This too will pass - Inspirational Story

Once a King called upon all of his wise men and asked them, "Is there a statement or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and in every time. All wise men got puzzled by King’s question. But they thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, the oldest and wisest man gave the king piece of paper. But he put forward a condition - that the king was not to see it out of curiosity; but only when he was in extreme danger, and there is simply no way.

After a few days, the neighboring kingdom attacked the kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of the King’s enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to flee on his horse his enemies kept following him.

Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished and he could not return because it was a small road. The sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great. The message was "This too will pass."

The King read it. And read it again. Suddenly something struck him - "Yes! It too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all its pleasures have gone. I am here trying to escape from my enemies. However just like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass." Calm come over his face. He relaxed and forgot about those following him.

After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.

The brave king reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare and rejoicing. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself, "I am one of the bravest and greatest kings of all time. It is not easy to defeat me."

With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him. Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He opened it and read it again: "This too will pass" He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness.

• If this too is going to pass, it is not yours.
• The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours.
• You are just a watcher. Everything passes by
• We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life comes and goes.
• Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.
• There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change.

Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable? It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change. Experience it - Understand the spiritual dimension behind this.