Swami Satchidananda - Enlightening Tales: As Told by Sri Satchidananda

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Satchidananda, Swami

Enlightening Tales as told by Sri Swami Satchidananda

edited by Swami Karunananda;

illustrated by Uma Schreiber;

with a foreword by Carole King.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-932040-48-0

1. Religious lifeHinduism. 1. Karunananda, Swami.

BL1237.34.S27 1996 96-15582

294.5 43dc20 CIP

1st Printing 1996

2nd Printing 2012

Copyright 1996, 2012 by Satchidananda AshramYogaville, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher or the copyright holder.

Printed in the United States of America

Integral Yoga Publications
Satchidananda AshramYogaville, Buckingham, Virginia 23921
www.yogaville.org

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For complete listing of books, CDs and DVDs: www.iydbooks.com

For all who wonder
and seek and love a good story
May you find the Source of all wonder
and be filled with Love and Light.

Its All for Good

A Drop of Honey

A Perfect Lie

As You Think, So You Become

The Saint and the Scorpion

The Imitation Saint

The Milkmaid

How to Stop an Elephant

Two Boatmen

The Demon and the Curly Hair

True Surrender

God or Dog?

King Janakas Enlightenment

The Poor Mans Karma

Bringing a Donkey to Market

Integral Yoga Publications is happy to present this volume of forty-seven Enlightening Tales As Told By Sri Swami Satchidananda in honor of the forty-seventh anniversary of Sri Swamijis initiation into the Holy Order of Sannyas.

The publication of this book was made possible through the dedicated service and heartfelt support of the following people:

Swami Sharadananda and Kumari de Sachy, Ed.D. for editorial assistance;

Uma Schreiber for the beautiful illustrations;

Hari Barker of Integral Yoga Publications for overseeing the books production;

Ganesh MacIsaac for his guidance concerning design and production;

Gurudas Natarajan for helping to prepare the manuscript for publication;

Swami Sarvaananda for helping to facilitate the final preparation of the manuscript;

Abhaya Thiele for typing assistance;

Ramani and Swami Gangeshwarananda for proofreading;

Swami Hamsananda for transcribing and indexing Sri Swamijis talks;

and all the dedicated souls who have recorded and preserved these teachings over the years. We thank them all for their noble and loving service. May God bless them with all health, happiness, peace, and prosperity.

Sri Swami Satchidananda arrived in America at a time when people were just beginning to look for more spiritual awareness than Western society seemed to offer. In 1969, the year of the original Woodstock, I was looking for a method of physical exercise. I could have taken a dance class, but instead found a Hatha Yoga class offered at the Integral Yoga Institute. In time, I became a Hatha Yoga teacher and began exploring other branches of Yoga at the Institute, and in doing so, began a long-time friendship with Sri Swami Satchidananda.

Swamiji, as Ive always thought of him, is a genuinely gifted teacher. He teaches by example, practicing what he teaches. I remember the first satsangs I attended that he conducted. The quiet presence of this tall man with long hair and a flowing beard, dressed in orange, drew us all closer together. During our discussion periods, his answers to complicated questions were so simple as to make one ask, Why didnt I know that? His answer was, You did.

The simplicity of Swamijis philosophy, based on the science of Yoga, continues to enlighten millions the world over. Becoming an octogenarian doesnt seem to have slowed him down.This collection of Swamijis Enlightening Tales was put together for children, including those of us who reside in grownup bodies. If you are not seeking enlightenment, dont worrythe stories will entertain you, and my guess is that enlightenment will find you anyway. The stories are derived from Indias cultural heritage, but each has a lesson which holds true universally whatever your religious or cultural background. May you find peace, enjoyment, and comfort within.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land across the sea, there lived a most unusual man. He seemed quite normal at first and no one suspected the great adventures and challenges that awaited him. For though he seemed rather ordinary on the outside, inside he had a most extraordinary idea.

He had heard of a mysterious, hidden kingdom that contained the greatest treasures, beyond anything anyone could ever imagine. He had also heard that anyone who went to the kingdom experienced so much happiness and joy that they were never the same again. He decided to find that place at any cost, and his quest began. As the years rolled by, he was to slay many demons, conquer the greatest foes, and one glorious day, discover that transcendental realm of peace and bliss.