Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman Chalisa is hindi poem written by Mahakavi Goswami Tulsidas in the sixteenth century in praise of Lord Hanuman. It is very popular among a lot of modern hindus and is generally recited on Tuesdays (considered a holy day for devotees of Lord Hanuman).
The poem is called a chalisa as it contains forty (chalis in Hindi) verses. The structure of the poem is extremely simple and rhythmic, thus making it all the more popular. The poem praises Lord Hanuman’s strength and kindness and recounts the Lord’s great deeds.

Shri Hanuman Chalisa

Doha

Shri guru charan saraj raj, Nij manu mukur sudhare |
Barnau raghubar bimal jasu, Jo dhayak phal chare ||
Budhihien tanu jaanke, Sumerao pavan-kumar |
Bal budhi vidhya dehu mohe, Harhu kales bikar ||

Chopai

Jai hanuman gyan gun sagar |
Jai kapise tehu lok ujagar ||
Ram dut atulit bal dhama |
Anjani putra pavan sut nama ||
Mahabir bikram bajragee |
Kumati nivas sumati ke sangi ||
Kanchan baran biraj subesa |
Kann kundal kunchit kesa ||
Haat vajar ao dheja biraje |
Kandhe muj janeu sajee ||
Sankar suvan kesrinandan |
Tej pratap maha jag bandhan ||
Vidhyavan gune aati chatur |
Ram kaaj kaibe ko aatur ||
Prabhu charit sunibe ko rasiya |
Ram lakhan sita maan basiya ||
Susham roop dhari siyahi dhikhava |
Bikat roop dhari lank jarava ||
Bhim roop dhari asur sahare |
Ramchandra ke kaaj savare ||
Laye sanjeevan lakhan jiyaye |
Shriraghuvir harsha ure laye ||
Raghupati kinhe bahut badai |
Tum mam preye bharat sam bhai ||
Sahart badan tumarhu jas gavey |
Aas kahi shripati kant lagavey ||
Sankadeek bhramadhi munisa |
Narad sarad sahit ahisa ||
Jam kuber digpal jaha thi |
Kavi kovid kahi sake kaha thi ||
Tum upkar sughuv kehina |
Ram milaye raj pad denha ||
Tumraho mantra vibhekshan mana |
Lankeshvar bhaye sab jag jaan ||
Jug sahes jojan per bhanu |
Linyo tahi madhur phal janu ||
Prabhu mudrika meli mukh mahi |
Jaldhi ladhi gaye acraj nahi ||
Durgam kaaj jagat ke jete |
Sugam anugrah tumre tete ||
Ram duaare tum rakhvare |
Hoot na aagya binu pasare ||
Sab sukh lahai tumhre sarna |
Tum rchak kahu ko daarna ||
Aapan tej samharo aape |
Teno lok hakte kape ||
Bhut pesach nikat nahi aaveh |
Mahavir jab naam sunaveh ||
Nase rog hare sab peera |
Japat nirantar hanumat bal bira ||
Sankat se hanuman chudave |
Maan kam bachan dayan jo lavey ||
Sab per ram tapasvi raja |
Tin ke kaaj sakal tum saja ||
Aur manorat jo kayi lave |
Tasuye amit jeevan phal pavey ||
Charo guj pratap tumarah |
Hai prasidh jagat ujeyara ||
Sadhu sant ke tum rakhvare |
Asur nikandan ram dulare ||
Ashat sidhi navnidhi ke data |
As var deen jaanki mata ||
Ram rasayan tumhre pasa |
Sada raho raghupati ke dasa ||
Tumreh bhajan ram ko bhavey |
Janam janam ke dukh bisravey ||
Ant kaal raghubar pur jaie |
Jaha janam hari bhagat kahaei ||
Aur devta chitna dhareyo |
Hanumat seye sarav sukh karaei ||
Sankat kate mite sab pera |
Jo sumere hanumat balbira ||
Jai jai jai hanuman gusai |
Kripa karo guru dev ke naai ||
Jo sat bar pat kar koi |
Chutehi bandhi maha sukh hoai ||
Jo yahe pade hanuman chalisa |
Hoye sidhi sa ke goresa ||
Tulsidas sada hari chera |
Kijeye nath hridaye maha dera ||

Doha

Pavantnaye sankat haran, Mangal murti roop |
Ram lakhan sita sahet, Hridaye basau sur bhup ||

A Butterfly that couldn't fly

"One day, a small

opening appeared

in a cocoon; a

man sat and

watched for the

butterfly for

several hours as

it struggled to

force its body

through that little

hole.

Then, it seems to

stop making any

progress.

It appeared as if

it had gotten as

far as it could

and it could not

go any further.

So the man

decided to help

the butterfly: he

took a pair of

scissors and

opened the

cocoon.

The butterfly

then emerged

easily.

But it had a

withered body, it

was tiny and

shriveled wings.

The man

continued to

watch because

he expected

that, at any

moment, the

wings would

open, enlarge

and expand, to

be able to

support the

butterfly’s

body, and

become firm.

Neither

happened!

In fact, the

butterfly spent

the rest of its

life crawling

around with a

withered body

and shriveled

wings. It never

was able to fly.

What the man, in his

kindness and his goodwill

did not understand was

that the restricting

cocoon and the struggle

required for the butterfly

to get through the tiny

opening, were nature’s

way of forcing fluid from

the body of the butterfly

into its wings, so that it

would be ready for flight

once it achieved its

freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes,

struggles are

exactly what we

need in our life.

If we were allowed

to go through our

life without any

obstacles, it would

cripple us. We

would not be as

strong as we could

have been. Never

been able to fly.

Pick your Priorities

Rocks In A Jar

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He then shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. 

The little things

There was a man taking a morning walk on the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person who couldn't understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, "What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?" This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a difference to this one."

What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If everyone made a small difference, we'd end up with a big difference, wouldn't we?

No Laughing Matter

A wise man once sat in the audience & cracked a joke.
All laughed like crazy.




After a moment he cracked the same joke again and a little less people laughed this time.

...He cracked the same joke again & again, When there was no laughter in the crowd,
he smiled and said -

"When u can't laugh on the same joke again & again, then why do u keep crying over the same thing over and over again."

Blessings

The man whispered "God, speak to me"
And a meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.


 


So the man yelled "God speak to me!"
And the thunder rolled across the sky.
But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said "God let me see you"
And a star shone brightly.
But the man did not notice.

And the man shouted "God show me a miracle"
And a life was born.

But the man did not know.
So, the man cried out in despair.
"Touch me God and let me know that you are here!" 

 

Whereupon God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on!


Moral- Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way you expect.

Mark of Footsteps

 

"You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list.  The longer your list, the smaller your God."

I remember reading this quote sometime back and it has stayed with me since then. Whenever I tend to fall into the trap of worrying about things big or small; I make it a point to gather strength from this well-meaning advice. True, God is within each of us. If we realize his presence, we are not shaken by the deepest griefs that we encounter in our lives. Instead, we trust that our God is there to sort out hurdles, come up with solutions, show us the right path and guide us with His light.

This reminds me of a motivating story I read in Deepak Kapoor's website 'The Paths of Greatness Begins Here'-

 'Mark of Foot-Steps'




One person died. He went to heaven and met God. God showed him his entire life and the incidents happened at various stages in his life. The man observed everything very carefully and said, “GOD! You promised to stay with me in my materialistic life at world. But I have observed that there are two pairs of foot marks at all places and times I have been through whereas there is only one pair of foot marks in most difficult times, when I needed you the most. Why did you leave me alone in that difficult period?

God smiled and answered, “Son! How could you even think that I can leave you alone in the most difficult times? That one pair of footmark is because I held you in my arms, close to my heart.”

MORALE:
TRUST AND FAITH IN GOD HELP US TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULT TIMES.