About Wellsprings

This site is a cluster of wellsprings. Wellsprings of heartwarming anecdotes, stirring stories, age-old fables, epic tales, mythical musings, good deeds, life's lessons, inspiring insights, and much more. None of these are our own but they have something for all of us. That's why we have taken the liberty of putting them together, acknowledging the source or the author wherever we could.

  • The way out of fear

    Once there was a young warrior. Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with fear. She didn’t want to do that. It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it…

  • Vigilance

    Is there anything I can do to make myself Enlightened? As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning. Then of what use are the spiritual exercises…

  • Falling into the cup

    Once there were two ants sitting on the rim of a cup that contained amrit, the nectar of immortality. As they were talking, one of the ants lost his balance and was…

  • Laughing at yourself

    There was nothing pompous about the Master. Wild, hilarious laughter prevailed each time he spoke, to the dismay of those who were solemn about their spirituality, and themselves. Said one disillusioned visitor, “The…

  • The eye to see

    A writer arrived at a monastery to write a book about the Master.  “People say you are a genius. Are you?” he asked. “You might say so,” said the Master with a smile. “And…

  • Who is the real menace?

    The Ministry of Agriculture decreed that sparrows were a menace to crops and should be exterminated. When this was done, hoards of insects that the sparrows would have eaten descended on the…

  • Contact vs. Connection

    A Monk of the Ramakrishna Mission was being interviewed by a journalist from New York. Journalist:  “Sir, in your last lecture, you told us about Jogajog (Contact) and Sanjog (Connection). It’s really…

  • The saint

    There once lived a man so godly that even the angels rejoiced at the sight of him. But, in spite of his great holiness, he had no notion that he was holy.…