The Upanishads Elucidated: The Enigmatic Seed
Enjoy this beautiful retelling of how the Supreme seated Itself in all Manifestation – in a seed form, waiting to blossom in full.
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The Upanishads Elucidated – The Seekers of Light
The key characters in the story are the children of four different kinds of light, Soma, Agni, Vajra and Surya, invoking the symbolism of these Vedic deities.
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A Children’s Story on Simplicity
The Mother encouraged a small group of Ashram children to write stories. We feature a short story written by Tara Jauhar and corrected by the Mother.
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Insights on Love and Human Relationships – 3
The author highlights the words of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo to throw light on the origin and nature of parental love and love between family relations and friends. We also see how human love and relationships can never satisfy the deep thirst for love which can only be quenched by the divine love.
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Such Indeed is Maya – a Tale Retold by Sri Ramakrishna
We feature a Pauranic story which illustrates the hold that our attachments have on the ordinary experience of human relationships.
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Sri Aurobindo on Education for Character Development
Values cannot be imposed through textbooks. Teachers and parents must serve as living examples. Rich stories can also expose children to higher ideals.
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Stories for the Children, by the Children: True Courage
The Mother encouraged a small group of children to write stories. One story written by Tara Jauhar in her early teens is featured here.
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What is a Family?: Tales Told by the Mother
We feature a few stories told by the Mother which help children learn how to keep widening the definition of family, and thereby grow in capacity for love.
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Some Reflections on Unity and Equality
The author reflects on Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual realisation in Alipore Jail. He concludes with an interesting parable told by Sri Ramakrishna.
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Kashithumba, the Generous Flower
A meditation on Balsam ‘Generosity’ flower inspires the author to dig deep into the subtle but important difference between dakshinā, bhikshā and dāna.
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Stories of Courage as Told by the Mother
The Mother used the art of storytelling most sweetly and effectively to inculcate higher and nobler values. Let us read a few of her stories on Courage.
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Building and Destroying: The Mother’s Story about Thiruvalluvar
While being the right fit for the ‘Progress’ theme, this story also adds to our understanding of the Mahakali aspect of the Divine Mother as highlighted in this issue.
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Parijat, the Kalpavriksha
How does the story of Sri Krishna bringing down to earth the heavenly tree of Parijat connect with the spiritual significance of this divinely fragrant flower?
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Of Ceramics, Sannyāsa and More: Tales of Perseverance
Through three small but significant tales from the cultural history of France and India, the Mother highlights the importance of patience and perseverance.
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The Virtues – A Gratitude Story Told by the Mother
Through this delightful little story written by the Mother in French sometime between 1893 and 1912, we recognise how gratitude is generally the most neglected virtue.
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Sītā’s Banishment by Rāma in Kālidāsa’s Raghuvamśam
The featured excerpt is taken from a monograph edited by Shri Kireet Joshi and written by G. C. Nayak, titled “Selected Episodes from Kalidasa’s Raghuvamśam of Kālidāsa” (2010). This monograph is part of a series on Value-oriented Education centered on three values : Illumination, Heroism and Harmony.
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The Grateful Beasts and the Ungrateful Man – A Story from the Panchatantra
An interesting fable from the Panchatantra which illustrates the spontaneous gratefulness of an animal which is often found missing in man.
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Parable of the Snake and the Rat
The Mother reminds us that vigilance is indispensable for all true progress. As we try to grow in sincerity and practice true humility, it is important to stay vigilant and not get bloated with our own egos that we are some great sādhakas. The Mother is the path and the Mother is the goal, says Sri Aurobindo. It is always the Mother who does the sādhanā in us. Our effort is to ensure that we keep our inner temple clean and purified and for that sincerity, humility and vigilance are all very important. This little story told by Swami Sivananda emphasises how essential vigilance is for any aspirant; it also highlights what is fake humility and the necessity to be wary of that.
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Japanese Flower-artist: A timeless story retold in multiple languages
During her stay in Japan from 1916 to 1920 the Mother translated and adapted some stories written by F. J. Gould. Her versions, written in French and first published as Belles Histoires, later appeared in English translation as Tales of All Times. The Mother explained that these stories were written for children “to discover themselves and follow a path of right and beauty.” The timeless nature of these stories make them equally appealing to grown-ups, or shall we say, to all who aspire to be truly a child of the Mother. In this issue, we are retelling a story titled ‘Modesty’ in multiple languages.
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Of Animals, Kings, Pundits and Rishis: Sincerity Stories as Told by the Mother
In these delightful timeless tales retold by the Mother we get some important lessons on the value of straightforwardness, speaking the truth without any fear, and the importance of growing in sincerity for destroying falsehood and hypocrisy.
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