Why we should read Bhagavad Gita

Why we read the Bhagavat Geeta, even if we can't understand it?

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 Bhagavat Geeta..

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 Bhagawat Geeta 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 Bhagawat Geeta 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.... it is 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 Bhagavat Geeta. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Lord Krishna in our lives."
This is beautiful story - if inspired please forward, else keep it can't say when it might inspire you

Source Courtesy: Govindadwipa yahoo group.

Pray Joyfully

A priest, having started a family, no longer had peace while he prayed. One night, when he knelt down before the Almighty, he was disturbed by his children in the living room. “Get the children to keep shut!” he yelled. His startled wife did his bidding. Thereafter, whenever the priest prayed at home, the children maintained complete silence. But somehow he felt that God was no longer listening to his prayers. 

One night he asked the Lord as he prayed “God, what’s going on? I have peace and quiet but I cannot pray!”  An angel replied: “God hears words, but no longer hears the laughter. He notices the devotion, but can no longer see the joy.” The priest ordered his wife: “Get the children to play! They are part of prayer!” And his words were heard by God once again.

A Special Request

A primary school teacher asks her students to write an essay about what they would like God to do for them. At the end of the day, while marking the essays, she read one that made her very emotional. Her husband, who had just walked in, sees her crying. He asks her: “what happened?” She answers, “Read this. It is one of my student’s essays.”  

“Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special. Make me into a television. I want to take its place and live like the TV in my house. Have my own special place, and have my family around me. To be taken seriously when I talk…I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions. I want to receive t he same special care that the TV receives even when it is not working. Have the company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired. And I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring me…..I want my brothers to fight to be with me…I want to feel that family just leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to spend sometime with me. And last but not the least, ensure that I can make them all happy and entertain them… Lord I don’t ask you for much….I just want to live like a TV.”

At that moment the husband said: “My God, poor kid. What horrible parents!” The wife looked up at him and said “That essay is our son’s”  - Anonymous
Photo Coutesy: Clipartof.com

Not So Corny

There was  a farmer who grew superior quality corn. Every year, his corn won prizes in state fairs. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. 

The reporter asked, "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours, when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?". 

The farmer replied, " Didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen grains from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior, substandard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I have to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours to grow good corn." 

Success does not happen in isolation, it is a participatory and collective process. So share good practices, ideas and knowledge with your friends and colleagues.

Heaven and Hell

A samurai known for picking fights for no reason at all arrived at the door of a Zen monastery and asked to speak to the master.  Without a moment's hesitation, the priest came out to meet him. "They say that intelligence is more powerful than strength," said the samurai. "I wonder if you could explain to me the meaning of heaven and hell." The master remained silent. "You see," roared the samurai. " I could explain that very easily: to show what the hell is, all I need to do is beat someone up. To show what heaven is, just let the person go free after threatening him"

"I don't argue with stupid people like you," said the Zen Master. This made the samurai's blood boil. His mind was filled with hatred.  "Now, that is hell," said the priest, smiling. "Letting yourself be angered by silly things." The monk's courage disconcerted the warrior, and he relaxed. "And that is heaven," added the master, inviting him in. "Not reacting to silly provocations,"

Good Neighbour

There was a lady who lived next door to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist could hear her. He thought to himself, "she sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?". Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying: "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no God?". But she kept on praying. 

One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying, explaining her situation to God and thanking Him for what He was going to do. As usual, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself, "Hmph!, I'll show her." He went to the store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, dropped them off on her front porch, rang the doorbell and hid in the bushes to see what she would do When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, ecstatic. The atheist then came out and said: " God  didn't buy you those groceries, I did !". On hearing this,  she started  running down the street, shouting  and praising the Lord. 

When he finally caught up with her, he asked why she was doing that. She said: " I knew the Lord would provide me with groceries, but I didn't know he was going to make the devil pay for them !"