94: The Tortoise Who Almost Made It

94: The Tortoise Who Almost Made It

Kambugriva the tortoise had one problem when the drought came. His friends the geese could fly. He couldn't. They came up with a plan. He would hold a stick in his teeth. They would each hold one end and carry him through the sky. One condition. Whatever he saw, whatever he heard, whatever anyone below said about him or about them - He must not open his mouth. Not for anything. He promised. And he almost kept his word. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

93: Kunti - The Mother Who Placed Her Firstborn in the River and Never Forgot

A sage gave a teenage girl a mantra. With it she could summon any deity and bear a son equal to them in glory. One morning at dawn, alone, she said the words out of curiosity. The Sun God appeared. She asked him to leave. He told her the mantra was irreversible, and if she refused, he would curse her and everyone she loved. She was a girl alone with a God in front of her and no one to ask. Ten months later, in the dark, she placed her newborn in a sealed basket. He was glowing when she let go. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

92: Trishanku - The King Who Got Exactly as Far as Wanting Too Much Would Take Him

Trishanku was a righteous king and an ancestor of Ram. He had one wish. To enter heaven in his own body. Alive. As he was. With everything he had. His family priest refused. His priest's sons cursed him - transforming him into an outcaste, his royal bearing stripped away. In this state he found the one sage willing to help. Using the force of his own accumulated power, the sage sent Trishanku rising toward heaven. He reached the gates. Indra kicked him out. He began falling, head downward, crying out for the sage to save him. The sage said one word. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

91: Andal - The Girl Who Wore the Garland Before She Offered It

Every morning, Vishnuchittan strung fresh garlands for Vishnu and placed them on the deity. His daughter Koodhai had a secret habit. Before he offered each garland, she would wear it herself for a while, imagining she was Vishnu's bride. The day her father found out he was horrified. He threw the worn garland away and offered a fresh one. It fell from the deity. He placed Koodhai's worn garland instead. Vishnu turned to gold. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

90: Is That So? - The Zen Master Who Said Three Words to Everything

Hakuin was one of the most respected Zen masters in eighteenth century Japan. One day the parents of a village girl came to him in a rage. Their daughter was pregnant. She had named Hakuin as the father. They called him a dirty old man. Said his reputation was a lie. Said his whole life was a fraud. Hakuin listened to everything. Then said three words. - "Is that so?" When the baby was born they brought it to him and left it there. He had lost his reputation, his followers, everything. He went door to door begging milk for the child. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.