This Too Shall Pass……..

There was a King and one day he called a gathering in his courtroom and said to his 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 which can be useful in times of despair.  I will give this ring to my heirs and I want it to serve them faithfully.  Come up with a message to be inscribed under the diamond.  It must be short to fit on the ring.”

The sages knew how to write treatise upon treatise but could not express themselves in one short sentence.  The king then 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 am not a sage; I am not educated too but I know of such a message.  Once, I served a visiting mystic whom your father invited and he passed me his message.  Just do not read it, put it under the stone inside the ring and read it only when there is 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, and they were many.  He drove to the end of the road.  There was a big cliff before him, if he fell there, that would be the end.  He could not go back, as the enemies were approaching.  He already heard the clatter of their horses’ hooves.  He had no way out.  He was in complete despair.

Then he remembered the ring.  He opened it and under the stone found an inscription of four words: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS.” After reading the message he felt that everything went quiet and all of a sudden, he felt at peace.  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. He felt that Words were so powerful.  He closed the ring and hit the road. 

Once again, with courage and having faithful men he gathered his army and conquered back his state. On the day when he returned to the palace, they arranged a lavish welcoming for him, a feast for the whole country.   The king too was very happy and proud. He said to himself, “Now I am the winner.  People are celebrating my return; I am not in despair anymore.”  The old servant then came up to him and softly said: “Even this moment will pass.  Look at the message again. It works not only in bad times but also in good.”  The king opened the ring and read: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS.”

Again, he felt silence falling over him.  Although he was in the midst of a noisy dancing crowd.  Feelings of pride and entitlement disappeared. He understood the profound wisdom of the message.  And then the old servant said: “Do you remember everything that happened to you? Nothing is permanent. Feelings do not last. As night changes day, moments of joy and despair replace one another.  Accept them as the nature of things, as part and parcel of life.

Remember to love everything and everyone you come in contact, with compassion and empathy.  Be a humble and a noble Human Being.  Life is a fleeting shadow. We are not taking anything with us. We come empty handed and we go empty handed. Everything comes and goes in the wink of an eye. “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” Enjoy what life has to offer you with love, joy and kindness. Beauty and abundance will once again blossom and flourish.