Inspirational Quotes and Short Stories - The Gospel of Ramakrishna Paramhansa !

Dear Readers - Enclosed here are some marvellous short stories, Tales and Fables with an Inspiring message which are extracts from the Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa.
Ramakrishna's message was delivered to the common man through short stories that they could understand -emphasizing  the "Oneness of God" and were aimed at increasing " God Consciousness" and devotion in the minds of men who were increasingly  obsessed with only the material things in Life.

Worldly people have no time for spiritual practice: Akbar and the Holy man

"When Akbar was Emperor of Delhi there lived a hermit in a hut in the forest. Many people visited the holy man. At one time he felt a great desire to entertain his visitors. But how could he do so without money? So he decided to go to the Emperor for help, for the gate of Akbar's palace was always open to holy men. 

The hermit entered the palace while the Emperor was at his daily devotions and took a seat in a corner of the room. He heard the Emperor conclude his worship with the prayer, 'O God, give me money; give me riches', and so on and so forth. When the hermit heard this he was about to leave the prayer hall; but the Emperor signed to him to wait. 

When the prayer was over, Akbar said to him, 'You came to see me; how is it that you were about to leave without saying anything to me?' 'Your Majesty need not trouble yourself about it', answered the hermit. 'I must leave now.' 

When the Emperor insisted, the hermit said, 'Many people visit my hut, and so I came here to ask you for some money.' 'Then', said Akbar, 'why were you going away without speaking to me?' The hermit replied: 'I found that you too were a beggar; you too prayed to God for money and riches. Thereupon I said to myself, "Why should I beg of a beggar? If I must beg, let me beg of God." ' "

Source:http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter37.htm

Parable of the chameleon

"Listen to a story. Once a man entered a wood and saw a small animal on a tree. He came back and told another man that he had seen a creature of a beautiful red colour on a certain tree.
The second man replied: 'When I went into the wood, I also saw that animal. But why do you call it red? It is green.'
Another man who was present contradicted them both and insisted that it was yellow. Presently others arrived and contended that it was grey, violet, blue, and so forth and so on. At last they started quarrelling among themselves.
To settle the dispute they all went to the tree. They saw a man sitting under it. On being asked, he replied: 'Yes, I live under this tree and I know the animal very well. All your descriptions are true. Sometimes it appears red, sometimes yellow, and at other times blue, violet, grey, and so forth. It is a chameleon. And sometimes it has no colour at all. Now it has a colour, and now it has none.'

"In like manner, one who constantly thinks of God can know His real nature; he alone knows that God reveals Himself to seekers in various forms and aspects. God has attributes; then again He has none. Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various colours, and he knows, further, that the animal at times has no colour at all. It is the others who suffer from the agony of futile argument.

"Kabir used to say, 'The formless Absolute is my Father, and God with form is my Mother.'

"God reveals Himself in the form which His devotee loves most. His love for the devotee knows no bounds. It is written in the Purana that God assumed the form of Rama for His heroic devotee, Hanuman.

Source :http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter06.htm

Dogmatism condemned

MASTER: "It is not good to feel that one's own religion alone is true and all others are false. God is one only, and not two. Different people call on Him by different names: some as Allah, some as God, and others as Krishna, Śiva, and Brahman. It is like the water in a lake. Some drink it at one place and call it 'jal', others at another place and call it 'pani', and still others at a third place and call it 'water'. The Hindus call it 'jal', the Christians 'water', and the Mussalmans 'pani'. But it is one and the same thing. Opinions are but paths. Each religion is only a path leading to God, as rivers come from different directions and ultimately become one in the one ocean.

Source:http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter12.htm

Oneness of God

"The Truth established in the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Tantras is but one Satchidananda. In the Vedas It is called Brahman, in the Puranas It is called Krishna, Rāma, and so on, and in the Tantras It is called Śiva. The one Satchidananda is called Brahman, Krishna, and Śiva."

The devotees were silent.

A VAISHNAVA DEVOTEE: "Sir, why should one think of God at all"

MASTER: "If a man really has that knowledge, then he is indeed liberated though living in a body.

Source: http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter12.htm

Three yogas explained by Master

"Innumerable are the ways that lead to God. There are the paths of jnāna, of karma, and of bhakti. If you are sincere, you will attain God in the end, whichever path you follow. Roughly speaking, there are three kinds of yoga: jnanayoga, karma yoga, and bhaktiyoga. 

"What is jnanayoga? The Jnāni seeks to realize Brahman. He discriminates, saying, 'Not this, not this'. He discriminates, saying, 'Brahman is real and the universe illusory.' He discriminates between the Real and the unreal. As he comes to the end of discrimination, he goes into samādhi and attains the Knowledge of Brahman. 

"What is karmayoga? Its aim is to fix one's mind on God by means of work. That is what you are teaching. It consists of breath-control, concentration, meditation, and so on, done in a spirit of detachment. If a householder performs his duties in the world in a spirit of detachment, surrendering the results to God and with devotion to God in his heart, he too may be said to practise karmayoga. Further, if a person performs worship, japa, and other forms of devotion, surrendering the results to God, he may be said to practise karmayoga. Attainment of God alone is the aim of karmayoga. 

"What is bhaktiyoga? It is to keep the mind on God by chanting His name and glories. For the Kaliyuga the path of devotion is easiest. This is indeed the path for this age. Source:http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter24.htm

Master's conception of Kāli
M: "But with him the meaning of Kāli is different. What the Vedas call the Supreme Brahman, he calls Kāli. What the Mussalmans call Allah and the Christians call God, he calls Kāli. He does not see many gods; he sees only one God. What the Brahma jnanis of olden times called Brahman, what the yogis call Ātman and the bhaktas call the Bhagavan, he calls Kāli.
http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter47.htm

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Source and credits :

Visit our "Life Transforming Books Section" to read the Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

The Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa :http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.com/p/books-that-you-can-read.html

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.

Inspiring Quotes from the Book " Rishi Chintan Key Sannidhye Mein" by Acharya Shriram Sharma.

The below mentioned Inspirational Quotes are translated excerpts from the book " Rishi Chintan Key Sannidhye Mein" or  in translated in English it means -"In the company of the thoughts of the Sages". This great book authored by Shriram Sharma Acharya, is a compilation of one page Quotes on different subjects and topics. The book is currently available only in Hindi. A link to the book is enclosed at the end of the post.

Don't just talk, DO! 

The people who talk more and "don't do" are sort of foolish. Such people make big and large plans, talk a lot about them,and usually  have no dearth of words to spin their wordy cobwebs. These people are always front of the line while making conversation and last in the line when it comes to executing the talk. The talk is in kilograms and the action a few grams! These type of people are usually hollow human beings and have a wasteful tendency. You cannot expect them to be the architect of great deeds. 

It is necessary that when you think and make plans, that you make plans that are feasible. The plans should translate to action. Therefore ,think before you plan. Think about whether you can execute the plan? Do you have enough strength and ability to execute? Are you thinking of doing something outside your capabilities? Do you have the required man power, money power, physical capabilities, enough friends and family to support the plan? 

Start to act on the plan only when you have fleshed out the full details of a plan. To achieve success in converting the plan to action -all your mental physical creative abilities have to be focused on making the plan a reality. You have to be mentally alert and alive at all times. You have to build the strength to make a resolution and build on administering the resolution. 

Success is yours if you have a well thought out plan, and the resolve to implement and administer the plan to completion!
(A Translated Excerpt from Rishi Chintan Key Sannidhye Mein)

                                                

Task Management and Conquering Laziness:

Postponing an activity that can be done right now into  the future is indicative of a habit of laziness. Whatever task you can finish today, do them today itself and do not postpone them to tomorrow. 

Swami Vivekananda Quotes on: Religion, Hinduism, The Indian Nation, Bhagvad Gita, Religious Conversions and Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Enclosed here are Quotes that are  extracts and excerpts from the speeches and lectures of Swami Vivekananda. These quotes from Swami Vivekananda's works cover the subject of the Indian Nation and its principal characteristics, the subject of Hinduism, what is religion? The Quotes also tell us his thoughts on the subject and issue of religious conversion of the poor , the art of giving, and finally end with a comment on HIS MASTER- Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and his message to the world.

Swami Vivekananda Quotes:

On India and Hinduism:

"I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. 

I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. 

I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: 

“As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.”

Source: Response to Welcome at Parliament of World Religions, 1893.

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/vol_1_frame.htm. 

Why people from different religions DISAGREE:

That has been the difficulty all the while.I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well. The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well. The Mohammedan sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world. I have to thank you of America for the great attempt you are making to break down the barriers of this little world of ours, and hope that, in the future, the Lord will help you to accomplish your purpose.

Source: http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/vol_1_frame.htm 

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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Quotes from Shriram Sharma Acharya's book "My Life its Legacy and Message"

Following are some great quotes on Spirituality ranging from How to become Spiritual? Does God have Form? The rewards of Public Service -what are they?  

These short quotes and excerpts are from the book "My Life Its Legacy and Message" by Shriram Sharma Acharya. This autobiographical book describes the spiritual journey of Yugrishi Shiram Sharma Acharya under the guidance of his own Guru from the Himalayas . 
Acharya Shriram Sharma was born to a noble, landed  and wealthy family, and yet under the guidance of his Guru he renounced his wealth and  instead poured his belongings and wealth into spreading Knowledge for greater public good. 
He describes in detail the instructions given to him by the Parliament of Divine Rishis living in their astral formats in the  Himalayas and how he was sent here by them  be an instrument of change and to revive the concepts of Vedanta and incorporate them into practical daily lives of people.

We can take inspiration from his Life and several others like him,  to share l  a component our time, resources and labour for common public good, so that in the future our  society is more  even and well balanced in its growth and believes in righteous living.

Quoted Text:

Does God have a FORM ? If  not -What is the purpose of Imagining him as having FORM?

"God is conceived as "sakar' ( with form) for the purpose of meditation according to one's liking and belief and resembles a human figure. This conception is definitely essential and useful, but it has to be borne in mind that its imaginary and not real. God is one and cannot have so many forms as has been visualised by various religions and sects. The utility of form should be kept confined to practicising concentration of mind. The principle of underlying Idol worship is that effort should be made to understand, visualise, assimilate the Invisible God through the medium of a visible symbol."

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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Inspiring Quotes from Acharya Shriram Sharma's book " My Companions In Solitude"

The following quotes are from the spiritual and mystical travelogue ‘Companions in Solitude’ authored by Shriram Sharma Acharya. Here the author has been called to the Himalayas by his own Guru, in order to receive guidance from the Divine Rishis -referred to as ‘The Parliament of Rishis (sages)’ living in their astral format in the Himalayas and influencing world affairs through their meditative powers. 
The mission and objective of the Rishis is to generate enough spiritual energy in the world so that the minds and thoughts of people can be changed away from a path of self destruction to self reformation. 

As Shriram Sharma Acharya journeys through the Himalayas to meet the Rishis, he travels into the arduous Himalayan terrain and takes inspiration from the natural beauty around him (trees, bears, yellow flies, vegetation, dangerous paths, rivers, and hilly inclines) and draws learning’s from them. All the quotes here reference nature, its glory, and compel us to think about our current life, our life style, how we have deviated from our intended path, and how we can be INSPIRED to change for the better. These are a must read.

Changing the way we think:

''Thoughts can be checkmated by counter thoughts. Spiritual masters, therefore, teach us the importance of chasing away evil thoughts by noble thoughts. Evil thoughts, however strong they may be, can by nullified by counter thoughts.''

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, page 65)

Material wealth and happiness don’t necessarily go together:

"The selfish people think only of themselves, only about the profit and loss to self. They consider none to be their own. So they remain deprived of the joy of community. Their conscience is asleep and devoid of any noble feelings. There arose in my imagination, the examples of some persons who had everything by way of riches, wealth and earthly means of comfort; but due to their self centered outlook they had nobody to call their own. All of them were neurotically unhappy."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, page 64)

Focus your energy to reach a worthwhile and achievement oriented life:

"It is observed by me that the trees which are tall and straight (Pine and Cedar) have not sprouted their branches all around. They have grown straight to the top without caring to turn this way and that. The underlying principle is that when energy is focused, one naturally rises high.

Contrary to this, the bent and crooked trees that had no firmness or consistency spread their branches in all directions, as if dissipating their energy in enjoying the tastes of all sides, chasing instant gratification and success. In this endeavour the trees spread small branches in all directions, with bodies giving appearance of being big (false pride?). Time passes. The roots find it hard to procure enough water and manure to feed all the branches. As a result, the growth is hampered and the twigs become thin and weak. The trunk of the tree also grows weak and cannot gain much height. When dispersed in all directions, how can it remain strong? Unlike these Dadra and Pinkhu trees, wise people do not dissipate their energies but force it towards achieving worthwhile high aims like the Pine and Cedar trees."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, Page 49)

Restrict your field of activity and stay focused:

"Man remains unhappy because of his activities being scattered in numerous fields. So he cannot create anything worthwhile. But when a man restricts his fields of activity and concentrates his energy thereon, astonishing results are found to be achieved."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, Page 48)

Resource de-centralization a pre-requisite for global peace and happiness:

"For actualizing humanity’s dream of Universal peace and contentment, power and resources will have to be decentralized and in that system everyone will be living happily and contented by one’s own labour."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, Page 39)

Root cause of war amongst nations and their people:

"The terrible machines roaring like demons are destroying the health, social relations, and morality. Unbridled industrialization, and capitalism, which are being called the pillars of modern developmental process, will eventually lead to violent social upheaval.

Limited industrialization is acceptable. Big industries lead to concentration of wealth in the hands of a few industrialists. The root cause of all the war clouds hovering over the world today is the insatiable greed for capturing and monopolizing the markets for industries."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, Page 38)

Don’t be cowed down by public opinion while doing what is right:

"There are many ghostly phantoms rooted in our life, due to which we remain constantly under unfounded fears from family, neighbours and society. Under the false notion that we will be looked upon as poor and ordinary fellows if we do not indulge in pomp and show, many of us incur heavy expenditures beyond our means. It is appropriate to be conscious of public opinion when the question of morality and character arises, but not with regard to being forced by fear of social stigma to incur exorbitant expenses on social functions, marriages, post death rites etc. We must stand firmly against such phantom fears."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya- Companions in Solitude, Page 35)

Most of our fears our imagined and not real:

"With all kinds of worries, troubles, dilemmas, provocations, desires and ill will staring at us from all sides, the world appears to be terribly evil and frightening. Everything here appears frightful like the bear. But when the light of knowledge of the self dawns, when the fog of ignorance fades away, we realize the folly of having assumed cows to be bears. 

When the light of true knowledge dawns, we realize that those whom we thought to be enemies are in fact reflections of our inner states of deluded minds; basically all are sparks of the Spirit. If God is flawless, his creations too must be intrinsically auspicious and benevolent. It is like imagining a frightful “Bhalu” out of a nourishing “Aloo”.(Note- The word ‘Bhalu’ refers to a BEAR in Hindi and ‘Aloo’ refers to a potato).

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya-Companions in Solitude, Page 35).

Resources created by the Almighty are for all- hence use only what is essential for you and no more:

"We human beings are behaving in an avaricious way. The vast resources created by the Almighty are to be equitably shared and used by all, instead they are being rapaciously grabbed by a few of us for ourselves alone. We never pause to think that the needs of our body and even our family are limited and that our amassing the nature’s resources beyond our needs would deprive others of even their bare survival needs. The excess acquisition only helps feed the ego’s insatiable hunger of being the owner of vast resources; which one cannot keep with oneself forever."

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya-Companions in Solitude, Page 30).

Children learn from, and are reprimanded by adults when they stray from the right path, but who is to teach and reprimand the adults of the true meaning of life?

"We are more deeply and pitiably entangled in transitory and meaningless worldly pleasures and attractions than the small children are in playing with their toys and paper boats. The grownups admonish the children for their lack of foresight and for spending their valuable time in fun and frolic, instead of attending to studies. But who will admonish the grownups who like puppies dance to the strings of sensual pleasures instead of upliftment of the soul. Who will convince the grownups that the aim of life is not sensual pleasures or gratification of desires but self realization".

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya-Companions in Solitude, Page 28)

The path to righteous living is our solace and support during difficult times in life:

"If we always remember that death can pounce upon us any moment, we may not indulge in chasing illusory pleasures. The journey of life is like the just concluded journey of today, which called for the need of keeping every step consciously, cautiously, and correctly. If a single step is taken wrongly or carelessly it might mean our straying away from the true aim of life. If life is dear to us, than in order to make it worthwhile it is necessary that we are ever alert and conscious of every step of the path. 

Life is full of responsibilities like that of the travelers walking along the narrow path alongside the edge of the Ganga (in the Himalayas). Only after negotiating it successfully, can we hope of reaching our cherished goal of self fulfillment. The path of duty is narrow like the footpath described above. Carelessness will make you slip and fall into a bottomless pit of darkness, thus depriving you of the chance to achieving the true aim of life in this incarnation. Clutching to the wall of righteousness will help maintain the balance and help minimize the fear of leaning towards the edge of abysmal depths. In difficult times this wall is our solace and support ".

(By Shriram Sharma Acharya-Companions in Solitude)

(Note: The book "Companions in Solitude' has now been re-printed as "Colleagues in Solitude". The pages referenced here may vary based on the book edition being used ).

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Source and credits:

To Know more about the author Shriram Sharma Acharya, please click the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriram_Sharma

To read the fabulous book "Colleagues in Solitude" please click the link below.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/59987539/Colleagues-in-Solitude-by-Pandit-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya