SRI SATHYA SAI SEVA ORGANISATION

SCHOOL BALVIKAS PROGRAM

1ST GROUP STORIES

STORIES FOR CHILDREN – PART I

INDEX

1. Dhruva
2. Padmapada
3. Effort is man’s greatness
4. Jatila – God is your best friend
5. Shivaji and Jijabai
6. God knows best
7. Mother is your first Guru
8. The Goat and the Camel
9. Nothing is useless
10. Lord Rama and the squirrel
11. Vivekananda’s prayer
12. The Bracelet
13. Watch Story
14. United We Stand
15. Crow and the Peacock
16. Guruvayur Temple
STORY OF DHRUVA

A long time ago, there was a king named Uttanapada, who had two
queens, Suniti and Suruchi. Both queens had very different natures.
Suniti was calm and simple, while Suruchi was clever and proud. The
king favoured Suruchi more because she was more beautiful than
Suniti. Queen Suniti had a son named Dhruva, and Queen Suruchi
had a son named Uttam. One day, Dhruva was playing in his father
Uttanapada’s lap when Queen Suruchi came and removed him,
saying, “You cannot sit in the king’s lap; only my son has that right.”
Dhruva was deeply hurt and went to his mother to tell her
everything.

His mother told him, “There is great power in devotion to God. If you
sincerely worship God, you can find a place not only in your father’s
lap but also in God’s embrace.” Moved by his strong determination,
Dhruva, at the age of five, set out to the forest for meditation and
prayers. Sage Narada, witnessing Dhruva’s determination, tried to
convince him to return home. But Dhruva remained dedicated in his
decision. Narada then instructed him to chant the mantra ‘Om Namo
Bhagavate Vasudevaya’ while meditating.

Dhruva, fearless by the jungle animals, harsh weather, and icy cold,
continued his prayers without interruption for several months.
Pleased with his devotion, God appeared before Dhruva and granted
him a boon. However, Dhruva, content with the sight of God, asked
for nothing more. God blessed him, ensuring that his name would
shine like the brightest star in the sky, and Dhruva became known as
the Pole Star.
Padmapada

Padmapadacharya's life exemplifies the Guru Shishya relationship.

For Padmapadacharya, the Guru is everything and the command of
Guru is ultimate.
Once when he was on the opposite bank of a river, Sankara who was
on the other side called him, and Padmapadacharya, without even
thinking that he might be drowned in a swollen river began walking
and a lotus appeared on every step that he would take and hold his
feet from drowning - and that is why he came to be known as Padma-
Pada - Lotus - Feet.
His devotion exemplifies the relationship of Guru and Shishya.
Effort is Man’s Greatness
It was one evening; four boys were playing in a field. As they came to
a corner of the field, they heard a small voice coming from beneath
the ground, “Dig and take me out. I will give you whatever you
want.”
After digging the ground for some time the boys found a small, bright
lamp. “I am Aladdin’s Magic Lamp,” it said. “Have you not heard of
me? I can give you whatever you ask for. Now, tell me, what would
each one of you like to have?”
The boy who replied first said, “I love to play. So, give me a cricket
bat, ball and wickets, and also some indoor games.” The second boy
replied, “Every day, my school teacher gives me homework. So, you
come and do it for me.” The third boy said, “So many people beg on
the road. Give me enough money to give alms to all of them.” The
last boy’s reply was quite different.
He said, “Oh Magic Lamp, please vanish before you give us anything.
God has given us eyes, ears, nose, tongue, hands, and feet to do
intelligent and hard work. We should make full use of them to make
ourselves and others happy. Man’s greatness lies in his own efforts.
Why should we become beggars before you and lose these gifts of
God? That is the reason why I am asking you to go away.”
The Magic Lamp liked the last boy’s wish the most and vanished in a
moment.
Jatila – God is your best friend
Once upon a time there was a small boy named Jatila who lived with
his mother at the edge of a small forest.His mother was a poor lady
who worked hard. Jatila had lost his father when he was very
small.When Jatila was 6 years old, his mother decided to send him to
an ashram school for his studies. To reach his school the boy had to
cross the forest.
For a few days, mother went with him to show him the way. Then, as
she had to go to work, she told him to go alone.
Early in the morning Jatila took his lunch packet and set out for
school. At first he was happy as he walked along in the early morning
fresh air. Watching the rabbits hopping about and listening to the
sweet song of the birds he felt very happy.
But when he came to the forest he felt so alone. There were big trees
around and here and there were dark shadows moving in the breeze.
Jatila was frightened and ran as fast as he could. He did not stop at all
till he reached the school. After school when he had to go through
the forest again he was filled with fear. He raced through the forest
till he reached the safety of his home and mother.
The next day Jatila refused to go school. “It is so lonely in the forest,
mother. I cannot go alone. I wish you would take me to school. I
cannot go alone.” Poor mother was worried. She had to go to work.
How could she walk with him? “O God, please help me! I am alone,
please look after my son.” She prayed. Then she told Jatila, “Son
don’t be afraid. When you reach the forest call out to Madhusudhan
who is your elder brother. He will surely walk with you to school.”
Jatila had full faith in his mother’s words. Next day when Jatila
entered the forest he called out “Brother Madhusudhan, please
come soon. I am frightened. Mother said you will come as soon as I
call you. Please come soon.” In answer he heard the sweet notes of
flute and soon saw a lovely, young curly-haired boy coming towards
him. “I’m here brother!” The boy with the flute, smiled and hugged
him. Jatila felt so happy and safe! Holding hands,chatting and
laughing they both skipped along through the forest.
“There now go to school. In the evening call out for me and we will
go back home together!” So saying brother Madhusudhan waved to
him and walked away. When Madhusudhan was far away he once
again turned back and waved to him. Jatila too waved back feeling so
very happy.
Finally Madhusudhan disappeared!
Now Jatila was very happy to go to school. Many days passed. Every
morning and evening Jatila would call out to Madhusudhan and
together they would walk through the forest. One day his mother
said,” Son, I’m so happy and proud of you. You are going to school
alone, without fear!” “Mother, brother Madhusudhan is so kind. He
plays the flute so well and tells me such nice stories I enjoy his songs
too.So I love to go to school.”
Mother was puzzled. “Did you meet Madhusudan?” she asked. “Of
course mother, he walks with me everyday. So why should I be
afraid? Please give my tiffin box soon. Madhusudan will be waiting
for me! I must hurry.”
After Jatila left, mother quietly followed him, down the road. Yes, she
heard her son call out to Madhushudan. Yes she too heard the sweet
notes of the flute, and saw the lovely curly-haired boy come out from
behind the trees. Cheerfully he greeted Jatila and together they
disappeared into the forest.
With tears in her eyes, mother hurried back to her shrine room and
wept with joy, at the feet of her Lord.
This is the greatness of Lord. He always listens to the sincere prayers
of HIS devotees and comes to their rescue.
Shivaji and Jijabai

Jijabai was born and raised in a wealthy family, and her extended
family is made up of some of the most influential people.
We all assume that she came from a wealthy family and is therefore
quite affluent and well-off, but the reality is completely different.
Her path began with suffering and difficulties. She gave birth to 6
daughters and 2 sons, but sadly, all of the daughters perished, and
one of the son passed away while Shivaji was still alive.
Her fathers and brothers were murdered by the nizam when shivaji
was born.
She was taken to the Jager of Pune as the co-wife after Shivaji was
born.
Even though she was in severe suffering, Jijabai recognised that the
common people were having issues, so she made the decision to
raise Shivaji as the greatest monarch and taught Shivaji the positive
moral values that would affect Shivaji's life.
Three things she taught to Shivaji
(1)Never make your kids or juniors feel your inadequacies or fears.
She began by educating Shivaji at a young age about the Ramayana
and the Mahabhartha, as well as the moral principles and character
qualities that a good king must possess in order to lead the realm.
She infused him with the Swarajya at this time.
Self-government is described as swarajya.
(2)Be vigilant and observant, and create a team with the necessary
expertise.
It was the team's first major triumph. General Afzal Khan of Adil
Shah's nebulous strategy received a suitable retort from Raje and his
soldiers.
He was aware that the peace talks proposed by Afzal Khan were
really a front for his assassination. Maharaj prepared the events using
his vigilance, intelligence, strong leadership, and guerilla warfare
techniques.
In order to obstruct the enemy soldiers' escape route, he armed
himself and deployed his army in Pratapgad's steep and densely
forested districts.
(3)Applaud women
He was against all forms of harassment, assault, and dishonour
against women. He used to chastise anyone who disrespected
women, and in certain rare instances, the punishment was harsh.
Jijamata has been teaching him about the courage of goddesses and
how Sanatan Dharma respects women since he was a young child.
One must be diplomatic to prevail over "Adharma.”
God Knows Best

God made the sun, the moon, and the stars. He also made this
beautiful earth on which we live. He is our Almighty Father. We are
His beloved children. God is, therefore, pleased when we talk to him
with faith and love. He listens even to our silent call and prayer. But
remember, our call must be sincere. Our prayer too should be for the
right thing. Otherwise, God will be displeased and we would be
unhappy.

Shambhu was a cobbler living in Mohoor village. He was known even

in the neighbouring villages as an honest worker and a God-fearing
man. He worked all day stitching new shoes and mending old ones.
Thereby, he earned enough to support himself and his family.

One day, the Zamindar of Mohoor and other nearby villagers passed
by Shambhu’s small hut. Shambhu watched the Zamindar dressed in
rich robes and riding the horse like a king. “Ah! There goes our
Zamindar,” said Shambhu to himself. “He owns twenty villages. He
has enough wealth to buy a gold mine. His life is full of joys and
pleasures; and here I am, working all day, cutting leather and
stitching shoes. Why is God so unkind to me?”

As Shambhu thought of God, his eyes turned to the picture of Lord

Vitthal of Pandharpur on the wall. Innocently, Shambhu started
talking to his beloved God. “My dear Lord, you are my Almighty
Father. You are my loving Mother. You are watching me at work from
morning to night. Don’t you have any pity for me? Give me a big
house to live in, a field to grow jowar, and also enough money to buy
some nice things for myself, my wife, and my children!”

As Shambhu uttered these words he felt that Lord Vithoba in the

picture smiled at him. “Surely Vithoba has heard my prayer,”
Shambhu said to himself. But why did he smile at me? Did I ask for
too much?”
That night, Lord Vithoba appeared in the Zamindar’s dream and said,
“Cobbler Shambhu of Mohoor is my devotee. I want you to help him.
Build for him a big house. Give him a pot-full of gold-coins. Transfer
two acres of land in his name. You will earn my blessings.”

The Zamindar did as commanded by Lord Vithoba. Shambhu could

not believe his own good luck. He stopped working with leather and
shoes. His whole family began working in the field, ploughing the
land and sowing seeds. They felt that God had given them all they
desired.

But soon, Shambhu began getting into trouble. His relatives from far
and near flocked into his new house. Every day they would quarrel
among themselves over something or the other. Shambhu could not
find a safe place in the house for the pot of gold-coins. He buried it in
a corner of his field. But the fear that thieves might steal away the
treasure deprived him of all his peace of mind and even sleep at
night. The crops too failed that year. Shambhu’s family, therefore, did
not get from the field even a single grain of jowar.

Thus, Shambhu lost all his peace and joy in life. He grew sadder and
weaker every day. But he came out a wiser man. One day, he stood
before Vithoba’s picture and said, “My Lord! Now I realise why you
smiled at me when I asked for a house, wealth, and land. Those
things have not added to my happiness. In fact, they have robbed me
of my peace, contentment, sound sleep, good health, and joy. Forgive
me for my selfishness and greed. Give me back my hard and honest
work. Let me serve my brothers and sisters, making or mending
shoes for them. Fill my heart with love and devotion. Hereafter, I will
do my duty and leave the rest to you. You, my dear Lord, know best
what is good for your beloved children.”
Kokila Vrat – Mother is your first Guru

Gandhi’s mother Putlibai observed everyday a vow known as ‘Kokila

Vratha’. As soon as she completed the ritual, she would wait for the
call of the Kokila (the Indian Cuckoo) before her breakfast.
She would not touch food until the Cuckoo sang in his sweet voice.
One day, she kept waiting for a long time, for the fortune bird to give
her the permission to eat food. She calmly waited near the window
looking for some signs of the cuckoo bird, but alas she found none.
Little Gandhi noticed his distressed mother near the window. He
quickly drafted a plan in his head and went out of the house to
imitate the cooing of the cuckoo. He snuggled behind the bush and
imitated the Cuckoo’s voice, and then ran inside the house to tell his
mother, “Mother you can eat your food now as it has made its call.”
Gandhi’s mother had been following this ritual for past many years.
She quickly came to know about her child’s silly prank. Unable to
contain her grief, she slapped Gandhi and wailed, “What sin have I
committed that such a wicked liar should be born to me! Oh Lord!”
Her misty eyes and broken heart of belief deeply moved Gandhi.
That day he made a promise to her, “From this day, I will not utter
falsehood. I will not do anything that would hurt my mother’s gentle
heart”. Thus began his saga of truth.
The Goat and The Camel
A goat and a camel were good friends. They always ate and drank
together. They lived together happily. One day, the goat and the
camel were talking in a field. They talked a lot and teased each
other. The camel said “You are not as tall as I am. You are also not
clever as I am.! The goat did not want to lose, so he said, “That is
t h e u s e o f b e i n g t a l l ”. Yo u a r e n o t a s a g i l e a s I a m .
T h e g o a t a n d t h e camel carried on praising themselves as they
walked. Finally, they reached an orchard. There were a lot of
fruits in the trees in the orchard. The goat and the camel
could not get into the orchard. There was a high fence
around t he orchard. The camel st retched his neck. He
began to eat the young leaves that were hanging over
the fence. The goat tried to jump up to eat the young leaves.
He jumped up many times but he could not reach the leaves.
The leaves were too high for him.
The camel ate the young leaves all by himself. He did not
bother about the goat. He did not even look at the goat. The
goat was ver y sad. He stood besi de t he fence and kept
qui et. The camel then looked at the goat and began to laugh
loudly. He said “what is the matter, my friend” Isn't a tall body
useful? The goat felt ashamed and did not say anything. He
looked around quietly.
Suddenly the goat saw a small hole in the fence. He was very
happy. The goat went near the hole in near the fence. He
entered the orchard through this hole. The goat was
now inside the orchard. The camel then went near the hole too.
But the camel could not get into the orchard through the hole. H e
tried hard but the hole was too small for him.
T h e g o a t a t e t h e r e d apples in the orchard. Then he ate
the yellow pears. The camel looked at the goat eating the fruits
greedily. The camel's mouth began to water. A short while later, the
goat was full. He then began to laugh at the camel. “What do you say
now, my friend? Isn't a small body useful?
A squirrel was sitting on a tree nearby. The squirrel heard the
camel and t he goat teasing each other. The squi rrel sai d,
“ You t wo are wrong. All animals are not the same height.
Being tall is both good and bad. It's the same with
being short.!
The squirrel continued, “Every animal has his own good and
weak points”. Therefore, you must not tease one another.
The goat and the camel fel t ashamed. They bowed their heads
and did not say anything. The moral of t he stor y i s ever yone
has t hei r own good and weak point s. Therefore, we must not
make fun of other people.
Nothing is useless
In olden times boys used to go to ‘Gurukuls’ and live there with the
Guru for many years for their education. Once, two boys, who
completed their studies were to leave the Gurukul for home. They
went to the Guru and said, “Gurudev, please tell us what gift may we
give you as your Guru-dakshina?” The Guru was pleased with the
pupils’ love and gratitude. He said to them “Dear children, go into the
forest behind our Gurukul and bring me some dry leaves for which no
one has any use.”
The obedient boys left for the forest as their Guru wanted them to
go. They saw a small heap of dry leaves beneath a tree. When they
were picking up some of the leaves, an old farmer came running to
them and said, “Please put those leaves back into the heap. I have
collected them. I am taking them to my field. When I burn them their
ashes will make excellent manure which will enable me to have a rich
crop of food grains.” The pupil left that heap. Then they saw three
women collecting dry leaves and putting them into their baskets.
“What do you do with these dry leaves?” asked the pupil. “ Dear
brothers, I use them as fuel to heat water for my bath, and for
washing our clothes.” The second one said, “ We pin the better
leaves together with reed pins and make ‘patravalis’ which are used
as dinner plates.” The third one said, “ My husband who is a ‘vaidya’
uses them for preparing some herbal medicines.”
The pupil then went still further into the forest. They saw some dry
leaves under a tall tree. As both were looking at them, a big bird
swooped down and picking up one leaf, flew away. The pupil watched
the bird carrying the leaf to the top of a small tree near-by, where it
was building a nest of dry leaves and grass. They did not wish to take
away the dry leaves which were useful to the bird. Near by they saw
a small pond in which a big dry leaf was floating on the water. “ There
is a big dry leaf which is of no use to anyone.” said one of them. The
pupil went to the pond and picked up the leaf. To their surprise, they
saw two big red ants moving on it. The ants seem to say “This dry
leaf has been our life boat in the pond. Please don’t throw us away.”
The pupil returned to the Gurukul. In a sad tone they told their Guru,
“Gurudev we found that even dry leaves have so many uses. Please
forgive us for not bringing with us the Gurudakshina you had asked
for.”
“Dear children, replied the Guru, the knowledge you have gathered
today is my real Gurudakshina. Even a dry leaf is of great use and
help to man, bird and insect. How much precious then, should a
man’s body be when it is put to good use. So, take good care of your
body and use it to make your life as well as the lives of others happy.
Never miss a chance to use it to serve the needy, the sick and aged or
to help the ignorant and the poor. Never forget this great lesson you
have learnt today.”
Lord Rama and The Squirrel

Lord Rama needed to build a bridge across the sea to Lanka to rescue
his wife Sita. Lord Rama being Maryada Purushottam (the most noble
man), and revered by one and all, and Sita being the daughter of
Bhumi Devi, all creatures wanted to help in this huge task. Lord
Hanuman and all the others in Rama's vanara (monkey) army carried
the largest boulders and rocks. All the smaller creatures helped too,
even squirrels.

One squirrel was carrying pebbles when a monkey asked what he

was doing there, and shouted at him to get out of the way. The
squirrel said he was carrying pebbles to build Lord Rama's bridge.
The monkey laughed at the squirrel as if to say, "What can you do,
you tiny squirrel?" But it was the pebbles that filled in the gaps
between the boulders that made the bridge strong. Lord Rama lifted
up the little squirrel, thanked him for all his hard work, and blessed
him by stroking his back.

And even today squirrels in South India have dark stripes on their
backs.
Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita,
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or
water, I will accept it.”
This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the large and small acts of
kindness that grace our days, our lives and our world, and we
remember that no effort of ours is too small to be recognized and
blessed by God.
Vivekananda’s Prayer
Sri Ramakrishna loved Naren very much and Naren also loved him
with all his heart. It is only when there is a great and pure love
between a Guru and his disciple that the disciple can be taught about
God. The Guru awakens God in the disciple.
Naren became a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and he was very happy.
He used to go to Dakshineswar very often and hear about God.
About this time, a very sad thing happened. Naren’s father died. The
family was now very poor. Sometimes, they did not even have
enough to eat. Naren felt very sad. He decided to try to get a job.
Naren was a brilliant student. He had his B.A. degree. Still, he could
not find any work. He walked from one office to another, but he
could not get work. He thought, “What will become of my mother,
sisters, and brothers, if I cannot earn some money?”
One day, he told everything to Sri Ramakrishna. “Naren, today is
Tuesday,” Sri Ramakrishna replied, “Whatever you ask of Mother
today, She will give you. You may ask Her to help you.”
That evening, Naren went to the temple of Kali to pray. When he
came back, Sri Ramakrishna asked him, “What did Mother say?”
“Oh, I forgot to ask Her!” cried Naren.
“You forgot? Go back at once. Hurry!” said Sri Ramakrishna.
This time also, the same thing happened. The third time Naren
returned, looking very peaceful. He told Sri Ramakrishna, “How could
I ask Mother for money? It would be like asking a great king for a
pumpkin! I could only ask Her for devotion, for selfless love, and for
the power to understand Her!”
Afterwards, Sri Ramakrishna told Naren that his family would never
lack the bare necessities of life. Only then did Naren feel that it was
right for him not to try to earn money.
That night, Sri Ramakrishna taught Naren a beautiful song about the
Mother. Naren sang that song the whole night, while Sri Ramakrishna
sat in deep meditation.
The Bracelet
Archana and Darshana felt very disappointed because they could not
go to the exhibition that evening.
They had talked about it for weeks and hoped that as their eldest
sister was selling handbags at a stall there, they would be given a free
pass. But their mother had just informed them, that such was not the
case. And as they had no money to pay for the tickets, they must give
up the idea altogether. “It can’t be helped, I suppose,” said Darshana.
“So let’s go for a walk on the sea-shore instead”. And hand in hand
they hurried towards the sea. The soft breeze was so cool and
refreshing, and there were so many things to watch here, that they
soon forgot their disappointment. And their spirits rose once again.
There were many children playing on the sands, and further down,
there were hundreds of sea gulls on the rocks, which both the girls
loved to watch, as they screamed and dived for fish.
A rat came crawling along the wall, ran across the pavement, and
disappeared in a hole on the opposite side. The girls were quite
intrigued by this, and they got up to see what it could be doing, and
whether there were some baby rats in the hole.
Just then, a big car came and stopped near the pavement, and a
beautiful lady got out with her son. She said something to her driver,
and walked away. The girls watched her till she was out of sight, and
then having nothing better to do, they decided to go and look for the
rat again. They took some paper, twisted it into a long rope, and
pushed it into the hole.
Suddenly Archana gave a shout, and pointed to something lying quite
close by. She picked it up and found that it was a bracelet studded
with diamonds.
“That lady who got out of the car, must have dropped it,” said
Darshana.
“Let us run and see if we can find her, for she could not have gone
very far.”
And both the girls ran as fast as they could, dodging the people and
the hawkers, till at last they found her sitting on a bench.
She had not noticed that her bracelet was missing and was very
pleased to get it back.
“It belonged to my dear mother. And I would have been very sorry it I
had lost it.” Said the Lady. “You have been very good and honest, and
I would like to give you a little reward, so won’t you please tell me
what you would like to have?”
The girls looked at each other shyly, and did not say anything. So the
lady opened her purse and was looking for a suitable reward, when
her son suddenly got an idea. “Mummy, let’s all go to the exhibition
to celebrate; it will be such fun!” said he.
“Would you like to come to the exhibition with us?” the lady asked
kindly.
“We would be delighted.” They said together.
So the lady called a taxi and took them to the very place where they
had longed to go. And indeed, it was such a treat to look at all the
stalls, and to sit on the merry-go-round, and eat delicious ice cream
cones. Never had Archana and Darshana been so happy in all their
lives. But this was only the beginning of their good fortune. For the
kind lady never forgot them. And the whole family was helped by her
ever after, just for this one act of honesty.
WATCH STORY

You know children, when we want to know the time we look in a

watch. It also means to look out, to be on guard. We have watchmen
and watch dogs who guard houses, offices or factories against
intruders. But there is another kind of watch that all of us have to
watch against. We have to watch our tongue from uttering bad words
because they hurt and once spoken, they cannot be undone.
Then whatever action we do we must think twice before doing. We
must see that none of our actions hurt others.
Before words and actions, thoughts come. We are always thinking of
something or the other. If we have good thoughts, then our words
and actions will be good. So think good.
If we speak softly and sweetly, act with caution and have good
thoughts, then our character becomes good. However educated or
knowledgeable one may be, without good character, all that
knowledge becomes useless. Truely, the end of education is
character.
When one develops all these four, one is filled with love and the
heart of that person is like twenty four carat gold. A heart full of love
for one and all indeed turns a human to a divine person. Let us learn
a song today about this:

Watch your words, watch your words, what you say

Theres a Father up above, looking down with gentle love,
Watch your words, watch your words, what you say.

Watch your actions, watch your actions, what you do

Theres a Father up above, looking down with gentle love
Watch your actions, watch your actions, what you do

Watch your thoughts, watch your thoughts, what you do

Theres a Father up above, looking down with gentle love
Watch your thoughts, watch your thoughts, what you do

Watch your character, watch your character, what you do

Theres a Father up above, looking down with gentle love
Watch your character, watch your character, what you do

Watch you heart, watch your heart, what you do

Theres a Father up above, looking down with gentle love
Watch your heart, watch your heart, what you do

W………………………….Words
A…………………………..Actions
T……………………………Thoughts
C……………………………Character
H……………………………Heart
UNITED WE STAND

Peter and Bobby were on their regular visit to the slum. They were
distributing old clothes to the very poor. In one of the houses,they
found two boys fighting. They were so full of anger that they did not
hear the mother or others who were trying to separate them
Peter pulled one boy and Bobby, the other. Peter sad, "Shame on
you boys. Your mother is shouting, the other elders are advising you
and yet you go on fighting. What is the fight about?"
Both the boys did not reply and the poor mother apologised and
said, "Both of them wanted to wear the one good, warm sweater
that was there at home. Today, they wanted to go out to the park and
play and enjoy themselves. But both wanted the same sweater. No
one wanted to give in or compromise".
Bobby said, "You know boys, you are not going to solve the problem
by fighting. All problems can be solved if you think calmly".
Peter said, "Listen boys, I know everyone wants to look best
especially when they are going out with their friends. But there is
only one good sweater between the two of you. But, you can still
solve the problem. Listen to this story first".
"Two goats were walking on a narrow bridge from opposite
directions. When they met, both of them wanted to cross first but
the bridge was too narrow. They pushed each other and butted their
heads and fought. Suddenly they lost their balance and fell down
from the bridge into the water underneath! If only they had thought
calmly, there was a solution, Can you tell me what it is boys?"
The boys thought and thought-then one said he did not know. Peter
laughed and said, "Come on boys, you two are the goats. Walk from
opposite directions. Here you meet, now, how are you going to
cross? Think boys, think".
Then one boy said, "One of us will lie down and the other will cross
first. Then the other can get up and walk in the opposite direction".
"Well done, well done," cried Peter and Bobby. "You found the
solution. Similarly, now let us see about your quarrel. There is one
good sweater which one of you can wear on top of the shirt. If you
have a good shirt, then the other can wear the shirt on top of a not
so good sweater. Both of you will look neat and tidy. If you promise
not to quarrel any more, next time we will bring a sweater. Now go
and get ready".
The boys thanked Peter and Bobby and the mother was happy that
the boys understood and will not quarrel anymore. She was grateful
to Peter and Bobby.
CROW AND THE PEACOCK STORY
A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But
one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I
am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”
He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied,
“I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot,
which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in
creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot
explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only
two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”
The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of
people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow
approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so
beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When
people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the
happiest bird on the planet.”
The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful
and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am
entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I
have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for
past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could
happily roam everywhere.”
That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with
others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This
all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy in
what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will
always be someone who will have more or less than you have. Person
who is satisfied with what he/she has, is the happiest person in the
world.
GURUVAYUR TEMPLE

The adorable figure of Guruvayurappan is the full manifestation of

Lord Mahavishnu, as was revealed to Devaki and Vasudeva at the
time of Krishnavatara. Kashyap and Aditi were born as Vasudeva and
Devaki and the Lord was born as their child for the third consecutive
time.
The image of Guruvayur was first worshipped by Narayana Himself,
which He then gave to Brahma, and it was by the grace of this deity
that Brahma carried out his task of creation. It was the same image,
which was worshipped by Devaki and Vasudeva; and when Krishna
became the ruler of Dwaraka, He built a temple and installed the
image in it.
At the end of the Dwapara yuga, Lord Krishna told Uddhava that the
purpose of His Avatar was now over and that He would soon depart
to Vaikuntha. Uddhava was plunged into sorrow, thinking of the
terrible fate that would befall the world in the Kali Yuga. But, the Lord
pacified him, saying that He would manifest Himself in the idol and
shower His blessings on His devotees. He also directed Uddhava to
safeguard the image during the impending deluge and to install it at a
holy spot, in consultation with Brihaspati (Guru), the preceptor of
Gods.
Accordingly, Brihaspati and Vayu took charge of the image and
searched all over the land for a sacred place for its installation. On
the way, they met Parsurama, who, under Narada's advice, was in
search of the very same image. They came to a beautiful lake full of
lotus flowers. On one side of it were Siva and Parvati to welcome
them. Siva told them this place was marked out long ago for the
image of Narayana; and then, sprinkling holy water on the image and
paying homage to it, Siva turned to Guru and Vayu and said, "You two
together should perform the installation and as you are the founders
of this sacred temple, this place shall be known as GURUVAYUR." So
saying, Siva and Parvati left for the opposite bank. To this day, a Siva
temple, a kilometre away from the Guruvayur temple, bears
testimony to this fact.
The glory of Guruvayur thus rests on the Divinity of the idol. It is that
attractive world-enchanting form of Krishna endowed with four
lustrous arms, carrying the conch shell, the discus, the mace, and the
lotus. Adorning Himself with the Tulsi garland and pearl necklaces,
the Lord here appears in all radiance. Indeed, among the deities
known to answer the call of the bhaktas, it is the name of
Guruvayurappan that easily comes to mind.
There is an incident to show the Lord answers the prayers of all
those, who seek His protection. There was a man, who was suffering
from acute paralysis. After the doctors had given up all hopes of cure,
he had sought shelter at the feet of Lord Guruvayurappan. At the
same time, another poor man, too, had come to the Lord to gain
wealth by propitiating the deity. Placing his purse on the river bank,
the paralytic patient slowly lowered himself into the river for a dip.
The poor man in search of money happened to see the purse and
wasted no time in swooping down on it. The cripple ran after the
thief, not realising how miraculously he had been cured. Just then, he
heard a voice telling him, “Be content. Your prayers are granted, so
also are his!"
Thus, even the selfish and greedy, who are drawn towards Him, are
blessed by Him and the man, who seeks power and wealth,
ultimately seeks nothing but His Grace; for has not the Lord said that
four types of men worship Him: the arthi, the artharthi, the jijnasu,
and the jnani. The Enchanter that He is, He finally transforms
everyone, who comes to Him, into a Jnani.