Wisdom Story Hub

  In the land of Silbaripuram, the Guru's hermitage was situated in a place of scenic beauty. Various kinds of birds would sing pure melodies all around in the morning. Among them, the most beautiful sounds were those of the cuckoo and the hoopoe. One day - "Coo..." That was the sound of a cuckoo. The chief disciple woke up in the morning and when he heard it, his face brightened. A little while later, when a donkey cried "Bray...", he found it unpleasant and frowned. The Guru, who noticed this, merely looked at him and smiled, saying nothing. That evening came. Hearing the cry of a bird, he asked the Guru, "Guruji, why is that bird crying?" He replied, "That is the cuckoo whose voice you enjoyed so beautifully this morning. It went to lay its eggs in a crow's nest, and those birds are pecking at it and chasing it away." Disciple: "Can't the cuckoo lay its eggs in its own nest?" Guru: "If it lays eggs, it doesn't ha...

 An incident from a few years ago. It happened at one of the busiest railway stations in the country. A train was just arriving. There was a moderate crowd in the train, with passengers heading to various destinations. Among them, a young man was hanging onto the window and loudly describing everything he saw outside, one after the other. His father was standing beside him, watching. Gradually, the other passengers started getting irritated. Some began murmuring in annoyance. After some time, one of the passengers asked the father, “Does your son have any mental issues? If so, it might be better to consult a doctor.” The father replied with a smile, “We are coming straight from the hospital. My son was blind since birth. A few days ago, he underwent an eye surgery. This morning, the bandage was removed. He is seeing the world for the very first time! That’s why he is so excited and shouting like this.” Hearing this, the other passengers felt ashamed. They apologized to the father. ...

 Once upon a time, in the ashram of Silbaripuram, a Guru had ten disciples. It was his teaching style to incorporate many small experiments and observations related to their studies. One day, he called his disciples and said, "Tomorrow morning, all ten of you must go to the mango tree by the riverside. There will be many fallen mangoes on the ground. Each person must bring three mangoes to me here." The next morning, all ten of them went there. Since it was early morning, no one had yet arrived at the large mango tree to collect mangoes. The disciples each picked up three mangoes and started walking back. As they neared the ashram, an elderly neighbor woman asked, "My children, who will give me a mango? I didn't eat dinner last night. I'm very hungry." Immediately, one disciple said, "We can't give this to you, Mother. We can't disobey the Guru." Eight of the others supported him, saying, "That's right. Not even one mango out of th...

 Professor M.K. Sanu, or Sanu Mash as he was fondly known, was a towering figure in Malayalam literature. From a young age, he was deeply influenced by Sree Narayana Guru and Kumaran Asan. This is why lines from Kumaran Asan's poem, 'Nalini,' were almost always on his lips: "An-ya-jee-vanu-tha-ki swa-jee-vi-tham dhan-ya-mak-ku-ma-ma-le vi-ve-kikal" which means, "Those who make their lives purposeful by serving others are the wise." This motto truly defined Sanu Mash's life. However, once, this very couplet earned him ridicule from a teacher. When Sanu was a school student, a teacher came to the class and asked each student to write down what they wanted to be in the future. While other children wrote down big professions, Sanu wrote the couplet mentioned above. The teacher read it aloud in class and mocked him. Despite this, Sanu did not change his lifestyle. On another occasion during his school days, there was a public speaking competition on the t...

 There are many popular jokes about Hodja Mulla, which are a mix of his wit and philosophy. Here are a few of them.  * Once, when Hodja went to the market, he had a large rooster for sale. Seeing this, a man asked, "Hodja, how old is this rooster?" Hodja replied, "I don't know. If you ask the rooster, it will tell you."  * Hodja's poverty troubled him in many ways. Because of this, he used to borrow money even from people he didn't know. One morning, Hodja went up to a man and asked, "Do you recognize me?" The man said, "No." Hodja continued, "That's good. A while back, I borrowed some money from you."  * Once, while Hodja was traveling on horseback, a man asked, "Where are you going on that horse?" Hodja replied, "Where would you go if you saw a horse?"  * A scholar tried to mock Hodja and asked, "Hodja, what do you value more, money or intelligence?" Hodja said, "Since I have intellig...

 Once upon a time, in the land of Silbaripuram, there was a lake where many creatures lived together—lots of fish, crocodiles, frogs, and more. There, a frog, who was good friends with a crocodile, had a regular habit of jumping and playing on the crocodile's back. One day, the crocodile told the frog, "I have a strong craving to eat fox meat. You must somehow lure one into this water. I will take care of the rest." The frog replied, "Foxes are extremely clever creatures. Anyway, I will try." The frog hopped into the forest and befriended a fox. The frog encouraged the fox to come to the lake, saying, "I will call the delicious fish in the lake closer so that they are easy for you to catch." So, the two of them reached the lake shore. Just as the fox stepped into the water, he noticed something floating on the surface that looked like a rock. The fox slowly retreated. "That's a crocodile! I am not getting into this water." Immediately, th...

 Once upon a time, in the land of Silbaripuram, five disciples received an excellent education at a famous ashram. When the time came for them to return to their homes, their Guru gave them a final piece of advice: "The greatest knowledge you have acquired is the secret of bringing the dead back to life. But remember, this must only be used in dire emergencies. Never misuse it for fame, money, or status!" The five disciples agreed and set off on their journey through a forest. After walking a long distance, they came across the skeleton of a tiger. Seeing this, the first disciple said, "Friends, I am itching to test what we have learned. Shall we restore this tiger to its original form?" Immediately, the fifth disciple cautioned, "No! Don’t you remember what Guruji said? This divine power is not meant to be wasted like this." But another retorted, "We are far away from the ashram now. The Guru is never going to find out." The first disciple chant...

 Once upon a time, in the land of Silbaripuram, there was a beautiful lake. The lake was home to all kinds of aquatic creatures. There were plenty of fish for the crocodiles to eat as well. One day, two frogs were sitting on a small rock protruding from the water. Just then, a small fish swimming by looked at the first frog and said, "You are the one who leaps the longest distance through the air and water. No other frog has your talent." The fish swam away after saying this, but the second frog did not like it one bit. He said, "What that fish said is pure nonsense. He hasn't seen my jump yet!" After a while, the two of them got into a huge argument. A crocodile, who had been lying in the water watching all this, decided to intervene. He said, "Instead of fighting with each other, why don't you have a competition and decide who the winner is?" Both frogs agreed to this. The crocodile told them to jump together from the top of the rock into the wat...

 Once upon a time, the kingdom of Silbaripuram was ruled by King Vikraman. Due to his extravagant spending and financial mismanagement, the King dismissed the minister who was in charge of the treasury. To find a replacement, a written exam was conducted, and the top five candidates were shortlisted. However, the King found it a great challenge to pick the smartest one among them. Since they all seemed equally knowledgeable, the King knew he had to use some sort of trick to differentiate them. He came up with a plan. He invited the five candidates to stay in five separate rooms in the palace for a day. The King then announced: "The room you are staying in now will become your official office if you are appointed as the minister. Therefore, you may spend the next few hours setting up these rooms in a manner befitting the grandeur of the post. You are free to take whatever you like from the palace storehouse." The candidates began to murmur excitedly: "I must prove my arti...

 Once upon a time, the kingdom of Silbaripuram was a vast forest. Occasionally, hunters from Kosalapuram would venture deep into these woods. One such day, a hunter named Varunni arrived in the forest, carrying a knife at his waist, a net, and other hunting gear to catch animals. Although he went in search of deer, he couldn't manage to trap any. After walking for a long time, he grew tired and sat down under the shade of a tree. Gradually, he drifted off into a deep sleep. However, a strong wind blew, and the dry leaves that had been providing him shade were swept away. Even though the harsh sunlight began to fall directly on his face, Varunni was too fast asleep to notice. At that same time, a large bird with wide wings was resting on that very tree. The bird thought to itself, "If I spread my big wings and sit here, the sun won't hit his face and his sleep won't be disturbed." So, the bird spread its wings and perched on the branch. But after a while, a tiny bi...