Live life with Gratitude

A beautiful verse in the Puranas (epics) says: Ananda (bliss) attracts fortune.

Even modern day psychologists say that if our mind is blissful, we attract happy people, happy situations around us; If we are sad and depressed, we attract unhappy people and sad incidents.

Our being is like a dish antenna. If we tune ourselves to joy, we attract bliss; if we tune ourselves to depression, we attract suffering and pain.

When we are blissful and deeply grateful, we are showered with more and more. In life, we are not just given what we need; we are actually showered. However, if we don’t understand this, however much we are showered with, we will remain dissatisfied.

A small story:

A King saw a small boy beg for alms at the palace gates. He felt pity on him and asked him to stay in the palace for a few days. The boy was expecting a royal room with servants waiting on him but it was not so. The next morning, the boy expressed his dissatisfaction to the King about the room and other things. The King was furious with the boy and ordered his guards to throw him out.

The boy met a Sufi Master and told him all that had happened. The Master asked the boy to disguise himself and accompany him back to the King’s palace. On reaching the palace, the King invited the Master and the boy to stay in the palace for a few days. The Master profusely thanked the King for the offer. He was given the same room the boy had been given earlier. The next morning, the Master expressed deep gratitude to the King for giving him all the possible comforts. The King was overjoyed and handed the Master a thousand gold coins and offered him the guest room to stay in for as long as he wished to. The Sufi Master thanked the King again and went on his way.

From this story you see how our attitude towards life makes a difference. The Sufi Master was deeply grateful for whatever he was given, so he was showered with more whereas the boy was dissatisfied with what was given to him and hence he was chased away. When you live with an attitude of gratitude to Existence for all that it showers you with, you will enjoy life and live it to the fullest.

Be blissful!