respond not react.good lesson indeed.

A young farmer paddled his boat vigorously up river. He was covered with sweat as he paddled his boat upstream to deliver his produce to the village. It was a hot day, and he wanted to make his delivery and get home before dark. As he looked ahead, he spied another vessel, heading rapidly downstream toward his boat. He rowed furiously to get out of the way, but it didn’t seem to help.

He shouted, “Change direction! You are going to hit me!” The boat came straight towards him anyway. It hit his boat with a violent thud. The young man cried out, “You idiot! How could you manage to hit my boat in the middle of this wide river?”

As he glared into the boat, seeking out the individual responsible for the accident, he realized that there was no one. He had been screaming at an empty boat that had broken free of its moorings and was floating downstream with the current.

The interesting thing is that we behave one way when we believe that there is another person at the helm. We blame that stupid, uncaring person for our misfortune. We get angry, act out, assign fault, and play the victim. In other words, we are not engaged in a positive way for ourselves, but in a negative and defensive way that makes nothing better!

We behave more calmly when we know that what is coming towards us is an empty boat. With no available scapegoat, we don’t get upset. We make peace with the fact that our misfortune was the result of fate or bad luck and we do our best to rectify the situation. We may even laugh at the absurdity of a random unmanned boat finding a way to collide with us in a vast body of water.

The challenge for all of us is to recognize that there’s never really anyone in the other boat. We are always screaming at an empty vessel. An empty boat isn’t targeting us. And neither are all the people creating the sour notes in the soundtrack of our day. If we start treating all boats as empty, we will have no other choice but to 1) accept what is and 2) change what we can change.

It is up to us to choose how we react to the empty boats in our lives. We can either yell and scream at the empty boats and endure the collision or choose to get out of the way the best we can, accepting what happens, and do our best to continue on our way along the river.

And then nothing to stop.

Achutaananda Govinda naamochcharana beshajaath
Nasyanti sakalaa rogaah satyam satyam vadaamyaham
Satyam satyam punassatyam uddhritya bujamuchyate
Vedasaastraat param naasti Na daivam Kesavaath param
Shareere jarjareebhoote, vyaadigraste kalebare
Aushadham jaahnaavee thoyam vaidyo Naaraayano Harih.

The Mountain and the Squirrel.

The Mountain and the Squirrel
Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter "Little Prig"
Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I am not so large as you.
You are not so small as I,
and not half so spry;
I"ll not deny you make 
A very pretty squirrel track.
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

The mighty mountain and the tiny squirrel both have a place on this universe the in animate and the animate in the Lords total plan. To claim importance more or less than another is being ignorant of the total plan of the Lord. The world is a beautiful with its manifold patterns of the relationships knit together by the infallible laws of nature being governed by the mysterious controller. ignoring the master plan people falsely develop an ego. the play of false desire and ego plays and affects ones mental equilibrium. as long as you allow the desire and ego to entertain you you suffer get stressed and are sorrowful. In such a mental state one cannot act properly. To combat these effects you need to develop a powerful intellect. You need to first accept things for what they are and raise your efficiency and productivity while you continue to maintain peace and equanimity within as it is outside. No two things or people are the same. once that is accepted life becomes a breeze.

68 & 69 of the first.

Unarvar ar unperumai uzi toruzi
unarvar ar un uruvamtannai unarvar ar
vinnagattay mannagattay vengadatta nalveda
ppannagattay nikidanda pal

palan tanaduruvay ezulagundu al ilayin
mel anru nivalar nda mey enbar alanru
velai nirullado vinnado mannado
sulai suz kumeduttay sollu.

Poigai piran sings these above two verses expressing doubt if the one resting in the paramapada knows his own greatness or not.

Oh! Lord of Srivaikunta, Lord come to trend this earth in various incarnations. Lord of Thiruvenkata hill, who art the substratum of the musical four vedas. Who can comprehend Thy greatness? 
Ebven if one sits in contemplation, through the aeons, who can grasp within his mental frame Thy image? Who can fathom the depths of the milk ocean on which Thou art resting?
Those knowledgeable sages say that it was true that Thou rested at the time of the deluge in the form of a small baby on a banyan leaf, tucking away the seven worlds in thy stomach. Oh Lord, who lifted the Govardan hills surrounded by gardens. Only thou must tell, if at that moment, the banyan leaf floated on the waters or hung from the sky, or was meshed with the dissolved earth.

The Jambu tree connection.

There is a Jambu tree on mount meru. The fruit of that tree pours out a silvery juice. When the juice is drunk the person is believed to relieved of decrepitude. the sun and the tree of life are usually connected in all books dealing with the origin of life and prosperity.
The name of the tree also coincides with the name of the discus. people therefore believe that it is not a coincidence that the disc is known as Sudarshana which means also the jambu tree.
Another story of the origin of Sudarshana:
The Sun God marriedSamjana the daughter of Visvakarma. Samjana complained to her father that she could not bear the radiance of the Sun. Visvakarma then put Sun in a machine and decreased his radiance. Out of the dust of the Sun produced by rotating him in the machine, Visvakarma s said to have made the discus weapon, the aerial chariot pushpaka, the trident of Siva and the Shakti, and the lance of Subramanya. The discus was given to Maha Vishnu.
Another story says that once a forest khaandava was burning. Indra showered rain on that fire. At that time the God Agni gave Sudarshana discus to Sri Krishna and the Ghandeeva bow to Arjuna to fight against Indra. Sudarshana is known as a fiery weapon agneyam. by using that the owner would be superior in battle to all, and it would return to the owner after completing its task.
it is also said that it was given by Siva to Krishna when he killed Daitya who lived in the water. Siva called it Sudarshana as no one could look at it except himself.
Sudarshana is known as Chakra Raja, Thiruvazhi Alwan, Hetiraja etc.
Once up on a time,  Parvati and Parmeswara when sitting on the Ratna simhasana in Kailasa seem to have been discussing and Parvati asked Siva Which was the mantra which when repeated with sincerity would give karya siddhi i.e. success in efforts. Siva is said to have replied Sudarshana mahamantra was such a one.
Sudarshana Satakam was composed by Kura Narayana Jeer when he saw Oduvar who used to sing the Tiruvoimolzi in Srirangam was afflicted by a painful disease kanthamalai. the Jeer prayed to Sudarshana and he was cured.
Once when a village Thirupputkuzhi in Chengelpet district its people were suffering from a rare disease with high fever and many of them were dying Nigamanta Maha desikan prayed to Sudarshana with his Sudarshan Astaka stotra and the people on repeating the stotra were cured of the deadly disease. Faith is very important to follow this.

annamayya.

Pallavi

appulEni saMsAra mainapATE cAlu | tappulEni jItamokka tAramaina jAlu || Show Details

Charanam

kaMtalEni guDisokka gaMpaMtaina jAlu | ciMtalEni yaMbalokka cEreDE cAlu | jaMtagAni taruNi yEjAtaina nAde cAlu | viMtalEni saMpadokka vIsamE cAlu || tiTTulEni bradukokka dinamaina nadE cAlu | muTTulEni kUDokka muddaDE cAlu | guTTuceDi manukaMTE koMcepu mElaina cAlu | vaTTijaali baDukaMTE vaccinaMtE cAlu || laMpaTapaDani mElu lavalEsamE cAlu | roMpikaMbamaukaMTe rOyuTE cAlu | raMpapu gOrikakaMTE rati vEMkaTapati | paMpuna nAtani jErE bhAvamE cAlu ||

little women inspirational life.

Little women

This is a story from the U S A it was made into a book i the year 1868 soon after the American civil war which was between the Northern and southern parts of USA a most terrible war ever. the Notherners won ofcourse.
Tbe story is about the March family, who lived in a small town in the north. Mr March liked to call his little four girls Little Women. He was a priest and had gone away to be in the army. this is the situation of his family while he was away. One of the books the girls loved best was Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. they wanted to live just like Christian had done in the book.They worked very hard to help their mother help a poor neighbours. They decided to make their work less difficult by using the names of things that Christian had done in the book and so made their work into a sort of play. In Pilgrims Progress Christian had gone from the City of destruction to the Celestial city and on his  way from the wicked to the good and faced difficulties on the way. Apollyon and Vanity fair were the two dangers he had to cross. Apollyon was a wicked giant who killed the pilgrims. Vanity fair was a city full of plesant things. it goes on the March family sacrifices their Christmas breakfast in order to feed their poor neighbours and the rewards they receive is how the book begins.  etc....  


― Louisa 
“I like good strong words that mean something…” 
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” 
“Your father, Jo. He never loses patience, never doubts or complains, but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him.” 
“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.” 
“I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.” 
“Love Jo all your days, if you choose, but don't let it spoil you, for it's wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can't have the one you want.” 
“Don't laugh at the spinsters, dear girls, for often very tender, tragic romances are hidden away in the hearts that beat so quietly under the sober gowns, and many silent sacrifices of youth, health, ambition, love itself, make the faded faces beautiful in God's sight. Even the sad, sour sisters should be kindly dealt with, because they have missed the sweetest part of life, if for no other reason.” 
"There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.” 
“My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning, and may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from you, but may become the source of lifelong peace, happiness, and strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little cares, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as you come to your mother.” 
“Love is a great beautifier.” 
"Because they are mean is no reason why I should be. I hate such things, and though I think I've a right to be hurt, I don't intend to show it. (Amy March)” 
“Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.” 
“...for love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.” 
“Let us be elegant or die!” 
“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.” 
“Don't try to make me grow up before my time…” 
“I want to do something splendid...something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.” 
“You don’t need scores of suitors. You need only one… if he’s the right one.” 
“Be worthy love, and love will come.” 
“I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copybooks; and I make so many beginnings there never will be an end. (Jo March)” 
“You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone.” 
"...the love, respect, and confidence of my children was the sweetest reward I could receive for my efforts to be the woman I would have them copy.” 
“Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow…” 
“Conceit spoils the finest genius.” 
“Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and fall into a vortex, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.” 
“Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.” 

good reads indeed.