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| Sri Sathya Sai speaking to His Students in Trayee Brindavan |
Modern boys, because of the impact and propagation of foreign culture, are following the wrong path. They get deluded. Parents also show all undesirable programmes to their children. It is said that we should have a pure vision. When we have a pure vision, we have pure thoughts. You must listen to sacred things. Then you will get pure feelings in your heart. This is what should be taught. Always listen and talk good things. Then life also would be good. That’s what Buddha also taught. Because of the bad feelings, we have a bad vision. You should give up such things. You must have sweet feelings. You have to give up old experiences and old thoughts. Human life is very sacred. You should have ideal heroes for the society. You should become ideal men and citizens. Then you can have an ideal life. Don’t change your mind and thoughts for any silly reasons. When you change something, it is you who is getting changed and not Me. Every evening I tell you many good things, but what’s the use? You do not practice them. If you are eager for a sweet, why do you ask for the bitter things? You have taken only bitter things earlier. You have eaten tamarind all the time and your tongue is full of its taste. How can you then understand the taste of sweet dates?
There should be a transformation in the feelings of the students. Students should always engage themselves in good talk. But when they get together, they start criticising others. That is the type of talk they indulge in. Many times they do not adhere to the path of discipline. As punishment, sometimes they may even get a beating from their teacher for doing wrong things. But then they start accusing him, blaming him, saying that the teacher is very bad. Is it right to blame teacher who teaches right things? Students must do right things, must talk right things and must not think about the wrong. When they know their own shortcomings they do not consider them. One who is sincere knows everything. Today’s students are vulnerable to bad qualities. When two people get together, they start criticising others. Why to think ill of others? Think of yourself first. First enquire about yourself as to what you came here for? You should not criticise others. Others are not bad. They are, in reality, God. If you criticise others, it is a great sin. Even if somebody harms you, you should not talk ill of him. Be good. You think he is a bad person. If you blame him how can you become good? If you blame others you are also a bad person.
The mind is the witness for everything. Mind is the witness for the mind. Character is the witness for the body. And Swami is the witness for everything. For a foolish man, all his thoughts and actions are a witness. Others need not come and be witness for him. His bad actions are his witnesses. You should always lead a good life. All students are good, though there are a few exceptions. But because of the minority, all students get a bad name. In the night, for instance, a mosquito comes and bites you and you suffer with pain. You feel that these mosquitoes are disturbing your sleep. When you get up in the morning feeling the pain, you tend to get a mosquito repellent spray and kill all the mosquitoes in the room. Only one mosquito bit you. But you are feeling that there are so many mosquitoes, and you try to eliminate all of them. Similarly, even if there are only one or two bad boys, all boys get a bad name. When a good boy sees someone indulging in improper activities or undesirable talks, he must go and slap the one indulging in such acts. Only then will the bad boy learn a good lesson. Otherwise he will remain a foolish man. He should ask the other person, “Should you talk like this? Are you out of your senses?” Good boys should advise the erring ones in this way. Then the erring ones will become alright.
Don’t Follow the Body; Don’t Follow the Mind
Think that God is the resident of your heart and think of Him always and experience everything and practice. If you go on criticising others, you are not doing your duty properly. It is your foolishness that you consider the good advice given by the others as useless. You don’t know what is good and what is bad. How can you criticise or blame others? It may give you temporary happiness. But in future it will not give you any happiness. They are like temporary waves. Nothing is permanent in the world, everything is temporary. Only the Divine is permanent. All others are passing clouds. They come and go. You have to get that permanent form into your heart. Swami also told during the Sports Meet when He fell down and had a fracture that if the mind changes, everything else will change. Swami was having very severe pain. But Swami said that He diverted His mind and concentrated on the performances of the students. Even devotees were watching Swami and were unaware of Swami’s pain. If you are suffering from hardships, divert your mind to God and do not care for the difficulties. Divert your mind, and there will be no need of changing man. Men change. It is natural. It is the law of nature. You cannot do anything about it.
There is a clock. You turn the key. All the three hands keep moving. If you don’t have the key, it will stop there only. The second hand, in a minute it goes to 60 places. The minutes hand, in one hour it goes around 60 places. But we cannot see the hour hand moving. The hour hand is the main. If you do not have the hour hand, how can you tell the time with the minute and the second hand? It is the hour hand which gives value to the other two. The body is the second hand; it keeps moving round and round everyday and in a minute goes to 60 houses. But the mind, in one hour goes round sixty worlds. But the Atma will never move. In order to understand the value of the Atma, you have the body and mind. Without the hour hand, there is no use of the minute and the second hand. The body is like the seconds hand. The mind is the minute hand. The body is like the bubble and the mind is like the mad monkey. Do not follow the mind and body, but follow the conscience. You follow the hour’s hand. Often you have to turn the key. What is that key? Remembering God is the key. Singing Bhajans is like energising the clock. Contemplation is spinning the key. Then you have a good life coming out of it.
Your Conduct should match the Dress you wear Give up bad conduct, bad thoughts and bad feelings and follow good values. Then your life will be ever good. You must become individuals of character. And when you have studied in Sathya Sai Institutions, you should get a good name and reputation. What type of dress are you wearing? You are wearing a white dress. Just like the dress, the mind also should be white. The thoughts should be white and the conduct should be pure. If you have white dress and black thoughts, then what is the use of that? You should have thoughts worthy of your dress.
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| General Kariappa (in black dress) and Sri Vajpayee with Sri Sathya Sai |
Many of you don’t know General Kariappa. He was the first commander-in-chief of the Indian army. He used to come here. He was always dressed in a good suit, tie and also a good coat. Even when he was 100 years old, General Kariappa used to go alone to have his dinner in his suit. He used to wear dresses matching his character as a commander. You should have a dress which is connected to your conduct. You should have character worthy of the dress. That is the right action for us. When you behave that way, your parents and your fellow beings will be proud of you.
Swami is always with You
Nobody can defy the Divine command. They may defy but they can’t really bear it. Even a foolish person cannot defy the Divine power. You have to practice the Divine command and become ideal heroes, ideal citizens. Give up bad talk and bad thoughts. See no evil, See what is good. Hear no evil, hear what is good. Talk no evil, Talk what is good. Do no evil, Do what is good. Think no evil, Think what is good. That is the way to God. You have to take this path. Do not indulge in bad actions, bad talk and bad thoughts. If someone comes and tells you wrong things, slap him on his cheeks! Then other students will also learn from this. Don’t criticise anyone, whether it is the teachers, parents, workers, Guru or God. What makes you to do such an act? What stage are you in? You don’t even know who you are? You don’t know what you are going to do next moment. How can you think of your future? Only God knows the past, present and the future. It is very difficult for you to remember the past. You study today and tomorrow you go to the exam and forget everything. How can you remember your past life? How will you think of the future things? No, you cannot. You forget even the present. It is only God who knows the past, present and the future. Keep this in your heart and lead your life.
Wherever you are, you must earn a good name. Become ideal persons and set an ideal for the parents also. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. Without darkness, there is no value for the light. Do not worry. Swami is always with you. You see an unripe fruit on a tree. Once it is ripe, then you can eat it. Therefore take your time. Then you can enjoy. Whatever Swami says is not for His sake but it is for your own good. Because of your mean and narrow-minded feeling you may think that it is not appealing. Swami does not desire anything. Everything is in Swami’s hand. Why should He desire anything from others? Swami is telling only for your good. You get joy when your desire is fulfilled. But it is only when the desires fly away that you can get real joy. Offer everything to God. Offer you actions to God. Then you will be victorious in everything. If all the time you think of yourself and think that everything is yours then you will never succeed. Study well. Get a good degree. Get good marks and go for higher studies. Get a good name. That name is very important. You can earn bad name in no time. But you have to work for many years to get a good name. You need to sacrifice to get a good name.
Source: Discourse 8, My Dear Students Volume 3, Divine Discourse delivered on February 22, 1999 at Trayee Brindavan
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