Task

Read the passage  below at least twice, not skimming or rushing but taking your time so that you fully absorb it, then write down your thoughts and feelings in your notebook.

Moreover, today is the first day you are not only turning inward, but invited to SHARE in your Whatsapp group: What is does the passage  mean to you? This too shall pass.

There was a king and he once said to the court sages - I have a ring with one of the finest

diamonds in the world, and I want to hide a message under the stone that can be useful in a

situation of extreme despair. 

I will give this ring to my heirs, and I want it to serve faithfully. Think of what kind of message will be there. It must be very short to fit in the ring. The sages knew how to write treatises but could not express themselves in one short sentence. They thought and thought but did not come up with anything.

The king complained about the failure of his venture to a faithful old servant who raised him from infancy and was part of the family. And the old man said to him: “I’m not a sage, I’m not educated, but I know such a message. For many years spent in the palace, I met a lot of people. Once I served a visiting mystic whom your father invited, and he gave me this message. Just don’t read it, save it and open it only when there’s no way out at all”. The king listened to the old servant. After some time, the enemies attacked the country and the king lost the war. He fled on his horse and enemies pursued him. He was alone; there were many. He drove to the end of the road.

 There was a huge deep cliff before him, if he fell there, it would be the end. He could not go back, the enemies were approaching, and he already heard the clatter of their horses' hooves. He had no way out. He was in complete despair. 

And then he remembered the ring. He opened it and under the stone found an inscription: “This too shall pass”. After reading the message, he felt that everything was quiet. Apparently the pursuers got lost and proceeded in the wrong direction. Horses were no longer heard. The king was filled with gratitude to the servant and the unknown mystic. Words were powerful.

He closed the ring. And hit the road. Again he gathered his army and returned to his palace and arranged a magnificent feast for the whole world - the people loved their king. The king was happy and proud. The old servant came up to him and said softly: “Look at the message again.”

"Now I am a winner, people are celebrating my return, I'm not in despair, not in a hopeless

situation."

“Listen to the old servant,” he answered, “the message works not only in moments when

everything is bad, but also in moments of victory.”

The king opened the ring and read: “This too shall pass." And again he felt a silence fall over him, although he was in the midst of a noisy dancing crowd. His pride dissolved. He understood the message. He was a wise man. And then the old man said: “Do you remember everything that happened to you? Nothing and no feeling is permanent. As night changes day, so moments of joy and despair replace each other. Accept them as the nature of things, as part of life”. But also look at the events in your life (both the good and the not so good, all are relevant) while considering the words of the parable: "This too shall pass."

Share and write in your group what thoughts and feelings you have about the meaning of the passage.

Today’s phrase:

"Today I remember to love everything and everyone I come into contact with"

Mantra: Sat chit ananda

Listen to Day 19 Deepak Chopra meditation here.