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
Tag: wisdom
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
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
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?
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?
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
Whom does the destiny favour?
An Indian Folklore Once lived a boy in a village with his widowed mother. He was a simpleton but sincere and hardworking. The village used to be peaceful and abundant but unfortunately it suffered unprecedented natural calamities, one after the other — cyclones, floods, earthquakes and droughts. Life became very hard. So the boy decided… Continue reading Whom does the destiny favour?
Who is our biggest enemy?
An Indian Folktale A frog lived in a deep water body. He used to spend the night in a hole on the bank of the deep tank. Early in the morning he would come out of the hole and move along the tank in search of food. One morning, when he was about to come… Continue reading Who is our biggest enemy?
The Mountain that Ate People
A JAPANESE FOLK-TALE Long long ago in Japan, there was a small state ruled by a young feudal lord who hated old people. He felt after people turned sixty-one, they became a huge nuisance as they could neither work nor think. So he issued a decree, and threatened that whoever broke it, would be punished… Continue reading The Mountain that Ate People
What is our life?
An Indian Folklore Once the great sage, Narada, who often wandered between heaven and earth, set foot on the peak of a mountain. He then joyfully began climbing down the mountain. On his way he met a Yogi who greeted and asked: “My question is, when should God consider me worthy of meeting Him? My… Continue reading What is our life?
The Beard of the Dervish
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
What is Beauty?
An Indian Folktale There was a woman who worked for the queen. The queen trusted her very much. While sweeping the queen’s room, some-times the woman found pearls or gold beads which could have fallen from the queen’s several neck-laces and other jewellery. She faithfully restored them to the queen. The queen was so pleased… Continue reading What is Beauty?
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 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?