SHORT STORY: WHO IS SUPERIOR?

Copyright@shravancharitymission

By Kamlesh Tripathi

WHO IS SUPERIOR?

    Once a debate started amongst various organs of the body, as to who is more important and most vital.

    Voice said—‘I’m the most important, and it is only because of me a person can speak.’ Ears started saying—‘If I won’t be there the body won’t be able to hear anything, and so I’m the most important.’ Mind said—‘If I’m not there a person will not be able to register and acknowledge anything and therefore, I’m the superior most.’ Pran (The breath of life) praised itself and said—‘Well if I don’t amalgamate with the body it will only collapse and therefore I’m the mightiest.’

    The controversy continued for a long period of time, but no settlement was coming forth. Then one day the Indriyas (feelings & senses) suggested—‘In order to solve the controversy we should go to Prajapati (Lord of people). He alone would be able to decide who is superior amongst all of us.’ And in agreement the Indriyas approached the Prajapati and narrated the reason for their prolonged controversy and requested—‘Now you only decide for us, who is the most superior amongst us?’

    After thinking for a while Prajapati said—‘Let that organ be the superior most on whose departing, the body becomes inactive, useless and dead.’

    Everyone abided by his verdict. And first the voice separated from the body, but the activities of the body continued as normal and after staying away for a year when the voice returned, he thought to himself—‘My absence for a year has had no effect in the body. In fact it is just working like before.’ His face fell and he entered the body again.

           Thereafter, the eyes left the body. And, in the absence of eyes man could not see. After a year when the eyes returned to see the ill effects due to his absence in the man’s body, he thought—‘my absence for a year has not made any significant difference in the man’s body.’ And considering it as self defeat he entered the human body again.

    Now it was ears turn and as planned he too left the body. But after it left the body continued to be the same, the only difference was the person could not hear. And after a year when he returned he was shocked to see the man’s body was functioning in the same manner. He asked the person—‘How did you survive without me?’

    ‘Well in the same manner, as a deaf would survive.’ Replied the man.

    Next the mind departed from the body of the man. And after a year when he returned the body replied—‘Dear kid, without the mind the mental development of the body stops but rest of the things continue as usual.’

    And at last when the Pran decided to leave the body all the Indriyas started getting a fraught of nervousness. They all began to realize that till the time there is Pran in the body they too have their presence and existence. But the moment Pran departs even they will become useless and dead and therefore they accepted the superiority of Pran. And the strength of Pran resembles the supreme and mighty God. Shastras too have defined supreme God (Parmatma) as Pran.

   

        

*****

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHRAVAN

Copyright@shravancharitymission

By Kamlesh Tripathi

REMEMBRANCE

Dear Shravan

This is how we remember you on your 23^rd birthday

Always alive, as if you never went,

On the roll as if never spent,

Days have passed and years have gone by,

But to me it appears,

As if those bygone moments have just commenced.

*

And there from the heaven,

So much to watch,

But nothing to repent,

For soul is intact what if body is spent.

*

But in this game of body and soul,

For me there is so much to repent,

Having lost you to heaven,

And no one knows the extent.

*

There is indeed a difference,

Between the whiz of your soul and the touch of the body,

The touch is no more,

But the whiz is still felt.

*

My days still commence, with your pleasant memories,

That takes me beyond body and soul,

And thanks for your ‘whiz’ that comes each day, my son,

For that keeps me alive; rest I live.

Bless you Shravan.

*****

POEM: MORNING WALK

Copyright@shravancharitymission

By Kamlesh Tripathi

MORNING WALK

Is like the retreat in heaven,

As refreshing as the fresh breeze,

Arising from the seas of all the seven,

While it starts from the break of day,

And lasts till the last drop of frost in the blade.

*

It prepares me for the day,

And detaches me from the wearies of my yesterday,

It sinews my vision,

And orchestrates my system,

To fire the spark of momentum,

That leapfrogs me to meritorious action.

*

When I see the sun rising

The birds twittering,

The animals stretching,

Insects trancing,

And humans jogging.

*

It beguiles me to act,

Warrants me to react,

To take on mighty life each day,

Where, I stand as a dwarf.

*

And while walking every morning,

I plan my day,

Introspect my bygone years,

And rekindle my aspirations,

That execute, my ensuing destinations.

*

And as I walk around the meadows, the sun rises,

And with that my hope augurs,

Is when the refreshing breeze, huddles me around,

Only to tell me I’m not alone in the walk of life.

*

And to take me to my morning walk,

The earth rotates and the galaxy acrobats,

The sun shows up at the horizon,

Where the cool breeze comes as an x-factor.

*

For everyone has a part to play

Where the rising Sun brings about the warmth,

The mystic breeze the freshness,

And your workout the spice for the day.

*

One day when I missed my morning walk,

I felt,

I missed my day,

Lost my warmth,

Waylaid my health,

And scattered my hurray!

*

Since then I show up each day,

Doesn’t matter summer, winter or rains,

As morning walk is the purest of the pure

Act of my day.

***

SHORT STORY: KING CHITRAKETU

Copyright@shravancharitymission

By Kamlesh Tripathi

    Once upon a time there lived a very eminent king by the name of Chitraketu. He had many wives but no children. One day Maharishi Angiraj landed up in his Raj-Bhawan. And with his spiritual powers he could make out Chitraketu was very unhappy and even desperate for a child and so he decided to perform a yagya (Hindu ritual of sacrifice) to help his queen conceive. And after the yagya he handed over its leftovers to the eldest queen Kritdhuti. And while leaving, Maharishi Angiraj said—‘Maharaj! You will soon be blessed by a son; but he will be the reason for both your happiness and sorrow.’

    Maharani Kritdhuti was soon pregnant. And at the right moment the king was blessed with a son. And with this Maharaj Chitraketu’s happiness knew no bounds. The whole kingdom was in celebrations. After remaining issueless for such a long time Maharaj Chitraketu was finally blessed with a child, therefore: his love for the child was boundless and oozing all over. And to remain with his new born son he started spending more time at the residence of his eldest queen Kritdhuti.  And he had once again started loving her immensely for having given birth to his child. And, the resultant effect was; other wives on being neglected by king Chitraketu, felt extremely demoralised and soon demoralisation turned into intense jealousy. They lost all their noble senses. And the main reason for that was the king’s neglect, which they found was because of the child. And, in the end all the neglected wives of the king consented to quietly poison the child, and the child died. And upon realising what had happend Maharani Kritdhuti and Maharaj Chitraketu, fell like a fallen tree next to the body of their child. The entire kingdom now was in a pall of gloom.

    And amidst the gloom and wail two distinguished personalities arrived in the Raj Bhawan. Maharishi Angiraj this time was accompanied by Devrishi Narad. Maharishi told the king—‘Rajan (king) you are a great devotee of Brahmins and God and so I was happy with you. And because of that I had come to you earlier thinking I would teach you the prowess to attain God’s darshan; but since it was written on your face that you desperately wanted a child, I instead gave you a child as a blessing. Now that you have suffered the tragedy of losing your son, and there ain’t a tragedy, bigger than this, you would have known by now that this world is a place, full of sadness.’

   Raja Chitraketu was still in mourning. He therefore could not understand the essence of Maharishi’s address. But he was spellbound at the sight of them. Devrishi Narad who was accompanying Angiraj could understand that Chitraketu’s intense love for his child will not go like this. And so using his divya-shakti (divine-power) he attracted the soul of the child. And as the soul came he said—‘Dear son! See they are your parents and they are mourning for you. So please get back to your body to make them happy and start enjoying the royal life as the son of the king.

    And everyone there clearly heard what the soul of the child had to say—‘Devrishi they are my parents of which life? A soul does not have any parents, brother or friends. Many a times I was their father and many times they were mine. And many a times they were my friends and even enemies. All these relations are because of your mortal body. And as you leave your mortal remains behind you also leave behind your relations. And then everyone is all by himself and has to suffer, as per his karmas.’

   The soul after having said all that vanished from the scene. King Chtiraketu’s deep affection for his son after hearing the conversation started subsiding. And after cremating his son, with a fresh and sombre mind he appeared in front of the Devrishi and Maharishi. Devrishi Narad then gave instructions for prayers and puja of Lord Shesh Narayan, and with the influence of that King Chitraketu got darshan of Lord Shesh Narayan and soon he started on a long pursuit of spiritual knowledge and became a big scholar and was ranked as a Vidyadhar.

***