[Inspirational Stories] - Shut up and Get Out

Shut up and Get Out

Once a reporter asked Swami Chinmayananda if he could give the gist of Advaita Vedant in just couple of words.

Swamiji said in an angry tone, "you want the whole Vedant in two words? Just 'Shut up' and 'Get out'!"

The reporter was baffled.

With a warm smile Swamiji explained with his usual wit; "The whole religious Truth is SHUT UP & GET OUT. Shut up in your mind.. the next thought need not arise... and get out of this misconception that you are a body. You are not a body... You are something more than that.... You are the all pervading internal essence- the Self, the Consciousness, the Life in you. Discover this identity with God, the One life everywhere......

.....and that cannot be done until you SHUT UP!"



* Content from INSPIRATIONAL STORIES & THOUGHTS.

[Story] - What is purity in daily Life ?

A young couple move into a new neighborhood. The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hang the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said, "she doesn't know how to wash properly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap".

Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look! She has learned how to wash properly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said: "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!"

And so it is with life: "What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look. Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in the person we are about to judge."

* Thanks to INSPIRING STORIES AND THOUGHTS group of facebook.

[Stories] - Energy Expands

Your thoughts become energy. If your thoughts are negative, the energy
is negative; if positive, then the energy is positive. When emotions
become involved with the thoughts, the energy is even stronger. The
energy, however, doesn’t remain dormant — it expands. It expands each
time you think your thought. For example, “I want to buy a new home.”
The more you think this thought, the energy expands and builds, and
the stronger the thought becomes. Dreaming of your “want” builds the
energy more.

As energy builds and gains strength, it begins to attract like energy.
Like a magnet, the energy attracts other like matter to it. Since the
energy is inside you, it attracts the like matter to you. If your
thoughts lean toward the negative, then you are attracting negative
matter — dead end jobs, horrible bosses, bad relationships, never
achieving that which you most want, constant struggle, conflicts,
built up anger, and so on. Whereas, if your thoughts are positive, you
attract positive outcomes and situations.

As you can see, negative thoughts and energy weaken you and your
ability to achieve. Positive thoughts and energy empower you. Whatever
you think, you attract back to you in greater degrees. Literally, your
thoughts do create your reality. Evidence is all around you. Are your
thoughts negative or positive? Do negative or positive situations,
events and people surround you?

Source: Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

Whatever you think that you become.If you have to think ,think good
thoughts,great thoughts - Swami Vivekananda


* Thanks to HolyTrio Google Groups

Four Wives [Story]

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Never try to judge... :)

Once a old man and his 25 years old son were going in train.


The son sat next to window and started looking outwards, then shouted,"Dad look the trees are going behind.."


Dad smiled...


And a young couple siting near looked at the 25 yrs old behaving childishly, with pity..


suddenly he again exclaimed, "Dad look the clouds running with us"


Couple couldn't resist and said 2 old man,"Why don't you take your son to a good doctor?"


Old man smiled and said, "We did and we are just coming from hospital... my son was blind from birth and just got his eyes today!"

Moral: Don't jump to a conclusion directly.. because many times what you see, hear and feel is not the TRUTH!

Happy Narasimha Chardurthi

Narasimha also spelt as Narasingh and Narasinga, is an avatara of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism, and one of Hinduism's most popular deities, as evidenced in early epics, iconography, and temple and festival worship for over a millennium. He is often visualized as half-man/half-lion, having a human-like torso and lower body, with a lion-like face and claws. This image is widely worshiped in deity form by a significant number of Vaishnava groups, particularly in Southern India. He is known primarily as the 'Great Protector' who specifically defends and protects his devotees in times of need.

The Story of Narasimha

The story of Narasimha as described in the Bhagavata Purana is as follows: In his previous avatara of Varaha, Vishnu killed a rakshasa known as Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha's brother Hiranyakashipu, greatly angered by this, started to abhor Vishnu and his followers. To which end he decides to attempt to kill Vishnu by gaining mystical powers, which he believes Brahma, the chief among the devas will award him if he undergoes many years of great austerity and penance. This initially seems to work as planned with Brahma becoming pleased by Hiranyakashipu's austerities. Brahma thus appears before Hiranyakashipu and offers him a boon that he will personally make true anything he wishes for. In reply to which Hiranyakashipu requests the following:

O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.

Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time.

One day while Hiranyakashipu was performing austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home was attacked by Indra and the other devas. At this point the divine sage, Narada intervened to protect Kayadu, whom he describes as 'sinless'. Following this event Narada takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narada, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada, became affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlada when later growing as a child began to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narada, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment.

Hiranyakashipu eventually becomes so angry and upset at his son's devotion to Vishnu (whom he sees as his mortal enemy) that he decides he must kill him, but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlada is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent. To which Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if 'his Vishnu' is in it:

"O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?" Prahlada then answers, He was, He is and He will be. In an alternate version of the story, Prahlada answers He is in pillars, and he is in the smallest twig. Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and then following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and in defence of Prahlada moves to attack his father. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha was chosen. Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by human, deva or animal, Narasimha is neither one of these, as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal.

He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon. Kurma Purana describes the preceding battle between the Purusha and demoniac forces in which he escapes powerful weapon called, pashupata and it describes how Prahladas brothers headed by Anuhrada and thousands of other demons "were led to the valley of death (yamalayam) by the lion produced from the body of man-lion" avatara.p.85: K.P.1.15.70 The same episode occurs in the Matshya Purana 179, several chapters after its version of the Narasimha advent.

The Bhagavata Purana further narrates: even after killing Hiranyakashipu none of the present demigods were able to calm Narasimha's fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses called his consort, Lakshmi, but she was also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada was presented to Narasimha, and finally,

he was calmed by the prayers of his devotee. Before parting, Narasimha rewards the wise Prahlada by crowning him as the king.p.84

In the Shiva Purana, there is a distinctly Shaiva version of a traditional avatar myth:

Shiva brings forth Virabhadra, one of his terrifying forms, in order to calm Narasimha. When that fails, Shiva manifests as the human-lion-bird Sharabha. The story concludes with Narasimha becoming a devotee of Shiva after being bound by Sharabha. The Sharabha story is also retold in the Linga Purana. However, Vaishnava followers including Dvaita scholars, such as Vijayindra Tirtha (1539-95) dispute this view of Narasimha based on their reading of Sattvika Puranas and Śruti texts.

Based on this story, it is believed by followers that Narasimha protects his sincere devotees when they are in extreme danger. He saved Adi Sankara from being sacrificed to the goddess Kali by a Kapalika. Thus Adi Sankara composed the powerful Laksmi-Narasimha stotra.

Mode of worship

Due to the nature of Narasimha's form (divine anger), it is essential that worship be given with a very high level of attention compared to other deities. In many temples 

only life-long celibates (brahmacarya) will be able to have the chance to serve as priests to perform the daily puja. Forms where Narasimha appears sitting in a yogic posture, or with the goddess Lakshmi are the exception to this rule, as Narasimha is taken as being more relaxed in both of these instances compared to his form when first emerging from the pillar to protect Prahlada.

SRI NARASIMHA ASHTOTHRAM

Om Narasimhaya Namah 

Om Mahasimhaya Namah 

Om Divyasamhaya Namah 

Om Mahabalaaya Namah 

Om Ugrasimhaya Namah 

Om Mahadevaaya Namah 

Om Sthambha-jaaya Namah 

Om Ugralochanaaya Namah 

Om Raodraya Namah 

Om Sarwa-adbhutaaya Namah 

Om Srimad yogaanandaaya Namah 

Om Trivikramaaya Namah 

Om Haraye Namah 

Om Kolaahalaaya Namah 

Om Chakrine Namah 

Om Vijayaaya Namah 

Om Jayavardhanaaya Namah 

Om Pamchanaaya Namah 

Om Parabramhane Namah 

Om Aghoraaya Namah 

Om Gora-vikramaya Namah 

Om Jwalanmukhaya Namah 

Om Jvalaa maaline Namah 

Om Mahajvalaaya Namah 

Om Maha prabhave Namah 

Om Nitalaakshaya Namah 

Om Saha-srakashaya Namah 

Om Durni-rikshaya Namah 

Om Prataapanaaya Namah 

Om Mahadamstrayudhaya Namah 

Om Pragnyaya Namah 

Om Chanda kopine Namah 

Om Sadaasivaaya Namah 

Om Hiranyakasipu dwamsine Namah 

Om Daityadaanava bhamjanaaya Namah 

Om Guna bhadraya Namah 

Om Maha bhadtraya Namah 

Om Bala bhadhraya Namah 

Om Subhadragaaya Namah 

Om Karaalaaya Namah 

Om Vikaraalaya Namah 

Om Vikarte Namah 

Om Sarwakartrukaya Namah 

Om Shimshumaaraaya Namah 

Om Trilokaatmane Namah 

Om Eshaaya Namah 

Om Sarveshvaraaya Namah 

Om Vibhave Namah 

Om Bhairavaadambaraaya Namah

Om Divyaya Namah 

Om Achyutaaya Namah 

Om Kavaye Namah 

Om Maadavaaya Namah 

Om Adokshaya Namah 

Om Aksharaaya Namah 

Om Sharvaya Namah 

Om Vanamaaline Namah 

Om Parapradaaya Namah 

Om Vishwam-bharaaya Namah 

Om Adbhutaaya Namah 

Om Bhavyaya Namah 

Om Sri vishnave Namah 

Om Purushottamaaya Namah 

Om Anaghastraya Namah 

Om Nakhastraya Namah 

Om Suryajothishe Namah 

Om Sureshwaraaya Namah 

Om Saha sabrahave Namah 

Om Sarvagnyaya Namah 

Om Sarvasiddi pradaayakaaya Namah 

Om Vajradamstraya Namah 

Om Vajrakhaya Namah 

Om Mahanamdaaya Namah 

Om Paramtapaaya Namah 

Om Sarvamaothreka rupaaya Namah 

Om Sarvayantra-vidaranaya Namah 

Om Sarvatam-tratmakaaya Namah 

Om Avyaktaya Namah 

Om Suvyaktaya Namah 

Om Bhakthavatsalaaya Namah 

Om Vaishaakha shukla bhutottaya Namah 

Om Sharanagata vatsalaaya Namah 

Om Udaarakirthiye Namah 

Om Punyatmane Namah 

Om Mahatmane Namah 

Om Chanda vikramaaya Namah 

Om Vedattraya prapujyaya Namah 

Om Bhagavate Namah 

Om Parameswaraaya Namah 

Om Sri vatssmkaaya Namah 

Om Srinivaasaya Namah 

Om Jagadvyapine Namah 

Om Jaganmayaaya Namah 

Om Jagatpalaaya Namah 

Om Jagannadaya Namah 

Om Mahakaayaya Namah 

Om Dviroopa-brute Namah 

Om Paramatmane Namah 

Om Paramjyotishye Namah 

Om Nirgunaaya Namah 

Om Nru kesarine Namah 

Om Parathatvaya Namah

Om Paramdhamane Namah 

Om Sachitananda vigrahaya Namah 

Om Lakshminarasimhaya Namah 

Om Sarvatmane Namah 

Om Dheeraya Namah 

Om Prahaladha palakaya Namah

Which Wolf will win???

The TWO WOLVES ADVICE:

One evening an old man told his grandson about a battle

that goes on inside people. He said,

"M y son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all".

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy , jealous y , sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity , guilt, resentment, inferiorit y , lies, false pride, superiorit y , and ego".

"The other is Good - It is joy , peace, love, hope, serenit y , humility , kindness, benevolence, empathy , generosit y , truth, compassion and faith".

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old man simply replied, "The one you feed"!

Why we need to read Bhagavath Gita

Why We Should Read the Bhagavad Gita

This is a beautiful story - it might inspire you!

An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson.
Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Bhagavad Gita. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagavad Gita just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bhagavad Gita do?"

 The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.
The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Bhagavad Gita. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out.
That is the work of Krishna in our lives."

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This story doesn't reveals the actual greatness of the bhagavath Gita as it stands for. But this story defenetly induce the peoples to start reading the Gita at initial. The Bhagavath Gita is for every one's soul not for physical. If you start feeling the Krishna, of course you are following the Gita... Keep going on Krishna's way... Be human and Don't eat meat...