The Devoted Son

Jamadagni was a Great Rishi. He lived a pious life with his wife Renuka. One day Renuka and the rishi were making a shivalinga from clay.

Just as they were giving in the finishing touches, Renuka’s concentration was distracted by the sound of hooves. The shadow of the Kshatriya king who rode that way fell on the shivalinga.

Rishi Jamadagni who noticed the loss of concentration of his wife was enraged. He called his eldest son.

“Your mother must be killed now,” the rishi ordered. But Jamadagni’s son refused to kill her.

The rishi then called his second son. The second son wanted to know why he should kill an innocent woman who was also his mother.

Jamadagni then called his third son. “Cut off your mother’s head now,” he ordered. The third son was Parashurama. Without a word Parashurama beheaded his mother. Jamadagni was pleased. ‘Ask for two boons and it shall be yours. I am pleased with you,” said the rishi to Parashurama.

“Father”, said Parashurama, “bring mother back to life. I know not why you wanted her beheaded but let her not remember what caused her death.”

Jamadagni granted his son’s wishes. Renuka was brought back to life.

In later years Parashurama came to be known for both his valour and anger. He lost out in a battle of strength to Rama. He handed over his weapons to Rama and renounced the world.

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The foolish lion and the clever rabbit

Once upon a time there lived a ferocious lion in the forest. It was a greedy lion and started killing animals in the forest indiscriminately. Seeing this, the animals gathered and decided to approach the lion with the offer of one animal of each species volunteering itself to be eaten by the lion everyday.

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Story of The Brahmin and the crooks

Mitra Sarma was a Brahmin living in a small village. He used to daily worship Fire. It was the month of Magha (February). The sky was full of clouds and it had already started raining. Sarma left for a neighbouring village at that time to seek the gift of a sacrificial lamb from some rich man. He called on a well-to-do man in the village and requested him to make him a gift of a healthy lamb for sacrifice to Gods. The wealthy man gave him one of the well-fed lambs he had. Carrying the lamb on his shoulders, the Brahmin began his homeward journey. Three crooks, very hungry and emaciated, crossed his path and seeing the healthy lamb on the Brahmin’s shoulders thought, “Ah, God has sent us good food. Let us trick the Brahmin into parting with it and free us from hunger and cold.” At once, they began to act. One of them changed into a disguise, and overtaking the Brahmin by another route, stopped him and said, “O what a fool you are? Such a great worshipper of Fire, why are you carrying this dog on your shoulders? This will bring you ridicule. Don’t you know that it is a sin to touch a dog, or a rooster, or a donkey?” The Brahmin lost his temper and said, “You stupid fellow, are you blind? Why do you call a lamb a dog?” The first crook replied, “Don’t be angry, if you think he is not a dog, please carry on. I have no objection.” The Brahmin hardly walked a little distance when the second crook greeted him and said, “O respected sir, it is highly regrettable that you are carrying a dead calf on your shoulders, however dear it is to you. The man who touches dead animals or birds has to undergo purification rites.” The Brahmin challenged him, “Are you too blind? This is a live sacrificial lamb and you say he is a dead calf.” The second crook said, “All right, sir. Please excuse me. I am an ignorant fool. Do as it pleases you.” Now it was the turn of the third crook to cross the Brahmin’s path. Turning to the Brahmin, the crook said, “Sir, it is highly improper. You are carrying a donkey on your shoulders. This is not done. The elders have said he who touches a donkey, knowingly or otherwise, has to take a bath fully dressed. So, please leave him before anybody notices it.” Thinking that he was really carrying a donkey, the poor Brahmin threw the lamb to the ground and went home. Moral of the Story : The learned have said that men with great common sense and a little bit of cunning can subdue stronger enemies like the tricksters who cheated the gullible Brahmin of his lamb

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Tips for enjoying every moment of your life

1. Forgive yourself and others
   Life is too short to hold on to regrets, grudges, miscommunications, or disappointments. Free yourself by forgiving and letting go of any negative energy you're holding on to about yourself or others. The process of forgiving yourself and others will result in your feeling light and free.
   

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In her mother's dress

"Do you like my dress?" she asked of a passing stranger. "My mommy made it just for me." She said with a tear in her eye.

"Well, I think it's very pretty, so tell me little one, why are you crying?"
With a quiver in her voice the little girl answered. "After Mommy made me this dress, she had to go away."
"Well, now," said the lady, "with a little girl like you waiting for her, I'm sure she'll be right back."

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I must at least try

In June 1985, two British mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates made the first-ever climb of the West Face of the 21,000 foot snow-covered Siula Grande mountain in Peru. It was an exceptionally tough assault – but nothing compared to what was to come. Early in the descent, Simpson fell and smashed his right knee. Yates could have abandoned him but managed to find a way of lowering him down the mountain in a series

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Be a good listener

A shabby man approached me several days ago while I was eating rice soup at the university I am currently working for. Looking pale and without hope, he reported to me several of his troubles regarding his life and family--though not much at all of this man life have I known about. I sat there, silent and confused while my attention was all on him. Telling

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Life In The Fast Lane

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

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A dripping teen

I became interested in investing when I got my first job as a waiter. I had money that I'd saved and wanted to buy stocks like my parents. When I turned 16, I opened an account with my mom at a local brokerage. I then bought my first two stocks: $200 worth of General Electric and $200 worth of Abbott Labs, a pharmaceutical company. I picked these companies using information I gathered from books and online discussion boards.

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A Jumpstart on the Future

From the very start, my parents encouraged me to save half of my earnings. It first felt like a chore to "give" my money to the bank, but I eventually realized that I was actually paying myself. When I was about 12, my parents urged me to start investing small amounts, such as $150 to $200, in the stocks of my choice. My eyes were wide with the prospect of riches, but I didn't really know how to go about finding promising companies and researching them.

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Pick up in the rain

One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.

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The obstacle in our path

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant

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Learn to listen

At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from DeMoines, Iowa. I've always supplimented my income by teaching piano lessons--something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years
I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a protege though I have taught some talented

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Be patient

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck.

To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint.

The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment.

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Attitude is everything

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

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