Sri Sathya Sai on the Ideal of Engineers Day: Bharat Ratna M. Visvesvaraya

What is the use of education without awareness? There is better discrimination amongst people who are less educated and less qualified. Today education makes easy the passing of remarks. Students have to work hard, but they are very lazy. They want all their homework, class work, assignments to be done by others like their mother, father, sister or brother. The more you work, the more remarks you get. You are assuming that you are educated, but you do not know the proper use of your education. You have to check how your education changes society. You should think of the prosperity of the society. There is a lot of difference between the ancient education and the modern education. Students in the olden days used to put efforts – mentally and physically to acquire education. Nevertheless, today students never put in any efforts and at the same time expect the results. Because of this sort of an attitude, the value of education has gone down today.

Vishweshwaraiah Mokshagundam
(1861-1962)

In the Kolar district of Karnataka, Chickballapur, Muddenahalli, in 1861, Vishweshwaraiah Mokshagundam was born in a very poor family. He worked very hard during his childhood and in school. He tried very hard to get into an engineering college. Finally he got a seat. But he didn’t have enough money to pay for the fees. Therefore, he started earning money by teaching students in his village. He even studied under the streetlights at night. With this sort of self-determination, he put his physical and mental efforts to achieve his goal. He even performed a few practical experiments that proved to be beneficial to the people. So apart from his own studies, a student has to even serve society. In Arabian countries where there was a shortage of water, he gave the idea of a pump-set and the water problem was solved. He knew that he had to offer his gratitude to his country. So he planned the Krishna Raja Sagara project.

The Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore

Once, a big workshop was held in the United States. At that time, Vishweshwaraiah was 83 years old. There was a high staircase that led to the way inside. Many amongst the older people were not able to make it to the top. But Visweshwaraiah easily climbed up to the top as if he was a young person. He later even told one of the people there that he could do anything for the sake of his country. Despite his age he could climb up so easily. But today, students aren’t like that. 

Vishweshwaraiah achieved many great things. Therefore, the Maharaja of Mysore appreciated him and conferred upon him a post in his royal court. Nevertheless, he did not confine himself to Mysore only. He achieved many great heights in Andhra Pradesh also. When the Moosi River was damaged in Hyderabad, and people were facing many difficulties, Vishweshwaraiah came forward and planned a project and built a dam. It was not for his sake that he had done all these things.

He cultivated so many sandalwood trees in the forests. For the sake of the people, he prepared sandal soaps. So many people came to use these soaps. This clearly showed that whatever he did, he did it only for the welfare of the people. Once he was asked by a relative who was working under him, to increase his salary. Vishweshwaraiah refused to increase the salary, but then agreed to give him as much money as he needed from his own pocket and not from the treasury. Such was the nobility of Vishweshwaraiah. He always looked for a chance to serve society. Thus, he utilised his studies and behaved like a truly educated person and not like any other ordinary person. However, he never considered himself to be a great person. He was so humble that he often felt and expressed that he knew very little. Because of his great contribution to the Krishnarajasagar dam, so many villages were benefited. He always felt that ‘Duty is God’; ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’. Many foreign countries like Italy, Germany, Japan, etc. welcomed him. But even when he visited those countries, he wore a turban on his head so that he could constantly keep thinking of his country. 

Sir Vishweshwariah conferred the Bharat Ratna by President Rajendra Prasad in 1955

My Dear Students! 

You all do not know what social life is. You think that when your family is happy, you are also happy. But you should think of your society also. In Muddenahalli, Vishweshwaraiah built a school. He was also working there for the sake of the poor children. Once during Dasara celebrations at Mysore Maharaja’s palace, Vishweshwaraiah even made all the arrangements for the celebrations. He followed our country’s culture and always honoured it. Our honour and respect depend on our behaviour. Therefore, your education should be beneficial to the society. You should live your lives independent of others. Swami never depends on others. I always do my work on my own. ‘Swatantratam’ (freedom) does not merely mean self-reliance, but ‘Atmavishwasam’ (self-confidence).

When Bhojaraja was sent to Dharanagar, he was very young. Once he went to a saint in his kingdom in disguise. The saint went on telling people that this body was only meant to serve people and we must utilise our entire life in serving society. He said that all should depend on themselves and not on others. Listening to all these, the king’s doubts were clarified. “Nidhi Chaala Sukhama? Ramuni Sannidhi Chaala Sukhama”, said Tyagaraja. True happiness lies in God, not in world pleasures and money. Money cannot give happiness. Money makes many things, but not everything. Even if we do not earn money, people will honour us if we have self-respect. Therefore, you have to be aware of yourself. You must have knowledge about ‘Atma-Tatva’ (nature of the Self). In spite of being poor, Vishweshwaraiah worked hard, achieved his goals by realising the Self and knowing the principle of Atma-Tattva.

So during the earlier days, people used to complete their studies and think about how they could serve society. But today’s students, after the completion of their studies think how much salary they may get by doing some job. They are always thinking of money. But Vishweshwaraiah always worked for social welfare. You students should follow the principle of Vishweshwaraiah and become good citizens of our country. You must respect and honour the society. Only if you have these good qualities you and your education will be respected. Otherwise, you and your education will not have any respect. It is good if you are able to complete all the degrees from A-Z. But of what use is it to society? If these are not useful to society, they are of absolutely no benefit. Vishweshwaraiah knew how to build a dam. He wanted to utilise his knowledge for the sake of his state. He got more respect only after people recognised his achievements. The Maharaja also honoured him. The British learnt about him from the Maharaja and were quite satisfied with his work. “Maharaja, he is a good man. But, if he was in a foreign land, he could have got more opportunities”. Listening to this, Vishweshwaraiah asked, “Sir, do you think that by honouring people like me you are respecting all those who are already there?”  Today if anyone comes up in life, others feel jealous of him. However, in India, the people only give him more enthusiasm. In India, people always think how they can be useful to the society. Whatever one may achieve, even society has a hand in it. We have received so many things from society, so we must do at least something for the society.

Vishweshwaraiah lived only with truth and served society truthfully. In the society, many changes that have come to take place were because of him. He also built several dams in foreign countries. In Arabia, there is a shortage of water. Vishweshwaraiah walked along the roads and somewhere far away he found some water collected. He got a dam built there and then pumped the water from there to the city. Even though the people had lived in Arabia for so many years, they had never seen a facility like this before. When there was no means of transport, he walked up all the way to the site. Nowadays, Indians are forgetting his services, but Arabians still remember him. Help is always remembered. That is why Swami says, “Help ever, Hurt never”. Even after the person dies, his help is remembered for generations. So, every man must put in efforts to help fellow human beings. Do not think that you are doing something to others. By helping others you will get a lot of satisfaction. 

There was a tank full of water in a village. After some time, all the water dried up. However, in the centre there was still some water left. A calf went there to drink water to quench its thirst and got stuck in the mud. All the elders and the youngsters in the village crowded around it. It was striving very hard to get out. Seeing this, all the villagers were laughing. They were looking at what the calf was doing with great enthusiasm. Then a Sanyasi came. He was not like the Sanyasis of today. He removed the piece of cloth on his body and got into the mud, took the calf from the mud, carried it on his back and came out. Seeing this, the villagers asked him, “Why did you remove it from the well?” The Sanyasi replied, “The calf was in trouble and looking at it I was feeling troubled. So by removing it, I have removed only my own trouble and not its trouble.” Therefore, when we help others, we get a lot of self-satisfaction. If we help others who are in trouble, though it may seem troublesome, it will eventually reduce our own troubles.

Today the situation of our society is quite bad. Swami wishes that the students work hard to make the society good. It is necessary to maintain a family. Swami is not telling us not to make money, but we must not show too much concern for money. We must follow the ancient culture of India and we should always think of how we can serve society and how we can utilise our education for the benefit of society. If we have such an aspect to ourselves, the country will soon develop. Though Vishweshwaraiah is no more, his name remains. Bodies come and go, but the name remains. 

An illustrious and exemplary life

Today, the members of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute are sacrificing themselves and working hard for the welfare of society. You can join in any work. If you become a lecturer, you should be able to explain to the students well and help them to get better in their studies. If you cannot become best teachers, you should at least not become complaining teachers. If you become a doctor, you should take time to think what medicine can relieve the pain of the patient. If that medicine is not available in your hospital, get it from some other hospital. The doctor should be careful in giving the prescription. He should look up to the patient with love and affection. Today, if you hurt any patient, tomorrow you may be a patient and someone else may hurt you. Today those who do not respect their parents will not be respected by their children also. Those who do not respect their teachers will be disrespected by their students in turn.  Therefore, everybody’s action will have a reaction. The good and the bad that happens to us do not come from anywhere else. They come from our own behaviour. If any bad is done to you, do not blame others saying that he did it. Blame yourself that it was because of your own mistake. If you recognise your own defects, you can reach greater heights in life. If you blame others, how can your life be well? Therefore, you should depend on yourself to achieve anything. You must have self-confidence that you can achieve anything. Without self-confidence, you can never achieve anything.

Source: Discourse 24, My Dear Students Volume 2