Ponder a while

         
                                    Ponder a while

Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub ; It is the centre hole that makes it useful. 

Shape clay into a vessel ; it is the space within that makes it useful.

Cut doors and windows for a room ; it is the holes which make it useful. 

Therefore profit comes from what is there and usefulness from what is not there.

• If you are bitter at heart, sugar in the mouth will not help you.
• If your heart is a rose, then your mouth will speak perfumed words.
• As soon as your cart is turned over, everyone reaches to give you advice.
• One can get sick of cake, but never of bread
• Truth and oil come to the surface.
• Call the bear uncle till you are safe across the bridge.
• When a king makes a mistake, all people suffer.
• Needle is small, but it sews expensive garments .
• Aim high in your career but stay humble in your heart.
• If you cannot serve, you cannot rule .
• Stubborn men make lawyers.
• The darkness of night cannot stop the light of morning.
• What is wrong today won't be right tomorrow.
• The world exists on three things : Truth, justice and peace

Small things matter

       
                                     Small things matter


           Man is always in a hurry. While doing great works the man is in such a hurry that he ignores and neglects small small things which lead to a heavy loss. And this realization dawns on him when it is too late.
A small leakage in a water pipe if neglected, can flood the entire area around. A small hole can sink a big ship.A small spark of fire if ignored, can turn into a big fire creating a great havoc. Similarly, cold or cough however trivial it may look, can lead to diseases. The texts on politics point out that even an enemy, however small he may be,should not be ignored in the interest of the country. A small weed allowed to grow in the garden will usurp the nutrients of the soil and affect the growth of healthy plants.
In the same fashion, small things in fact, add value and glory to the accomplishments. Seasoning to the dishes in cooking, garnishing the salads with spices and herbs, toppings to the ice creams, cakes not only give treat to our palate but also to our eyes. Little learning something good and new everyday grows into a vast store house of knowledge. Small drops of water ultimately fill up a bucket full. Small savings done regularly accumulate into a huge wealth in due course. Steps though small, taken continuously lead ultimately to the desired destination.
Sometimes a little planning devoting little time can pave way for huge success in life. Getting up early morning half an hour earlier than usual, allotting  five  minutes for prayer or meditation, then twenty minutes for a breakfast in a relaxed manner , enjoying dinner with the members of the familyand before going to sleep lying down in a relaxed position glistening to a soothing music or doing a prayer or remembering some happy incidents, will go a long way in maintaining good health and balance between inner self and outside world by decongesting the negative thoughts and promoting the positive aspect of the mind. Slowly and steadily this brings discipline and efficiency in routine works . Then one will find joy in every small thing. Big tasks can be achieved easily. And this will give capacity to turn more works in less time.Such a small step taken daily will evolve into a joyous and sublime spiritual journey which will make you feel always relaxed and fresh.

There is a beautiful story which depicts how negligence of small things due to hurry causes annoyance and heavy loss .
Once upon a time, a merchant sold all of his merchandise at a fair and filled his money bags with gold, silver and jewels. He wanted to go back home and sleep in his own bed. So he packed his riches in his trunk and put it on his horse and rode away.
At noon he rested in a town. When he wanted to move on, a stable boy brought out his horse and said, " Sir, a nail is missing in the shoe of its near hind foot " .
" Oh, don't bother me with these little things."
" The shoe will  certainly stay on for the six miles I have still to go. I am in a hurry."
In the after noon, when he once more climbed on his horse and had the animal fed, another stable boy
Running towards him ,said, " Sir, a shoe is missing from your horse's near hind foot. Shall I take him to a blacksmith ? "
" No ", answered the merchant -" The horse can well hold out for the couple of miles that remain. I am in a big hurry."
So,he continued, but before long the horse began to limp. Then it stumbled, fell down and broke its leg .
The merchant was forced to leave the horse where it was,unbuckle the trunk, take it on his back and go home on foot. The trunk was very heavy and he had to put it down in between and rest for a while. Soon it became very dark. He saw a band of robbers coming on the road. Sensing danger, he dropped the trunk there and ran away in a different , unknown direction to save his life.

Wit and Wisdom

                                      Wit and Wisdom

• The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core strength within you that survives all hurt.
• Desperation is sometimes as powerful as inspirer as genius.
• It is the experience of living that is important, not searching for meaning. We bring meaning by how we love the world.
• The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.
• Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs  repairing.
• Advertising is eighty five percent confusion and fifteen percent commission
• If we could sell our experience for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaries.
• Labor is craft, but perfect rest is an art.
• The most important thing in communication is to hear what is not being said.
• You can wash your hands but not your conscience.
• You cannot be anything if you want to be everything
•          Despise not any man, and discard not anything, for there is not a man who has not his hour and there exists not a thing which has not its place.

Home, sweet home

                        Home, sweet home


It is said east or west, home is the best.

A householder left home in search of finding the highest beauty. Here beauty is not to be taken in the modern sense as it is understood now. It is an enduring quality which always appeals to the mind and has a soothing effect on the mind. He met a number of people. When he asked a sage, he replied that one can find the greatest beauty in faith. Because faith alone can reveal God even from a stone.
Then he came across a devotee who said that the real and ultimate beauty is in love only. Because of the selfless love only, Lord Krishna is dearest to all. The householder was not satisfied. He saw a soldier coming on the way. The army man said that peace is the real and the greatest beauty.
Two days had passed since he left his home. He was not satisfied with his quest. So many people and so many different answers for the same single question . He felt home sick. He wanted to see and be with his family. So he returned home. All the members of his family were crying and could no longer bear separation from him. The moment they saw him coming, they all ran and clung to him. He grew richer in his ignorance and repented that in vain he left the house to find something which is not available outside. For, faith, love and peace are found only in one's own home. That is why one can find oneself only at home. So, it is rightly said that ' Home, sweet home'.
Home is the place to find happiness. If one does not find it here, one cannot find it anywhere.

Food for thought

              
                             Food for thought

• Whatever happens in accordance with nature should be accounted good.
• Goodness is the only investment that never fails.
• The greatest crimes are caused by surfeit, not by want.
• One must learn by doing the thing, though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.
• Expedients are for the hour, but principles are for the ages.
• The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.
• It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give happiness.
• If you carry with you your childhood, you never become older.
• Time is the great physician.
• A honest man's word is as good as his bond.
• Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
• Everyday, commit yourself to experiencing the good life.

My father , my treasure

                            My father, my treasure - On Father's day



  Here is an outpouring of feelings of a son towards his father.

When I was three years of age, I felt that my father is the most powerful person in the whole world.

When I became six years of age, my father seemed to be the most learned one among all the people.

When I was fifteen, I started feeling that my dad is far behind the times and needs some more knowledge to keep pace with the present progressive world.

When I entered my twenty, I felt my father could not match the wave lengths of my thoughts.

When I was twenty five, I imagined that my father has the habit of finding fault with each and every work. So to seek his advice or help is futile.

When I was thirty, it dawned on me that my father could understand a little of the world and its ways because of the exposure to the media.

When I was thirty five, something in me urged that I should seek his advice in small matters at least.

When I was forty, I felt the need of my father's guidance in some important matters also.
 
When I was fifty, I decided that I should not do anything without consulting my father, because by then I had realized that my father is the most wisest man in the world and a precious treasure to possess. Indeed, father is a precious gift given to all by the Almighty.

This depicts how the feelings attain maturity in due course.
For an innocent child, his home is the world . He adores his father as the supreme in the whole world. As he grows into a big boy and reacts with the external world, he starts finding limitations in his father . Slowly as he gets into the middle age and a little above and after undergoing all the tribulations in life, he realizes the spark of wisdom in his father.
This is a beautiful graphic description of the feelings of a child from his innocence to adulthood.

Nectar drops

                                   Nectar drops

• The art of living is just the right balance between work, achievement and play.
• The greatest failure in life is to live unhappily.
• The secret guide line to success is simply to remove your worries, and find ways to enjoy your life.
• Turn a nature walk into a treasure hunt.
• Listen to all the teachers in the woods. Watch the trees, the animals and all the living things. You'll learn more from them than books.
• The six virtues that doctors have to possess since a doctor is expected to work with compassion. The six virtues are - generosity, ethics, tolerance, perseverence, concentration and intelligence.
• The decision making skills are what makes a man great.
• If we take any action that is not geared toward a goal, we are wasting time.
• Anger is a great force. If you control it, it can be transmuted into a power which can move the whole world .
• Once we discover. how to appreciate the timeless values in our daily experiences, we can enjoy the best things in life .