nothing remains permanent in life----a story

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them,   " Is
there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every
circumstances, in every place and in every time. One answer for all questions?
 Tell me is there any mantra?"              

All the wise men were puzzled by the King's question.  They thought
and thought.         
After a lengthy discussion, an old man  went to the king and
gave him something written on paper, with a condition that the king
was not to    see it out of curiosity. 
Only in extreme danger, when the King finds
himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it.
The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

Some time later, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. King and his army
fought bravely but lost the battle. The King had to flee on his horse.
The enemies were following him. getting closer and closer. Suddenly
the King found himself standing at the end of the road he would be finished...and he could not
return because it was a small road...the sound of enemy's horses was
approaching fast.  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 - " THIS TOO SHALL PASS"

The King read it . Again read it. Suddenly something struck him-

Yes ! This 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 his pleasure have gone.  Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too
will pass.         
A calm came on his face.    
 He kept standing there. The place
where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known
that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The
revelation of the message had a great effect on him. 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 near him.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He
defeated the enemy and regained his empire. When he returned to his
empire after victory, he was received with much fanfare.  The whole
capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in afestive mood.
Flowers were being showered on King from every house, from every
corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to
himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. 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 open it and read it again: "THIS TOO SHAL
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. 

Now   evaluate your    own life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victory
in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they
permanent ? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away. There
is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law
of change. You have survived all setbacks , all defeats and all
sorrows. All have passed away.The problems in the present, they too
will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are
the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

You are just a witness of change.
Experience it, understand it,  and enjoy the present moment -
this too shall pass!