Pandit

By Author Unknown

Once upon a time a foolish brahmin came to visit Birbal with a strangerequest. He wanted to be addressed as 'pandit'. Now, the term 'pandit'refers to a man of learning. But unfortunately this poor brahmin was
uneducated. Birbal tried to explain the difference to him saying that itwas not correct to call an uneducated man a pandit and because of this veryreason it would be improper to call him so. But the silly brahmin had his
heart set on this title. So, as usual, Birbal had a brilliant idea. He saidthat as the brahmin was an uneducated man he should hurl abuses and stonesat anyone who dared to address him by the very same title he wanted. 
  
Then Birbal called all his servants to himself and ordered them to callthis lowly brahmin a pandit. The brahmin was very pleased. But the momentthe servants started calling out to him as 'pandit' he pretended to be very
angry and started to abuse them loudly. 

Then he picked up a few stones and hurled them in their direction. All asper clever Birbal's advice. All this shouting and screaming drew a crowd.

When people realized that this brahmin was erupting every time anyonecalled him 'pandit', they all started to tease him. Over the next couple ofdays, he would constantly hear the refrain 'pandit' wherever he went. Verysoon the whole town started referring to him as 'pandit' much to hisdelight. The foolish brahmin never realised why people were calling him inthis manner. And was extremely pleased with the result. He thanked Birbalfrom the very bottom of his foolish heart

You are Beautiful Today

By Author Unknown

A child told the mother: “Mum you are very beautiful today.”
Replied the mother : “Why?”
The child said : “ Because you did not get angry today .”
*Moral of the story:*
1. It is easy to possess beauty:- do not get angry.
2. Anger is temporary madness.

Maintain Brightness

By Author Unknown

A shop is always brightly lit up.
Someone asked :
“What brand of bulb are you using ? It is so lasting.”
The shop owner replied : “Our bulbs blew out frequently.
We replaced them once a bulb blew out.”
*Moral of the story: *
1. It is simple to maintain brightness , change the bulbs regularly.
2. To brightening up everyday life : Endeavour to abandon unwholesome states

of mind and make an effort to encourage wholesome states to grow.

Cultivating Child

By Author Unknown

The owner of a farm asked his child to work everyday at the farm.
His friend said to him :
“ You do not have to make your son work so hard.
The crops would grow just as good.”
Owner of the farm replied:
“ I am not cultivating my crops, but my child.”
*Moral of the story:*
1. A simple way to groom a child is to let him experience some hardships.
2. If not cut, jade would not turn into useful ware.

Being Professional

A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication for her daughter. When returning to her car she found
that she had locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get home to her sick daughter. She didn’t know what to do, so she called her home and told the baby sitter what had happened, and that she did not know what to do.

The baby sitter told her that her daughter was getting worse. She said,“You might find a coat hanger and use
that to open the door.”

The woman looked around and luckily found an old rusty coat hanger that had been thrown down on the ground, possibly by someone else who at so me time or other had locked their keys in their car. Then she looked at the hanger and said, “I don’t know how to use this.” She bowed her head and asked God to send her some help.

Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, “Great, God. This is what you sent to help me?” But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful. The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help.

She said, “Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication, and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?”

He said, “Sure.”

He walked over to the car, and in less than one minute the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, “Thank You So Much! You are a very nice man.”

The man replied, “Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and
have only been out for about an hour.” The woman hugged the man again, and with sobbing tears cried out loud, 

“Oh, Thank You God! You even sent me a Professional!”

Conscience

Once upon a time there was a girl who had four boyfriends.  She loved the fourth boyfriend the most and adorned him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.

She also loved the third boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.

She also loved her second boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get

through the difficult times.

The girl's first boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him!

One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, 'I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'

Thus, she asked the fourth boyfriend, 'I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No way!', replied the fourth boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.

His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.

The sad girl then asked the third boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No!', replied the third boyfriend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!'

Her heart sank and turned cold.

She then asked the second boyfriend, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the second boyfriend.. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'

His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'

The girl looked up, and there was her first boyfriend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

In truth, you have four boyfriends in your lives:

Your fourth boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.

Your third boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth.When you die, it will all go to others.

Your second boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.

And your first boyfriend is your consciousness. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.

However, your consciousness is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you and continue with you throughout Eternity.

Let's all chant for cleansing our consciousness and purifying it.

The Alfred Dunhill Story

A church in London had rules that it would not employ anyone, without formal high school education.  The old pastor was benign and not stickler of rules. He allowed Alfred Dunhill (who lacked formal education) as the caretaker to clean the pew, sweep the floor and keep the podium spick and span.

Dunhill had put off taking his high school examination till it became too late. Once the old pastor retired, he was replaced by a younger person who followed the rule book. As he came to know about the caretaker’s education, he issued a notice to him that either he should get a high school certificate in six months or he should resign.

Dunhill knew that you could not teach an old dog new tricks and that he had no option but to resign. He started out his afternoon stroll in deep thought and got into Bond Street. Suddenly, he felt an urge to smoke.

He could not find a single tobacco shop on the entire street. He walked further down into a side street where he could purchase his cigarette.

He came back on the busy Bond Street.

He realized that a small cigarette shop in the street would be a sound business proposition.

He resigned at the church and started a small shop on the Bond Street which succeeded way beyond his expectations.

He noticed that many of his customers were coming from the other side of the street. He started another shop on that side of Bond Street.

The two shops multiplied to four and then sixteen. In three years, Alfred Dunhill & Co. was a leading tobacconist of England. 

He started machine-rolling cigarettes and introduced his own brand of Dunhill cigarettes. In five years, he was a millionaire many times over.

To ensure a consistent supply of tobacco, he entered into an annual purchase agreement with a couple of American tobacco farmers and went to America to meet them.

It was a big boost for the American tobacco farmers and the contract signing ceremony was converted into a media circus, with a Senator and Governor participating.

When the contracts were actually signed, Dunhill affixed his thumb impression because he had not learnt to sign his name.

The Governor was impressed and said, “Well Sir! This is awesome. Even without a formal education you have achieved so much. Just imagine what you would have done if you had a formal education!”

Dunhill’s characteristic often repeated reply was, “If I knew how to read and write, I would still be sweeping the church!” 

Management by Crisis / Accident -The Italian Fire Department

One dark night in a small town of Roselle Park, New Jersey a fire started inside the local sausage factory. In a blink the building was engulfed in flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around.

When the first fire fighters appeared on the scene, the sausage company president rushed to the fire chief and said, 'All of our secret sausage recipes are in the vault in the center of the plant. They have to be saved,so I will donate $50,000 to the fire company that brings them out and delivers them to me.

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off. Soon more fire departments had to be called in because the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president announced that the offer to extricate the secret recipes was now $100,000!

Suddenly from up the road, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was the fire engine of the nearby Peterstown section of Eizabeth, NJ. This fire department was composed mainly of Italian firefighters over the age of 65.

To everyone's amazement, the little run-down fire engine, operated by these Italian firefighters, passed fire engines parked outside the plant, and drove straight into the middle of the inferno! Outside, the other firemen watched in amazement as the Italian old timers jumped off and began to fight the fire as if they were fighting to save their own lives. Within a short time, the old timers had extinguished the fire and saved the secret recipes.

The grateful sausage company president joyfully announced that for such a superhuman accomplishment he was raising the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave elderly Italian
firefighters.

A TV news crew rushed in after capturing the eventon film. The 'on camera' reporter asked the Italian fire chief, 'What are you going to do with all that money?'

'Wella, ' said Chief Pasquale De Luccinelli, the 70-year-old fire chief, 'de fursta tinga we gonna do isza fixa de brakes on dat fockinna truck!!'

The Tunnel

By Author Unknown

Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became the retainer of a high official. He fell in love with the official's wife and was discovered. In self-defense, he slew the official. Then he ran away with the wife.*

*Both of them later became thieves. But the woman was so greedy that Zenkai grew disgusted. Finally, leaving her, he journeyed far away to the province of Buzen, where he became a wandering mendicant.*

*To atone for his past, Zenkai resolved to accomplish some good deed in his lifetime. Knowing of a dangerous road over a cliff that had caused the death and injury of many persons, he resolved to cut a tunnel through the
mountain there.*

*Begging food in the daytime, Zenkai worked at night digging his tunnel. When thirty years had gone by, the tunnel was 2,280 feet long, 20 feet high, and 30 feet wide.*

*Two years before the work was completed, the son of the official he had slain, who was a skillful swordsman, found Zenkai out and came to kill him in revenge.*

*"I will give you my life willingly," said Zenkai. "Only let me finish this work. On the day it is completed, then you may kill me."*

*So the son awaited the day. Several months passed and Zendai kept on  digging. The son grew tired of doing nothing and began to help with the digging. After he had helped for more than a year, he came to admire
Zenkai's strong will and character.*

*At last the tunnel was completed and the people could use it and travel in safety.*

*"Now cut off my head," said Zenkai. "My work is done."*

*"How can I cut off my own teacher's head?" asked the younger man with tears in his eyes.*

Bury The Worry

By CA Hemant C. Lodha

Worry is like building a high tower consisting of blocks of negative emotions. Holding negative thoughts in mind makes people depressed. In reality, it's an imaginary fear and the prevailing situation might be totally opposite or better than thought. 

Anxiety is not bad to certain extent. In fact, it’s a good tool to check over confidence or over-enthusiasm. But, as soon as it crosses line of control, it starts causing stress and eventually leads to bad health. 

One can face worry due to ‘n’ number of reasons such as failure in exam, ill health, breakup in relationship, lack of timely completion of work, boss's anger etc. There is a saying that “If a problem can be solved then there is no need to worry however, if it cannot be solved, then what’s the use of worrying”. There is a great difference between worry and concern. To illustrate, worried person sees a problem, while concerned person solves the problem. Worry is an interest paid on trouble before its maturity. 

 Tips to Bury the Worry

1. Do not assume. Check the facts. 

2. Try to think of innovative solution of a problem. 

3. Take help of experts. 

4. Think positive. 

5. Make plan ‘B’.