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| Sri Sathya Sai Addressing Students in the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus Auditorium - June 7, 2007 |
In today’s world, people consider the acquisition of secular knowledge as their main objective. But from the spiritual perspective, it seems to be quite contradictory. Lord Krishna has not considered every human being as a simple human being. In the Bhagavad Gita, He declares, “Mamaivamsho Jeeva Loke Jeeva Bhoota Sanatanaha”. Krishna said, “You don’t have to conduct yourself as a human being or be bestial in your attitude and behaviour. Know fully well, you are the sparks of Divine, you are ancient, you are eternal and you are essentially Divine.” Being the sparks of Divine, you are supposed to have the sacred qualities of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-Violence. Instead of behaving in accordance with these noble virtues, man has submitted himself to evil qualities like lust, greed, anger, jealousy, hatred and avarice which is not befitting the life of a human being. These changes are due to the food habits and other behavioural tendencies. Therefore, we should lead the life of a true human being observing all regulations. As far as the food is concerned, it has got to be pure. The water that we drink should also be pure. We have to take our food in time and regularly.
It is essential that one should be educated, one should learn. But just by learning, you cannot call yourself educated in the true sense of the term. The education that you acquire is related to the external world. It cannot be called education in the true sense. The question you need to ask is - What is the secret and the essence of the education that you have acquired? It is necessary to acquire secular knowledge which is related to the world. But, you represent the combination of the physical and the spiritual aspect. Today, for life, the secular knowledge is necessary to some extent. But spiritual knowledge is most essential. It is the inner current, the undercurrent of all this knowledge. The spiritual knowledge represents the sacred and noble values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. In order to acquire love, we should start loving. No doubt, we love, but it is not true love. We pretend as if we love. But that is not love at all. Our love is based upon the physical, the external or the worldly elements, and only to receive praises.
The Five Human Values
For all the values, Truth is the basis. Dharma, Righteousness originates out of Satya - the Truth. “Satyam Naasti Paro Dharmaha” (There is no greater Dharma, beyond the Truth). With Satya and Dharma existing together, Shanti - the Peace comes naturally. When once, there is Peace, naturally one finds a fountain of Love there. When there is Love, there is no scope for hatred. Therefore, True Love represents Ahimsa or Non-Violence. True Love will not harm or hurt anybody. Therefore, everyone must make a sincere attempt to understand the undercurrent of the noble values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa.
Truth merely does not mean telling what you have actually seen, telling what you have actually listened, telling what you have actually experienced. It is beyond that. It should come from within, from the inner feeling. It would not bother about anything else. You don’t find many people in this world who have really understood the true meaning of Satya. Satya is not a matter that can be seen by everybody. Just as the respiration process takes place within, Satya also should originate from the heart. Then only will we have the satisfaction of uttering the Truth. Truth is changeless. Truth is permanent. It does not change in between the passage of time. Therefore, in the Gita, it is said that Satya is the foundation. It is the fundamental basis.
When we rely on Satya, we find Dharma, Righteousness arising out of it. It is Truth that teaches how everyone should conduct oneself, what is the duty of everyone. Dharma is the refection of Satya. When Dharma is in combination with Satya, we find Peace there. When Satya and Dharma are driven apart, then there will not be any Peace. True Peace can be experienced when Satya and Dharma exist together. This is indeed true Shanti. It is foolishness to think that Peace exists somewhere else and is separate from you. Peace does not exist separately in this world. Peace is the result of the blending of Satya and Dharma. If Satya and Dharma are separated, you don’t find Peace, you find only pieces.
When Peace is established, we find Love or Prema arising out of it. Peace and Love are intimately related. We pretend as if we love. All our actions represent how dramatic we are in the field of love. This is not True Love. This Love will find fulfillment only in combination with Peace. When once we get Love, there comes Ahimsa or Non-violence. We should not hurt or harm anybody. Love is every where. It is present in every one. Love is beyond specific name, form and action. Love is God, Live in Love. Therefore, Love should be considered as God. This is called as ‘Educare’. Educare comprises of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, and Ahimsa. Education includes desire, hatred, jealousy, lust, greed and avarice. They are all worldly traits or behavioural tendencies. But Educare is beyond this, it has got nothing to do with the external traits. It is from within.
From where have you studied about the Truth? Satya is not to be learnt out of letters or alphabets. It should originate from the Atma. When once Truth is clearly established, it confers Peace. Dharma also arises out of it.
Five Human Values: The Foundation of Human Life
Students! Many of you do not consider the sacred values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, and Ahimsa as inner currents that are present within us. In fact, they form the basic foundation of human life. Without the basic fundamentals, all that you acquire will be futile. With all the knowledge acquired, a great scholar continues to be a fool, because he doesn’t understand his true Self. You cannot consider yourself a person endowed with a human heart if you do not have these basic human values. Therefore, Truth is not of your making, it is the precious gift of God. Truth is present and latent in all. God has gifted Truth to every body. Some recognise this fact and some do not recognise it. Many consider that Truth is worldly and it has got nothing to do with spirituality. Therefore, Truth is not simply heard or taught. To begin with, we should install the Truth in our hearts. If you develop Satya, the result of it would be Prema. Love is the fruit of Truth. From Satya comes Prema and from Prema develops Ahimsa. Buddha wanted to acquire the noble quality of Ahimsa. Where can this Ahimsa be found? He searched and searched and went on searching. Ultimately, He felt so sad that He was searching for something which is already within Him. Then He declared, “I am Truth, I am Truth, I am Truth.” It is this Truth that sustains Ahimsa or Non-violence. We do not find this value of Non-violence in the person who has no Love at all.
By studies or education do not consider that you know everything. Though highly knowledgeable, with all the textual information, a fool does not know his own true Self. Why are you egoistic for all the knowledge that you have acquired? What is it that you have studied? What you have studied is the borrowed knowledge, second hand information that has been described by somebody else. You all have a teacher. What a teacher teaches you is not Educare. Who is your real teacher? Your Atma is your real teacher. Everything is the product of the Self.
The entire universe ultimately merges back into the Truth.
It is the unsullied Truth that is the basis for everything.
True Education is Educare
You listen to so many people; you speak so many words and acquire lot of knowledge. But the true education is Educare only. The one, who concentrates on Educare, will not consider education as very important. Because of the education that we have today, we move about highly egoistically.
Teachers also have to recognise this basic factor very clearly. You consider that you are specialist in Physics or Chemistry or Botany or Zoology. They are just subjects but not objects. Educare is concerned with the object. It is incomparable. The one that is latent inside, and is brought from inside is Educare. You find yourself full of joy. Where from have you got it? Did you get it from the books, or somebody has gifted it to you? No. It comes naturally to you. Thus, there is a wide difference between the worldly education and the spiritual education. When you consider that spiritual education is important, it does not mean that you have to give up secular education. Both are essential. One is negative, one is positive. Whoever lives in this world needs this worldly knowledge. Without this, you cannot understand the spirit of Educare. One has to understand this. Everything has been gifted to us by God.
Source: Discourse 13, My Dear Students Volume 2; Divine Discourse delivered on June 7, 2007 at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus Auditorium
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