This Too Shall Pass

Posted by Unknown On Thursday, August 11, 2011 4 comments
Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, ” Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances, in every place and in every time. In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? One answer for all questions? Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me? Tell me is there any mantra?”

All the wise men were puzzled by the King’s question. They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper, with a condition that the king was not to see it out of curiosity.

Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

Some time later, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. The King had to flee on his horse. The enemies were following him. getting closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…the sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. The King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was - ” THIS TOO SHALL PASS”

The King read it . Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes ! This too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm came on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom.

The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were nowhere near him.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fanfare. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory.

Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being showered on King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself,” I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me. With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”.

He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by. We are witnesses of all this. We are the perceivers. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moments of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent ? They all come and pass away.

Life just passes away. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. The problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

You are just a witness of change. Experience it, understand it, and enjoy the present moment - this too shall pass.

-Author Unknown-

Thanks to Angela who sent me this post.

4 comments to This Too Shall Pass

  1. says:

    modernlifeisrubbish Dear MWS,

    Yes, everything passes when we think about it. We are just passing through this world as part of our journey. And there is no destination to reach, i suspect. Just lessons to learn. Perhaps, to experience physical sensations and human feelings. But could it all be this simple? Learn lessons and experience all the feelings associated with the human forms? If so, then what is the greatest lesson that we can learn? i have no answer to that.

    How could there be no destination in life? We always talk of life goal, a purpose to life and the ways to achieve them. Yes, it does seemed that that is the destination. But what if we have reach that destination? Find another destination? What if we don;t reach it and go on different paths along the way? What if we lost our way along the road?

    Some say it's the journey that makes life. Along the way to our destination, we stop to look at the scenery, listen to the sound of nature, smell the air.

    i know this should sound silly, but lately i have this thought. That we choose the life we lead in our life here. In this world. Some choose evil. Yet many choose life.

    With each passing day, there is this conviction that the opposite of evil is not good. Many would have known that its opposite is live. Evil men (and to a lesser extent, women) love nothing than to take life, or make life unbearable for the rest of 'good' people.

    So, if it is a choice that a person makes, it would be a sad day if the majority of good people don't give a fight to those who have chosen evil as their way. They certainly deserve a good fight for denying the majority of us our choice to live in the only way we knew how- in peace and love.

    Yes, all this shall pass. In which way, only we can decide.

  1. says:

    Malaysia Traveler I think the lesson here is how we choose to pass this life. I choose to lead a good life because it too will come to pass but better good than evil.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Joshua

    Wow!!! That is profoundly beautiful and I am speechless! Artistically illuminating too! How I wish I could think and write like you do.

    May I have your permission to repost this comment separately?

    Such exquisite gems of wisdom must be shared.

    Thanks for sharing this, Joshua. Take care and have a great weekend!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Universal Traveller 65

    Many thanks for swinging by to share from your heart. We all have choices and it is an inspiration to see you making and sharing the right one.

    Take care and do keep in touch.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Cheers

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