A Sufi Folktale One day an Angel visited a hermit who had spent many years in spiritual practice. The hermit thought that at last he was about to receive the result of all his sacrifices and years of strict self-control. The Angel said, “You have been chosen as a messenger for delivering one particular information… Continue reading The Angel and the Charitable Man
Month: January 2026
When Death is not a Death
A Sufi Folktale A certain man was believed to have died. When he was being prepared for burial, he revived. He sat up, but he was so shocked at the scene surrounding him that he fainted. He was put in a coffin, and the funeral party set off for the cemetery. Just as they arrived… Continue reading When Death is not a Death
The Four Men and the Interpreter
This is an allegory from Rumi’s Mathnawi. It goes like this: Four people were given a piece of money. The first was a Persian. He said: “I will buy with this some Angur.” The second was an Arab. He said: “No, because I want Inab.” The third was a Turk. He said: “I do not… Continue reading The Four Men and the Interpreter
Violence and foolishness
Adapted from the Gospel of Ramakrishna A particularly wicked snake infested a road and used to bite whoever passed by. One day a holy man was passing by and noticed the snake rushing towards him to bite. He remained calm and looked at the snake and smiled. Then the holy man said: “Follow the path… Continue reading Violence and foolishness
Non-violence
An Indian Folktale Guru Ananda, like most of the gurus, had disciples among the householders, along with the students who lived with him. Once in a while the guru camped in such villages where a large number of his householder disciples lived. One such village was Mahigram. He was camping there with a dozen or… Continue reading Non-violence
THIS TOO WILL PASS
A Sufi Folktale A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt rather confused and called the wise men to him. He said: “I do not know the cause, but I feel a compelling urge to seek… Continue reading THIS TOO WILL PASS
Do we know what women can do?
An Indian Folklore A man and his wife lived in a small town. The man thought no end of his cleverness. One day he said to his wife: “People say that a woman’s cunning is unbeatable —even the cleverest among men cannot match it.” The wife said, “And so it is, without doubt. A victim… Continue reading Do we know what women can do?
The Shrine
A Sufi story Mulla Naseeruddin’s father was a highly respected man. A Keeper of a Shrine. Shrines are burial places of great teachers which then turn into pilgrimage for seekers and followers. In the usual course of events, Naseeruddin could be expected to inherit this position. But soon after their fifteenth year, when he was… Continue reading The Shrine
Artillery
A Sufi story Once an Independent Chief of an indigenous clan was invited by a king of an Empire. The officials of the Empire intended to illustrate the warlike capacities they had so that the Independent Chief realizes the power of the Empire. So a great many arms and armies were organized in an arena… Continue reading Artillery
What is a good way to decide?
An Indian Folklore A villager had seven sons who were married one after the other, in order of their age. The wife of the youngest son, though very young in age, had a wise head. Seeing that the wants of the family were growing, she spoke to her husband, his brothers and to her father-in-law,… Continue reading What is a good way to decide?
What is the difference between faith and foolishness?
An Indian Folktale Once upon a time there lived in a village a washerman. Every day he had to pass by the house of a priest who taught the village boys. One day when he was passing that way, he heard the priest saying, “Naughty boys, what are you? I have turned donkeys into men.” … Continue reading What is the difference between faith and foolishness?
Heaven and Hell
An Indian Folklore There was a man. He died. He went to God of Death, who asked, “Do you want to experience heaven or hell first?” He began to think [muttering], “Should I say heaven?” He thought and he thought about it. Then he said [loudly], “I want to experience heaven first.” He went to… Continue reading Heaven and Hell
Whom to call for help?
An Indian Folklore Once a man called Bhola lived in a village which was in a rocky, arid area. The village had been facing severe water scarcity for many many decades. Bhola had been trying to find a solution to this problem for quite some time. One day a travelling party was crossing the village… Continue reading Whom to call for help?
Does spirituality mean foolishness?
If God is Everywhere (Adapted from the Gospel of Ramakrishna) A sage had a number of disciples. He taught them his deepest belief that God is everywhere and dwells in everything. So the disciple should treat all things as God and show devotion towards everything. One when a disciple was walking on a road, he… Continue reading Does spirituality mean foolishness?
What is a spiritual world-view?
An Indian Folklore A traveller saw a man sitting beside a lake with his fishing rod dipped in the water. The traveller went near him and asked, “Gentleman, will you kindly tell me which is the way to the village called Bhimpur?” The fishing man, far from replying, did not even look at the traveller.… Continue reading What is a spiritual world-view?
Who is our true self?
A Tiger That Didn’t Know Who He Was (Adapted from the Gospel of Ramakrishna) A pregnant tigress once jumped into the midst of a flock of sheep. As she did so, she went into labour, gave birth to a tiger cub, and died on the spot. A kind-hearted sheep nursed the cub, gave it her… Continue reading Who is our true self?
What is true transformation?
An Indian Folklore The little mouse was almost dead when the sage’s wife rescued it from their cat. “O poor creature!” muttered the lady while trying to revive it. “I saved you today but who will save you tomorrow? I wish I had the power to change you into a human being!” The sage who… Continue reading What is true transformation?
Why one needs to be cautious of religious doctrines?
An Indian Folktale The good old zamindar had a guru. Once every year the guru would honour the zamindar by camping in his house for a few days. Then the good old zamindar passed away. His son, Kishore, was not known to have much interest in matters spiritual. Nevertheless, he put up a show of… Continue reading Why one needs to be cautious of religious doctrines?
The Thief
A Sufi story Once lived a man who was an intellectual. One night he started running through the city streets. “Thief, Thief!” he cried. People surrounded him, and when he was a little calmer, asked: “Where is the thief?” “In my house.” The man replied. “Did you see him?” People asked again. “No.” Came the… Continue reading The Thief
The Ants and the Pen
A Sufi Story Once an ant strayed across a piece of paper and saw a pen writing in fine, black strokes. “How wonderful this is!” thought the ant. “This remarkable thing, with a life of its own, makes designs on this beautiful surface, to such an extent and with such energy that it is equal… Continue reading The Ants and the Pen