A Sufi story A certain dervish had a long, well-maintained beard of which he was very proud. He passed a great deal of time in devotional practices but some of his attention was upon the beard which he considered was the mark of his gravity. One day Moses was on his way to God, when… Continue reading The Beard of the Dervish
Tag: stories
What is spirituality?
Adapted from the Gospel of Ramakrishna This is a parable told by Sri Ramakrishna, a spiritual teacher, genius and saint. He did not have any formal education yet he was a treasure-house of oral traditions, out of which he created his own. The story goes like this… A holy man was once meditating on the… Continue reading What is spirituality?
What can fear do?
A Bengali Folktale Once a terrible bubonic plague broke out in Asia and wiped out millions of people. The king of India summoned all the old and wise priests of the realm to find ways to arrest the plague. The priests went into a long session of discussion and ultimately told the king that the… Continue reading What can fear do?
What should we do with illness?
An Indian Folklore Once upon a time, two fevers left their place, took the train and got down at the railway station of a big city. One of them thought of catching hold of a poor man while the other one decided to take on a rich well-to-do man. Fever number one seized a daily… Continue reading What should we do with illness?
Our Biggest Obstacle
A Sufi story Shibli, a prominent figure in Sufi tradition, is known for his eccentric personality, profound spiritual insights, and unconventional methods of guiding others. He left no writings, but his legacy was passed down orally. He was an ascetic who embraced altered states of consciousness. He was also a great lover of poetry and… Continue reading Our Biggest Obstacle
What is real Wealth and Happiness?
An Indian Folklore Once lived a proud King. The King one day decided to go on a pilgrimage. Late one afternoon he camped in a village close to a forest. He heard that in that forest lived a Sage for whom the local people had great respect. What was intriguing, the Sage was once a… Continue reading What is real Wealth and Happiness?
What is true freedom?
An Odia Folktale Once lived a very poor plumber in a town in India. One day he was assigned to repair the toilet of the queen of that town. While he was finishing up his work and leaving, he somehow saw a glimpse of the queen’s thigh. It was smooth as silk, fair and soft… Continue reading What is true freedom?
What is virtue?
An Indian Folktale In a village, there lived a thief. He stole things from here and there, sold what he got cheaply and thus made a living. Once someone in the village died and everyone in the house went to the cremation ground to cremate his body. The thief thought there would be nobody in… Continue reading What is virtue?
What are we really seeking?
An Indian Folktale (In Search of Fire) It was a winter night. The chowkidar (the village guard) had already made two rounds of the village. He was carrying a kalke, a handy earthen pipe through which one smokes. He had filled it with tobacco, but he could not light it as he had no match-box with… Continue reading What are we really seeking?
What is psychological progress?
An Indian Folklore “How long will it take to reach the other bank?” the solitary passenger asked the lone boatman as they started crossing the river. “It takes around half an hour. It depends on the course of wind and the current. Since there is storm gathering on the horizon, I will row as fast… Continue reading What is psychological progress?
Is Surrender really important?
An Indian Folklore This is a story of the Mighty Elephant and the Tiny Fish. A wealthy merchant often visited the holy city of Haridwar where his guru lived. He loved to listen to his guru’s discourse, even though he failed to appreciate all the concepts and ideas the sage presented. For instance, he could… Continue reading Is Surrender really important?
How to be wise?
A Kashmiri folktale One day a dissatisfied fellow was sitting under a walnut tree, and his eyes fell on a great pumpkin growing nearby. He thought: “Nature is so foolish. It had to give such small nuts to this big walnut tree and such immense fruits to this thin plant! Now if pumpkins were growing… Continue reading How to be wise?
How half-knowledge can mislead us?
An Urdu Folktale A man from the city of Kabul in Afghanistan once visited India. Walking along an Indian street, he came to a sweatmeat shop where all sorts of sweets were neatly displayed. Now the man knew only one or two words of Hindustani. He went up to the vendor of sweets and pointed… Continue reading How half-knowledge can mislead us?
The Tale of Melon City
A Sufi story The ruler of a certain city one day decided that he would like an arch built, so that he could ride under it with all pomp, for the public to see. But when the great moment came, his crown was knocked off while he was passing the arch. It was found that… Continue reading The Tale of Melon City
Tell it to the Walls
A Tamil Folklore A poor widow lived with her two sons and two daughter-in-laws. All four of them scolded and ill-treated her all day. She had no one to whom she could turn and tell her woes. As she kept all her woes to herself, she grew fatter and fatter. Her sons and daughter-in-laws now… Continue reading Tell it to the Walls
What is the mystery of Life and Death?
A Bengali Folklore A young king was stricken with impotence. He became bitter and unhappy. No doctor or medicine could restore to him the pleasures of potency, available even to the poorest man. The sight of beautiful women only made him sick with grief. One day, word reached him that there is a dervish who… Continue reading What is the mystery of Life and Death?
What Happens When You Really Listen?
A Telugu Folktale There was a villager who was uncultured and stupid. He was married to a very cultured woman. She tried various ways of cultivating his taste for the higher things of life, but he just wasn’t interested. Once a great reciter of the grand epic, the Ramayana, came to the village. Every evening,… Continue reading What Happens When You Really Listen?
How are women represented in Indian Folklores?
A Tamil folktale (A Hair-Breadth Escape) Once upon a time there lived a rich landlord. He was very miserly and difficult, and hence nobody was willing to work for him. Soon he had no labour for tilling his lands or filling up his tanks. One day, a holy man visited the landlord and heard about… Continue reading How are women represented in Indian Folklores?
How not to be hopeless?
An Indian Folktale One evening, a merchant was locking the doors of his shop. Suddenly, a young man sprang up from behind and snatched the bag he was holding in his hand that contained the day’s collection from his business. The merchant as well as some passers-by chased the thief and managed to catch him.… Continue reading How not to be hopeless?
What the Devil said?
Once upon a time there was a Dervish. As he was sitting in contemplation, he noticed that there was a sort of Devil near him. The Dervish said: “Why are you sitting there, making no mischief?” The Devil raised its head wearily and said: “Since the theoreticians and intellectuals have appeared in such numbers, there… Continue reading What the Devil said?