Guest guest Posted July 15, 2002 Report Share Posted July 15, 2002 << A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: " You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved. " Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said, " Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough. " That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. " Lord, " he said, " I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing? The Lord responded compassionately, " My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock. " At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains. When everything seems to go wrong ... just P.U.S.H.! When the job gets you down ... just P.U.S.H.! When people don't react the way you think they should ... just P.U.S.H.! When your money is " gone " and the bills are due ... just P.U.S.H! When people just don't understand you ... just P.U.S.H.! P= Pray U= Until S= Something H= Happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2002 Report Share Posted July 15, 2002 Dear Friends, That was a nice story from Edith Tipple. I understand that the story was aimed at developing faith in God. Can we also use the same story to sharpen our mind as well? Some questions to ponder: What did the man do to earn God's presense in the first place? Why did God ask the man to do a purposeless task of pushing a rock? Why did the man comply with God's request without seeking an understanding of the purpose of the task of rock pushing? Was Satan wrong in pointing out the pointlessness of the task at hand? Why did not the man use his intellect to find a better solution to pushing the rock instead of using his physical strength? What is the moral of the story: (1)to be obedient to God and do whatever he asks without question? (2)that development of muscular strengh is more desirable than mental strength? If God were to do the job for the man like pushing the rock, what motivation is there for man to excel? What is the motivation for God to what he/she did? anbudan, Sathia Ramakrishna, Edith Tipple <edtipple@e...> wrote: > << A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room > filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work > for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The > Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his > might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled > from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, > massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. > Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling > that his whole day had been spent in > vain. > > Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) > decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: > " You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it > hasn't moved. " Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was > impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and > disheartened the man. Satan said, " Why kill yourself over this? Just > put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be > good enough. " > > That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a > matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. " Lord, " > he said, " I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my > strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I > have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? > Why am I failing? > > The Lord responded compassionately, " My friend, when I asked you to > serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push > against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never > once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task > was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, > thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at > yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and > brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have > become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and > your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you > haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to > push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you > have done. > > Now I, my friend, will move the rock. " > > At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own > intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is > just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the > faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves > the mountains. When everything seems to go wrong ... just > > P.U.S.H.! > When the job gets you down ... just > P.U.S.H.! > When people don't react the way you think > they should ... > just P.U.S.H.! > When your money is " gone " and the bills are > due ... just > P.U.S.H! > When people just don't understand you ... > just > P.U.S.H.! > > P= Pray > U= Until > S= Something > H= Happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2002 Report Share Posted July 16, 2002 Dear friends, I think the confrontation here is between " self effort " and " grace " . Pushing or self effort is always necessary but it does not/may not lead to God realisation. As Sri Ramakrishna pointed out God is like a small child. He is nobody's slave. He holds " grace " in his hand like a small child holds a toy. You may try and persuade the child to part with the toy but to no avail. On the other hand the same child may run after a total stranger and hand over the toy to him. Once a devotee asked Hari Maharaj (Swami Turiyananda) what he had achieved after so much austere tapasya. Hari Maharaj replied that the only thing he had realised was that God is not available through tapasya! Total self surrender or " sharanagati " is advised in the shastras. When one admits failure and surrenders himself totally to God's will, God responds if the person is sincere. But Prapatti or sharangati is not easy. A lot of preparation (self effort again!) is necessary to change ones habits and attitudes and conquer the ego. Swami's Vireshwaranandaji, Bhutesanandaji and Ranganathanandaji, among others, have lectured extensively on this topic. Brad is also right when he refers to the relevant portion of the Kathamrita. I invite more discussion on this issue. Namaskar. Jagannath. --- ssathia <ssathia wrote: > Dear Friends, > > That was a nice story from Edith Tipple. I > understand that the story > was aimed at developing faith in God. Can we also > use the same story > to sharpen our mind as well? > > Some questions to ponder: > > What did the man do to earn God's presense in the > first place? > > Why did God ask the man to do a purposeless task of > pushing a rock? > > Why did the man comply with God's request without > seeking an > understanding of the purpose of the task of rock > pushing? > > Was Satan wrong in pointing out the pointlessness of > the task at hand? > > Why did not the man use his intellect to find a > better solution to > pushing the rock instead of using his physical > strength? > > What is the moral of the story: > (1)to be obedient to God and do whatever he asks > without question? > (2)that development of muscular strengh is more > desirable than mental > strength? > > If God were to do the job for the man like pushing > the rock, what > motivation is there for man to excel? > > What is the motivation for God to what he/she did? > > anbudan, > Sathia > > Ramakrishna, Edith Tipple > <edtipple@e...> wrote: > > << A man was sleeping one night in his cabin > when suddenly his > room > > filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord > told the man he had > work > > for him to do, and showed him a large rock in > front of his cabin. > The > > Lord explained that the man was to push against > the rock with all > his > > might. So, this the man did, day after day. For > many years he > toiled > > from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set > squarely against the > cold, > > massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing > with all of his > might. > > Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and > worn out, feeling > > that his whole day had been spent in > > vain. > > > > Since the man was showing discouragement, the > Adversary (Satan) > > decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts > into the weary > mind: > > " You have been pushing against that rock for a > long time, and it > > hasn't moved. " Thus, he gave the man the > impression that the > task was > > impossible and that he was a failure. These > thoughts discouraged > and > > disheartened the man. Satan said, " Why kill > yourself over this? > Just > > put in your time, giving just the minimum > effort; and that will be > > good enough. " > > > > That's what the weary man planned to do, but > decided to make it a > > matter of prayer and to take his troubled > thoughts to the > Lord. " Lord, " > > he said, " I have labored long and hard in your > service, putting > all my > > strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, > after all this > time, I > > have not even budged that rock by half a > millimeter. What is > wrong? > > Why am I failing? > > > > The Lord responded compassionately, " My friend, > when I asked you > to > > serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your > task was to push > > against the rock with all of your strength, > which you have done. > Never > > once did I mention to you that I expected you to > move it. Your > task > > was to push. And now you come to Me with your > strength spent, > > thinking that you have failed. But, is that > really so? Look at > > yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your > back sinewy and > > brown; your hands are callused from constant > pressure, your legs > have > > become massive and hard. Through opposition you > have grown much, > and > > your abilities now surpass that which you used to > have. True, you > > haven't moved the rock. But your calling was > to be obedient and > to > > push and to exercise your faith and trust in My > wisdom. That you > > have done. > > > > Now I, my friend, will move the rock. " > > > > At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend > to use our own > > intellect to decipher what He wants, when > actually what God wants > is > > just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By > all means, exercise > the > > faith that moves mountains, but know that it is > still God who > moves > > the mountains. When everything seems to go wrong > ... just > > > > P.U.S.H.! > > When the job gets you > down ... just > > P.U.S.H.! > > When people don't > react the way you > think > > they should ... > > just P.U.S.H.! > > When your money is > " gone " and the > bills are > > due ... just > > P.U.S.H! > > When people just > don't understand > you ... > > just > > P.U.S.H.! > > > > P= Pray > > U= Until > > S= Something > > H= Happens > > > Autos - Get free new car price quotes http://autos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2002 Report Share Posted July 16, 2002 Dear Jagannathji, Thank you for vitalising this discussion with your perceptive comments. On self effort and grace, I am reminded of yet another story, that of Bakta Kuchela. Probabaly this story stands out as the finest illustration that without self-effort there is no grace. It was funny too that Kuchela while being a poor example of self - effort, spared no efforts in having a football team of children. anbudan, Sathia Ramakrishna, Jagannath Chatterjee <jagchat01> wrote: > Dear friends, > > I think the confrontation here is between " self > effort " and " grace " . <snip> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2002 Report Share Posted July 18, 2002 Dear Sathia, Kindly narrate the story of Bhakta Kuchela. Regards Jagannath. --- ssathia <ssathia wrote: > Dear Jagannathji, > > > On self effort and grace, I am reminded of yet > another story, that of > Bakta Kuchela. > > anbudan, > Sathia > > Autos - Get free new car price quotes http://autos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2002 Report Share Posted July 18, 2002 Dear Jagannathji, I will try. I did a search on the net and found a few sites on Kuchela: The following site gives a brief history but devoid of any artistry: http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/gods/krishna/page5.htm So let me try and fill in a little. Kuchela was a failure in his duties as the guardian of his family. He grew poorer and poorer. He waited for divine grace to literally drop from heaven without bothering to do his part for his family. When his wife could no longer take it, she suggested that Kuchela seek his childhood friend Lord Krishna for help. Kuchela agrees and goes on to seek Krishna. When Krishna's consort enquires Krishna why He had not helped his childhood friend despite knowing Kuchela's financial problems, Krishan replies, there is no grace for anyone who has not tried to put in some effort himself first. Krishna enjoys the " aval " [i do not know how to say that in English], a snack brought by Kuchela, and sends him back empty handed. After visiting Krishna, Kuchela finds out upon reaching his home that he has been made rich by Krishna. The Lord explains to his consort that He finally decided to help Kuchela because at least Kuchela took the trouble to journey to seek Krishna to ask him for his help. Krishna appreciated that effort. This beautiful story I believe is popular in Andhra Pradesh. You may be able to listen to beautiful songs from the 1961 movie Baktha Kuchela from the following site: http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/l/VV000105 A note for other friends: I sign off as anbudan, Sathia. Here, the word anbudan is made up of two words anbu=love and udan=with in Tamil. anbudan, Sathia Ramakrishna, Jagannath Chatterjee <jagchat01> wrote: > Dear Sathia, > > Kindly narrate the story of Bhakta Kuchela. > > Regards > > Jagannath. > --- ssathia <ssathia@h...> wrote: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 19, 2002 Report Share Posted July 19, 2002 Dear Sathia, Why the " ji " ? I will be happy if you call me plain Jagannath. I have read the story. Thank you. It is very similiar to another story about Sudama. I think there was some response to our discussion regarding " self effort " and " grace " based on PUSH. What I wish to emphasise is that different people will react differently to the story, and there lies the charm in a discussion ! In the Kathamrita we find Thakur often prodding some devotees to set up an arguement and then enjoying the outcome. By the way, jagat is a " majar kuti " only for the realised souls. yours sincerely, and yes, anbudan! Jagannath --- ssathia <ssathia wrote: > Dear Jagannathji, > > I will try. > > A note for other friends: I sign off as anbudan, > Sathia. Here, the word > anbudan is made up of two words anbu=love and > udan=with in Tamil. > > anbudan, > Sathia > > Autos - Get free new car price quotes http://autos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.