Indian Lore Quotes

“The Dire Wolf killed the Jakes,” he said.
“Who’s this Dire Wolf?” I asked. Figured he was talking about someone he knew.
He spoke in a whisper, almost reverently. “The Dire Wolf is the curse of the Downstream People, the Arkansa. He is an evil spirit of the Quapaw.”
I sighed and shook my head, knowing how these old Indians liked to throw in a bunch of mythical tribal mumbo-jumbo and superstition to deflect blame from someone they knew. “Well, you know where I can find this Dire Wolf fella?” I asked.
“He cannot be found,” the old man said.
“Really. You have reason to believe he’s taken off to other parts?”
He said nothing for a full quarter minute, his black eyes intently on mine, searching. I could see contempt in them and a sadness. Made me nervous.
“No,” old Long Walker answered at last. “He has not departed. Now that he has awakened, he will kill again.”
― Phil Truman, Dire Wolf of the Quapaw: a Jubal Smoak Mystery

“Suddenly Yudhisthira saw a yaksha approaching him. The being sat in front of him and began firing questions rapidly at him.


What is bigger than the Earth? the yaksha asked.

"A mother" replied Yudhisthira.

What is taller than the sky?

"A father"

What is faster than the wind?

"The mind , of course". Yudhisthira smiled.

What grows faster than hay?

"Worry"

What is the greatest dharma in the world? queried the yaksha

"Compassion and conscience"

With who is friendship never-ending?


"With good people" responded Yudhisthira patiently.

What is the secret to never feeling unhappy?

"If one can control his or her mind, then that person will never feel sad"

The yaksha increase his pace now.
What is the greatest kind of wealth.

"Education"

What is the greatest kind of profit?

"Health"

What is the greatest kind of happiness?

"Contentment" said Yudhisthira, ever prompt with his replies.

What is man's worst enemy?

"Anger"

What disease will never have a cure?

"Greed is incurable"

The yaksha smiled again. A last question my friend. What is life's biggest irony?

"It is the desire to live eternally. Every day, we encounter people dying but we always think that death will never come to us.”
― Sudha Murty, The Serpent's Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata

“Never been around dogs much. My mom had a collie when I was a boy, but she was a gentle animal who stayed around the house, mostly. My father, and the men he knew, all had braces of big surly hunting dogs they used for going after wild hogs. The times he took me with him on those hunts, I was more afraid of those dogs than the feral hogs. Think they could sense it. Always felt like they would’ve taken the least opportunity to sink their teeth into me.”
― Phil Truman, Dire Wolf of the Quapaw: a Jubal Smoak Mystery

“For the sake of the world he married Sati. But once did, he surrendered totally to the union.
Immense passion happened between them. The years rolled by, their love making was recorded as the most intense in human history.”
― Sadhguru, Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga

“It is this Bharata, an ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas, after who our country is named - Bharat. Our land is also known as Bharatvarsha, or the kingdom of Bharata.”
― Sudha Murty, The Serpent's Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata

“The day the Pandavas received the Akshaya Patra from the sun god is still celebrated in India as Akshaya Tritiya, which comes every year during the spring harvest in April or May. It is an extremely auspicious day and people believe that whatever they buy that day will grow in value. Most people prefer to purchase gold on this day”
― Sudha Murty, The Serpent's Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata