There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
a. The 4th wife is our body.
No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
ન-નામી
મૂર્ખને મુક્તિ મળે, એ પણ નકામી હોય છે એની આઝાદી તો ઈચ્છાની ગુલામી હોય છે દૃશ્ય જે દેખાય છે, એવું જ છે, એવું નથી આપણી દૃષ્ટિમાં પણ ક્યારેક ખામી હોય છે.આંખના કાંઠે તો બસ બે-ચાર બિન્દુ ઊભરે મનના દરિયે જ્યારે એક આખી ત્સુનામી હોય છે સૂર્ય શો હું, આથમીને, સત્ય એ સમજી શક્યો માત્ર ઉગતા સૂર્યને સૌની સલામી હોય છે નામ પાછળ જિંદગીભર દોડવું એળે જશે આખરે જે જાય છે એ તો “ન-નામી” હોય છે
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
The danger of plastic bags.
Came across one forwarded email about plastic bag usage data. and what is danger about it. so, just sharing it with you all.
Hope you will like this information.
TheDangersof_PlasticBags
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Hope you will like this information.
TheDangersof_PlasticBags
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soft drink awareness
Came across forwarded email. which shows some data on soft drink awareness.
so, just sharing it with you.
Hope you will like this information.
Soft Drinks Awareness
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so, just sharing it with you.
Hope you will like this information.
Soft Drinks Awareness
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Friday, June 12, 2009
India In a world map through knowledge
This is a worth watching documentary on IIT (Indian Institute of Technology).
I am sure you will enjoy this :)
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I am sure you will enjoy this :)
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Human life and self deception.
Here in UK (Leeds) luckily met Prof K.V.Mardia. who is a statistician by profession and has passion for Jainism. He has written “Scientific foundation of Jainism” in 1990 and now he is working on his next book about “Negative emotions management”. This story is written in Hemachandra’s Parsistaparavan. Which Prof. k.v.mardia has mentioned in his book with pictures as well.
I heard such stories in my childhood. So, just wanted to have that in my diary(blog). I am sure this will help you for your spiritual life journey.
Human life and self deception.
Jainism is full of illustrative parables to depict it’s ideas.The story of the blind men and the elephant as used to express Anekantvad (the holistic principle) is well known.
Here I will share one another story which is also an eye opener when we are blindly running after something.
Story:
Once upon a time there was a man who was traveling with a party which happened to pass through a thick forest full of wild beasts and robbers. In the middle of the forest, they were attacked by a band of these robbers. The party fled for their lives in all directions; the man became separated from the group and lost his way.
When he looked back to see where he was, he saw a mad elephant running furiously towards him. He realized that if he did not find shelter, he would be killed instantly by the elephant. Noticing a well, he thought, “This elephant is sure to kill me, but I may perhaps save my self by jumping into this well”.
So he jumped into the well, grasping one of the branches of a banyan tree which overhung it. At the bottom of the well, the man saw a huge python ready to swallow him should he fall and at the bottom, on the four sides of the well, he could see four cobras hissing at him.
Two rats, one white and one black, were eating away the branch of the banyan tree that supported him. At the top of this branch there was a beehive with bees circling around him. The elephant stood on the brink of the well, and as it tried to capture the man with its mighty trunk, it caused the branch to move to and fro causing some drops of honey to fall on the man’s lips.
At that moment, a monk happened to arrive on the opposite side of the wall to the elephant and offered to help rescue the man from the well. However, the man seemed to be momentarily satisfied with the situation whilst he had the sweet taste of honey on his lips.
He did not realize that the branch of the tree would be eaten away by the rats and then he would have no support at all or the whole tree would be uprooted by the elephant and he would fall down to swallowed by the python.
Symbolism and Interpretation:
This whole drama is symbolic of the delusional state of man. The forest is the cycle of birth and death, and the man in the forest is the ordinary worldly man. The mad elephant is that ran after him is death. The well is his earthly life; the python is the symbol of the lowest state of existence (Hell). The four cobras are the symbols of Anger, Greed, Ego, and Deceit (the four main passions).
The two rats , white and black , represent time, the bright and dark halves of the lunar month, which exhaust his earthly span. The monk represents the true religion. The branch of the banyan tree represent the short duration of his earthly life.
The bees in the hive are organs of the senses and the honey drops represent sensuous pleasures.
So, the whole drama comes down to this: the common man, ignoring the fact that his life may be cut off at any time by death, satisfies himself by enjoying sensuous pleasures and is oblivious to the truths offered by philosophy: he is being influenced by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit.
In a modern context, this parable warns against self indulgence in a very broad sense. The warning includes keeping away from top negatives such as smoking, drugs, and anything sparked by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit. It emphasizes that the true solution exists in “religiousness”.
Read more...
I heard such stories in my childhood. So, just wanted to have that in my diary(blog). I am sure this will help you for your spiritual life journey.
Human life and self deception.
Jainism is full of illustrative parables to depict it’s ideas.The story of the blind men and the elephant as used to express Anekantvad (the holistic principle) is well known.
Here I will share one another story which is also an eye opener when we are blindly running after something.
Story:
Once upon a time there was a man who was traveling with a party which happened to pass through a thick forest full of wild beasts and robbers. In the middle of the forest, they were attacked by a band of these robbers. The party fled for their lives in all directions; the man became separated from the group and lost his way.
When he looked back to see where he was, he saw a mad elephant running furiously towards him. He realized that if he did not find shelter, he would be killed instantly by the elephant. Noticing a well, he thought, “This elephant is sure to kill me, but I may perhaps save my self by jumping into this well”.
So he jumped into the well, grasping one of the branches of a banyan tree which overhung it. At the bottom of the well, the man saw a huge python ready to swallow him should he fall and at the bottom, on the four sides of the well, he could see four cobras hissing at him.
Two rats, one white and one black, were eating away the branch of the banyan tree that supported him. At the top of this branch there was a beehive with bees circling around him. The elephant stood on the brink of the well, and as it tried to capture the man with its mighty trunk, it caused the branch to move to and fro causing some drops of honey to fall on the man’s lips.
At that moment, a monk happened to arrive on the opposite side of the wall to the elephant and offered to help rescue the man from the well. However, the man seemed to be momentarily satisfied with the situation whilst he had the sweet taste of honey on his lips.
He did not realize that the branch of the tree would be eaten away by the rats and then he would have no support at all or the whole tree would be uprooted by the elephant and he would fall down to swallowed by the python.
Symbolism and Interpretation:
This whole drama is symbolic of the delusional state of man. The forest is the cycle of birth and death, and the man in the forest is the ordinary worldly man. The mad elephant is that ran after him is death. The well is his earthly life; the python is the symbol of the lowest state of existence (Hell). The four cobras are the symbols of Anger, Greed, Ego, and Deceit (the four main passions).
The two rats , white and black , represent time, the bright and dark halves of the lunar month, which exhaust his earthly span. The monk represents the true religion. The branch of the banyan tree represent the short duration of his earthly life.
The bees in the hive are organs of the senses and the honey drops represent sensuous pleasures.
So, the whole drama comes down to this: the common man, ignoring the fact that his life may be cut off at any time by death, satisfies himself by enjoying sensuous pleasures and is oblivious to the truths offered by philosophy: he is being influenced by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit.
In a modern context, this parable warns against self indulgence in a very broad sense. The warning includes keeping away from top negatives such as smoking, drugs, and anything sparked by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit. It emphasizes that the true solution exists in “religiousness”.
Read more...
Friday, June 5, 2009
Better Life. :-)
Today, One of my friend Amit Tyagi, has mentioned his google talk caption with the url http://whatyouwant.in/show_want.php?id=830. for better life...Nice to know about it and check how exactly we are living our life.
I am sure you will enjoy this and will improve in your life style :-)
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Read more...
I am sure you will enjoy this and will improve in your life style :-)
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Read more...
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