Laughter An indication that the body, mind and soul are all functioning in harmonv.
Observe the people around you. Who attracts more crowds?
There will always be a group of people around those who are always cheerful and laughing every now and then. People will move away from those, who, with a serious face, always talk about philosophies. All like to be laughing, forgetting all worries.
However forward-looking an idea may be, it will reach ordinary people only when it is conveyed in an easy way, mixed with a lot of laughter.
We fill up a bag with rice. If it has become full, and if we want to add some more, we usually shake it up a few times and again fill. It will hold more then.
In the same manner, if the listeners in a crowd are filled with lots of information and messages by a speaker, for the crowd to listen more, great speakers will sprinkle some jokes here and there in their talks.
Laughing and making others laugh is not an ordinary matter possible by all. Some who do not laugh at all, may say that it is not a serious thing. It is not correct. There is nothing more serious than to enjoy laughter.
Certain dramas are sometimes presented in our villages. Of these, 'Panchali Sabatham' (Challenge of Panchali) is a famous one. In a village, where this drama was being enacted, the scene of 'Panchali thugilurithal (pulling away the saris of Panchali) was going on. The person who acted the female role of Panchali was actually a young man.
The village people, who were watching the drama, were immersed in that scene. It so happened, on that day, the person who usually played the role of Krishna, who had to continuously supply fresh saris as the saris worn by Panchali were being pulled away, did not turn up.
The person who was acting the role of Dusschasana, did not know this fact. As usual, when Dusschasana started vehemently pulling the saris from Panchali, since the fresh saris from Krishna did not reach Panchali, finally, the actor (Panchali) stood there with only his undergarments.
Immediately the person who acted as Panchali, cleverly managed the situation and changed his dialogue, suiting this condition and spoke thus: 'Oh, Lord Krishna, Oh protector of those in dire need, protector of orphans, vou have really done a great miracle by changing me from woman to a man!' All the audience, the village people, had a hearty laugh, seeing that.
If you laugh to your maximum capacity, you will be rid of all diseases. This is not simplv an adage. This is actually a formula of meditation, which has a healing effect, Laughing continuously for 20 minutes, by itself, is a type of meditation. They give a lot of importance to continuous laughter in Zen Buddhism. If only the kings of olden days had not given such importance to laughter, we would not have gotten Tenali Raman and Birbal.
Laughter breaks our ego. Some do not laugh in gatherings. They think that laughing changes them as ordinary people.
A leader who laughs wholeheartedly, however, dissolves himself and merges with the gathering and there is no difference between him and the others. Generally egoistic persons will be morose, tight and rigid.