Sunday, August 1, 1976
Sri Sathya Sai lighting the lamp at the Brindavan College Auditorium before commencement of the Function
Swami felicitated the students of the Brindavan College who had secured many distinguished ranks and first classes in the University exams in a function organised by the local Bangalore Samiti on this day. The Revenue Minister of Karnataka, Sri Huchmasti Gowda, presided over the function. Sri Huchmasti Gowda, Dr. M.B. Sundara Rao, Prof. V.K.Gokak, and Principal Narendra addressed the students. The function concluded with Swami’s Discourse. He said:
“There are four chief types of people. Those who see only good in everything and everyone; those who see the good as good and the evil as evil; those who see the good as evil and the evil as good; and, lastly, those who do not see the good at all, because even the good they see they transmute into evil. Of these one can tolerate the first three, perhaps, but the fourth type is definitely demonaic.
Education is now caught up in confusion; instead of leading the country on along prosperity and fraternity, it struggles to take it along alien and degrading paths. It does not build on the strong, sustaining foundations of Indian culture, but is still based on the plans of Macaulay. Among most of the products of modern education we do not find even traces of moral virtue, honesty, integrity, eagerness to serve and readiness to renounce.
One who lives for the sake of eating is a sinner
The education that was practised in ancient India was far superior and far more fruitful, for it equipped the student with a healthy spirit of self-reliance. It endowed him with mental peace and equipose. It never allowed him to be enslaved by the glittering fancies and fascinations of other cultures. It taught him to discriminate between the flippant and the stable, the upgrading and the down pulling. It enthused the student to offer his life at the feet of his Motherland with a glow on his face and a sparkle In his eye. It armed him against all obstacles on the path of self-culture and self-realisatlon. It exhorted him to oppose, without rest or relief, untruth, injustice and violence.
But instead of cultivating these high ideals and incorporating them in our educational system, we are now borrowing educational ideals from other peoples with different heritages. We have no faith In the system that has been extolled by our ancestors for millennia.
Education is to be valued not as a means of earning one's livelihood, but as the essential requisite for a happy, peaceful and progressive life leading man from the animal stage of existence to the presence of the Divine, where love and light reign undisturbed. He who lives for the sake of eating is indeed a great sinner; he who lives for the sake of reaching the full awareness of his Innate Reality is blessed. The first one is a Paapi (sinner), the second a Gopi (blessed one).
Readiness to renounce is a prime virtue of character
Intelligence being the special mark of humans, every effort must be made to amplify and sharpen it so that it may be a fit Instrument for understanding the inner and the outer worlds. Along with intelligence, character, too, has to be cultivated in equal measure, for then alone can that Intelligence be used to serve society. The readiness to renounce one's pleasure in order to relieve the burden of another is a prime virtue of character. Moksha means liberation; renunciation, too, involves giving up, or liberation. The secret of both is the same.
What exactly has to be renounced? Desire is the worst enemy and it has to be canalised and reduced with determination until it ceases to bother you. Besides desire, anger and greed also have to be discarded, for they are present wherever there is desire. When you say bowman, it is implied that arrows, too, are there with the bow. Thus desire is ever associated with anger and greed. Desire is bad even if it is for fame and authority. It is the avarice for power and pelf that ruins many a human life.
Life is a journey. The students here have to journey long. So, it is necessary to give them the skill, the enthusiasm and the security that can take them happily along. Their hearts are pure, steady and inclusive. Elders should so behave that they do not tarnish their hearts or make them narrow and vengeful. They must be encouraged to enlarge them and soften them through intensive social service.
Wealth cannot yield joyous contentment
Our educational institutions have failed to maintain the high standards of yore. In the past, in the Ashrams (hermitages) of the Rishis (sages), one was declared fit only if one secured a hundred per cent marks in one's subject of study. Now, however, thirty marks out of a hundred are enough for the university to grant one a certificate of having passed. That means that one can commit seventy mistakes with impunity and be none the worse. When such is the ease with which degrees can be secured, and when degrees are the basis for being appointed to positions of authority, the person so appointed will tend to commit a hundred mistakes for every hundred assignments and be safe in his post. How can these people be the saviours and pillars of the India of tomorrow?
Therefore I always tell the students of my colleges to attach more importance to avoidance of 'remarks' than acquisition of 'marks.' Wealth cannot yield joyous contentment. Divinity alone can confer that. Yearn for God, and joy and peace will be added unto you. When you pursue these elevating ideals, you will come up against many obstacles which others place in your path. So you must be ever alert and vigilant not to be taken in by their specious pleas.
Awareness is life; be aware of your Inner strength and glory. Express that glory through loving service to society. In northern India yogis (spiritually advanced person), sages and monks are addressed as 'Maharaj,' which means 'Emperor,' for an emperor is he who has a rich treasury of the gems of detachment and service, not one who has his vaults full of precious metals. The wealth that you hoard is not yours; the wealth that you have shared is yours. For wealth that belongs to you needs not to be hidden.
Defamation and criticism also do some good
The wealth that you have given away is really yours. That is the reason why the Vedhas (ancient sacred scriptures) have declared, "Not through actions, nor through progeny, nor through wealth can Immortality be won; it can be won only through renunciation." The youth must acquire and invest in themselves all the skills and virtues which can help India prosper and shine forth as the benefactor and preceptor of mankind. They must develop self-confidence, the base for the mansion of their life; they must then erect the walls of self-satisfaction and put on them the roof of self-sacrifice. Then they can live In that house and achieve Self-Realisation Thus they must progress along these steps and become exemplars of Indian culture in Its glory.
Some people, afflicted with envy at the reconstruction of Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Universal Religion) for the revival of the glory of India, are attempting to undermine its basic beliefs and create confusion In the minds of the youth. The kokil's song is harsh to the ear of the crow, but the crow's criticism will not silence the lark. The hamsa (swan) is defamed as ugly by the duck, but that does not worry the swan in the least, nor can the duck decrease the glory of the celestial swan. Defamation, criticism and slighting are all to be set aside, unrecognised; they shall not be valued at all. They are all in the order of things. In fact, they also do some good in their own way, for they help to emphasise the excellence and bring it more to light. It is a foil to make the thing shine brighter. Besides, when one person says 'no' and another says 'yes,' it is an individual problem.
Youth should never yield to the call of Fanaticism
The attempt to darken the splendour of Sai can never succeed, except by one means: Suppose Sai-splendour is indicated by a line of a certain length. Efforts to shorten it by wiping or erasing it will not make it shorter. But if you draw by Its side a longer line, then, automatically, it will become shorter! So do the things that Sai is doing, on a grander and more impressive scale, then the fame of Sai will certainly diminish. That is the more effective way, rather than the fabrication of baseless stories. Of course one must have the qualification and the authority to enter on that attempt. How can an ant measure the depth of the ocean? Still, many venture into this field for they have nothing better to do. They succeed only in causing a stir In the calm atmosphere of the land.
Jesus was crowned with a crown of thorns. A thorny fence around a tree is clear proof that the tree has edible fruits in plenty. Precious time should not be wasted in such games: it is best spent in realising one's Divinity and serving society.
The acts of Sai are all selfless, sacred and beneficial. Sai has never caused harm. He is establishing the path of Truth, the Path of Morality, the Holy path to God-Realisation. So Sai's work will march triumphantly on. The person who can make Sai give up His task in fear has neither yet been born, nor will ever be born hereafter. For Truth is Impregnable. Truth must triumph. A dog barks at his own reflection Imagining it to be a rival. Other dogs, not knowing the reason, take cue, and the whole area is drowned with barking. Some bay at stars, but the stars are unmoved. You should not be perturbed by this empty noise; carry on your mission of service as now, with your usual enthusiasm. Youth should never, yield to the call of fanaticism or revolution. Try to control your emotions, even from this tender age. In one way the agitation is useful, because you can practise self-control in these exacting conditions.
Your master is your heart, where God resides
I desire to tell the units of the Seva Organisation that very soon they will witness the realisation of all their ideals. But as and when success is achieved, as a reaction, carping and denigration will also increase. When the well grows deeper, the mound beside it will grow higher. That is but natural. Some people pay attention to the depth of the well; others watch the height of the mound.
I have been telling you one truth always: your master is your heart, where God resides. You. yourself are three persons, not one: the one you think you are, the one others think you are and the one you reply are. The one you really are, is God. God is in you, with you, above you, around you, behind you. All of you are Divine in reality; differences in name and form are but temporary and external.
Carry on your highest duty to yourselves - following the four F's - follow the master, face the devil, fight to the end and finish the game. Then you will win My Love in full measure. Love is my highest Miracle. Love can make you gather the affection of all mankind. Love will not tolerate any selfish aim or approach. Love is God; live in Love. Then all is right, all can be well. Expand your heart so that it can encompass all. Do not narrow it down into an instrument of restricted love.
It is said that I try to attract people by miracles; the miracles are not 'performed' in order to exhibit power; they just happen, and serve as evidence of the power. As a matter of fact, whenever any one misuses his powers - physical, mental, economic or spiritual-Sai always condemns them strongly. Therefore, the Sai Power cannot be a subject for a university examinations; it is a subject for universal examination. Sai is limited only by His Own Will. But when a near and dear relationship is established, one can delve a little deeper into the Sai Mystery. That is the highest achievement possible.
Embodiments of the Divine Atman! Develop peace and equilibrium of mind and spend your lives in sacred pursuits like service to the distressed, the diseased and the deprived. That is My advice, and that will ensure you My Blessings.”
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