Stories are our oldest form of communication. They are used to inform, to persuade, to pass on values, to share history and beliefs, to celebrate culture and tradition, and most importantly to teach, all the while entertaining and engaging the reader. Stories are powerful because they show us in colorful, descriptive vignettes that wisdom can be found in everyday things and situations and among ordinary men and women.
Many of the stories in this collection have been told for centuries and passed down through oral and written narrative from generation to generation. Paramahamsa Prajnanananda blends these stories seamlessly into his discourses as a powerful means of conveying spiritual knowledge in a simple form. We have collected some that are brilliant in their simplicity and profound in their message. They are shiny pebbles worn smooth through retelling that highlight the core values that we as spiritual seekers need to remember and develop. Each story is followed by a message that encapsulates for the reader what he or she can take from the narrative.
Of course the act of reading a story is highly personal and each reader will take away an entirely different experience based on his or her individual approach and viewpoint. In fact, these stories are such that each subsequent rereading may leave the reader with further insights. Each story was chosen for its relevance to our own lives and the daily task of living in the world as honorable men and women with purpose and the thirst for enlightenment. We hope you will find them both entertaining and useful.
Mark Twain said, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."
As a child growing up in a village in India, in the company of family members, close neighbors, and relatives, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time listening to them tell a lot of wonderful stories. I am appreciative that my mother was a very good story teller, as my childhood was full of sickness and lack of sleep, and she would tell me stories each night to help me fall asleep. Listening to her stories became a daily habit. I still marvel at her ability to be such an abundant source of stories, as I never liked to hear the same one twice.
I also loved the stories from my schoolbooks, which were about high morals and made a great impression upon me. Later on, while growing up on the spiritual path, I found that Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa utilized parables in his teachings. One can find similar examples in the four Gospels in the Bible. Jesus also used parables as a good method of teaching. Stories and parables can help us understand the intricacies of spiritual truth in a simple and lucid manner.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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