The emperor Akbar went out one night into the outskirts of the city, disguised as a fakir, and Birbal, his minister, meeting and recognizing him, the two went on together, till a one-eyed man came up to them and said to Akbar, " You have taken out my eye. Either pay me 1200 rupees or restore my other eye." Akbar was taken aback by such a demand, but Birbal was equal to the occasion. " Yes," said he, " it is quite true. We have your eye, and if you will come tomorrow we will return it to you."The man agreed, and left. Bir Bal sent to the butcher's for some sheep's eyes, and put each one separately in a wooden box by itself. When the man came in the morning, Birbal told him that the king had several eyes, but it was impossible to say which was his eye : he must therefore submit an eye to have his other eye.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Rishi Valmiki - the dacoit who tranformed
Thousands of years ago in a deep dark jungle there lived a daaku (dacoit) called Ratnakar. He would loot all the travelers who passed through the forest and people bought their lives by giving him everything they had. The few who tried to escape fell into the pits that the dacoit had dug up and other creatures of the forest would soon feast on them.
One day there came a holy man to the forest, Ratnakar rushed to him thinking that he may be carrying an idol with precious jewels adorning it and he raised his spear and told the holy man "Give me all the valuables you have got, otherwise I will cut you into pieces and throw you to the jackals" The holy man was not perturbed even in the face of such great adversity, he answered calmly "Do you think I have anything of value to you because these rags are all I have got" The calmness of the holy man's response surprised him but getting over it he said"Quick! quick, I am not the one to answer your questions, hand over to me whatever precious thing you have got" he swung his spear dramatically. "Very well then I have something precious but I will give it to you if you do this for me, go and ask your family if they will die in your place and take the burden of all the sins you are committing". Haughtily the dacoit replied, "My family shares all their loot so they will share my burdens all the same but if you want I will go and ask them, let me tie you up before I go so that you don't escape" The dacoit went home and asked all his family but everyone refused to partake in his sins, they all said that he alone was responsible in how he chose to do what he did. Daaku Ratnakar returned to the sage and told him their answer, he untied the holy man and told him "I set you free, go" the holy man stood up and told him "Nevertheless, let me keep my word, the word Rama is the only precious thing I have, the word Rama is the only word to salvation, chant Rama, Rama and you wont have to worry about anything in this world or after it" and the holy man left his way, a dacoit who had been killing and looting for so long Ratnakar started saying "Mara, Mara" and he went on chanting "maRamaRam" but such is the power of the word Rama is such that even though it was formed from the word for dead, it still bestowed peace on Ratnakar, so much so that the more he chanted the more peaceful he got and so he continued chanting it day and night to the point where one day he went so deep in trance that many days later an ant-hill formed over him but he continued to meditate on the mantra forgetting everything around him, even the passage of time and he finally attained his place as a Brahmarishi. As a result of being reborn from an ant-hill Ratnakar became known as Valmiki. Guru Valmiki wrote the epic in Sanskrit first describing the story of lord Shri Rama - Ramayana
One day there came a holy man to the forest, Ratnakar rushed to him thinking that he may be carrying an idol with precious jewels adorning it and he raised his spear and told the holy man "Give me all the valuables you have got, otherwise I will cut you into pieces and throw you to the jackals" The holy man was not perturbed even in the face of such great adversity, he answered calmly "Do you think I have anything of value to you because these rags are all I have got" The calmness of the holy man's response surprised him but getting over it he said"Quick! quick, I am not the one to answer your questions, hand over to me whatever precious thing you have got" he swung his spear dramatically. "Very well then I have something precious but I will give it to you if you do this for me, go and ask your family if they will die in your place and take the burden of all the sins you are committing". Haughtily the dacoit replied, "My family shares all their loot so they will share my burdens all the same but if you want I will go and ask them, let me tie you up before I go so that you don't escape" The dacoit went home and asked all his family but everyone refused to partake in his sins, they all said that he alone was responsible in how he chose to do what he did. Daaku Ratnakar returned to the sage and told him their answer, he untied the holy man and told him "I set you free, go" the holy man stood up and told him "Nevertheless, let me keep my word, the word Rama is the only precious thing I have, the word Rama is the only word to salvation, chant Rama, Rama and you wont have to worry about anything in this world or after it" and the holy man left his way, a dacoit who had been killing and looting for so long Ratnakar started saying "Mara, Mara" and he went on chanting "maRamaRam" but such is the power of the word Rama is such that even though it was formed from the word for dead, it still bestowed peace on Ratnakar, so much so that the more he chanted the more peaceful he got and so he continued chanting it day and night to the point where one day he went so deep in trance that many days later an ant-hill formed over him but he continued to meditate on the mantra forgetting everything around him, even the passage of time and he finally attained his place as a Brahmarishi. As a result of being reborn from an ant-hill Ratnakar became known as Valmiki. Guru Valmiki wrote the epic in Sanskrit first describing the story of lord Shri Rama - Ramayana
Monday, April 6, 2020
King Vikramaditya and the two human skulls
One day while the renowned Raja Vikramaditya of Ujjaini was holding his court, a Rakshas (demon) appeared with two old human skulls and placing them before His Majesty, bowed, and addressed him “ I have come to test how worthy is your Majesty as a reader of mysteries. Here are two skulls, examine them and tell me which one of them is of a man and which of a woman. I give you a week’s time. I will come again on the eighth day, and if your Majesty gives a correct reply, well and good, otherwise I will devour all the men and the beasts of your kingdom.” Saying this the Rakshas vanished.
After the Rakshas had disappeared, the courtiers looked at one another’s face and kept silent. The king solemnly asked the Navaratna (the nine gems) of his darbar (court) if they would be able to solve the problem, but they nodded their heads in negative. The "Nine Gems" as they were called, were the as many celebrated men of the time and the immortal Kavi (poet) Kalidas was their head. The king dismissing his darbar retired to his andar mahal (inner court) with an anxious mind.
The rumour, that the Raja could fail to find out a reply to the query of the Rakshas and that the demon would come on the eighth day and devour everybody, spread like wild fire all over the kingdom. This caused a great panic and a regular stampede began. Before the day fixed for the arrival of the demon the kingdom was entirely deserted. Even the “nine gems” of the court dared not stay. The king and the members of the royal family, were the only persons that remained in the kingdom.
The poet Kalidas was the last to leave the town. On the evening of the seventh day, that is the evening preceding the morning of the Rakshas's advent, he left the town and went into a thick forest which stood at the outskirt of the capital. When he had gone into the midst of the jungle, the shades of the night became thick and he missed his way. The ferocious beasts of prey came outside from their dens in search of food, and the forest began to resound with their howls. The dull night air moaned deeply as if to lament over Kalidas’s distress. The dark gloomy night looked awful. Kalidas’s heart beat audibly. He was at his wit’s end. At last mustering up his courage he climbed up an old big Banyan tree to save himself from falling a prey to the wild beasts. He tied himself up against a branch with his pagri (turban) to prevent an involuntary fall.
In this state, more dead than alive, the poet clung to the branch for some time. As the night advanced, the beasts of the jungle began to return to their dens after having satisfied their hunger. The moon which had up till now been giving light to the other half of the world began to peep from the eastern horizon and the forest assumed a milder aspect. When there was a dead calm, a conversation in low tone from the tree-top attracted Kalidas’s ears, he heard two voices speaking as follows :
First voice — “Dear ! Have you not promised to satiate my yearning for human flesh? I hope, you will not be unmindful of your promise ”
Second voice — “Yes, my love ! I have not forgotten it "
First voice — “But, pray, dear, when would the happy day come? You have kept me long in expectation.”
Second voice — “Tomorrow, in any quantity dear one”
First voice— “Any quantity! How can that be?"
Second Voice. — “I have devised a plan and if it succeeds we would have a big feast over human flesh for some days together. I have presented before the Raja Vikramaditya a couple of old human skulls : one of a male and the other of a female, and have asked him to distinguish the one from the other within seven days which would expire today. If the Raja fails, and fail he must, as the solution of the problem is far beyond the reach of human knowledge, the men and the beasts of his realm will be our victuals. Is it not a good plan ? my love !”
First voice — “ Yes, dear. But pray tell me how the problem can be solved ?”
Second voice — “No human science can solve it ; there is only one practical way which is unknown to men, and it is this : If a flexible wire be pressed into the ear-hole of the skull and if a male presses then it makes its way towards the throat it must be a male skull. But if a female presses the ear-hole then it will make its way towards the mouth.The reason is, that men, being entrusted with a secret keep it safely in them and do not speak it out unless a woman asks because men can be pressed by a cunning woman to part with any secret they hold close. But with the female skull the case is otherwise. The wire when pressed through the ear-hole is sure to pass out by the mouth because no sooner are women confided with a secret than they speak it out. Do you think, any human intelligence could be shrewd enough to unravel such a mystery ? Pray, don’t be annoyed with me dear, you may not like that I have talked about women this way
First voice — "Certainly not, dear. The plan is excellent indeed ! I only wish that the day had dawned earlier.”
The speakers stopped and Kalidas’s heart leapt with joy. He remained motionless for a few minutes, and then with the utmost caution to avoid the least chance of creating a noise, he slowly climbed down and ran towards the capital as fast as his legs could carry him. On he went, all the way running, and just as the day dawned he reached the palace gate, panting for breath. He met the king and told him of his adventure and good luck. The happy tidings spread throughout the kingdom and the people began pouring back in numbers. The “Nine gems” assembled and before midday, everything was almost in its former order again.
The Rakshas came at the appointed time and asked the king for the reply to his query. The king pointed out Kalidas as the person who would give the reply. The two skulls were brought out and Kalidas pressed a wire through the ear-hole of one of the skulls and finding that it passed towards the throat, he said, it was of a man and explained the reason. He then tried the other skull and the wire being pressed into its ear-hole went out by the cavity of the mouth. He declared it to be a female skull, and gave the reason. The Rakshas was not very happy to find that human intelligence and knowledge were not inferior to theirs but the question had been answered. He bowed to the king and disappeared. He was heavily admonished by his greedy spouse on his return home with the unwelcome news of his failure.
After the Rakshas had disappeared, the courtiers looked at one another’s face and kept silent. The king solemnly asked the Navaratna (the nine gems) of his darbar (court) if they would be able to solve the problem, but they nodded their heads in negative. The "Nine Gems" as they were called, were the as many celebrated men of the time and the immortal Kavi (poet) Kalidas was their head. The king dismissing his darbar retired to his andar mahal (inner court) with an anxious mind.
The rumour, that the Raja could fail to find out a reply to the query of the Rakshas and that the demon would come on the eighth day and devour everybody, spread like wild fire all over the kingdom. This caused a great panic and a regular stampede began. Before the day fixed for the arrival of the demon the kingdom was entirely deserted. Even the “nine gems” of the court dared not stay. The king and the members of the royal family, were the only persons that remained in the kingdom.
The poet Kalidas was the last to leave the town. On the evening of the seventh day, that is the evening preceding the morning of the Rakshas's advent, he left the town and went into a thick forest which stood at the outskirt of the capital. When he had gone into the midst of the jungle, the shades of the night became thick and he missed his way. The ferocious beasts of prey came outside from their dens in search of food, and the forest began to resound with their howls. The dull night air moaned deeply as if to lament over Kalidas’s distress. The dark gloomy night looked awful. Kalidas’s heart beat audibly. He was at his wit’s end. At last mustering up his courage he climbed up an old big Banyan tree to save himself from falling a prey to the wild beasts. He tied himself up against a branch with his pagri (turban) to prevent an involuntary fall.
In this state, more dead than alive, the poet clung to the branch for some time. As the night advanced, the beasts of the jungle began to return to their dens after having satisfied their hunger. The moon which had up till now been giving light to the other half of the world began to peep from the eastern horizon and the forest assumed a milder aspect. When there was a dead calm, a conversation in low tone from the tree-top attracted Kalidas’s ears, he heard two voices speaking as follows :
First voice — “Dear ! Have you not promised to satiate my yearning for human flesh? I hope, you will not be unmindful of your promise ”
Second voice — “Yes, my love ! I have not forgotten it "
First voice — “But, pray, dear, when would the happy day come? You have kept me long in expectation.”
Second voice — “Tomorrow, in any quantity dear one”
First voice— “Any quantity! How can that be?"
Second Voice. — “I have devised a plan and if it succeeds we would have a big feast over human flesh for some days together. I have presented before the Raja Vikramaditya a couple of old human skulls : one of a male and the other of a female, and have asked him to distinguish the one from the other within seven days which would expire today. If the Raja fails, and fail he must, as the solution of the problem is far beyond the reach of human knowledge, the men and the beasts of his realm will be our victuals. Is it not a good plan ? my love !”
First voice — “ Yes, dear. But pray tell me how the problem can be solved ?”
Second voice — “No human science can solve it ; there is only one practical way which is unknown to men, and it is this : If a flexible wire be pressed into the ear-hole of the skull and if a male presses then it makes its way towards the throat it must be a male skull. But if a female presses the ear-hole then it will make its way towards the mouth.The reason is, that men, being entrusted with a secret keep it safely in them and do not speak it out unless a woman asks because men can be pressed by a cunning woman to part with any secret they hold close. But with the female skull the case is otherwise. The wire when pressed through the ear-hole is sure to pass out by the mouth because no sooner are women confided with a secret than they speak it out. Do you think, any human intelligence could be shrewd enough to unravel such a mystery ? Pray, don’t be annoyed with me dear, you may not like that I have talked about women this way
First voice — "Certainly not, dear. The plan is excellent indeed ! I only wish that the day had dawned earlier.”
The speakers stopped and Kalidas’s heart leapt with joy. He remained motionless for a few minutes, and then with the utmost caution to avoid the least chance of creating a noise, he slowly climbed down and ran towards the capital as fast as his legs could carry him. On he went, all the way running, and just as the day dawned he reached the palace gate, panting for breath. He met the king and told him of his adventure and good luck. The happy tidings spread throughout the kingdom and the people began pouring back in numbers. The “Nine gems” assembled and before midday, everything was almost in its former order again.
The Rakshas came at the appointed time and asked the king for the reply to his query. The king pointed out Kalidas as the person who would give the reply. The two skulls were brought out and Kalidas pressed a wire through the ear-hole of one of the skulls and finding that it passed towards the throat, he said, it was of a man and explained the reason. He then tried the other skull and the wire being pressed into its ear-hole went out by the cavity of the mouth. He declared it to be a female skull, and gave the reason. The Rakshas was not very happy to find that human intelligence and knowledge were not inferior to theirs but the question had been answered. He bowed to the king and disappeared. He was heavily admonished by his greedy spouse on his return home with the unwelcome news of his failure.
The Best Weapon
Once the Emperor Akbar asked his court jester Lahuwa what was the best weapon, to which the jester, replied that it depended much on the purpose for which it was required. A gun would be the best weapon to fight with from a distance, while a sword would be more useful than a gun in a hand to hand fight. "Personally, I think presence of mind is the best weapon" added the jester. The Emperor was anything but satisfied with the strange reply, and said that he would some day put his statement to the test.
One day he was sitting in the balcony of his palace, when he saw Lahuwa coming towards the palace. He told a keeper to set an elephant free at once, and lead him into the narrow lane that Lahuwa had to pass through. The order was immediately obeyed. When the jester saw the elephant approaching, he at once understood that it was at the instance of the Emperor that this dangerous trick was played upon him, which if not met with courage, would prove fatal. With that presence of mind for which he is so renowned in Indian History, he seized a puppy that was lying on the road, and threw it at the elephant. The attention of the elephant was thus diverted for a short time, during which he made good his escape, and approaching his royal master, he exclaimed - "I hope your Majesty is now convinced that presence of mind is the best weapon ; for a gun or a sword would not have saved me at such a critical time"
Sunday, March 29, 2020
The Magic Conch
There was an unscrupulous money lender who lived in a village and he had swindled a lot of people with his trick but then on a particular day there came a saint to his house and requested shelter for the night. Now it was not good manners to refuse a saint so the money-lender allowed him to sleep but since he was stingy told him that he would have to sleep on the verandah that he would not be provided any food, the saint nodded then the moneylender asked the saint what he would get in return for sheltering him for the night. The saint smiled and handed him a gold coin. The money-lender was a little surprised but greedily accepted what was given to him. Later after escorting the saint to his place, the money lender was left wondering "How could a poor fakir have a gold coin?" so he decided that he should keep a watch on the saint and quietly peeked from a window to the verandah where the saint was sleeping. The saint cleaned a spot and on that he placed an old conch. He folded his hands in front of the conch and said "O Shankh Maharaj, I would like to eat a simple meal today" and lo, behold! there appeared a plate of fruits and dalliya in front of him. After finishing his meal, the saint with folded hands requested for a shawl because it was a chilly night, and now lo behold there was a small shawl near the shell. After watching this spectacle, the money-lender was very surprised and more so was overcome with greed. So when the saint was sleeping, he replaced the conch with an ordinary one. The next day the saint went his way. Now from time to time when the money lender felt like it, he would use the magic conch and partake delicious food.
After a few days the money-lender saw that the same saint was coming towards his way again, now this time he was overcome with fear, what if he asked for his conch again. He would not part with conch shell. Anyway the saint came to the money-lender and asked to stay for the night, the money lender again took a gold coin from him but this time he greeted him nicely and instead of the verandah he gave him a room and provided food. Then when everyone had retired to rest for the day, he peeked into the room where the saint was staying. The saint cleaned an area and brought forth an extremely white shiny shell, he placed it on the floor and said to it. " O Shankhji I have had enough to eat, and I have a shawl to use while sleeping but can you give me 10,000 gold mohurs." The money lender almost fell down on hearing this and then he heard the conch reply "10,000 gold mohurs is too less, please accept 50,000 coins" Then the saint said, its not safe to carry such a big amount so I will take it tomorrow. The shankhiya said "As you wish maharaj ji and then the shankhiya moved and went into the saint's bag itself. The money-lender meanwhile thought to himself, a conch which gives gold coins!! which walks and talks this is better than the one I have so when the saint was sleeping, he returned the old conch that did not walk and did not talk back in the saint's bag and instead took out Shankhiya the new white shiny conch shell.
After the saint had left, the money-lender removed the conch and placed it on a clean floor, then he said "O Shankhiya, may I have 10,000 gold mohurs" the conch replied " No my lord, you should at least take 50,000 gold mohurs." OK" said the money-lender "50,000 then" the conch said "No my lord you should take 1,00,000 (lakh) gold mohurs" so the greedy landlord was very happy and he said, "OK give me 1,00,000(lakh) gold mohurs and then the Shankhiya said "No my lord, that is too less, let me provide you with 1,00,00,000 (crore) gold mohurs" the money lender was overcome with emotion now, said "Quick quick give it to me so that I may be richer than Raja Raees himself." Then the shell broke into uncontrolled laugher. It laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and finally said "My lord, I am a magic conch (Shankhiya) but I am a dhapor shank, I only talk and talk but never provide" the real work was done by the Shankh Maharaj and as you know he never says a thing. The money-lender was gripped with regret but also realization that his greed to have everything had led him to let go of the thing which actually provided.
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