Sri Sathya Sai Message for Primary School Students

Sri Sathya Sai with Primary School Students at Ooty

This vast world needs light for its existence. A man of wisdom is more powerful than a physically strong man, just as a puny mahout is able to control an elephant. It is not enough for people to rely on physical strength alone.

Man depends on four sources of light for dispelling darkness. The moon dispels darkness at night. No one except thieves loves darkness. Good people, well-intentioned persons have no liking for darkness. Darkness also signifies ignorance. During the day the sun is the natural source of light. Human life will be impossible without the light of the sun. The sun is the cause for rains, which enable crops to grow and sustain human life. Sun is also the source of health and of happiness.

Dharma (right conduct) illumines the entire world. The word Dharma means that which "upholds". It is Dharma which teaches the right relationship between man and man, man and society and society and society. Dharma reveals to man through his heart what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false. It is Dharma which promotes the welfare of society. Dharma protects its protector. The world cannot exist without Dharma. A good son is one who sets an example by his conduct: One who pursues selfish ends cannot be a good son. A good son is one who reveres and serves his parents, who honours his preceptor, who is humble and respectful towards elders and who cams a good name by his service to society. It is because such sons have become rare that the country is today bedevilled by wickedness and evil practices.

Your foremost duty is to revere your parents

Boys and Girls! Your foremost duty is to revere your parents. The mother gave birth to you. The father protected you. You have to esteem the preceptor as divine because he imparts knowledge to you. Without reverence for these three, all your other achievements in life will be worthless. The mother, the father and the preceptor represent the Divine Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara as creator, sustainer and remover of ignorance respectively. But above all of them is the one God who is in all beings. Develop love for God and there by show your reverence for all. Moreover, faith in God will ensure you what no one else can give.

Markandeya was allotted only a life-span of 16 years. The mother looked after him all those 16 years as the apple of her eye. The father protected him from all dangers from any quarter. The teacher took care of his education. But none of them had any control over his lifespan. The lad realised this truth. Hence he placed his reliance on God regarding his destiny. A few days before he was to complete his sixteenth year, he went to the Shiva temple and prayed:

"Oh Lord! My parents have protected my body. The teacher looked after my education. Bur God alone can protect my life. Hence, make me one with you." 

An artist's depiction of the Markandeya Purana episode

Placing his head on the Shiva Linga, hugging the Linga, with both his arms, he declared: "Eeshvara! You are my sole refuge!" Saying so he closed his eyes.

How Lord Shiva protected Markandeya

When the 16 years were over, the Lord of Death arrived and cast his noose to take the life of Markandeya. The noose did not cover Markandeya alone. The Shiva Linga was also caught in the noose because Markandeya was embracing the Linga. When the Lord of Death started drawing the noose, Shiva emerged from the Linga. Shiva asked the Lord of Death: "How dare you cast your noose on the one who had become one with Me and also cast Me in the noose?"

Shiva chastised the Lord of Death saying that he would be entitled to take the life of Markandeya if he had been alone, but not when he had become one with Him. "No one is entitled to touch a person who has united himself with Me," said Shiva. Shiva chastised Yama and protected Markandeya with immortality. With the grace of the Divine, Markandeya got the blessings of all - his parents and preceptor.

Students should not only revere parents and teachers but also strive to earn God's grace. A young student who had spoken earlier had said that truth is the ornament for speech. Students should always speak the truth. There should be harmony between thought, word and deed. 

Students! Apart from your studies, you should try to earn the grace of God by making your heart pure. You must remember the example of Rama who sacrificed the kingdom for honouring the words of his father. Dasharatha yearned for Rama to administer water to him in his last moments. Unfortunately he did not get it. But Rama performed the last rites for the eagle Jatayu, when he cried "Rama! Rama!" in his last moments. 

Rama with Jatayu in his last moments

Jatayu secured the ministration which even Dasharatha could nor get. For receiving God's grace there is no distinction such as an animal, a bird or any other creature. Wherever there is devotion, there God's presence can be experienced.

Give up all senses of "I" and "mine"

Students! You must acquit yourselves well and cam a good name even after you leave the Institute. You must bring a good name to the Institute among all the people you meet. Together with your academic knowledge, you must develop good conduct. In this troubled world, deem God as your sole pro-rector and guide.

True devotion consists nor in merely chanting the name of Rama but in rendering help to the society and offering help to the needy. Only then can you become worthy of God's grace. Hanuman exemplified the ideal of implicit obedience to God's injunctions. The true devotee should give no room for doubt. He must act with full faith in God. He must realize that everything belongs to God. He should give up all senses of "I" and "mine". This was the lesson which Rama taught to Kaikeyi when she sought his forgiveness for all the wrong things she had done to Raama.

There is a basic difference between the attitude of the Gopikas to Krishna and that of Yadavas in Dwaraka. The Gopikas felt: "Krishna ! We are yours" The Yadavas felt: "Krishna! You are ours." Their attitude was based on Ahamkara (sense of possession). That was responsible for their ultimate destruction.

You should all realize that God is present equally in all beings. The spiritual, oneness of all was taught to Shankara by Shiva in the form of an untouchable, when Shankara bade the "untouchable" not to approach him. 

Adi Shankara and the Chandala at Kashi

Shankara immediately prostrated before the untouchable as a preceptor who had taught him Samatvam (spiritual equality). Bodies and temperaments may differ from individual to individual, but the Divine is one and the same in all.

Students! Cherish faith in God as your life-breath. The faith will sustain you at all times and in all situations. Once Ushvar Chandra Vidyasagar happened to travel by train in a compartment with some English men. He sat between two of them. One of them asked: “Who is this donkey?" The other one asked: "Who is this pig?" A third English man asked: "Who are you?" Ishvar Chandra coolly replied: "I am a human being sitting between a donkey and a pig." The two English men felt ashamed of themselves. They felt even more ashamed when they saw a large crowd of persons with garlands waiting to receive Ishvar Chandra when he got down from the train. The English men then realised that though Indians might appear simple they were inherently noble and gentle. Students! You should maintain the highest standards of Bharatiya culture.

Source: Divine Discourse at the Assembly Hall at the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School, Prasanthi Nilayam on January 23, 1997

'His' First Step, 'His' Hundred Steps… - By Vivek Rai

Swami says, “If you take one step towards Me, I will take a hundred towards you”. 

One of the most memorable and cherished experiences that one can ever have with Bhagavan is how He first enters our lives and draws us towards Him. This is my story of how the Lord took me into His Divine fold and changed my life. I was not chosen by Bhagavan to join His educational institution when I tried for admission in the 11th standard for reasons He knows best. So, after two years I applied for the Undergraduate programme of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. This time the call letter for the admission test arrived but left me in a dilemma.

I had applied for another entrance examination as well in my place and found that the test dates were scheduled on successive days in June. The examination centres were Puttaparthi and Darjeeling respectively which are almost 2,000 kilometres apart, so I had to choose only one test to write.

My parents have always encouraged me to make my own decisions and this time too, they let me decide. I was in a fix because selecting one option would be deserting the other and there was no guarantee of getting admission in both cases. Also, back then even though everyone in my family were Sai devotees, Swami was not so much a part of my life as He is now. My mother saw my confused state and told me that it was up to me to choose, but the opportunity of getting admitted to Bhagavan’s College was not an ordinary one. She told me that I could get an education anywhere but finding a place where God resides and values are imparted was rare.

Needless to say I took her advice and when I look back now at that moment four years later, it was the most important advice I have ever received. However, carrying the choice was still not as easy as it seems. “Test is My Taste”, says the Lord and He was true to His words, for what followed was His difficult test of the decision of coming to Him. All of these so called ‘plans’ of mine to come to write the admission test in Puttaparthi was made in mid-April of 2011 and just a few days later the unexpected happened, as Bhagavan left His physical body.

After recovering from the initial shock of the news, doubts slowly began to surface in my mind as to whether I should consider changing my plans. ‘Would things still be the same there?’, ‘Would I even make it through the test, forget about the interview?’ were the thoughts that I was having. More importantly the main question was ‘Was He there still in Puttaparthi?’

However, in this moment of chaos, a small voice inside me kept saying that it was a decision made for Him and changing my decision would be turning my back to Swami. So gathering all my faith and trust in Him, and leaving it to His Will, my father and I left for Puttaparthi. After arriving at Puttaparthi I felt at home. Even though the physical frame of the Lord was not present, His Divine presence still lingered on. I had visited Puttaparthi once before with my parents but I was very small at that time. Now, after going around the place and looking at the institutions, I wanted to study here even more and my prayers to Swami became more intense. 

The day of the entrance test finally arrived and I the found that except English, the rest of the papers were quite tough, especially the Chemistry section which was definitely not my forte. I was halfway through with my paper when I realised that some boys had already finished and were leaving too. This scared me at first but there was still time left and I managed to complete on time. 

When I returned to the room, my father asked how I had written and I managed a weak “Good” as I wasn’t sure whether I would make it or not. The results were to be put up the next morning at 4.00 am and considering the odds stacked against me, I did not feel so confident of finding my name there, even as my father insisted we go and check the next morning. I offered a prayer to Swami that night with a heavy heart and went to sleep. 

I had a very strange dream the next morning. In the dream I found myself in the South Indian canteen and funny as it seems, the names of the selected candidates were supposed to be put up on the wall there! I saw two boards with lists of names on the wall and then searched for my name (much later I discovered that Swami’s photos were hung there). It was not there! Even in the dream I felt immense sadness as my hopes or rather my faith was slowing crashing down. I would have even cried, but then I saw an old south-Indian Amma in a sari, walk towards me. 

The entire canteen was empty except the two of us and I could see that she was short-statured with white hair. She asked me lovingly as to what happened and I confided my disappointment to her. She asked me my name and looked at the board as I stared down at my feet completely broken. Suddenly she took something in her hand (which looked like a metal spatula with a long, thin handle) and pointed out my name. “Here it is son… the spelling is wrong, that’s all”, she said smiling. 

To my utter amazement I looked up to find my name there on the same list I had gone over thoroughly, with my surname comprising three alphabets spelt wrong. It was typed ‘Vivek Rui’ instead of ‘Vivek Rai’, a ‘huge’ spelling error for me to have overlooked but for the Master’s Maya! The feeling of happiness and relief had just begun to sink in when, suddenly, my father woke me up at 4.30 am having returned after checking the selected names.

“Well done son, you’re selected”, he said to me as I opened my eyes and I replied with a smile on my face, “I know Papa,” and hugged him. The successful interview and my admission into His College that followed were smooth like a breeze for I knew that He had already chosen me as His own. His test was over for the time being with others to follow in Brindavan campus where I did my undergraduate course.

More than four years after being taken by Him into His Divine haven of Love and care, experiencing His benevolence in a myriad forms and instances in Brindavan and Puttaparthi, all I can say is that He is forever with us, guiding and guarding like our mother. As I look back I realise how my dear Sai Amma took those steps towards me, first through my physical mother and then (someone pointed to me the obvious fact on sharing my experience of the ‘South Indian Canteen dream’) through the form of His own physical mother.

Sathya Sai Alumni Brass Band at the Sathya Sai Samadhi; Vivek is in the last row - second from the center towards the left

I can only conclude that even the ‘apparent’ first step of ours that we take towards Him is in fact actually His own, just unseen and unrecognized by us. As an offering of my gratitude and love to You on the occasion of the 90th year of Your advent, Swami, please accept this small piece of those priceless experiences which You have granted me.

Vivek Rai 

Student (2013-15), Faculty of Management and Commerce

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Prasanthi Nilayam

Source: Sai Nandana 2015 (90th Birthday Offering)

As is the Dress, so should be the Behaviour: A Story by Sri Sathya Sai

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

The situation which the world is facing now is not due to one’s thoughts, but one’s head. The reason for this is that the humanness in man is decreasing day by day. Just as the water level in the earth is going down; the memory in the students is on a decline. The householders have given up their responsibilities. In such a situation, nobody knows how to talk to these people, correct them and bring them on the right path. When man’s behaviour and manners are not worthy with respect to his dress, he will lose all his respect and honour. Today’s humans are human only in their form (Aakar), but their behaviour (Aacharana) is that of an animal. 

As is the Dress, so should be the Behaviour

Once upon a time, a person whose profession was that of an actor, put on the dress of Shankaracharya and entered the court of a king. He went over there and started chanting many Shlokas (Sanskrit verses). One of the Shlokas which he uttered was:

Mata Naasti, Pita Naasti, Naasti Bandhu Sahodara

Artham Naasti, Gruham Naasti, Tasmad Jagrita Jagrita

(Mother, father, friends and relatives are not real.

Wealth and properties are also not real. Oh Man! Ever be vigilant.)

He also said:

Janma Dukham, Jara Dukham, Jaya Dukham Punah Punah

Antahkalam Maha Dukham Tasmad Jagrita Jagrita

(Birth, death and disease brings sorrow; the world is full of grief and sorrow and is temporary. Oh Man! Ever be vigilant?)

All the courtiers’ in the king’s court were amazed to listen to these verses. He also taught many other things to the people who were present there. He said, “Man is born with a form, but he does not have the behaviour which is worthy of his form. Should we call him a Nara (man) or a Vanara (monkey)? In this world today, people change their form only to earn respect from others. Their words and talk are full of arrogance, egoism and pride. Their nature is that of a monkey, but the words are that of a man. Is he really a man or a monkey?” He thus went on dealing with many such questions and doubts. There is one verse in the Bhagavad Gita, “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma” – Everything is Divine. He said, “Anityam Asukham Lokam, Imam Prapya Bhajaswa Maam – This world is temporary and full of sorrow. There is only one thing eternal which is God. So think of God, chant His name, only then you will be able to understand this temporary world.” As a result of his preaching, all the ministers and subjects in the court could get some teachings. Even the king was very much pleased. The actor with the attire of Shankaracharya told the king that now he would leave the place. The king ordered the minister to bring a plate full of gold coins. The minister brought it and gave it to the king. As the king was giving it to the actor, the actor who had donned the role of Shankaracharya said, “You are giving me something which is temporary. There is no happiness in it. If you want to offer me something, then offer me your Atmic principle which is always permanent. I don’t need these gold coins. You take it back.” So saying, he gave them away. While leaving the court the actor told the king that on the next day, he would enter the king’s palace with another form or dress. 

The next morning all the courtiers were waiting for the man. But they heard the sound of the anklets. They found that a woman dancer had come. When she entered over there she started dancing in a very enchanting manner. Nobody could see her feet touching the ground. Even the King had not seen such a great dancer. She went on dancing as long as the King did not stop her. Then the dancer told the king that she would take his leave. The king ordered the minister to get some gold coins in a plate for the dancer. This dancer saw a very small number of gold coins in the plate. Then she told the King, “Oh King! Yesterday you gave me a plateful of gold for speaking few words. Today, I went on dancing till I was completely tired. Is this the reward which you are giving me for this great dance? Yesterday when I just spoke few words of wisdom you rewarded me with lots of gold and today you have just ignored me when I went on dancing till I got tired.” Then the King took the courage and told, “Yesterday when I offered you lots of gold coins you refused them. Today you are asking for more!” Then the dancer replied, “When one behaves according to his dress, then it is respectable for both – the actor and the audience. Yesterday I was dressed as the great Shankaracharya. He was a great man who had done great sacrifices in life. At the age of 12 he could chant all the Vedas. He renounced the world thereafter. Thus when I put on that dress, I didn’t need that gold. Today I am dressed as a great dancer. In yesterday’s dress, money was not required. But in today’s dress I require more money. Thus, Oh King! You must not only look at the behaviour of a person, but you must also look at the dress of that person. In the age of Kali, people struggle to earn money in many ways. The gold that you offer me today is not enough for me.” The king then replied, “We see in the world only external forms. One is the Pravritti (outward form), the other is the Nivritti (inward form). All that is connected with Divinity is an inward form (Nivritti). A person who is on the inward path will have the characteristics of Shankaracharya only. When you are on the worldly path you will have characteristics of a dancer only.” 

Today’s students look like students, but they are not true students at all. Are they earning the education, or the education is earning them? When the student forgoes his memory power, what is the use of his education? Householders have lost their morality. When they lose morality, there is no truthfulness. How can such householders understand the truth? In golden times, we used to get water after digging two feet into the ground. But in this age, even though you dig 200 feet, you don’t get even a single drop of water. Even Mother Ganga is angry with the behaviour of human beings. That is why her water levels are going down day by day!

In olden times, there were people who in spite of losing everything, never gave up their human values. In man today, you don’t find the human quality at all. When can you see these human qualities? You can see the humanness in man when Satya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema are in harmony. A person who does not have the four human values cannot be called a human being. One who has humanness can be called human. A race with morality can be truly called the human race. Apart from cleverness, a student should also have wisdom. If you think that you know all the things in the world, then in reality, you don’t know anything. 

Once upon a time, a great scholar went to Tirupati. He went there and used his entire scholarship to pray to Lord Venkateshwara. But God cannot be attained with words. He prayed to Lord Venkateshwara, “You are lying on the great Adishesha, please give me wisdom. You are the Lord of the Lords and I am your servant, please come and bless me. I know that in all the lanes and the bylanes of the world, it is You who is experiencing the joy. Oh Govinda! Please bless me and shower Your grace on me. You are the Master Dramatist in the drama and also its Director. You are the King of the kings. This whole world is Your drama, and I am also an actor in Your drama. To guide me in doing my acting properly please come forth as a director and guide me.” God is the Director and all are actors. Actors who follow the words of the Director become good actors. You are acting, but you are not obeying the Director’s instructions. We have forgotten our true nature (Swabhava), and are only trying to get influenced (Prabhava). Influence (Prabhava) is imaginary; nature (Swabhava) is permanent. Swa-Bhava is that which comes from within. It should be one’s own feeling which comes from within. 

Among the four forms of Mukti (liberation) – Saalokya, Saarupya, Saameepya, Saayujya; the first one is the Saalokya. Therefore whatever you ask for, it should come from the heart. When do the feelings come from the heart? When you throw out all the worldly desires from yourself, then only the true feelings comes from the heart. You throw away all the external desires. Then the bliss comes from within.

The scholar continued to pray to Lord Venkateshwara, “Shri Ramaa Ramani Manohara – Oh Lord! You are the Master of Lakshmi who is the Goddess of Gold. When you have the very embodiment of Lakshmi with You, how can others find You?” 

Source: The Fifth Goal of Human Life, Discourse 5, My Dear Students Volume 5; Divine Discourse on January 28, 2001

The Journey with Sri Sathya Sai - By Tata Ramesh

One early morning, the ‘First call’, which changed my attitude towards life today, came through a Sai messenger, who asked, “Would you like to be part of our service programmes? We plan to organize a free medical camp in the rural areas of Mahboobnagar, your service & cooperation will add value to this trip”. As usual, the mind plays a tricky game! Go for a movie or outing with friends? Or go for service? Fortunately, I was part of the village service programme and the ‘Journey towards Sai’ in my life became rigorous with that moment. These first moments of joy and self-satisfaction swirl within, coaxing me to search for another opportunity to serve as a Sai Youth. Gradually my life started moving from ‘confusion’ to ‘contemplation’. I surrendered myself to ‘Sai Narayana ‘, the one who created this marvel mystery of life and death of man; the one who is indweller of every being in this entire creation; the one who is filled with the nectarine ocean of love and the one who moved with us physically, lovingly shared all the Divine mysteries in short stories and thus made us realise that we are spiritual beings on this human journey; to that Lord, I surrender myself. 

The majestic Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Yes, my dream to be his property had come true; I took up the role of Sai student. Every student from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning aims at the realisation of Sat-Chit-Ananda, the true and eternal bliss that any person should aspire for on this Earth. Every time I hear from the faculty of our Institute, that we haven’t come here for a mere degree but for a much higher purpose, it fills my heart with renewed vigour. It might sound quite surprising to the external world, that an educational institution can teach a student much more than academics, but it is proven opposite here. I mean we belong to an institution which teaches us spiritual education as a main component and worldly education as a secondary one. The role of every student is to learn the knowledge imparted by the guru and thus give back to the society what he has learnt, i.e ‘Human Values’ which are missing in today’s society.

God knows when to do what; He is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. It was a time when a series of challenges especially financial were around our family. He decided, ‘One who does hard work with a lot of sincerity, I shall always hold him and give shelter under My roof’. We keep hearing, ‘Paths are many, but destination is One’. Maybe I didn’t understand the meaning of it before, but now I cannot stop writing about it. 

Of course, this action also truly belongs to Him. True, every thought, word, deed belongs to Him. We are indebted very much to this very land, Bharat, which is a storehouse of great cultural heritage and inculcates the spirit of service in its children. Childhood days are always memorable in man’s life, so are mine, lucky I was to live in a spiritual environment. Our family stayed in a rented house during my childhood. I was the only child in our house and also the only child who distributed Vibhuti and Prasadam after Bhajan session in our owner’s house. I did not know the value of Vibhuti I was distributing then, which saved my grandmother from the clutches of death. This incident happened before I joined Swami’s College.

Early morning on May 12, 2014, she was paralyzed with a mild stroke in her brain, that moment none of us in the family knew what to do. In my heart, I had a strong conviction, that at this moment only Swami could help her and yes He did. His Vibhuti helped her come out of the severe attack, and today she is hale and hearty. It reminds me that He isn’t just limited to the physical form, He is everywhere, in every being, in every particle. His form has no limits. He created His own form in all of us. As the days passed by, He increased the frequency of coming into our lives, our family, and every moment He showed His omnipotent form. I can wholeheartedly say that He has become an integral part of our family now. My heartfelt gratitude to Him who showed me the direction to walk towards Him. He chose me to be a part of His very loving and hardworking youth team from Hyderabad who often comes to Puttaparthi for Shivaratri and other special service days when necessary.

Tata Ramesh expressing his gratitude in Sai Kulwant Hall at Prasanthi Nilayam

By staying with this group, I understood that a person who is knowledgeable and rich need not be proud when rendering useful service to the society. I recall a miracle which I heard from a brother of mine. A village named Bejjanki in Karimnagar district of Telangana was facing a severe water problem. Devotees of that place gathered around as a group and started praying to Swami for showers of rain. One day, during their prayers, a person who was walkng around that place came and told them that he had met a shepherd who was walking by the same route who was wearing an orange dress. The shepherd told this man that a school would come up very soon in that place and that the water problem too would be solved. Devotees went to see who that shepherd was, but to their utter shock he was nowhere to be seen. 

Everyone knew that it was Swami in His omnipresent form who had assured them. Soon, their prayers were answered and a beautiful school came up. Today, this place has become a Jalanidhi (treasure of water) in that arid region. This incident has taught me that in every stage of our life Swami is with us. In every action of ours, He is with us, amongst us, within us. It is we who should understand His Divinity and surrender to Him entirely. He will take care of us. I would like to conclude with a prayer, 

‘Most beloved Bhagavan! Can I ever fathom the depth of Your love, I am ignorant. How can I express my gratitude to you Oh Lord? You are the one who responds to devotees in distress and you are the one who saved my grandmother on that fateful day. All I can say is, Thank You.’

- Tata Ramesh

Student (2014-2016), Faculty of Management and Commerce,

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning,

Prasanthi Nilayam

Source: Sai Nandana 2015 (90th Birthday Offering)

Sri Sathya Sai On: The Immortal Devotional Compositions of Thyagaraja

Sri Thyagaraja (1767-1847)

This practice (Swami referring to practice of Bhajans /community singing) gathered momentum over the years and in 1798, the great South Indian Saint-composer Tyagaraja invested Bhajans with Raga and Tala (musical form and rhythm). Since then Bhajans have acquired national vogue in all parts of the country.

…When Bhajans were first introduced in villages, Tyagaraja began with the song, “Come, all ye blessed ones, come, and let us join in singing the glory of Sri Rama”. He also said that when they have Kodandapani (Rama with the Kodanda bow) on their side, they need not fear Dandapani (Yama, the Lord of Death).

- “The Immortal Bhaktas”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 19, October 8, 1986, Prasanthi Nilayam

The ancient sages had a vision of the Supreme Lord Vishnu reclining on the Ksheerasagara (Ocean of Milk) and adored Him in that form. This was how Saint Tyagaraja described the Lord in his famous song beginning with the words, “Ksheerasagara Shayana!” (Oh Lord reclining on the Ocean of Milk). (Swami sang some lines from the song). What is this Ocean of Milk? Is it anywhere on earth? On this mundane world with its material concerns, you cannot perceive this Ocean of Milk. Nevertheless, it exists. Where? In every human heart; in this heart, Lord Sriman Narayana is resting.

- “Acquire Friendship of God”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 28, July 11, 1995, Prasanthi Nilayam

Several great souls took birth in this land of Bharat. Saint Tyagaraja in one of his famous Kirtans sang, “Endaro Mahanubhavulu, Andariki Vandanamulu…” (There are several great souls, I prostrate before all of them).  A great saint, Tyagaraja himself exhibited such humility. He was a great composer too.

…When sublime feelings spring forth from the depths of one’s own heart, they express themselves as great devotional poetry.

- “Love and Morality —The Need of the Hour”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 35, December 25, 2002, Prasanthi Nilayam

Sant Tyagaraja sang in one of his immortal Kirtanas, “Cheemalo Brahmalo Siva Kesavaadulalo Prema Meeravelasi Unde Birudhu Vahinchina Rama Nannu Brovara” (Oh Rama, in Your pure and unsullied form of love, You indwell all beings from an ant to Brahma as also in Shiva and Keshava. Please be my protector too). Unable to realise this truth, people kill the ant that crawls on their bodies. The same people will worship the ant if it appears as an embodiment of Divinity. Thus, the feelings make all the difference.

 - “Repose Faith in Your Conscience “, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 40, January 15, 2007, Prasanthi Nilayam

Great singer-saints like Tyagaraja made sweet offerings to God in the form of Kirtanas suffused with Bhava (feeling), Raga (tune) and Thala (beat) and won His grace. There is so much sweetness in such devotional songs. God’s grace can surely be obtained by such devotional singing. You cannot win the grace of God by empty rhetoric. It is only through devotional singing suffused with Bhava, Raga and Thala, that divinity can be attained. God will be moved by such Sankirtan.

- “The Lord Accepts Only a Pure Heart”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 37, September 6, 2004, Prasanthi Nilayam

An artist's creation of Rama-Sita wedding

Tyagaraja grew ecstatic when he sang about Rama and His various attributes and glories. (Swami sang mellifluously Tyagaraja’s song beginning with the words, “Rama! Kodanda Rama! Rama! Pattabhirama! (“Rama! You stand by the word You have given. For me, You are the only wealth. Your song is the only song. Your path is the only path. Rama! You are Sitapati (the consort of Sita). You are the Gati (the goal). I bow to You. I surrender to You, Oh Rama. Rama! Your name is supreme. Rama! Thoughts of You are enough. Rama! I am Yours. Please speak to me”).

- “The Perennial Message of the Rama Story”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 30, April 16, 1997, Brindavan

Guna Sankirtana applies to the kind of Bhajan in which the devotee recites the auspicious qualities of the Divine, experiences oneness with the Divine, and acquires the Godly qualities. Tyagaraja had recourse to this type of singing. In one of his Kirtanas, he exclaimed, “Oh Lord! You are beyond all words. Is it possible for even Brahma or other Gods to extol your glorious exploits? I am waiting for your grace. Hearken to my entreaties. You restored to the preceptor, his son, whom the Lord of Death had taken away. You conquered the God of Love. You liberated from prison Vasudeva and Devaki. You protected Draupadi when she appealed to you in despair. You were the guardian of the Pandavas. You relieved Kuchela of his poverty. You saved 16,000 damsels from subjection.” In this manner, Tyagaraja recounted the great qualities of God in his songs.

…In the rendering of Tyagaraja’s songs, the failure to observe the meaning of the words of the song has produced bizarre results. Tyagaraja’s songs are in Telugu. Tamil musicians, who are experts in music, rendering Tyagaraja’s songs have often mangled the words of the songs and made them meaningless. In one of his songs, Tyagaraja sang, “Ne Pogadakunte Neekemi Kodhavu Rama?” (If I do not praise you, what do you lose Oh Rama?). A Tamil musician sang the song in such a manner that it meant, “If I eat Pakodas, what do you lose?” It is essential to ensure that the meaning of the words, the emotional feeling of the composer and the melody of the song are all brought out in rendering the songs during Nagar Sankirtan and in Bhajans. Where one does not understand the meanings of the words, he should get the meaning from those who know.

- “Purify the World by Sankeerthana”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 25, March 3, 1992, Prasanthi Nilayam

Sant Tyagaraja sang his immortal Kirtan, “Endaro Mahanubhaavulu (Many are the great souls)”. In fact, it is only because of such noble souls that the country of Bharat (India) has been able to exist peacefully.

- “Cast Off Body Attachment to Develop Atmic Consciousness”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 36, July 13, 2003, Prasanthi Nilayam

Who can determine what the nature of Divinity is? None can do it. The nature of the Divine can be determined only by the Divine and not by anybody else. Tyagaraja recognized this truth in his song, “Oh Lord! How can anyone decide what You are?” Tyagaraja went on to derive the name ‘Rama’ from the two letters ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’ in the two Mantras associated with Vishnu and Shiva (The two mantras are: Namo Narayanaya and Namah Shivaya). 

The two Mantras, without the syllables ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’, become meaningless. ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’ are thus the life-giving letters in the two Mantras.

- “Potency of Rama’s Name”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31,  April 5, 1998, Brindavan

Attachment to sensory pleasure has to be discarded in preference to the more lasting joy of inner contemplation. Tyagaraja had discovered that joy. He gave expression to that joy in moving musical notes, in simple sincere words in songs that bring tears to the eye and thrills to the heart. The Raja who is the President of this festival (Swami referring to the festival in honour of Saint Tyagaraja), comes from Tamil Nadu and the Telugu language in which Tyagaraja sang is strange to him. Yet, he is profoundly affected by the music; he loves the Kritis (songs) very much. Knowing the meaning of the songs and the context which begot them so spontaneously and so sweetly from the sublime devotion of Tyagaraja will make you imbibe the spirit better; the language in which he sang is the language of the seeker, the Sadhaka, the straggling Sadhak, and very rarely, the satisfied sage. You can easily learn that language, the language of the Sadhaka. Do not keep away from it because it is not the language to which you are accustomed.

- “Inner Progress”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 02, April 5, 1962, Tirupati

The only reason for their coming (Swami referring to the presence of thousands of devotees in Puttaparthi) is the attraction of the Divine love. It was this which impelled Tyagaraja to sing (Swami sang the Telugu song ‘Lekhana Ninnu Juttukunnaaru’ in His own mellifluous voice, filling the entire gathering with ecstasy).

Is it not because you had the bliss-conferring Chintamani,

Oh Rama, that all of them gathered round you,

With their hearts in unison to experience perennial joy

From the Source of all Prosperity,

From the Ocean of Compassion

And the embodiment of Intelligence

That you are, with no equal?

- “Ways of the Divine”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 20, November 23, 1987, Prasanthi Nilayam

Tyagaraja sang, “Thelisi Rama Chinthana Cheyave Manasa” (Oh Mind! Meditate on Rama with the full knowledge of what He represents).

- “Faith in the Goal”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15, October 3, 1981, Prasanthi Nilayam

Tyagaraja sang, “Birds, big and small, before nightfall seeks the tree where they can rest. I hold Your Feet in my grasp; save me, O Rama”.

...Tyagaraja revelled in the Ananda that poetry, music and scholarship can confer but since the Ananda that learning can confer (Vidyaananda) was liable to weaken, he considered it only as a particle or foretaste of the Brahmaananda he sought most the Ananda derivable from the Universal Eternal Delight, the Nirguna Ananda Brahman, That Ananda is man’s reality, for, man is God.

- “Perpetual Bliss”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 16, November 23, 1983, Prasanthi Nilayam

Lord Krishna cures Kubja

Kubja, a short woman with a hunchback was assigned the task of carrying perfumes to King Kamsa. On seeing her, Krishna asked, “Oh dwarf lady, what are you carrying?” She replied that she was carrying the perfumes to Kamsa, as he was very fond of them. Krishna went near her, deftly stepped on her feet and with His hands under her chin lifted up. Kubja, who was short with a hunch on her back, became straight and good-looking. These Leelas (miracles) were well expounded by Tyagaraja; “You are beyond all description and human comprehension. Is it possible to estimate Your glory and splendour even to Brahma? We have been waiting for Your grace. Oh Lord! Listen to my agony and redeem me. You are the one who brought back to life the dead son of Your preceptor. You are the one who suppressed the serpent Kaliya, freed Vasudeva and Devaki and saved Draupadi from humiliation. You fulfilled Kuchela’s desires, You made ugly-looking Kubja beautiful. You protected the Pandavas and protected the 16,000 Gopikas. You are beyond all description and human comprehension.”

 - “Sacrifice is My Enjoyment”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 34, August 11, 2001, Prasanthi Nilayam

The Atma does not change, no one can transform it. Its nature is hidden by various veils of ignorance, such as those which Tyagaraja prayed Lord Venkatesha to pull apart, in the famous song, “Thera Teeyaga Rada”.

- “The Click of the Camera”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 01, November 23, 1960, Prasanthi Nilayam

Source: Sai Vani: Avatar on Mahapurushas

The True Spirit of Sportsmanship in Indian Culture

Sri Sathya Sai delivering the Discourse on Sankranti Day - January 14, 1996

The hard-working farmer has no fear of starvation. The one who chants the name of God has no fear of worldly worries. The man of few words will be free from enmity. Through excessive talk man falls a prey to quarrels. Everyone should cultivate moderation in speech. Restraint in speech is conducive to friendly feelings. The one who is careful in his behaviour, doing all actions after due deliberation, will have no fear of danger.

All these precepts are related to education. True education consists in knowing how to lead a peaceful life. This means that in embarking on one's educational career, one should aspire for world peace. The reason is, he is a part of the world community. His well-being is intimately bound up with the well-being of the world. He should give up all narrow feelings. Students have also got to acquire unity and fellowship.

All these qualities cannot be taught by teachers. For every individual, Nature is the best teacher. Nature is teaching all lessons to man all the time.

The supreme virtue in a man

What lends beauty to sports and games is the spirit of unity with which the participants play in them, eschewing feelings of envy and hatred. The supreme virtue in a man is to forget his individual differences with others and move with them in a spirit of equality and harmony.

Today people derive only physical fitness and strength from taking part in sports and games. But man is not the body alone. Fulfillment in life is not attained by physical health and strength alone. Even when the stomach is full, 'the mind must get satisfaction. Hence, efforts should be made to promote mental health also. Only when both the mind and the body are hale and well can one experience happiness. However, young people today are concerned only about physical appearance and fitness.

Man is endowed by Divine grace with physical, mental and spiritual potencies of many kinds. Unfortunately young people tend to misuse these powers and come to grief. They do not recognise the magnitude of their internal powers. The mind is the source of all powers. Only when the mind is subdued can man realise the Divine. 

Use and abuse of energies present in man

For achieving anything, strong determination is necessary. Young people in particular should take note of the powers in them. It is comparable to a kind of electrical energy. This energy enables them to see things through the eye (which is like a bulb). You must ensure that your vision is pure, sacred and pleasing. Do not taint or pollute your sight by looking at undesirable objects. Do not look at anything with bad thoughts. The eyes are spoilt by misuse.

Then you have circulating in the entire body a magnetic energy. Although this energy is present throughout the body, its presence is conspicuous in the hand. Hence the hands should be employed for good purposes. They should not be used for doing harm to others or hurting them. 

Moreover, there are in the body rays emitting light. The electrical energy in the body serves to transmit these rays throughout the body like radio waves. People do not use these energies for right purposes. The ears listen to gossip, slander and evil talk. The result is that the power of hearing gets polluted.

Then, you have the power of speech. This power finds expression in sound waves. This power has to be used with great care. The words one utters should be examined to see that they do not excite, irritate or anger others. Bad words come back to the speaker with double strength. Hence one's speech should be soft and sweet. The major weakness of young people is the tendency to misuse their boundless potencies. This degrades them as human beings.

Young people, failing to exercise control over their actions, tend to become unruly and ungovernable. You may be great scholars or intellectual giants. There are many Nobel Laureates. How many remember them? But the great benefactors of mankind, the men of noble qualities, are cherished by all mankind. For instance, there is the example of a noble soul from Calcutta. Calcutta produced many great intellectuals. After a time they are not remembered at all. But if today Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, an illiterate person, is enshrined in the hearts of millions all over the world, is education responsible for it? 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1838-1888)

Likewise, if many noble persons are enshrined in the hearts of people, what is the reason? They have earned their good name by their faith in God, their character, magnanimity and. spirit of sacrifice. God has been the prime factor in their lives.

A child's faith in God

The other day you witnessed in the sports festival a young child dancing as Krishna on the hood of a serpent. Owing to the firing of some crackers, the cloth on a platform where the child was dancing caught fire. As the flames rose, the police, the students and others rushed to the spot with buckets of water to put out the fire. There was great commotion. But the child Krishna went on with his-dance, totally indifferent to what was happening all around. His entire concentration was on the role he was playing. The child went on with the dance with his concentration on Swami. His eyes were centred on Swami. When one's look is centred on the Lord, nothing untoward can happen. All around the child, the decorations had been prepared with paper. Behind the decorations 500 children were seated. What disaster might have happened if the fire had spread towards them? But, even a mountain of danger will melt away like lee if one's thoughts are centred on God. This means that together with concern for worldly things, there should be devotion to God. Together with education Samskara (refinement of character) is essential.

What is meant by Samskara? "Samyak Kriti Iti Samskara" (Refinement of action is culture). The true implication of the benediction, "Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu" is not properly understood. "All should be happy." This is the assurance of the Divine.

Valmeeki, Vyasa and Pothana

How did a highwayman like Ratnakara become the immortal author of the great epic Ramayana? By continuous chanting of the name of the lord, as taught to him by the Saptarishis (seven great sages), his face acquired a new effulgence and he could become the sage Valmeeki, who is immortalized as the author of the Ramayana. He composed his work to please the Lord. He did everything in a spirit of dedication to the Lord.

Sage Valmeeki, the author of Ramayana

Take the case of Sage Vyasa. He was the author of eighteen Puranas (ancient spiritual epics). He wrote the Mahabharata and many other great works. But it was only when he was filled with divine fervour and wrote the Bhagavatam that he became enshrined in the hearts of the people. Valmeeki and Vyasa have become immortal through their devotion.

Sri Pothana (AD 1450 - 1510)

We have Pothana, the author of the Telugu Bhagavatam. He began writing his Bhagavatam with an invocation in which he declared: "What is being composed is Bhagavatam. The one who inspires the writer is Ramachandra. What is written by me will be redemptive. I shall write, as there is no greater story to tell." Pothana began composing his magnum opus with the feeling that everything he was doing was by the will of Shri Rama. So, when you think of Bhagavatham, you are reminded of Pothana. By his great work he has installed himself in the hearts of the devout.

Mind should be directed towards God

Students should not end with mastery of books. The hearts should be filled with right knowledge. The students should see that the darkness which envelops the mind is dispelled. This was the prayer which the Gopikas requested Uddhava to convey to Krishna: "Oh Krishna! Dispel the darkness in our-hearts and fill them with your effulgence. Pour your love on the parched fields of our hearts so that devotion may sprout from them."

The Gopikas and Gopalas prayed to Krishna that they could not live apart form Him that therefore they should be endowed with forms related to whatever forms He took so that they could stay with Him. Separation from God is the cause of men's wallowing in sensuous pleasures. The mind is the cause of man's pleasure and pain. It should be directed towards God to secure freedom from pleasure and pain.

God will not give up devotees

People today speak about God having forgotten man. This is not true. God can never give up the devotee. It is the devotee who gives up God. God can never forget the devotee. It is the devotee who forgets God. God is never away from you. Only the devotee is away from God. You think that God is moving away from you. Not at all. You forget God and declare that God has forgotten you. Your own feelings are reflected in your utterances. What is the result of education? You find that in any conference, the members criticize one another in unspeakable terms. The critics are invariably petty-minded persons. Many leaders today indulge in mutual mud slinging, which is totally unbecoming. Indulging in abuse of others is a grievous sin. Develop your own good qualities and share them with others. That is the right way. Try to correct yourself rather than to criticize others. 

Most young people today indulge in slander, instead of cultivating qualities like devotion to God, service to society and sympathy for fellow-beings. They should realise that they have to lead

exemplary lives and serve their fellowmen. Every individual should dedicate himself to social service.

Annual Sports and Cultural Meet of the Sathya Sai Educational Institutions

The spirit of sportsmanship which you display in sports and games should be displayed in other fields also. The determination displayed in sports should also be shown in the game of life. You young people have to learn many things. First and foremost, get rid of Ahamkaara (arrogance). Earn a good name as a scholar, a man of character, endowed with a spirit of sacrifice. Realise that if you please God, you can please the whole world. You saw the film about the Sant Gora Khumbhar. In his total absorption in God, he forgot the presence of his son and unwittingly caused the child's death. When he realised what had happened, he did not mourn the death of the child. He declared that God took away what God had given him. Such was his total faith in God.

While pursuing your studies remember that you have also to strive for the well-being of the world.

Service should justify the salaries

Make use of your education for public welfare. You have no doubt to take up a job for earning a living. See that the work you do justifies the emoluments you get. It is treason to the nation to receive thousands by way of salary and do hardly a few hundred rupees worth of work. Today such disloyal employees are, increasing in numbers all over the world. High salaries and poor turnout are the rule today. This accounts for the deplorable condition of Bharat today. The public debt is growing alarmingly. Who is responsible? If public servants rendered service according to the salaries they received the country would not be in such a bad plight.

Discharge your duties according to your conscience. Our students should live up to this ideal. There is nothing wrong in receiving a high salary provided you do the work to deserve it. Now young people are concerned only about the pay packets and not the work they have to do in the service of society to deserve the pay. Think more about what you owe to society than what you can get from it. It is sheer selfishness to be concerned only about your earnings. The Veda has declared that immortality can be attained only through sacrifice.

"Students are my only property"

Students! Boys and girls! Wherever you may go, wherever you may live, serve the elders at home, serve the society and bring a good name to the institutions which have educated you. Observe discipline all. through your life. Do your duty. It is not easy to bring back the glorious days of the past. You young people cannot be aware of the times when a bag of rice could be got for four rupees, when people could go about without any fear of attack and houses could be left unlocked. Today fear stalks the country. No one is safe. For all these evils the insatiable craving for money is responsible. The evil began in a sway in the Dwapara Yuga. Today it has reached frightful limits. The craving for wealth has led to many other evils like jealousy and pride.

The money that comes from the people should be given back to them in one way or other. This is Swami's will. People say that Sai Baba is spending crores of rupees on the drinking water, project. There is not a single rupee of Sai Baba in all this. What has been received from the people is being given back to them. I do not own anything. I have only one property, my most valuable property. My students are my only property. It is enough for me if my students conduct themselves well.

I bless you all that you should carry on your lives in the same spirit in which you have distinguished yourselves in games and sports. Win prizes in the game of life, carry out the injunctions of God and stand forth as ideal citizens. Never forget the supremacy of love as the ruling principle in life.

Source: Divine Discourse on January 14, 1996 at Prasanthi Nilayam