This too will pass

 

Once a King called upon all of his wise men and asked them,

“Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and in every time, something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me? Tell me is there any mantra?”

All wise men got puzzled by King’s question. He wanted one answer for all questions?

Something that works everywhere, in every situation, in every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought.

After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he’ll have to see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

After a few days, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of the King’s enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to flee on his horse. The enemies were following him. His horse took him far away in the Jungle. He could hear many troops of horses following him and the noise was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road – that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep.

If he jumped into it, he would be finished and he could not return because it was a small road. The sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great.

The message was – “This too will pass.”

The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes! It too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. Calm come on his face.

He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him.

After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.
The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being thrown on the King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself,” I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat Me.: With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He opened it and read it again: “This too will pass”

He became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by
We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life comes and goes.
Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life.. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away. There were friends in the past. They have gone.

There are friends today. They too will go. There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go. There were enemies in the past. They have gone. There may be enemies in the present. They too will go. There will be new enemies tomorrow and they too will go. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change.

Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away. Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged.

What is that unchangeable? It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change.

Experience it; understand the spiritual dimension behind this.

Love .....

Sometimes its very difficult to write about many simple things in life, just like not being able to design the most beautiful outfit for your feelings for a very special occasion... Let me try and today its for you my love ...

“I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about you, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with you, but still getting weak knees when you walk into a room and smile at me”

The journey of life is not easy but with you holding my hands and the way your eyes assure me with love that though times are hard but I shall always be with you till death do us apart.

Jaan I just want you to know that you have filled all the gaps in my life with so much love which I never ever imagined existed for someone, I love you and very much love you and I want you to know that you are the Best Friend and Husband ... You amaze me when you understand all my unspoken word .. the way you have molded our relation into such a beautiful love story. I am blessed to be your life partner and share the warmth of your love and care and I am blessed to be a child again ... because we all get be kids once in our life but you have let me be kid again .. Thanks Jaan for being mine

Love you Forever ............

Seed Of Truth ................

Truth ..... a word so strong invokes ... so much force.. can turn the world upside down... , its hard to tell.. its even harder to accept and the hardest to bileve and follow........ , its like a seed buried deep under the soil.. in the womb of mother nature.. it stirs within ... wanting to come up .. to explore somethinh "up"..  , Yes.. confession of truth is something like a birth of new life .. a new plant.. just    as the seed .. buried deep under the soil.. so is the truth.. buried in our hearts... the seed wants to come out explore the unxplored ... so is truth.. keeps on nudging .. to be confessed.. to be released .. but ..  its not easy for the seed to be born.. it has to fight aginst the force of earth..., each moment of struggle is like eternity ..  n truth .. :) it takes lots of courage and conviction to confess ...... , but as the seed struggle up there .. it bask in the warmth of the sun.. a feeling of being reborn.. a feeling which is so profound.. such is feeling of confession of truth ...  

Treasure In Old SHoEs.....

A young man, a student in a university, was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the student's friend. As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's work. The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them." "My young friend," answered the professor, "We should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how this affects him." The student did so and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes, but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it around, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin. His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanks giving in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom this timely bounty, from some unknown hand, would save from perishing. The student stood there deeply affected and his eyes filled with tears. "Now," said the professor, "Are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?" The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of these words, which I never understood before: "It's more blessed to give than to receive."

Rain.....................

She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories were a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked. "Let's run through the rain!" She repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain." "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?" "Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!" The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. A friend sent this to me to remind me of life. I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. Keep in touch with your friends; you never know when you'll need each other.

Ponder for a While.............

A boat docked in a tiny Goan village. A tourist from Mumbai complimented the Goan fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the fisherman. "But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the Mumbaite. The Goan fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The Mumbaite asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play guitar, sing a few songs... I have a full life." The Mumbaite interrupted, "I have an MBA from IIM-A, and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat." "And after that?" asked the Goan. "With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Panjim, or even Mumbai. From there you can direct your huge new enterprise." "How long would that take?" asked the Goan. "Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the Mumbaite. "And after that?" "Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," chuckled the Mumbaite, "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!" "Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Goan. "After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like with your buddies." "With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what I am doing now. So what's the point wasting 25 years?" asked the Goan. And the moral of the story is? Know where you're going in life. You may already be there. Life in the present world is indeed a rat race. Many who have qualifications from reputed universities too do not know where they are going in life. Give it a serious thought, and please don't forget to take charge of your health.

I am very fond of photography...... just wanna capture every.. small, big sweet & SOUr images........., I ve just started working on it and would love to share it wid 'U'..... :)

These are few sunsets... From my terrace.....

Jodhaa Akbar

Jodhaa Akbar

The much talked about movie… finally I made up my mind, to get the feel of the movie after hearing a lot about it from my focks…..

The start of the movie is hilarious.. it discourages the viewers.. when the movie starts with the fight scene in the start of the movie… I wondered for sometime. If the trailers is this what would be the 4 hour movie like… I got apprehensive about the nxt few hours, is it gonna be my worst Sunday.. oh God I cant bear the idea… but as I summed my patience and brought my attention back to the movie , I started enjoying it since the appearance of king Akba r( Hrithik) , he brings his muscular presence and charismatic personality to make the role his own , now whenever I would hear the name the great king I would imagine hrithik as the king and I don’t want to comment on Miss perfect Jodha (Aishwariya) some of the scenes are dramtically performed poorly but she blends perfectly with our Mr perfect .

The art direction is good and the costumes & dialogues takes u back to the grand moghual time , not for once did I feel it’s a movie from the 21st era baring the only scene where akbar was about to kiss our shy princess during a sword fight scene. If he indeed would have done that than it would have been really drowned its charm of soft , shy romance.

The best part of movie is the sweet romance of our king and the power with which he speaks his dialogues in his court dewane- e- aam. In a way its like reading a novel of a different era

Bits and pieces of history has been entwined to revive the love story of the great moghual emperor.

And now, what do I say about the music I just could not stop humming, the song jashn – e bahaara.. is just perfect.

Thanks to Mr Gowarikar and the crew to delivery a good performance keeping the viewers expectations up, baring the start of the movie.

A walk on the clouds

A walk on the clouds.. an awesome movie.. just could nt take my eyes off the screen..

The picture above is shot from the movie.....

`A Walk in the Clouds" is a glorious romantic fantasy, aflame with passion and bittersweet longing. One needs perhaps to have a little of these qualities in one's soul to respond fully to the film, which to a jaundiced eye might look like overworked melodrama, but that to me sang with innocence and trust.The movie, set in the vineyards of Northern California in the months right after World War II, tells the story of a young man and woman who meet at a time of crisis in both of their lives, who agree to pretend to be married, and who end up desperately in love just when the pretense is about to fail. The plot lovingly constructs one barrier after another to their happiness, so that we can rejoice as each one falls, only to be even more alarmed at the next. And it sets their story in a place of breathtaking beauty. At a time when movies seem obligated to be cynical, when it is easier to snicker than to sigh, what a relief this film is! The movie opens with Paul (Keanu Reeves) returning home from the war, to a wife he married one day before he shipped out. He doesn't know her, and she hardly understands him. There should never have been a marriage. Now nothing is left. Paul leaves San Francisco on a bus; another passenger is Victoria Aragon (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). They have a classic Meet Cute: He defends her from some aggressive guys, is thrown off the bus, walks on dejectedly, and finds her standing in the middle of the road with her suitcases. This is her home.But first a word about the road. It is a picturesque country lane, with leaves arching overhead, and looks not even remotely like the kind of highway Greyhound or Trailways might travel. For Arau, that is just fine; he is concerned here with the landscape of romance, not realism. Look at a scene soon after, where Victoria shows Paul the valley where her family has its vineyard; there has never been a valley this beautiful, this rolling, misty, sun-drenched and blessed; Arau uses special effects at several points in the film to push his landscapes beyond the real, into the ideal.Victoria is sad, and begins to cry. She is pregnant and forlorn, abandoned by a worthless man. She is afraid to go home to her father and confess her sin. Paul sees a way he might help: He could pretend to be her husband, they could make up a story, and he could leave in the morning. The grateful Victoria snatches at this straw, and they walk down to the family farm.The Aragon family is big and colorful and secure, Mexican-Americans who have lived on this land for generations.Alberto (Giancarlo Giannini), the father, plays his role to the hilt: He is stern and unyielding, perhaps to conceal the softness of his heart. His wife, Marie Jose Aragon (Angelica Aragon), is good and generous, and perhaps suspects something about the "marriage" but keeps her thoughts to herself. And then there is the patriarch, Don Pedro Aragon (Anthony Quinn), who sees and understands everything, and may even know Paul and Victoria are in love before they realize it themselves.The movie now alternates between melodramatic crisis and picturesque set-pieces. On the one hand, there is the growing suspicion of Alberto, who wonders why, if this boy is married to this girl, he sleeps on the floor. On the other, there is the generosity of Don Pedro, who takes Paul on an early-morning walk to show him the root from which the entire vineyard has grown.Then there is the problem that Paul has not told Victoria that he is married - in name, at least - and thus not free to act on his feelings. For he is certainly falling in love, not only with Victoria but with her family and its land. He tells her he was raised as an orphan: "When I was a kid, I made a wish on every star in the sky to have what you have here." She asks, "And have everyone telling you what to do?" He says, "Better than no one." And this theme leads up to a moment when Anthony Quinn says a line that perhaps only he could utter with complete solemnity and grace: "You are an orphan no longer." Arau gives us wonderful scenes that would, in a musical, be production numbers. There is the grape-stomping dance, and the scene of ethereal beauty when frost threatens the vines, and all the family and its workers go into the field, using big butterfly wings to fan the warmth from oil heaters down around the grapes. And a scene of near-tragedy, which I will not describe.Keanu Reeves brings to the role an artless simplicity. He realizes that this material cannot be touched with the slightest hint of self-awareness: Paul must be completely in and of this story.Reeves' performance is almost transparent, and that is the highest compliment I can pay it. Of course the casting of the young woman is crucial, and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon is a luminous discovery. The child of an Italian mother and Spanish father, she has been acting in Spain since she was 9, and here, in excellent English, she creates a hero both vulnerable and brave.For me, the most touching scene in the movie is the one where Paul stands beneath Victoria's window, singing a Mexican love song that he has just learned.

A Thousand Marbles

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know, the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about ?a thousand marbles.?I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say. ?Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you?re busy with your job. I?m sure they pay you well but it?s a shame you have to be away from home and your Family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter?s dance recital.?He continued, ?Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.? And that?s when he began to explain his theory of a ?thousand marbles.??You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.??Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I?m getting to the important part.??It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail,? he went on, ?and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.??So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to roundup 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.??I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.??Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones...??It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!?You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show?s moderator didn?t have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. ?C?mon honey, I?m taking you and the kids to breakfast.??What brought this on?? she asked with a smile.?Oh, nothing special,? I said. ?It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we?re out? I need to buy some marbles.?