DiscoursesEducation & Sri Sathya Sai Bal Vikas
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Discourse Date
22 July 1994
Place
Prasanthi Nilayam
Occasion
Discourse Collection
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 27 (1994)
Does life consist in working for a living, eating and sleeping, wasting one’s time in meaningless gossip? Was previous human birth given by God for this purpose? No.
At least from now on lead a truly human life and achieve fulfilment. At the tip of the tongue dwells the Goddess of Prosperity. At the tip of the tongue remain friends and kinsfolk. Bondage resides at the tip of the tongue. Death lies in wait at the tip of the tongue. EMBODIMENTS of Divine Love! Through the power of Vak (speech) one can acquire a kingdom or great wealth. Friends and relations can be got through speech. Through speech one gets bound and loses his freedom. Even death is brought about by speech. Speech is the life-force of human beings. Speech is the backbone of life. It is all powerful, Jayadheva addressed-his tongue as follows-“Oh tongue! You know all about the sweetness of speech! You enjoy truth and goodness; chant the sweet and sacred names of the Lord. Govindha! Damodhara! Madhava! Don’t indulge in reviling any one. Speak, sweetly and softly.”
The Reasons For Declining Discipline
“Anudvegakaram Vakyam Sathyam Prithihithamcha yath” (Let your speech be truthful, pleading and good and free from resentment) says Krishna in the Geetha. Unfortunately, because such sacred and sweet speech has become scarce, society is riddled with bitterness and discord. The permissiveness of a crazy civilization has destroyed discipline and morality and turned society into an inferno. Society today is divided in a myriad ways and. there is no peace. On account of differences of caste and creed, linguistic and parochial loyalties and desires of various kinds, violent conflicts have turned the social scene into a graveyard. Human life is vitiated by selfishness and the pursuit of ephemeral pleasures, forgetting what is eternal and true. Selfishness is rampant. Even affection for parents and children is tainted with selfishness. Man today has become a plaything in the hands of selfishness. On the one side, man has a achieved astonishing progress in science and technology, especially in the fields of electronics, synthetics, atomic power and exploration of space. On the other side we witness political and economic crises, caste and communal conflicts and students agitation. Today, moral values are steadily declining among men. In the moral, ethical and spiritual spheres, men’s attitudes are deteriorating alarmingly. Even well-versed scholars and eminent public figures are caught up in the coil of bitter controversies because of narrow-minded thinking. Unity among the people is being shattered by the ideological and sectarian differences among persons who are well educated and intellectually eminent. Intellectuals who promote discord are on the increase, but there are few who promote unity in diversity. At the root of all these tendencies is the fact that mankind has still not got out of the animal stage. Men have to realise that essentially they are divine in origin. The individual selves have come from the ocean of Sath-Chith-Anandha, like waves from the ocean. It is only when this truth is realised that men can experience true bliss.
The Need For Men And Women With Sacred Ideals
To transform the world from its present state, there is no need. for a new social system or a new religion or creed. What is essential is a body of men and women with sacred ideals. When there are such godly souls the country will enjoy divine dispensation. But such godly persons can survive only in a society in which there is purity of mind and good character. For these two to blossom, the basis is morality. But morality cannot flourish without spirituality. Hence the mansion of the good society has to be built on the foundation of spirituality, with the pillars of purity and character, and with morality as the roof. The reputation and gloat of Bharath have been founded on spirituality from ancient dines. Bharath achieved this name and fame because of noble men, women of great virtue and exemplary children. Their ideals still shine today. Harishchandhra, Nala and others are still remembered for their adherence to truth. Heroic women like Savithri, who by her devotion and determination brought back to life her dear husband from the hand of Death, and Seetha, who faced all ordeals in Lanka as a captive, ensured the welfare and prosperity of the country by their exemplary character.
Today morality and character are at a discount. Money alone counts. But money and all that it can give will not confer peace. Peace can be got only when man manifests his inner divinity. The Divine is the Indweller in every being. Hence no one should have ill-will towards anybody Man, however is dominated today by selfishness. His thoughts, his looks, his words and actions are all tainted by selfishness. He is a slave of his senses. In short, humanness is in ruins.
Manifest The Compassion That Resides In The Heart
The first requisite is sense-control. Man is today enveloped in evil qualities like jealousy and hatred. Man has to manifest compassion, which resides in the heart. Once Saint Thyagaraja, for a moment, developed doubts about Rama’s prowess and later realised that Rama could not have commanded the allegiance and devotion of men like Lakshmana and Bharathha if he was not all-powerful. From this one episode, you have to understand that if Sai did not have unique power, would He be able to attract persons from America, England and other countries? If there is no power in Sai how do you imagine devotees from any countries to come to Him? Are they such innocents? Or are they witless persons? Not at all. They are all persons of great intelligence. Intelligence alone is not enough. They have to be filled with divine feelings.
It should be realised that the divinity in human beings cannot be measured in terms of worldly goods. It has to be measured in terms of Love. Mankind has to understand this Love Principle. When there is Love, there will be no hatred. Without hatred, there will be no threat to peace in society. To ensure peace, society has to promote Love. This means that the mind has to be filled with loving thoughts.
The Significance Of Gurupuurnima
The moon is the presiding deity for the mind. Today, it is Puurnima (Full Moon day). What does Puurnima signify? It means the completion of the full circle by returning to the starting point. One half of the circle is represented by worldly life. It is like the letter “C”. This is equated with science, which is incomplete knowledge. The full circle represented by the moon represents the state of the mind when it is filled with Love. Gurupuurnima is observed today. Guru means Big. Guru has also another meaning: Gu means darkness and Ru means dispelling. Guru metres one who dispels darkness (the preceptor who dispels the darkness of ignorance). Gurupuurnima is the day on which one celebrates the dispersal of the darkness of ignorance from the mind. Hence, people should fill their minds with the all-embracing Love Principle. To experience the fullness of Love, you have to fill your hearts completely with Love. That will be the result of total devotion.
But today devotion is not total. The benefit also is partial. Part-time devotees cannot expect total reward. The Lord confers full grace on those whose hearts are totally filled with devotion. Spiritual aspirants may follow any one of the nine paths of devotion and realise the Divine. Among these, the attitude of friendship towards God is one to be cherished because God is the only true and enduring friend for everyone.
The Destiny Of The World Is Based On Bharath
In the process of achieving oneness with the Divine, the first stage is for everyone to consider himself as a messenger of God. Every Indian should propagate Baba’s message of spirituality. All of you should take note of this supreme fact: If spirituality goes in Bharath, Bharath will be mined. When Bharath goes, the whole world will go. The destiny of the world is based on Bharath.
It is because spirituality was being forgotten that Bharath became a prey to all kinds of ills. Love has virtually disappeared. Humanness has decayed. Humanness can exist only when the minds are holy. Man is called Manuja, which means one who is descended from Manu, who gave to mankind the Dharmashasthra (the Code of Righteous conduct). The courts today do not follow the code of Manu. Justice has become a creature of time, circumstances and money. Dharma transcends the limitations of space, time and circumstances. Today we have forgotten Manu.
We have also forgotten Kautilya. He was the author of Arthashasthra (the laws of economics and statecraft). Our economy today is in utter disorder. Kautilya’s teachings have to be relearnt. Failing to uphold the ideals of great men like Harishchandhra, who sacrificed everything for truth, the people today are becoming slaves of the senses.
Children Should Be Taught To Respect All Religions
Teachers! Teach your young pupils the ideals of Bharath’s great sages, heroes and heroines, who upheld the highest virtues and set an example to the world. They should be taught to behave as ideal sons like Shravanakumar. One good son can redeem a whole family. Ekalavya exemplifies supreme devotion to the Guru. Prahladha should be held out as supreme example of total faith in God. Teachers should instill such devotion to God in the young. In the name of secularism, governments should not interfere with the practise of their respective religions by the citizens. No one should criticize the creed of others. The divinity that is adored by all religions is one and the same, though different names may be used. In the name of religion, violent conflicts are encouraged. Children should be taught to respect all religions. Teachers should also make the children realise the true purpose of education. Education should be a preparation for righteous living and not for earning money. Good qualities are more valuable than money. Sathyabhama was made to realise that the name of the Lord and a thulasi leaf offered to Him were more valuable than all her jewels when weighed in the balance against Krishna.
Teachers should practise the precepts which they teach to the children. If they teach the children not to quarrel or not to smoke, they should also refrain from such conduct. Teachers! You have put up with many inconveniences and difficulties during the past three days out of your devotion to Svami. You regarded this as spiritual exercise. The body is intended to serve as an instrument for realising righteousness. There is no gain without pain. Sacrifice is the means for attaining immortality. Love and sacrifice are like two eyes for man. Whatever sacrifice you make, treat it as an offering to God. Then work will be transformed into worship. All that Svami wants from you is only your Love.
The character of the children must be made strong and pure. Give them all the confidence and courage they need to become good, honest, and self-reliant children. It is not enough if they learn something by which they can make a living. The manner of living is more important than the standard of living.
– Sri Sathya Sai Baba