Ekta | wisdomekta

  Brahmin Dream (Pic from internet) Once upon a time, there lived a poor Brahmin in a village. He begged for a living. One day he got a barley meal. He ate a bit and put the rest in a pot that he hung by his cot. As he gawked at the pot, he began to daydream. He dreamt that if a famine came to the land, then he could trade it for a hundred coins. With these silver coins, he would buy a set of goats. They would have fledglings every six months and promptly he would cultivate a herd of goats. Then he would sell the goats for cows and then buffaloes and then mares. The mares would have horses and he would sell them for gold. With this earned gold, he would buy a large house. Soon, a prosperous man would come by and offer his daughter in marriage, along with a dowry. They would marry and soon the wife would have a son. When the son was old enough to ride on his knee, he would take a book, sit on the stable roof, and think. Then the son would see him, jump from his mother’s lap in his e...

The Happy Prince (Image-Internet) “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde inhabits themes like social injustice, the redemptive power of love, and the loss of innocence. I read this one in 9th class. For me, this story is about friendship, desire, and the credible strength of human existence which enables others to be part of one's riches. The story is- There once was a statue of a prince. When alive, he lived in a palace… unaware of any kind of human hardship and misery. His life was full of joys. Upon his death, his statue was built at the top of a tall column in the city. The statue was covered all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt. The statue of the Happy Prince looked beautiful and everyone in the city admired it. Since he was placed high above the city, the Prince was able to witness all the sorrows and sufferings which the common people faced in their daily life. This made the Prince very sad. H...

   Pic as found on internet I found this author while googling about top rated writers around the world. Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally around the world, with his work translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside Japan. I have read many novels and books of Murakami, and every time I discover his writings as fresh, raw, and oddly sealed with magic. The sunken feelings of human beings are captured phenomenally in his compositions. His books present the world which seems to be untruly true. Men Without Women is a compilation of 07 short stories. The stories penetrated through my eyes and have left deep impressions on my thoughts and heart. These small tales explore those crushing feelings of losing someone…due to death, mistake, misunderstandings, or many other reasons. It depicts the bravery of a person to lift his broken spirit and carry on forward w...

Approved or Rejected?  Once upon a time, a man visited Lord Buddha and asked him “ What is the price of human life? What is the worth of my life? ” Lord Buddha smiled and rather gave him a shining stone and said “First go and discover the worth of this stone. However, do not sell the stone at any cost” The man got puzzled but without saying anything took that stone and took off to the market. First, he went to an Orange Seller and inquired about the worth of the stone. Orange seller replied, “I will give a dozen oranges in exchange for the stone.” The man moved on and then went to a vegetable vendor and asked him the same question. The vendor shouted, “Take a sack of potatoes and leave this shiny stone.” Next, he went to a goldsmith and showed him the stone. Goldsmith, stunned by the shine of the stone, said “Sell me this stone for 10000 gems”. Kishore refused this offer. Goldsmith readily conceded to pay him a further 500,000 gems. Finally, he went to a diamond merchant and showed...

  Disclaimer- This a parable from India that has been adapted by many religions and published in various stories for adults and children. There were once six blind men who stood by the road-side every day, and begged from the people who passed. They had often heard of elephants, but they had never seen one; for, being blind, how could they? It so happened one morning that an elephant was driven down the road where they stood. When they were told that the great beast was before them, they asked the driver to let him stop so that they might see him. Of course they could not see him with their eyes; but they thought that by touching him they could learn just what kind of animal he was. The first one happened to put his hand on the elephant's side. " Well, well !" he said, " now I know all about this beast. He is exactly like a wall. " The second felt only of the elephant's tusk. " My brother, " he said, " you are mistaken. He is not at all like ...

Reading Stories to attain Wisdom Disclaimer- It is a popular story shared on social networks. Long ago, there was a battle about to seize the place. One of the generals was discussing tactics with his battalion of officers. An officer interrupted him and explained that he assumed that the strategy was a waste of time. “The God has already decided who will win.” he proclaimed. “Are you indicating that fate has decided the outcome in advance?” the general raised a question. “Yes, I am.” the officer replied. The general took a coin out of his satchel and said, “So if I toss this coin and it comes up heads, we win, but if its tails we lose. Is that how fate works?” “Pretty much.” said the officer. The general tossed the coin and it came up heads. “See, God has decided. We can’t lose now!” They went to their armies with the good news and the soldiers marched into battle with renewed enthusiasm. After a glorious coup, the officers met in the general’s tent to celebrate. “Do you believe in...

Covid times may sometimes be frustrating but it is teaching the best lesson of practicing  "Patience". Here is one short Zen story. A rich man, fond of felines, asked a famous Zen ink painter to draw him a cat. The master agreed and asked the man to come back in three months. When the man returned, he was put off, again and again, until a year had passed. Finally, at the man’s request, the master drew out a brush, and, with grace and ease, in a single fluid motion, drew a picture of a cat—the most marvelous image the man had ever seen. He was astonished; then he grew angry. “That drawing took you only thirty seconds! Why did you make me wait a year?” he demanded. Without a word, the master opened up a cabinet, and out fell thousands of drawings—of cats. My learning from this - Excellence is a function of time and practice. Don’t rush: Those of us who are always pushing hard, running up the mountain, may reach the top first only to realize we forgot to enjoy the cl...