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| Prof. V.E. Ramamoorthy with Sri Sathya Sai |
Vidya trains man to live a regulated disciplined life, to become aware of the regions beyond the senses, to reach out into the realms beyond one’s own mind and eventually experience the Truth that the One is immanent in all. Vidya also provides insight into the most desirable affiliation, in interpersonal relations and between societies, races and nations. Vidya also stresses on the Sadhana that is needed against the onslaughts of passion, excitement, attachment, lust, anger, greed, pride, envy and similar vices. Sadhana implies that each bit of advice or guidance is listened to, reflected upon, experienced and internalized and expressed in thought, word and deed. The Truth will then manifest.
Bhagavan Baba equates a scholar without virtues with a beautiful flower without fragrance. He emphasizes: “Genuine Bhakti is characterized by love for all, at all times, everywhere.” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.46).
Service and Role of Vidya
On desire-less service, Bhagavan Baba exhorts: “As trees do not eat their fruits, but offer them to be eaten by others in an attitude of detachment; as rivers without drinking the waters they carry, quench the thirst and cool the heat from which others suffer; as cows offer their milk, produced primarily for their calves, in a spirit of generosity born of Tyaga (renunciation), to be shared by others; so too should those who have acquired Vidya, offer it to others, prompted by the motive of service and without consideration of selfish interests. Only thus can they justify their status as ‘noble men’ (Sajjana).” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.85).
Selfless service (Nishkama Seva) must manifest as the outer expression of inner goodness. Service rendered with pure love and with no expectation is Yoga. Action, dedicated to and performed as worship to glorify God, confers wisdom and the ultimate Awareness of the Absolute. One must transform oneself first, before trying to transform others. One’s attainments and capabilities should be of use to all, not to oneself alone. Troubles have to be viewed as opportunities for toughening the mental strength.
While Nature manifests as manifold, Divinity absorbs into Unity. Vidya draws attention to the Divinity underlying every being. So it should be realized that hating or disliking another amounts to hating or disliking oneself. Bhagavan Baba lovingly prescribes: “In the Garden of the Heart one must plant and foster the Rose of Divinity, the Jasmine of Humility and Generosity as the Champak. In the medicine chest of each student, one must keep in readiness, tablets of discrimination, drops of self-control and three powders-faith, devotion and patience. By the use of these drugs, he can escape the serious illness called ignorance (Ajnana).” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.47).
Guru-Sishya Interface
Mundakopanishad defined a Guru as one who has knowledge of the Shastras and experience gained by its practical application. The responsibility of the Guru is to dispel ignorance and impart the knowledge of Atmic Reality. The teacher should facilitate the flowering of the latent talents in the students and encourage them to sharpen and perfect their skills. By his high sense of self-discipline, principled living, integrity and Sattvic disposition, the teacher should come to be perceived as a role model to be emulated. The teacher who teaches through love and affection, descending to the level of the student, wins the student’s adoration and reverence. For the teacher, the process of learning never ends. He must practise what he preaches, so that his words and advice gain credibility, commanding implicit obedience.
The teacher should desist from divisive practices and acts of partiality or preference and treat all students with equal affection. Bhagavan Baba makes special mention: “Teachers must steer clear of selfish aggrandizement and political manoeuvring and have spiritual enlightenment alone as their ideal in life.” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.110). The student, on the other hand, should have a high degree of commitment, should be completely bereft of ego and should submit to his preceptor with a sense of surrender and thus qualify to receive spiritual instructions and guidance. He should unfold the Divine in him and direct his skill and knowledge to serve the society.
Bhagavan Baba cautions: “Teachers who teach with the salary paid to them, in their minds, and students who learn with the jobs they may procure, in their minds, are both pursuing wrong paths.” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.103). He further warns: “The greedy guru and the indolent disciple - both fall into perdition.” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.71). This, however, is unfortunately the despicable scenario we are witnessing in the present-day world.
To the Children of God
Bhagavan Baba’s infinite love for students finds expression in the last seven chapters of Vidya Vahini, where He addresses them directly on right living. He hails them as the inheritors of the Estate of Eternal Bliss, as the dearly loved children of God, as the wavelets of immortality. One should be in the world, by the world, but not of the world. Let the material objects serve and do one’s bidding, not the other way round. Let one’s life be led with heart immersed in the Divine and hands busy at work.
Bhagavan Baba explains the unique features of Bharatiya religion: “As part of the religion, creeds and cults may exist as branches for a tree. One need not condemn them as wrong. But no branch should fight against another or compete with another. When this happens, the tree will be destroyed, and all will end in ruin. When creeds indulge in competitive rivalry, religion is ruined, and the world is destroyed. Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudah Vadanti (Only One exists, the wise describe it in many ways).” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.77).
Students should be proud of being Bharatiyas, should be proud of their ancestors and should refrain from imitating or copying others. But they could imbibe what is good and learn good things from others. They should serve not only those who help them, but also those who harm them or those who are ungrateful or uncultured. Real education also prompts one to discard ostentation, lead an unassuming life and uphold the ideal of world peace and prosperity.
Even as the student has to ensure that the clothes he wears, the books he reads and the environment around him are kept clean, he should also keep his mind and intellect, serene and sacred. Cleanliness, both outer and inner, requires equal attention. Eschew anger, jealousy, hatred and cultivate wide, inclusive feeling and keep clear of narrow selfish thoughts and feelings. Self-praising and criticism of others are equally bad and are to be avoided. One should not justify one’s faults and exaggerate one’s attainments. The good in others should not be ignored or played down. Nor should one elaborate on the faults of others. A discriminating person is one who keeps good company, engages in good work and utters good words.
Bhagavan Baba emphasizes: “Eyes that seek evil, ears that relish evil, tongue that craves evil, nose that enjoys the foul and hands that delight in evil – these must be totally avoided.” And He clarifies: “A life without good character is a shrine without light, a coin that is counterfeit, a kite with the string broken.” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.102). Mind can take man along the turbulent path of cascading desires and disappointments, bind him irretrievably and leave him in chaos. Mind can also guide him to the path of freedom, desire-less-ness and detachment and bring him inner peace.
Pranayama, regulation of breath, is a remedial Sadhana that compels the mind to concentrate on the process of inhaling and exhaling and shut out thoughts on other irrelevant matters. Another Sadhana involves active engagement in service to people, as mentioned earlier, whereby ego gets reduced and mind is released from mundane thoughts and gets focused on acts of benefit to society. There are also other Sadhanas prescribed by scriptures for cleansing and clarifying the mind and these include Shravana (listening to spiritual advice), Manana (reflection on spiritual direction), Nidhidyasana (discovering ways and means of confirming faith in the Spirit), Japa (recital of names of God) and Tapas (withdrawing the mind from sensual pursuits).
Bhagavan Baba emphasizes: “Education has to be transmitted through heads, tongues and hands that are pure, with no blemish that warps. Then only can the learning be clear and the wisdom bright.” (Bhagavan Baba, Vidya Vahini, p.108). Speech, the use of words, has also immense potential for harm and good. Harsh words cause deep hurt which is difficult to erase. Good words encourage and generate immense strength and confidence. Bhagavan Baba reminds us that words do not cost anything, but are priceless and have to be used with care. Avoid gossip. Silence is golden. Action, the use of hands, is also double edged. It can bring happiness or misery, depending on what one has done. One cannot escape the consequences of one’s actions and hence it is incumbent on one to concentrate on good deeds. Thought, word and deed must be sacred and pure and free from pride, greed and hatred.
Karishye Vachanam Thava
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| Prof. V.E. Ramamoorthy offering His salutation to His Divine Master in - March 2009 |
Bhagavan Baba’s first Divine Message was a call to humanity, Manasa Bhajare, in 1953. On the 23rd November 1960, in His Birthday Celebrations Benedictory Address, He announced that the foundation laid for the Vidyalaya in Puttaparthi is verily the foundation for Vidya. Since then, He has been drawing attention, through His Divine discourses, on the role of Human Values in Education, on the concepts of True Education or Vidya and on Educare, on several occasions, including Summer Courses on Spirituality for the students of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and national and international conferences on Values education and on Educare. And Vidya Vahini is a crowning Divine gift.
Vidya Vahini, the Stream of Thought which Illumines, is the mellifluous flow of the Voice of the Loving God, couched in clear, comprehensive, unambiguous instructions in high thinking and right living, guiding the ascent of man to Godhood. It is a precious gift packed with Divine Grace, a Crucible of Wisdom, a Spiritual Manual and a Divine Guidebook on Salvation. All that the aspirant has to do is to reverentially accept the Divine command and earnestly follow and act upon the instructions, in pure and pious submission: Karishye Vachanam Thava.
About the Author
Prof. V E Ramamoorthy, a Cost Accountant by profession, served as Corporate Finance Executive in leading companies like India Pistons and Tube Investment of India. He was a Professor of Finance, School of Business Management, Accounting and Finance, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam from 1994 to 2011. Prior to joining SSSIHL, he served as Deputy Director of Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai; Executive Director, Association of Management Development Institutions of South Asia, Hyderabad; and Professor of Finance and Director, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad. He pioneered the field of ‘Working Capital Management’ through his first book on the subject in 1976 and was fondly called the father of the field. His last book ‘Soulful Corporations’ co-authored with his student Dr. Shashank Shah was personally released by Swami in June 2009.
Source: Sai Sparshan 2006 (SSSIHL Silver Jubilee Special Issue)
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