A short story of Kaali Maa

 

A short story of Kaali Maa

 

Once, Kaali Maa was blood thirsty after the slaughtering of demons at

the battlefield, and she was out of control. The balance of the Universe was shattered and only Shiva could have brought peace again.

Kaali Maa was busy doing her destructive dance when Shiva took up the

form of a child and came across her.

Stunning paradox the Shakti is, Goddess of Death softened after listening the cry of the baby Shiva and realized her form as the Goddess of Life.

Hence, that was one time when Shiva himself became a child, for the Mother.

A Lesson in Faith

 A Lesson in Faith

The old clergyman's response challenged the young man's boastful claim about only believing in things he could see and understand. The conversation unfolded as follows:

The foolish young fellow proudly declared, "I don’t believe in anything I can’t see and understand." This proclamation caught the attention of an old clergyman, who decided to engage in a thought-provoking dialogue.

The clergyman, with a hint of amusement, questioned the young man, "Do you believe there is such a country as France?" The young man, considering it a reasonable exception, replied, "Yes, because, though I have never seen it, I know people who have."

Seizing the opportunity to challenge the young man's rigid stance, the clergyman continued, "Then you refuse to believe in anything that you or others haven’t seen?" The youth, maintaining his position, confidently affirmed, "Most certainly."

The clergyman, with a twinkle in his eye, posed a clever question, "Do you ever see your brains?" The young man, realizing the trap he was falling into, admitted, "Of course not." The clergyman pressed on, "Do you know anybody who has seen them?" The young man hesitated before reluctantly responding, "No."

With a touch of humour and wisdom, the clergyman concluded, "Do you think you have got any?" At this point, the young man, recognizing the irony of his rigid belief, knew that he was defeated. He hung his head in shame, acknowledging the flaw in his logic and the limitations of his narrow belief system.

This story serves as a witty reminder that there are aspects of life, knowledge, and existence that go beyond what we can see or understand directly. It encourages humility and openness to the mysteries and complexities that exist beyond our immediate perception.

The Wheat is Cheaper.

 The Wheat is Cheaper.

"Bharat", the name for India in several Indian languages, is mainly derived from the name of the Vedic community of Bharatas who are mentioned in the Rigveda as one of the principal kingdoms of the Aryavarta. It is also said to be derived from the name of either Dushyanta's son Bharata of Mahabharata. At first, the name Bharat referred only to the western part of the Gangetic Valley. Still, it was later more broadly applied to the Indian subcontinent and the region of Greater India, as was the name "India". The principal names, of historical significance are Bharat, India and a third name, "Hindustan."

There are numerous stories available in Bharat, one of them I recall is The Wheat is Cheaper.

Once two sisters who had become friendly began talking about stories. The elder one named Aarna asked Adiya to tell a story that Dadduji had told her. Adiya told her older sister an Indian story. Adiya agreed to tell a 'good Indian story called "The Wheat is Cheaper". The story runs as follows: -

Long ago there lived a greedy merchant in an Indian town.

He used to go to a town to buy and sell a lot of grain to earn a profit. One day he saw a farmer on the way. He thought of making money out of that simple villager. He went up to the farmer and started talking. He said, "Both of us can tell a very ridiculous and senseless tale. If you cast a doubt on my story, you will pay me a hundred rupees. But if 1 doubt your story, I shall pay one hundred rupees". The farmer agreed and the merchant began his story like this: -

"One day I was going along this road. I saw a merchant with a long row of camels loaded with large quantities of grain. All these hundred-and-one camels were tied together, nose to tail, by ropes. A kite flew down from the sky and carried the first camel. All the other camels, being tied together, were also carried up with the first camel.

A princess, sitting in her garden, happened to look at the sky. The first camel kicked the kite and broke loose. The whole trail of camels fell right into the left eye of the princess. The princess began to cry with pain. Her maid lifted the princess's eyelid and pulled out all the camels from within the eye. She put the camels into her pocket". The farmer listened to the story till the end without casting any doubt on it.)

So, the merchant could not get any money out of the farmer because he did not cast doubt on the merchant's story.

Now the farmer told the story as follows:

"My father was a farmer. He had a fine horse and a fine saddle on it. One Sunday as he came back home from the market, he found a sore as big as a palm on the back of the horse. There was a storm in June and a lot of dust was blown into the sore along with some grains of wheat. The grains sprouted when it rained. We had a fine crop yielding forty thousand kilos of wheat from the horse's back. As you know, your father was very poor and starving in those days. He came to my father and begged him to give him seventy-five kilos of wheat. My father gave him seventy-five kilos of wheat as a loan which is still due". The merchant grew angry as the farmer was telling a lie. But he kept quiet as he could not cast doubt on his story. He thought it was better to pay the loan i.e., rupees seventy-five as the price of the wheat than rupees one hundred. Thus, he paid Rs. 75/- to the farmer as the cost of the wheat that was lent to his father. At this Adiya said, "Aarna, is not the wheat cheaper?"

A story from Bapu’s Life

 A story from Bapu’s Life

Soon after Gandhiji’s return from South Africa, a meeting of the congress was held in Bombay. Kaka Saheb Kalelkar went there to help Gandhiji. One day Kaka Saheb found Gandhiji anxiously searching for something on his desk. “What’s the matter? What are you looking for?” Kaka Saheb asked. I’ve lost my pencil,” It was a very small pencil.” Kaka’ Saheb was upset to see Bapu wasting time and worrying about a little pencil. He took out his pencil and offered it to him. About a little pencil! Bapu was again offered a pencil. “No, no, I want my little pencil,” Bapu insisted like a stubborn child. “Well, use it for the time being,” said Kaka Saheb. “I’ll find your pencil later. Don’t waste time looking for it.” You don’t understand. That little pencil is very precious to me,” Bapu insisted. “Natesan’s little son gave it to me in Madras. He gave it to me with so much love and affection. I cannot bear to lose it”. Kaka Saheb didn’t argue any more. He joined Gandhiji in search. At last, they found it- a tiny piece, hardly two inches long. But Gandhiji was delighted to get it back. To him, it was no ordinary pencil. It was the token of a child’s love and Bapu a child ‘s love was very precious.                                           

 

 

Faraday, Michael (1791-1867)

Michael Faraday was the son of a blacksmith who lived in London. He became a self-taught scientist whose greatest discoveries concerned electricity. In 1831 Faraday proved that magnets can be used to produce an electric current. This discovery enabled him to build an electric generator. It was a forerunner of the giant dynamos that keep the modern world supplied with power.

When M. Faraday was about 12, Michael left school to work as a job boy in a bookshop. The bookseller liked him and offered to teach him to bind books. During the next 7 years Michael read many kinds of books while he cut and bound the pages. He became particularly interested in scientific books-especially ones about chemistry and the new science of electricity.

One of the customers was impressed by the young man’s interest. He gave Michael tickets to a series of lectures by a famous British scientist, Sir Humphry Davy, in 1812. The lectures convinced Faraday that his future lay in science. What he wanted most was to work for Davy.

He had taken detailed notes on Davys lectures. Carefully he copied the notes, bound them into a booklet, and sent them to Sir Humphry. In the spring of 1813 Davy hired Faraday as a laboratory assistant. That fall Davy set out to visit some European scientists. He took Faraday along as his secretary. During the next year and a half Faraday met some of the world’s most famous scientists, among them Volta, Ampère, and Humboldt. When Davy and Faraday returned to London in 1815, the young man was no longer merely a secretary. He now worked side by side with Sir Humphry (and later succeeded him as director of the Royal Institution). When Faraday married in 1821, he and his bride moved into two rooms at the institution. From that time on the institution was the centre of his activities.

As a professor of chemistry, he was an excellent lecturer and even started a special series of lectures for children. But most of his time was devoted to research. In his laboratory Faraday made discoveries that opened new areas of science. For instance, he discovered benzene, used as a base for permanent dyes. He produced the first stainless steel and was first to compress certain gases until they became liquid. He discovered the laws of electrolysis, which describe what happens when electricity passes through solutions.

In Faradays time scientists were just beginning to learn about electricity and magnetism. Davy had been interested in electromagnetism, and Faraday experimented with it himself. Gradually it became his main work.

On October 17, 1831, he described in his notebook one of his most famous experiments. It was a simple one. He wound a coil of wire around a paper cylinder and attached the ends of the wire to a galvanometer, or current detector. When he pushed a straight magnet into the cylinder, the needle of the galvanometer jumped, showing that a current was passing through the wire. As long as he kept the magnet moving, the needle moved. When the magnet was still, there was no current. Faraday had discovered that a moving magnet makes an electric current in a wire. It was this discovery that made possible the development of modern electrical machines.

Faraday was so deeply absorbed in his work that he scarcely noticed the honours coming to him from many parts of the world. He continued to work in the laboratory every day until he was nearly 75. His assistants became concerned over his failing health and growing absent-mindedness. Finally, paralysis forced him to retire to a house in Hampton Court, a gift from Queen Victoria. There he died quietly on August 25, 1867.

 

A story from Upanishad

In ancient India there lived a famous pious Brahman who was God fearing and lived in a hut in a forest. The Brahmin, a cartman, was known for his good deeds. At that time, in India, there lived a king named Janashruti. He ruled over the kingdom of Mahabrisha (meaning the big bull). He was compassionate, caring and a generous ruler. He built rest houses for travelers along the roadside, distributed free food to the poor and needy, built hospitals for the sick and old and he taxed his subjects fairly. The king was pleased with himself for having done so much for his kingdom.

One evening while he was resting and relaxing on the patio of his palace, he saw two parrots flying over him and conversing.

Be careful while passing over the King’s palace quoted; one of them said, “The glow of his fame may burn you to ashes.”

“You must be joking,” replied the partner, “As if the King is greater than the pious Brahmin living in there!”

The king understood their conversation and became thoughtful.

“Who is this pious Brahmin?” The king wondered about. “How could he earn more merit than me?”

Now, the King felt restless and could not sleep for the rest of the night.

The following morning, when the king woke up, he was annoyed and angry.

“Stop all empty praises for me. I am not worthy of it.”

The kings’ attendants were bewildered and baffled.

“What happened Maharaj?” asked the attendant.

The king told him about the parrot’s conversation he had overheard.

“Now go and seek out the Brahmin,”; the King ordered, “He is the most pious of all men.”

A massive search was soon launched to locate the Brahmin. Many days had passed and finally they were told by a peasant that Brahmin was a cart-man in their village. All the kings’ men then saw the Brahmin, a poor cart driver, sitting on the ground and engaged in his own thought.

“Our king wishes to meet you,” said an attendant.

“Well, here I am,” said the Brahmin without budging from his place. “The king can come here if he wants to see me.”

The attendants were surprised. “What does our king seek from this ordinary man?”

The king was pleased to hear that the Brahmin was finally found. He ordered to prepare to leave for the Brahmin’s village the next morning.

The King took with him an army of men with impressive presents of hundreds of cows, an expensive gold necklace and a chariot for the Brahmin.

Upon arriving at the village, the King introduced himself and said, “I have heard a great deal about you. I am told that you are one of the rarest people who has the personal experience of Brahman.”

The king told the Brahmin, “I will give you all that you desire, and in return I ask you to give me the supreme knowledge of Brahman.

The Brahman smiled. “So ,you want to buy the divine knowledge!”

Then he told the king, “Oh ignorant king! The knowledge of Brahman cannot be purchased. It is not a thing that can be shared like that. You are not yet ready to receive the supreme knowledge. Go home. The disappointed king returned to his palace. He was sad, always wondering, “What do I lack?”

His sadness and sincere anxiety to know Brahman, made him humble. His ego disappeared and the King became a different person in just a few weeks. He then decided to go to Brahman once again.

Upon reaching the village, the king could not help himself. He went to the Brahman and requested to impart him the knowledge of Brahman.

“Enlighten me” the king cried out “I have no peace. Your knowledge has more richness than my kingdom. Please give me a part of it. This time the Brahman saw that the king had lost all his vanity and the genuine desire for knowledge was evident. He picked up the king and said, “I bless you, O virtuous king. All the knowledge that is mine will now be yours as well.”

The Brahman then drew the king close to him and spoke at length, “The supreme knowledge cannot be imbibed unless one has shed one’s ego. Only the humble can recognize the Brahman. Now that you have attained humility, come with me and I will share with you whatever I have about the knowledge of our creator. “So, saying the Brahman accepted the king as his disciple. The king could realize that Brahman was poor but spiritually rich. As time passed by, the king dedicated his job of royalty as a service to Brahman without taking the credit of his personal achievements.

A story from Bapu’s Life

 A story from Bapu’s Life

Soon after Gandhiji’s return from south Africa, a meeting of the congress was held in Bombay. Kaka Saheb Kalelkar went there to help Gandhiji. One day Kaka Saheb found Gandhiji anxiously searching for something on his desk. “What’s the matter? What are you looking for?” Kaka Saheb asked. I’ve lost my pencil,” It was a very small pencil.” Kaka’ Saheb was upset to see Bapu wasting time and worrying about a little pencil. He took out his pencil and offered it to him. About a little pencil! Bapu was again offered a pencil. “No, no, I want my own little pencil, Bapu insisted like stubborn child. “Well, use it for the time being,” said Kaka Saheb. “I’ll find your pencil later. Don’t waste time looking for it.” You don’t understand. That little pencil is very precious to me,” Bapu insisted. “Natesan’s little son gave it to me in Madras. He gave it with so much love and affection. I cannot bear to lose it”. Kaka Saheb didn’t argue any more. He joined Gandhiji in search. At last, they found it- tiny piece, hardly two inches long. But Gandhiji was delighted to get it back. To him it was no ordinary pencil. It was the token of a child’s love and Bapu a child ‘s love was very precious.                                            

"THE DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARAVAN GOES ON."-a story for children

 "THE DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARAVAN GOES ON."

The saying, found in many Eurasian languages, probably originated in Turkish.

Dogs barked as the caravan slowly prodded toward its destination, but their bark was not enough to stop it from reaching the end of its journey.

'The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on has a meaning based on the story which is as follows.

    Once a long line of stately camels marched with a silent even pace along the road, one steadily following the other. As they pass through a village, the village dogs rush out barking and yelping. What a noise and hubbub! But the haughty camels march on unmoved, with their heads in the air, taking not the slightest notice of the barking dogs around their feet. As far as they are concerned, the noisy dogs might not be there at all. "The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on." This is said to have been a favourite proverb of Mr. Asquith, formerly Prime Minister of England. And you can imagine some great statesman working out some great scheme for his country's good. He knows what he is aiming at, and has carefully made his plans; and, having once made up his mind, he goes steadily forward, carrying out his wise policy. But he is surrounded by critics, who attack his policy in the press, in public meetings, in Parliament. Some men would be upset by these attacks. They would hesitate, or become afraid to go on with their schemes, or lose their tempers and get angry with their noisy critics. But our statesman takes no notice of them. He lets them talk and criticize and abuse him as much as they like; he does not alter his plans but goes on steadily with them until he has carried out his policy successfully. "The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on."

We ordinary people, too, may learn a lesson from the camels. A Scottish family has as its motto: "They say! What say they? Let them say!" That is, never mind what people say about you, so long as your conscience is clear. Professor Jowett of Oxford used to say: "Never explain yourself; never apologize; just go on and let them howl."

Of course, a wise man will welcome criticism, and ever be willing to learn by it. A stupid, stubborn obstinacy in the face of criticism and advice is the attitude of a fool. But that is not what is meant here. What is meant is that when one is quite clear in one's mind as to the wisdom and rightness of a certain line of conduct, one must be brave enough to ignore ignorant criticism and face unreasonable opposition. And one must learn to do this calmly, well, humoredly and without losing one's temper. Let the dog bark; you go on in the path you have chosen.

“The dogs bark but the caravan moves on” is an old Arabic Proverb. It means, ‘once you've wrestled through all the pros and cons of a difficult decision and made it, you need to IGNORE THE NEGATIVE INPUT and keep moving on!

It was first used to refer to caravans travelling through the desert climate regions of the vast Middle East. Dogs barked as the caravan slowly prodded toward its destination, but their bark was not enough to stop it from reaching the end of its journey. This means that once you’ve wrestled through all the pros and cons of a difficult decision and made it, you need to ‘ignore the negative input ‘and keep moving on!

Thomas Alva Edison

 Thomas Elva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the gramophone and the electric bulb, was a very curious and intelligent boy. He was born on 11th February 1847, in Milan, Ohio, in the United States of America. Even at the age of eight he had set up his laboratory and started his experiments. He worked hard to earn money for his experiments. He invented a machine to send more than one message at the same time along a wire in 1869. He was offered forty thousand dollars for this invention.

Now Edison started his factory and employed many assistants. He worked very hard and invented some very useful things. He made the first talking machine. Later this machine was improved, and the gramophone came into existence.

Edison's most important and useful invention was the electric bulb. He spent about 40,000 dollars and was able to produce it in 1879 after two years of hard labour. He worked day and night till the end of his life in 1931 to make the world a happier place to live in. He improved telegraphy, Bells, the telephone, and the Remington typewriter. He invented the electric fan. He produced the first talkie (talking picture) in 1913.

While narrating the story of Thomas Elva Edison by the grandfather to his grandson, Parum. He was asked to do some home tasks as follows.

Q. 1. Answer the following questions (in not more than three or four sentences).

(1) What was young Tom doing one day? What made him do it?

Ans. When Tom saw hens sitting on eggs, he tried to find out if he could hatch eggs. He told his father that he was much bigger than a hen and could sit on the hen's eggs and hatch them. His father said, "Tom, you are not a hen or duck to hatch eggs."

(2) When did Tom start his experiments?

Ans. Tom started his experiments at the age of eight.

(3) Why did young Edison lose so many of his jobs?

Ans. Edison lost many of his jobs because he spent a lot of time on experiments and his employers thought he was wasting. his time.

(4) What was Edison's first important invention?

Ans. Edison's first important invention was a machine for sending multiple messages at the same time along a wire.

(5) How did Edison get the money he needed to start his laboratory and factory?

Ans. Edison invented a machine for sending more than one message at the same time along a wire. He got forty thousand dollars for this machine.

(6) What is a talking machine? What is a talkie?

Ans. A talking machine is just a gramophone. A talkie is a talking picture.

(7) Why did the Americans turn off their electric lights for a while when Edison died?

Ans. It was Edison who invented the electric bulb. Therefore, when he died the Americans turned off their lights to give respect to Edison who had given them their lights.

Q. Write a brief on Edison.

·       Edison was one of the world's greatest inventors. He was born in 1847. He was an intelligent child. He loved to observe and experiment. His teachers didn't think much of him, but his mother knew that Tom was a very clever boy.

·       Edison improved telegraphy. He made it possible to send more than one message along a line at the same time. He improved Bell's telephone. He invented the gramophone, which he called the talking machine and the modern Cinema which he called the talkie. He improved the Remington typewriter. He also gave the world its first electricity. It was perhaps his most useful invention. It took about two years to find out the best material for making a filament.

Q. Imagine Parum that you were one of Edison’s laboratory assistants, write about some of your experiences with the great man.

Parum writes his answer.

I, Parum Misri, served as an assistant to Edison in his laboratory. He treated all his employees, senior or junior, equally. He was kind and full of love for all. One day he told me that he would soon invent a talking machine. I did not believe him. I asked him to bet on it. I was sure of winning the bet. But to my great surprise, he succeeded in inventing a talkie and I lost the bet, a box of toffees.

I noticed during my contact with Edison that he worked very hard and was always busy doing experiments. He was lost in the job he did. He forgot even to take his lunch or dinner. He spent everything he earned on his scientific experiments. To discover and invent new things was the main aim of his life. Though he was one of the greatest scientists in the world, he was very humble and gentle as a man.

Parum M.

USA