Edifying Parables

by Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, Chennai Sri Vidyatheertha Foundation (Editor)

His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, the 35th Pontiff of the Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, was renowned as the gentlest and most illuminating of teachers. His erudition and compassion found expression as stories which He told during His public addresses and private conversations with His disciples.
These powerful yet simple stories have been collected and edited in this volume for the benefit of those who could not hear His Holiness directly. As Sri Abhinava had the innate ability to render any scriptural topic easily and completely accessible, the reader will understand deep spiritual principle and feel great delight upon hearing these amusing and attractive tales, now published for all to read.
The volume contains over one hundred such stories, grouped into themes such as the path of dharma, God the refuge, mental purity and dispassion, Guru as the visible God and realization of the Supreme. Every aspirant should take this chance to sit at the feet of this great Teacher and take this volume to heart.

309 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Ganesh V · Rating 5 out of 5]

My salutations to the holy feet of the parama Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada, H. H. Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Mahaswami and to the holy feet of the current Jagadgurus of Sringeri Sharada Peeta. This book is brought by Sri Vidyateertha foundation and contains 97 different parables / anecdotes which are Acharya’s benedictory addresses & private conversations with his sishyas. These parables address one or more specific area of life providing deep vedantic wisdom distilled in the form of stories or incidents from our itihasas and puranas. Stories are a very powerful medium to communicate a message, for it enables the reader to connect to the context and content. Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha swami was a scholar par excellence whose depth and wide gamut of knowledge is a rich reservoir of wisdom, which we are blessed to experience through this book.

In the introductory part of the book, there are some live incidents from Acharya’s life quoted that evoke amazement and deep reverence to the enlightened soul. Whether it is the case of a Christian father meeting the Acharyal or the lady blessed by Acharya comprehending Samskruta teachings, it only shows the simplicity and deep compassion of Acharya towards his sishyas and followers. One of the profound statements of Acharya that stuck with me : “ One should perform all one’s actions in meticulous manner. Even a minor task out not to be performed carelessly. The time allowed to the task may be small & other tasks may have higher priority, but when one is engaged in it, one must treat it as important.” In modern life, mindfulness is taking a centre stage. However, we need to acknowledge the fact that this wisdom is part of our culture and literature from time immemorial.

Acharya’s relationship with his guru is another inspirational tale. His guru is the widely worshipped and much revered H. H. Jagadguru Chandrashekhara Bharathi mahaswami.

The parables capture various facets of infinite wisdom that is part of our vedas, upanishads, puranas, itihasas and some live experiences. Some of the concepts captured in these stories include:
- Indriya Nigraha - control of senses
- Control over anger
- What exactly is Dharma & Adharma?
- Why silence is better than truth
- Famous story of Arjuna and Yudhishtira in the battlefield where the former speaks disrespectfully to the latter
- Why Ashraddha (absence of faith) and Durmedha (Perverted thinking) are messengers of Yama
- Why sticking to Shastri rules is of paramount importance
- Wonderful explanation of Hrudayavasi through the famous Draupadi vastraharana episode and Krishna’s help to his sister - Read this to know why finding Bhagwan inside ourselves is important
- Devotion is of utmost importance and not depends on profession (Dharmavyadha - Butcher) or Age (Dhruva) or Scholarliness (Gajendra) or being high born (Vidura) or Manliness (Ugrasena) or Physical appearance (Kubja) or lack of wealth (Sudama)
- Egoism stands between Bhagwan and Bhakta
- Manu compares destiny and personal effort to 2 wheels of chariot
- A very constant recurring theme : आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन:
- How food influences mind and why one should be careful about the types of food - Sattvic / Rajasic / Tamasic - This story is really enriching
- How human desire trumps everything from mountain to ocean to akasha to God himself - Desire is SO HUGE
- How a guru graces all his sishyas immaculately, being specific to each sishya - one of the best chapters
- Why one should be humble when approaching a mahatma for guidance
- For a spiritual aspirant, Dispassion, Equanimity and Mind-control are of paramount importance

These are some of the outstanding aspects of the book. However, every single chapter is laden with many more such gems. This book is VERY HIGHLY recommended for young impressionable minds as well as all general asaktas.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK

[Pradeep Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book by parents for their children at bed time. All are short stories with good morals and values.
The book is categorised on aspects of spiritual progress. Via stories and examples explains very nicely on their import and in relation to how to lead life.
The best part I loved is explaining to my children that the most important things to keep in mind while leading life is to not do what you know is wrong and to do every action as if being done for God.
The price is a very reasonable ₹60 for the size of the book of 300 pages. The font is nice and readable. The book will be available online on Tattvaloka or Sringeri.net websites or in any Sringeri Sharadamba mutt book stores.