, collected contributions and started constructing the mansions matching the king’s expectations. The king used to supervise their progress every day. 

Construction work was going on rapidly. One saint who was also a contestant was found sitting on the same place every day on the land given to him. The King asked him “Why don’t you start constructing the mansion?” He replied “This vast open and grandiose world is my mansion. What grander mansion than this can I build? Any man made construction needs to be constantly looked after and maintained and one develops a false sense of ownership towards it. Hence I always keep on looking after and maintaining this vast world without any sense of ownership. Why should I build a new one?” The king came to know the essence of real knowledge and he humbly requested the saint to be his Guru.

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STORY #2:

King Bindujat once planned to offer royal financial support to the shelter-less Sadhus ( shelter less hermits) in his state. He gave this responsibility to his able minister named Gratsaman. The minister roved around the entire state with a bag of gold coins but could not distribute a single coin. Finally he returned unsuccessful and gave the 'treasure' back to the King.

The King could not believe that there was no shelter-less Sadhu in his country. He asked the minister – “Why was the money not distributed? 

The minister humbly replied – "His Majesty, the money was meant for the true hermits who chose to live a nomadic life for the noble purpose of helping more and more people from their saintly knowledge and goodwill. 
There are many such deserving Sadhus in our nation; but they don't accept any money for themselves". He continued – "there is no dearth of fake sadhus who evade their duties and want to enjoy life on others' expense, by exploiting their religious faith…; the royal money is certainly not for them". 

What should be done then? There was a debate in the royal house of ministers. Only Gratsaman came out with a constructive suggestion – “I think, instead of giving money for personal use we should lend support to the altruistic activities initiated and guided by the saintly hermits. This way we shall be making good contribution to their noble cause and offering true service to the nation as well.”

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Source and Credits: 

Akhand Jyoti Magazine, started by  Shriram Sharma Acharya, is published by Gayatri Parivaar, Shantikunj , Hardwar.

Read Akhand Jyoti online :http://literature.awgp.org/magazine

                     

Inspiring Quotes, Short Stories,Tales and Fables from "Akhand Jyoti" Magazine (2).

Enclosed here is a collection of  inspiring quotes, short stories  tales and fables  with a great message. These tales are from the magazine "Akhand Jyoti" or the "Light Divine". The magazine publication  was initiated  by Acharya Shriram Sharma  in 1936. 
The magazine completes 75 years of publication and circulation this year and has millions of readers worldwide.  (Note: certain grammatical amendments to the quoted text have been made for ease of reading.)

                                Inspiring Quotes, Tales and Fables

The Sage and the naughty youth: 

A sage once lived in a hut outside a village. Almost every evening, the villagers gathered at the sage's hut to hear his discourses. When the time would come for evening prayers and discourses some naughty youngsters from the village would descend upon the hut and begin to chat noisily. From time to time they would tease the sage and interrupt him. This routine continued for some months, but not once did the sage show anger or irritation towards the youth. Sometimes he would actually participate in their noisy chatter and laugh with them.

After prolonged efforts when the sage showed no signs of anger at the boy's behavior the boys began to feel remorseful of their conduct. They begged forgiveness of the sage, and asked: " O Great Soul - We deliberately tried to tease you, vex you ,but not once have you got annoyed or lost your temper. Why is that?". The sage replied: " Son, if I had got angry, how could I have taught you anything?

(Akhand Jyoti magazine- September-October 2011)

The Importance of dietary discipline, hard work and a disciplined life:

A king once lost his way in a jungle and in the course of his wandering's , reached a village. The villagers did not know of the King , did not recognize him to be a King and yet they welcomed him warmly and attended to his comforts. The innate goodness of the villagers greatl impressed the King deeply, and he in turn wanted to return their kindness. He noticed that the village had no medical facility, so he proceeded to build one for the village and appointed a well qualified doctor there.

One year passed. The doctor visited the King to give an update and told him : " O king- I remain without work in that village. In the last one year , not a single patient has turned up. All the medicine stock is also remaining un-utilized". The King became really curious about this situation , so he went to the village himself to enquire as to why the villagers were not using this medical facility? The villagers explained- "We observe dietary discipline in our daily routines and engage in hard labor.  Our food items constitute natural products and are fresh and pure. Our daily routine is also well regulated with hard physical exertion as its main constituent. All this helps us ward off disease, and if per chance , an illness does occur, it soon gets expelled from the system through the mechanism of sweating!". The King realized the importance of teaching all his citizens the importance of natural , fresh food and hard disciplined labour. The Doctor was shifted out of the village to a more appropriate location.

(Akhand Jyoti Magazine- May-June 2011)

Anger:

Anyone can become angry -That is easy. But to be angry with the right person- To the right degree,at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way - That is not easy.   ( By Aristotle)

(Akhand Jyoti Magazine- May-June 2011)

Lord Buddha and Bhikshu Kashyap ( Bhikshu, means a sage that lives on alms):

Bhikshu Kashyap, through the power of his "Yoga" started to display miracles of "yoga" in the city of Sravasti. This spread his fame far and wide. After the spread of this news, he remained surrounded by a crowd of people day and night and he could find no time for his own self purification and his own Sadhana. Lord Buddha was saddened to hear of this state of events and he sent him a message- "If you had used your powers of Yoga in the service of the needy and not misused them for getting fame and praise , many people would have benefited including yourself".

(Akhand Jyoti Magazine- May-June 2011)

The greatness of Mahatma Gandhi ( His simplicity and an even temperament):

A peasant was once greatly inspired by the message of Mahatma Gandhi and wished desperately to see him and have his darshan. Gandhiji, was scheduled to visit a nearby village, so the villager boarded a train from his village and set about to see Gandhiji. On the way he kept visualizing  what Gandhiji would look like? He presumed Gandhiji would be a person of great splendour!

At the village station , he bought a train ticket and boarded the train. The train compartment was really crowded. The peasant tried to make space for himself. He saw a gentleman reclining on a berth, and he seemed to be quite exhausted. The peasant approached him, shook his arm to wake him up and said -" Can you get up and sit up, you are reclining as this was your own train?". The gentleman got up and vacated his seat for the peasant  The peasant sat down in the vacated seat and started talking to the people around him. He said "I am going to see Gandhiji. I believe he alleviates the sufferings of the common man  and the distressed". The people around him simply smiled at his words.

When the train finally reached the next station, a crowd of people rushed in looking to welcome Gandhiji. The peasant was astonished and anguished to know that the person he had admonished to "sit up" was none other than Gandhiji.

(Akhand Jyoti Magazine- May-June 2011)

We hope that you enjoyed reading these inspiring and  motivational quotes, tales and short stories. For more of the same we invite you to read Akhand Jyoti magazine online.

 Read Akhand Jyoti Online:http://literature.awgp.org/magazine

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Source and Credits :

Akhand Jyoti magazine was started by Shriram Sharma Acharya  to transmit the Acharya's writings and Literature. The spirit of the Divine purpose of  Acharya Shriram Sharma's Life lies in Acharyaji's  extensive writings (translation of all Vedas , Puranas, Upanishads, learnings from Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana etc) and forms the essence and substance of this magazine.

Inspirational Quotes, Short Stories, Tales and Fables from "Akhand Jyoti" Magazine

Enclosed here are Inspiring Quotes, Short Stories, Tales and Fables with a great message. These inspiring motivational tales and short stories are from "Akhand Jyoti" magazine or the "Light Divine" started by Shriram Sharma Acharya in 1936. 

The Akhand Jyoti magazine completes 75 years of publication and circulation this year and has worldwide readership. Akhand Jyoti magazine was started by Shriram Sharma Acharya  to transmit the Acharya's writings and Literature. 

The spirit of the Divine purpose of  Acharya Shriram Sharma's Life lies in Acharyaji's  extensive writings ( the translation of all Vedas , Puranas, Upanishads, learnings from Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana etc) and forms the essence and substance of this magazine. (Note: certain grammatical amendments to the quoted text below have been made for ease of reading.)

The Art of being Tactful yet Truthful:

"A King called three great artists and asked them to make his portrait. There was a big prize for making the best portrait. The King had only one eye.

One artist thought that the King may get angry if he showed him with only one eye. So he made a beautiful portrait with two eyes. 

The second artist thought that the portrait should be completely real and so he sketched the picture with only one eye. 

The third artist acted intelligentlly and showed the king with a bow and arrow.An eye was hidden in the posture as the king was aiming to hit the target. 

All the portraits were beautiful but the prize for the best portrait went to the third artist as he had succeeded in artfully making the truth of the King having one eye more appreciable."

(Credits: Akhand Jyoti Magazine, September-October 2011)

The wisdom of Jesus Christ:

When Christ was in the town of Caper, he chose to live with the downtrodden , illiterate and backward people in the city.Many criminal people and people with a dubious character also lived there. The elite of the town went to visit Christ and pay their obesiance to him. The requested HIM to come and stay at a nearby locality where the people were cultured, educated and civilized. At this request Jesus replied by saying: "Does a doctor on duty go to see the sick and the healthy persons? The Son of God has come to serve those in pain, to show light to those who are in dark, to help the fallen ones to rise. So he has to live with the lowest and the lost.

(Credits: Akhand Jyoti magazine, September- October 2011)

The  distribution of knowledge and wisdom is the best charity:

A dispute arose between three brothers on the best type of donation or charity. One brother said -Money is the best donation. The second brother said- gifting a cow is the best donation. The thrid brother said -gifting land is the best donation.

The Father did not give an answer. He sent his eldest son with some money and the son gave this money to a beggar he met on the way. Similarly, the second and the third son went and gave a cow, a piece of land to the same beggar while on their way to do their father's work.

A few days later the sons were passing through the village with their father and were surprised to find the same man bagging again. The man had finished the money and sold the cow and the land. Now the Father told the sons: The charity of giving wisdom is the best charity".

(Credits : Akhand Jyoti Magazine, September- October 2011)

Can Money be the most Important ingredient of our Life?

A Businessman from the city of Basra got lost in the desert. He wandered lost for a very long time. He was hungry and looking desperately for food. As though God heard his prayers by evening, he found that he could see Nakhalistan. He was really happy to see a parcel lying there. He picked it up felt it and thought it was a parcel of grams and that it would be enough to feed him for two days.

Minutes later he was really distressed and disappointed. On opening the parcel he found that it was not grams that he could eat, but precious pearls were the contents of the packet. He remained hungry. 

In the final moments of life we realize that MONEY is not the most important pursuit of our lives. Money is precious only when it is utilised rightly and justly, and when not utilised correctly, the pursuit of money is like accumalating gravel and stones.

(Credits : Akhand Jyoti Magazine , September- October 2011)

The Most Important work, The Best person and The Most Auspicious Time:

A seeker once asked : "Which is the most important work, Who is the most important person and What time is the best time"?

The wise person explained: " The work in hand is the most important work ; One who works along with you is the most important person ; and the present moment is the most auspicious time - so do not waste it".

(Credits : Akhand Jyoti Magazine , September- October 2011)

Control of The Senses: Katha Upanishad

The journey of life can be safely completed only if one keeps a watchful control over the senses. This is also the path of reaching the Supreme/ or The Absolute. 

The BODY is like a chariot to which the SENSES are yoked like horses. The MIND is like the reins, it enables the charioteer to hold the horses in check. 

The SOUL rides in the chariot and the ROAD is the world of objects over which the senses move.

If the reins are not held firmly and wisely, the senses like wild horses will get out of control and the chariot will not reach its goal. Instead the chariot will go round and round in births and rebirths.

If man is wise and controls his mind, his senses will be like well behaved horses driven by an able charioteer. -(Katha Upanishada{3(3,4,5,9)}

(Credits : An excerpt with minor text modifications from Akhand Jyoti magazine , May- June 2012).

Note to our readers: We hope you enjoyed reading these Inspiring Motivational short stories. For similar other stories and informative articles , we invite you to read Akhand Jyoti online.Akhand Jyoti Online :http://literature.awgp.org/magazine

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Inspiring Quotes, Short Stories, Tales and Fables from "Akhand Jyoti" magazine

Enclosed here are Inspiring Motivational Tales, Short stories, Tales and Fables with a good message from the May- June 2012 English edition, of Akhand Jyoti magazine . 

Akhand Jyoti is a monthly magazine started by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya in 1936. It carries articles from the writings of Shriram Sharma Acharya and similar other prolific contributors. It has worldwide distribution in the millions and is printed in multiple languages. This year (2013) Akhand Jyoti completes seventy five years of publication!

Quoted Text : Inspiring Quotes, Short Stories, Tales and Fables

Mother to Son :

"Son! Take these two pieces of sweets. Eat the bigger piece yourself and give the smaller one to your friend". Okay Mother- says the son and went over to sit with his friend. The mother watched the son , as he gave the BIGGER piece of the sweets to his friend and kept the smaller one for himself.

She called the boy back and chided him, saying: "You naughty boy I had told you to keep the bigger piece for yourself and give the smaller one to your friend! Why did you do the opposite?

The child replied innocently: Mother I find greater joy in giving more to others and in keeping as little as possible for myself."

The mother became serious. For a long time she was engrossed in deep thought, reflecting on the generous nature of the child.

The boy was later known as Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.An iconic figure in India's struggle for Independence and HIS spirit represents the spirit of sacrifice present in similar other great people born across all nations of the world. 

(Akhand Jyoti magazine- September- October 2010).

The Farmer who lost his watch:

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch as the watch had a lot o sentimental value for the farmer. After Searching high and low among the hay for a long time, the farmer gave up searching and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found the watch would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn and ran around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch.A little boy went up to the farmer and asked to be given another chance. The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why not? After all this kid looks sincere enough, so let him try as well?''.

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand. The farmer was happy and surprised. He asked the boy how he succeeded when the rest had failed. The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction".

Message: A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind everyday and see how sharply it helps you to organize your life the way you expect it to be...!

(Akhand Jyoti Magazine- May June 2012)

The Sandal wood Tree and the Axe :

Goswami Tulsidasji has distinguished the traits of the good and the wicked as follows-The conducts of the saints and the wicked people are analogous to those of the sandal wood tree and the Axe. The axe cuts down a sandal wood tree, and at the same time the sandal tree perfumes the Axe by imparting its virtue (its fragrance) to the Axe. For this reason, sandalwood (in the form of paste) finds its way to the head of Gods (as Tilak on the Idols) and is loved by the world. While the axe has its metal edge heated in the fire and beaten with a hammer as punishment.

(Akhand Jyoti Magazine- May -June 2012)

The Legend of Ameer Khusro:

Ameer Khusro, the son of a rich man of Turkey was so obsessed with the desire to search for the ultimate truth that he left a luxurious life and became a mystic. He was is search of a great man who would be able to give him spiritual guidance. As a matter of chance he met Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Both were vey happy to have met with each other.

Auliya felt that he had found a good disciple but he felt it necessary to ascertain the same through a test and evaluation process. Auliya said to Khusro - "You are a scholar, you know so many languages- Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit and other Indian languages too. You should be in the Kings court." To which Khusro replied " I have left everything behind and have come to your court. I don't feel the need to be at a King's court". Happy with the answer Auliya accepted him as a disciple.

Khusro's spiritual upliftment continued under the guidance of the Guru. Looking at the prevalent conditions in India at that time, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said to Khusro- "I want to scarifice you for the good of the nation. You should eradicate hatred and spread the message of harmony amongst Hindus and Muslims.Tour the entire country and and create an environment where the whole country will remain bound together." Following his Guru's order, Khusro went to each nook and corner of India and played a vital role in binding the country together.

Message : Like yesterday, even today we need more people like Ameer Khusro, not just in India but around the world." 

(Akhand Jyoti magazine- Jan -Feb 2011)

Dear Readers: We hope you enjoyed reading the above collection Inspiring and Motivational Quotes and Short Stories. Akhand Jyoti magazine was started by Shriram Sharma Acharya  to transmit the Acharya's own writings and Literature. The spirit of the Divine purpose of  Acharya Shriram Sharma's Life lies in Acharyaji's  extensive writings (translation of all Vedas , Puranas, Upanishads, learnings from Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana etc) and forms the essence and substance of this magazine.

Be sure to explore other similar articles from Akhand Jyoti "using the SEARCH articles "  tab on the blog. May we also  invite you to read Akhand Jyoti online:http://literature.awgp.org/magazine

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Inspiring Quotes, Short Stories, Tales and Fables from "Akhand Jyoti" Magazine

Enclosed here are Inspiring and Motivational Tales and stories and with a good message from the March- April 2012 English edition of Akhand Jyoti magazine. 

Akhand Jyoti is a monthly magazine started by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya in 1936. The magazine carries articles from the writings of Shriram Sharma Acharya and similar other prolific contributors. It has worldwide distribution and is printed in multiple languages. 

Quoted text: Inspiring quotes, short stories, tales and fables with a good message.

The Monkeys of Kashi and Swami Vivekananda:

"The monkeys of Kashi ( a town in India) were considered notorious and wicked. There is an anecdote connected with them which was often recounted by Swami Vivekananda. He would say " Once I was going to a place in Kashi. The area on the way was infested with monkeys who were quite notorious for tormenting the passers-by. They behaved in the same way with me too and they probably did so because they did not like my intrusion into their territory. With shrill shrieks they descended on me and started biting at my legs. It seemed impossible to get rid of them. I fled the place, but alas, the more I ran , the more the wicked monkeys would chase and bite me. Suddenly an unfamiliar voice rang in my ears: " Do not run away, confront them. I halted in my tracks and uttered a severe scolding to the monkeys. To my surprise -the monkeys, taken aback, ran away".

Message : Life has its share of adversities and challenges, we all have to face these challenges boldly and squarely and confront them without running away." ( From Akhand Jyoti magazine , March-April2012).

The Falcons from Arabia:

Once there lived a King who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained. Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the King that though one of the falcons was flying majestically and soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived. 

The King summoned healers and sorcerers from all over the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the members of his court , but no solution was forthcoming. The bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything else, the King thought to himself, "Maybe I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem". So he commanded -" Go and get me a knowledgeable farmer".

In the morning , the King was thrilled to see both the falcons soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, " Bring to me the doer of this miracle". The court quickly located the farmer , who now stood before the King. The King asked him, " My friend- How did you make the falcon fly?'. The farmer replied- "It was very easy your highness, I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting".

Message -We are all made to fly ; to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But instead of doing so, we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless but for most of us they remain un-discovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, the mundane. So for the most part, our lives remain mediocre , instead of being exciting, thrilling and fulfilling. So let us learn to recognize and fly away from the branches of fear that we cling to and free ourselves for the glory of flight".

( From Akhand Jyoti magazine- March-April 2012)

King Vikramaditya and the Poet Kalidas:

King Vikramaditya and the poet Kalidas were strolling through the palace gardens. In course of their stroll the King remarked to the great poet Kalidas: " How creative and talented you are! You are a writer par excellence. I wish God had given you a matching and beautiful body". 

The satire was not lost on the wise Kalidas. He did not say anything at that time. On their return to the palace, Kalidas ordered two pots, one of clay and the other of Gold. Both were filled with water. After sometime Kalidas asked the King - " Now tell me sir which of the two waters is cooler?'. "That of the clay pot" replied King Vikramaditya. 

A smiling Kalidas then said - " Just as the ability to cool water does not depend on the pots outer shell and appearance, so also talent is unrelated to the physical appearance of the body. One should look at the inner abilities and not the external wrapping. It is the beauty of the soul that is Supreme. Learning and greatness are linked with the soul and not the body".

( From Akhand Jyoti magazine- March April 2012)

Aristotle and the rustic:

A rustic person once approached the great philosopher Aristotle. He wanted to know how to attain knowledge of the Absolute, or Knowledge of the Supreme. Aristotle gazed at him and then said the following: "Start washing your clothes and combing the hair daily. It is the process of continously removing your shortcomings that is called Sadhna and that leads to self realization and knowledge of the Absolute".

( From Akhand Jyoti magazine, March- April 2012)

Dear Readers -We hope you that have enjoyed reading these stories and gained from them. We invite you to read Akhand Jyoti Online by following the enclosed Link: http://literature.awgp.org/magazine

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