International Yoga Day celebrated @ SSSIHL
From Pranayama to Suryanamaskar to Dandasana, Bakasana, Mayurasan, Hata yogas, Kriyas and even an elocution on Yoga, students, teachers and mentors from all our campuses joined millions of people around the world to celebrate the ancient Indian tradition of Yoga on International Yoga Day on 21 June.
#YogaDay, #SSSIHLIntegralEducation
Man can make genuine progress only when the idea that education is for earning a living is given up. Only one who realises this truth is a truly educated person. Knowledge does not mean mere booklore. It is not the transference of the contents of books to the brain.
Education is intended for the transformation of the heart. Man today is proud about the little knowledge he has acquired about the physical world and boasts that he knows all about the universe. True knowledge is that which establishes harmony and synthesis between science on the one hand and spirituality and ethics on the other. Man, therefore, should at the outset determine the true value of education.
This will be a Gurukula – a place where teachers and taught will grow together in love and wisdom – and like the ancient system of education, it will develop in its students a broad outlook and promote virtues and morals, which serve to foster noble ideals in society.
This Institute will be a temple of learning where youth are shaped into self-reliant, contented and enterprising heroes of action and self-sacrifice, for the purpose of serving humanity.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Revered Founder Chancellor, SSSIHL
13-15 June 2019
The Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality serves as an induction programme to all students and teachers of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning with an objective to expose students of the University to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Bharat. It orients students into Bhagawan Baba’s educational philosophy and gives them deep, first hand insights into how they can directly benefit from this unique institution.
During the academic year 2019/20, the event was held at each of the four campuses of SSSIHL – Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur, Brindavan and Muddenahalli – from 13 to 15 June 2019.
All students and teachers of the University participated, along with several invited guest speakers. On display was a smorgasbord of creative and engaging topics, discussions, talks, singing, chanting and quizzes – each purposefully curated to imbibe in students the key teachings on Indian culture and spirituality from the ancient scriptures and Sai literature.
Some of these included:
Quiz on Great Epics of Indian Culture, Swami’s Guidelines for good living, Bhagawan on the significance of the Summer Course, Divine Directions and their practical implementation in our daily life, Lessons from the Bhagavatam, Panel Discussion on Indian Culture and Spirituality, Sri Rama and Sai Rama, Importance of Vedic Literature in Indian culture, Impact of Bhagawan and the Sri Sathya Sai System of Education, Spirituality in Daily Life, Sarva Karma Bhagavath Prityartham – Lessons from our scriptures, Self-Image and Positive Psychology, Head in the forest, hands in the society – Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita, Help Ever Hurt Never, Role of Discipline, Duty & Devotion in the development of Personality of a student, Workshop on devotional singing, Sadhana and Seva, Food Habits and Health, The profound Truths in Hindu Mythology, The science behind ancient Bharatiya traditions and practices, The inner connect with Bhagawan
#GramaSeva
Initiate. Serve. Love. Repeat.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime
This is what the students, doctoral research scholars and teachers of SSSIHL Prasanthi Nilayam campus put into practice for several months when they made multiple visits to the villages of Narsimpalli, Bukkapatnam Mandal (Population: 2500), Bonthalapalli, Puttaparthi Mandal (Population: 2500) and Marlapalli, Puttaparthi Mandal (Population: 1000).
Just as the years gone by, when they would deliver food, clothing and love to villages around Puttaparthi and its surrounding mandals, this new initiative by the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus – with the kind support of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust – has renewed #GramaSeva and made it a more sustainable model.
The several teams of students and teachers (which included all students of the Campus), after multiple visits, made visible progress in various areas of the programme during the year. Some of these included:
Sports and Fitness: Prepared grounds by removing weeds. Played volleyball matches with the village youth. Conducted different races (such as sack race, lemon-spoon race, etc.) For children aged 5-10, conducted games based on jumping and balancing. They were also schooled in basic health areas and taught a few yogic postures such as the Surya Namaskar.
Education: Math, Science and fun games, as well as Bal Vikas for Primary school, II to X Std. kids. This included training in basic Mathematics activities using a geoboard. Students also made some educational kits and gifted them to the school.
Music: Bhajan singing, vedam chanting, flute renditions, teaching the basics of Music (by a teacher at the Dept. of Music), and teaching musical instruments, such as Kanjira and Talam.
Cleanliness / Hygiene Drive: Played ‘Waste Plastic Picking Game’ with all children of the villages. Students exhaustively cleaned walls of various temples and mosques in the villages, Anganwadis (rural child care centers), play areas and even wells that had been used as a rubbish dump for years! A handful of flowering plants were then planted across the villages. Villagers were also given basic education on the importance of hygiene and cleanliness.
Greenery: Plantation of trees and beautification of the village and surroundings
Plumbing work: Students took on a host of civil and plumbing duties. From changing of a 3-inch outlet pipe from the 2000-liter main storage tank to laying a CPVC pipeline for the school underground water storage tank, this is where the maintenance training they got as part of the Self Reliance activities at the hostel really kicked in. They fixed overhead tanks, constructed urinals and toilets (including tiling work), fixed leaking taps across the villages and also assisted in fixing mesh windows and doors to prevents unwanted guests such as insects and reptiles into washroom areas.
Surveys: Students split into different teams to conduct comprehensive individual and household surveys for issues such as the number of elderly folks and how to serve them better on future visits, what their immediate needs are, etc. They also conducted a data survey of all households of the villages to map the socio-economic and demographic challenges. The Chemistry students performed certain experiments as a preparatory phase to check for the efficacy of usage of ground shells at the villages.
As a result of this sustained care and effort, the villagers were really happy and joyful and full of appreciation. The long-term goal is help the villages achieve self-sustainability. Once the village is a model village, they will be able to help other villages achieve the same.
Love All, Serve All, as our Revered Founder Chancellor always taught us.
#SSSIHLService #SSSIHLIntegralEducation
Miss Manjula D Ghoora and Miss Ashrita C Haldipur, Doctoral Research Scholars, under the guidance of Dr. N Srividya, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, have been researching sustainable food-based approaches to address micronutrient malnutrition.
The group received funding from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to present their work on micronutrient-dense microgreens and indigenous pigmented rice varieties as viable eco-friendly dietary alternatives in the management of this pertinent problem at the International Symposium on ‘Double burden of malnutrition’, a tri-agency initiative of WHO, UNICEF and IAEA at Vienna, Austria.
Abstract links in the IAEA website:
https://humanhealth.iaea.org/…/Symposi…/BookofAbstracts.pdf
https://humanhealth.iaea.org/…/Symposi…/BookofAbstracts.pdf
https://humanhealth.iaea.org/…/Symposi…/BookofAbstracts.pdf
#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHL #SSSIHLFoodNutritionalSciences
What do SSSIHL students do after their classes on a weekday afternoon?
Plant trees, of course!
Neem, Banyan, Tamarind trees and a few other varieties of trees were planted by students across campuses.
The trees were tagged and named after the student who planted them, so that when they back in the future to visit their Mother Sai, they can also pay a visit to the very Mother Nature that He nurtured.
The students were ably chaperoned by their teachers. Even the Directors of Campuses and the Vice Chancellor got involved and planted a tree.
#SSSIHLIntegralEducation #SSSIHL
The Sai Bandhan program was a collaboration between students of Brindavan Campus, SSSIHL and Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS), Whitefield, Bangalore from 2015 to 2018.
It was a domiciliary outreach program where students set out to meet patients who had been previously treated at SSSIHMS, Whitefield. The objective was to assure the patients and their families of Sai’s continued concern for their well-being and get feedback about their experience at SSSIHMS.
The program spanned 63 districts in 19 states of India, touching the lives of 250-odd patients. It involved 123 students who voluntarily chose to spend their summer vacation time in this selfless manner. The patients visited belonged to different sections of society. They were of diverse caste, creed, religion, age groups and economic strata.
All patient information was provided by SSSIHMS and the logistical support to meet them was extended by members of Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisation in the state concerned.
Students often had to travel to remote corners of their districts or neighbouring districts to meet patients. A few even travelled out of state to reach out to patients. Sometimes, they had to trace patients who had migrated to other places to pursue their studies or vocations after the pause button pressed by the disease had been released.
The hard work was handsomely rewarded however by seeing the patients supremely happy, in good health and with renewed hope in life.
Patient Response
The response from patients and their relatives was overwhelming. The very mention of Bhagawan Baba’s name brought tears of joy to their eyes. Their eyes lit up when they came to know that Baba’s students themselves had come to enquire about their welfare. They were deeply grateful to Him (and the doctors, nurses, technicians and Seva dals at the hospital) for stepping in and saving them from a hopeless future when economic considerations had put the treatment out of their reach.
Their outlook had changed since and they have become positive contributors to the welfare of the same society from which they were once abandoned. They share the news of the existence of this hospital with all those in need. Indeed, they have turned into self-appointed brand ambassadors.
From the students perspective, this trip has been most beneficial and enriching. Having set out with the idea of enquiring about the welfare of the patients, they returned with the feeling that they too are beneficiaries of this program. It was a humbling experience to see the impact of Swami’s medicare project on the lives of poor people. Being the carriers of Sai’s love, they returned with a renewed sense of responsibility to equip themselves with knowledge to serve their fellow men and put the unique education they receive in the portals of the Institute to best use.
#SSSIHLIntegralEducation #SSSIHL
Students, Embodiments of Love!
ALL of you want Swami to say at least a few words. You feel, “How nice it would be if Swami speaks for a few minutes”! However, I don’t want to say much about the present system of education.
This land of Bharat has given birth to many noble women like Savitri who brought her dead husband back to life; Chandramati who extinguished wild fire with the power of truth. Sita who proved her chastity by coming out of blazing fire unscathed and Damayanti who reduced an evil-minded hunter to ashes with the power of her chastity. (Telugu Poem)
At first, Chandramati was fear-stricken by the raging forest fire. She along with her husband and son was surrounded by flames of wild fire. Nobody could say how they were all of a sudden surrounded by the raging flames. This, in fact, was a divine play. Ultimately, when Chandramati utilised her power of truth and chastity, the fire was extinguished in a trice. As Chandramati prayed, there was a heavy downpour. On one side, there was a raging fire and on the other side started a heavy rain, and ultimately the fire was completely extinguished.
Bharat is the Land of Women of Great Chastity
Savitri was also endowed with great power of penance and chastity. She could even stop Yama (Lord of death) from taking her husband’s life. She argued with Yama and told him, “The life of wife depends upon her husband and that of the husband on his wife. One cannot live without the other. So, if you want to take my husband’s life, take my life also. Or else, spare his life. We are not separate from each other. It is my primary duty to safeguard my husband’s life”. Ultimately, Lord Yama had to revive Savitri’s husband. Is there any country or region in this world where one can find a woman like Savitri who could bring her dead husband back to life? Such divine power is latent in every human being. Man should draw this power from within himself, which he can utilise not only for himself but for others also.
During those times, wife considered her husband as her very life and vice-versa. But, unfortunately, the situation is not the same today. In this sacred land of Bharat, many women like Damayanti, Savitri performed intense penance. They were all women of great chastity. But today we do not find such chaste women.
Develop Unity and Harmony in the Family
A Pativrata (chaste woman) is one who considers her Pati (husband) as her very life and depends entirely on him. She does not talk back to her husband, and has not even a little defect in her. She does not have any selfish desires. All that she does is for the sake of her husband. She would not even look at any male other than her husband. Only such a woman can be called a true Pativrata. But modern ladies do not follow their husbands. They do not listen to what their husbands say. When the wife follows her husband and the husband follows his wife and both lead a life of harmony, then the entire country will attain peace and prosperity. It is due to the differences between the husband and wife and disunity in the family that the country is subjected to one trouble after the other. Both husband and wife should develop perfect understanding and should adjust with each other. When the wife obeys the command of her husband and the husband fulfils the desires of his wife, then the future of the family will be safe and secure. If they act contrary to this, the family will be subjected to great suffering. Sometimes, both husband and wife may conduct themselves in a decent manner when they are in their house. But when they go out of the house, they may indulge in all sorts of evils. This is not good. If there is no unity and harmony between the wife and her husband, there is no use of undertaking spiritual practices like Japa, Dhyana (chanting, meditation), etc. When the wife follows her husband and the husband follows his wife, there is great happiness in the family. Strive to achieve such unity and harmony in your family. Then, your entire life will become happy and peaceful without any worries whatsoever. All your worries are of your own making. They are not given by God. God is not at a distant place. He is immanent in man. You should have unwavering faith in this truth. Then not only the individual will be happy, but there will be happiness in society also. Pure heart is the temple of God. Therefore, develop love in your heart. Then you will attain everything in life.
There will be peace and happiness in the family when both husband and wife share the same views. A Pativrata is one who has no other thought of anybody or anything except that of her husband. A woman who leads her life with such unflinching faith in her husband can achieve everything in her life. When both husband and wife follow different paths, then there can be no peace and happiness in the family. You should not allow your mind to waver this way and that way. You should totally focus it on God. Contemplation of God is the basis to achieve unity and harmony in the family. When the wife prays to God, the husband will become a good person.
Chaste women of yore like Sita and Damayanti had single-minded devotion towards their husbands. Sita was held captive in Lanka for ten months. But never even once did she look at the face of a male person. She spent all her time in the contemplation of Rama, sitting under a tree in Ashoka garden. She did not move out at all. As she was such a great chaste woman, she could prove her purity through Agni Pariksha (test of fire). A Pativrata who strictly obeys the command of her husband can do anything. If she prepares food for her husband with saline water of the ocean, it will be changed into sweet water.
God Indwells all Beings
God is only one, not two. He is the indweller of your heart. If you constantly contemplate on Him, you will also become God. Whomsoever you come across, consider him as the embodiment of divinity. Then only can you experience the principle of divinity. On the other hand, if you follow the vagaries of your mind and move about arbitrarily here and there, what can you achieve? When you go to your college, why should you look here and there and indulge in vain gossip? Focus your mind on the purpose for which you have come. Do your work without developing unnecessary contacts. Perform your duty in the family. There is nothing wrong in this. Nobody tells you to give up performing your worldly duties. Live in the world and perform your duties. But always treasure divine feelings in your heart.
Many people go to places of pilgrimage like Badrinath, Amarnath, Kedarnath, Bhadrachalam, Tirupati, etc., in search of God. They think that they can find God at such places. Oh foolish man! God is not somewhere else. In fact, you yourself are God. God is present in all. God is only one and He is present wherever you look for Him. He is in you, with you, above you, below you. God is beyond birth and death and indwells every being in the form of Atma. He is present in all human beings right from a child to an old man. The same God is present in an ant, a mosquito and in all birds, beasts and animals. Therefore, do not trouble yourself by going in search of God here and there.
Wherever you see, God is present there. Whomsoever you see, there is God in him. God has no different form. All forms are His. That is why the Vedas declare, Sahasra Seersha Purusha Sahasraksha Sahasra Pad (The Cosmic Being has thousands of heads, eyes and feet). When you sit for meditation, your mind wanders in all directions. You should not allow the mind to waver. Keep it always steady. Concentrate on the sound of Om. Then you will forget everything.
Since you are all young, I wish to emphasise this point. Do not develop opposition or differences among you. Controversies give rise to many troubles. These days some people marry not once, not twice, not thrice, but even four times. This is not good. This is the sign of a wavering mind. Be single-minded. Even if somebody makes you angry, do not fight with him. Understand that by fighting with others, you actually harm yourself. Control your thoughts. This is the quality of a truly educated person. This is called educare. Along with education, you should also have educare. When you have educare, you will have everything – health, happiness, peace and prosperity. This is what I want you to understand. Everything will become good to you if you make your heart pure. At least from today onwards, take to the right path. If somebody tries to put you on the wrong path, do not pay any heed to him. If such a person comes to you and tries to start a conversation with you, do not even look at his face. Just ignore him and go away from him.
Youth should Promote Unity and Solidarity
Students should live with unity in all matters. But today unity has disappeared altogether. On the other hand, enmity is on the rise. You should achieve unity. When one student in the class secures high marks, other students start feeling jealous of him. This is not good because jealousy gives rise to hatred. There will be further divisions if politics enter educational institutions. Therefore, all students should live with unity and solidarity.
Unfortunately, there is no unity in the youth today. First and foremost, the youth should come forward to help each other. The end of education is character. If your character is good, then you can achieve anything in life. You may think, you have won gold medals, acquired high degrees and achieved name and fame. But if you lack character, these degrees are merely a piece of paper. It is most essential for you to safeguard your character. Only a person with good character is a truly learned one.
When Ravana was taking Sita away to Lanka, she dropped all her ornaments in a bundle which fell on a mountain. Rama and Lakshmana, while going in search of Sita, were shown this bundle by Sugriva. Rama asked Lakshmana to see the ornaments and identify if they belonged to Sita. Then Lakshmana replied, “Brother! I never looked at the face of Sita and therefore I do not know whether these ornaments belong to her or not. I can recognise only the anklets as I have seen them while offering my obeisance at her feet everyday”.
Sita, Rama and Lakshmana lived together in the forest for almost fourteen years. But not even once did Lakshmana look at the face of Sita. What a pure-hearted person Lakshmana was! Whenever he had to talk to Sita, he talked to her with his head bent down. As he was such a noble person, he could enjoy the wealth of Rama’s proximity. When Lakshmana fell unconscious in the battlefield, Rama said, “If I search, I may get a wife like Sita but not a brother like Lakshmana. I can bear separation from Sita but not from Lakshmana”. Such was the strong bond of love between Rama and Lakshmana.
Students should also develop such unity, considering all as their brothers and sisters. All are human beings. All are the children of God. Therefore, you should live with unity without giving room to any differences. This is My message for you today.
Audio Source: Sri Sathya Sai Media Centre, Radio Sai Archives
Transcript Source: ‘Benedictory Addresses’ (Edition: May 2011), published by Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division
Audio excerpt of the Divine Discourse by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba during the SSSIHL Annual Convocation
Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace and love,
the value of all your education is zero;
Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace and love,
the benefit of all your acts of charity and kindness is zero;
Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace and love,
the utility of all your positions of power is zero;
Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace and love
the result of all your good deeds is zero.
Truth, righteousness, peace and love are the very foundation of human life.
What else is there to be conveyed to this assembly of noble souls?
In spite of his education and intelligence, a foolish man will not know his true Self and a mean-minded person will not give up his evil qualities.
(Telugu Poem)
God manifests in the heart filled with Love
Education and intelligence of so-called educated people of today enables them to develop only their power of argumentation in all matters. In spite of acquiring high degrees like B.A. and M.A., they do not know the essence of education. The education they acquire is only worldly, physical, ephemeral and unreal.
Education should Foster Values in Students
There are crores of students and educated persons with high degrees in this world. After acquiring many high degrees, what are they doing for the welfare of the world? Are they giving even a little help to the poor and suffering masses? There are others who have amassed crores of rupees, but they do not give even a penny in charity. Even after earning so much money, they have no satisfaction; they keep on thinking of acquiring more and more money. One who exercises control over his desires can accomplish any higher goal in life. Na Karmana Na Prajaya Dhanena Thyagenaike Amrutatthwamanasu (immortality is not attained through action, progeny or wealth; it is attained only by sacrifice). But nobody is making efforts to attain immortality. Wherever you see, you find people indulging in selfishness. What use are such people making of education? No doubt, one should acquire worldly education but what for? This education only helps you to meet your worldly requirements like food, clothing and shelter. All this you do only for your sake and not to help others. This type of education breeds only selfishness. Educated people today crave for worldly pleasures which develop in them evil qualities like Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya (desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy). All their efforts are only to attain external happiness. They do not make any effort to attain inner bliss which can be experienced only by developing the five human values, viz., Sathya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), Santhi (peace), Prema (love) and Ahimsa (non-violence). One who develops these five human values will always be in a state of bliss. Man’s senses can give him only outer happiness. But if he wants inner bliss, he has to put these values into practice in his life.
Education gives only external happiness whereas educare confers inner bliss. There is a lot of difference between education and educare. Education is limited to reading books written by different authors and listening to speeches delivered by others. But educare requires no books! It fosters the qualities like Sathya and Dharma in man. What is the form of Sathya and Dharma? They have no form. Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara (speak truth, practise righteousness). Truth and righteousness have to be practised; they should not be limited only to speech. But people today limit truth and righteousness only to their speech; these are not reflected in their actions. But what is required is that people should demonstrate them in their actions rather than in their words.
God has endowed man with qualities like Sathya, Dharma, etc. But love is present equally in all beings. Even ants, mosquitoes and insects love their offspring. The love that is present in all beings is verily God. God manifests in the heart filled with love. It is only love that protects you in the face of all difficulties and dangers. In fact, if you have love, you will not have any difficulties. Instead of developing such universal love, you restrict your love to your family and friends which are only temporary relations. Love is God. Live in Love. Whatever else you may have, but if you have no love, then your life has no meaning. Worldly love confers only ephemeral happiness which undergoes change in a short time. True love emerges from your heart. This is the type of love that you must develop. You should always preserve love in your heart wherever you go and whatever you do. One who has such love will be protected always wherever he is, be he in a forest, in the sky, in a city, in a village, in the deep sea or on the top of a mountain. Man should develop this love which will protect him everywhere at all times. This love is always one and the same; it neither changes nor diminishes. It is one without a second. That is why the Vedas declare, Ekameva Adviteeyam Brahma (God is one without a second).
God is one. Names like Rama, Krishna, Govinda attributed to God are merely our imagination. That which has neither birth nor death, neither a beginning nor an end is only love. That is Brahman. If someone were to ask God, “What is Your name?”, He will say, Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman). Other than Brahman, you do not find anything true and eternal in this world. Therefore, do not waste your time in pursuit of all that is unreal. What is the use of acquiring all that is transient?
You may pursue worldly education but you must always have the feeling in your heart that it is all temporary. Only God is permanent. He is like digit 1 and Samsara (world) is like zero. Samsara can have value only when it is associated with God. If you place one zero after the digit 1, it becomes ten. If you place two or three zeros, it becomes hundred or thousand. In this manner, the value of zeros goes on increasing only when they are associated with 1. But today you are accumulating only zeros, forgetting the One. You think it is God who has given you the evil qualities of desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy. But this is not correct. God does not observe any differences. It is only you who are responsible for these evil qualities. When your desires are fulfilled, you extol God. When your actions do not give you the desired fruit, you blame God. God is the eternal witness. He does not indulge in the business of giving and receiving. Even if you have to undergo some punishment, it is only for your own good. You yourself are responsible for all your difficulties.
Man suffers from many types of Bhrama (delusion) whereas his process of inhalation and exhalation itself manifests Brahma. Mind is a bundle of thoughts. Wherefrom does speech emerge? It emerges from the mind. So, mind is the source of speech and breath is the source of mind. Therefore, man’s breath symbolises Brahma, his mind symbolises Vishnu and his speech, Maheswara. Hence, man need not go in search of Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara elsewhere. They are within him. You yourself are God; there is no need to search for Him anywhere. Mind is the cause of both happiness and sorrow. Speech is divine. You derive wisdom from speech. That is why it is described as Vangmayi (embodiment of celestial sound). You think wisdom has to be acquired from somewhere outside. But it does not come from anywhere else; it comes only from within. In fact, everything comes from within you. All that you experience comes only from the mind. Therefore, when you strengthen your faith, “I am God”, then you will become God yourself and will attain the eternal or changeless state. On the other hand, if you think, “I am so and so”, you will be deluded by diversity.
Put your Learning into Practice
Do not have too many desires. Less luggage, more comfort makes travel a pleasure. Therefore, reduce your desires. Desires are natural. But today man has lost the discrimination to distinguish between good desires and bad desires. Mind is the source of all desires and evil qualities. When you get married, you love your wife dearly in the beginning. But if she acts against your wishes, you develop hatred towards her. Your anger and hatred create distance between you and your wife. When such differences arise, you will be enmeshed in great difficulties. On the other hand, if both husband and wife make themselves free from expectation and anger and live in unity, they will derive great happiness. The same applies even to students. Many students have too many desires. They study many subjects and secure high degrees. They also pursue professional courses like M.B.B.S. and Engineering in the hope that they will derive happiness out of them. But the more the number of degrees they acquire, the more restless they become. They will have no happiness. Whatever education you acquire is good enough if you are able to put it into practice. If you go on acquiring degrees without putting anything into practice, you will not gain anything. Therefore, whatever you learn, put it into practice. Without practice, all that you have learnt is just a waste.
You enact many dramas. But, how long do you practise before the performance of a drama? It is only by practice that you attain perfection in acting and dialogue delivery. If you do anything without practice, then it is of no use. Therefore, practice is essential for everything. Everybody wants peace. But where is peace? It is within you. It is sheer foolishness to go in search of peace elsewhere. The peace you aspire to attain is very much within you. Self-enquiry is essential to know this truth. Wherefrom have you acquired your secular education? You have acquired it from books and teachers. You study today and forget tomorrow. But if you practise what you have studied, then it will stay with you forever. Without practice, what is the use of reading books or learning lessons from teachers? Without practice, your Mastaka (head) becomes another Pustaka (book). That’s all. Whatever you learn from your teachers, you should assimilate.
You might have seen how clean is distilled water. It is used in making many medicines because it is free from impurities. If you collect water directly in a vessel when it is raining, you will get pure water. If you drink such water, you will have no ailment. When the same rain water is mixed with other substances, it becomes polluted. Similarly, man’s mind is pure. But when it is associated with desires, it becomes polluted. Therefore, you should not pollute your mind; keep it as pure as possible. Whenever a desire arises in your mind, you should brush it aside, saying, “Fie on this, it will spoil my mind.” What you have to learn today is that apart from studying books, you should get rid of delusion and keep your mind free from pollution.
Try to Win God’s Love
You may or may not worship God but you should worship your parents because it is they who brought you in this world. First of all, you should respect and honour your mother and give her happiness. Your mother’s heart is full of love. Her love is ever pure and cannot be polluted. If you earn the love of your mother, it amounts to acquiring all degrees. That is why mother, father, preceptor and God are worthy of your respect in that order. Mother is your first God. Next comes father who helps you in many ways. It is your preceptor who gives you knowledge, because of which you are able to attain God. Mother is the foundation, father represents walls, preceptor stands for roof and God is the life. Therefore, those who want to attain God should first of all love and respect their mother. If you make your mother happy, you will attain all types of happiness. When your mother becomes old, you should not send her to old age home. Under any circumstances, do not forsake your mother. Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava, Atithi Devo Bhava (revere your mother, father, preceptor and guest as God). One who forsakes his mother is not a human being at all. She might have become old now. But you should always remember that it is she who has given you birth and brought you to this level. Therefore, when she falls sick, you should serve her with full dedication. Whatever she says, you should consider it as good for you. Even if she scolds you, you should not become upset with her; even her scolding is for your own good.
Kuchela was a poor Brahmin whereas Krishna was a king. When Kuchela went to Krishna, he was afraid whether he would be allowed to meet Krishna or not. But God does not forsake anyone. Krishna received him with all honour and asked, “Kuchela! What do you want?” Kuchela replied, “Swami, I do not want anything except Your love. Your love is everything for me.” On his return to his village, Kuchela could not locate his house because there stood a big mansion at that place. His wife and children were moving around wearing costly dresses and ornaments. All that he got was due to the love of God. Therefore, if you win God’s love, you can attain everything. Without that love, nothing will remain with you. Therefore, strengthen your faith in God.
Fill your Heart with Love and Prayer for God
You may have a lot of money. But if you do not give up your bad qualities like hatred and anger, you will lose everything. Money is not important, human values are important. Therefore, develop human values. How can you call yourself a human being if you lack human qualities? When you have human qualities, then God will be always with you, in you, around you, above you, below you, guiding you and guarding you. Therefore, do not crave for money. Try to imbibe values. Some people keep on shifting from one job to another for earning higher salaries. Do not crave for high salaries. Money comes and goes, but morality comes and grows. Develop morality. You will have morality when you develop love for God. All demonic qualities in you will vanish when you develop love for God. When you get rid of your demonic qualities, then society will also become good. You will earn a good name and people will say, “He is a good person, we need him.” To earn such a good name, you should immerse yourself in prayer and contemplate on God. Fill your heart with love and prayer for God. You will become a good person when you have Daiva Priti, Papa Bhiti and Sangha Niti (love for God, fear of sin and morality in society). Then you will earn a good reputation and everyone will call you good boy, good boy! Therefore, do good work, fill your mind with good thoughts and earn a good name. Do not allow any bad thoughts to enter your mind. Bad thoughts do come at young age but this is the effect of your age. You should drive them away.
Now you are a young boy. After some years, you will become a man and then a grandfather. When you grow old, where does your boyhood go? Child, boy, man, grandfather, all are one. Name and form undergo change but the individual remains the same. In the same manner, God is one though people attribute many names and forms to Him. Have total faith in this divine principle. Spend all your time in the contemplation of God. Then everything will become good for you. All of you should develop virtues, good behaviour, good thoughts and good feelings. Very happy. All our students are good. In other institutions, the students go to cinema every day. They spend so much money on buying cinema tickets but they do not derive anything good from it. Instead, if they come and see the cultural programmes presented by our students, they will get real happiness.
Do not Make Improper Use of Cell Phones
Due to the effect of cinema, TV and tape recorders, human values have now totally declined. Today cell phones have become very common and students receive calls even from strangers. Such calls from strangers can put them in great trouble. If you have a cell phone, make proper use of it and never give your phone number to anyone because this may land you in trouble. Better you do not have cell phone at all. Even if you have one, do not give your number to anyone. Some people always keep their cell phone on their ear and talk continuously. This is a great mistake. Not only that, it may lead to great sin. If you give your number to strangers, they will call you back. In the beginning, you will be happy that they called you. But you will start receiving calls from them repeatedly. You may consider them as your friends but they may lead you astray and ruin your life. On the first day, they may say, “I am your friend.” Gradually, this friendship will lead to relationship and you may be trapped in a difficult situation. Therefore, do not make such unnecessary contacts. Always contemplate on the name of God. When you have time, read good books.
Today is the 28th Convocation of Sri Sathya Sai University. It may bring about a great change in your life. Have only good contacts and earn a good name. Samuel Sandweiss spoke to you about his experiences which are all divine. The good counsel you receive from such elders should be imprinted on your heart. Whosoever speaks good words to you, you should treasure them in your heart. As it is not possible for Me to speak to each one of you individually, I have given this Discourse. Compared to the students of other colleges, our students are very good. They should maintain their good name. I want all of you to sing a song together (In a spontaneous response, the students sang the song Humko Tumse Pyar Kitna … to the delight of the entire gathering). Your song has satiated My hunger. Very happy.
Audio Source: Sri Sathya Sai Media Centre, Radio Sai Archives
Transcript Source: ‘Benedictory Addresses’ (Edition: May 2011), published by Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division
Audio excerpt of the Divine Discourse by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba during the SSSIHL Annual Convocation
Bharat is the motherland of many noble souls who earned great name and fame in all the continents of the world. This is the land of valorous people who vanquished the foreign rulers in the battlefield and attained independence. This is the land which excelled in music, literature and other fine arts. Having been born in this great land of Bharat, oh boys and girls, it is your sacred duty to protect its rich cultural heritage.
Forbearance is the real beauty in this sacred land of Bharat. Of all the rituals, adherence to truth is the greatest penance. The nectarous feeling in this country is the feeling of love towards one’s mother. Character is valued far higher than life itself.
(Telugu Poem)
Follow Swami’s ideal and Love everyone
Bharat is the land of high reputation and great bounty. Many countries have faced great dangers, but Bharat is free from these. This land of Bharat has given birth to many famous women of great chastity like Savitri who brought her dead husband back to life, and Sita who proved her chastity by coming out of blazing fire unscathed. Is there any other place in this world where we can find such women of nobility and chastity? But the Bharatiyas today are cowed down even by small difficulties. Their vision, hearing and behaviour have all become polluted. What a pity, the Bharatiyas have come to such a sorry state! Just as a mighty elephant is not aware of its strength, today the Bharatiyas have forgotten their rich cultural heritage.
Lack of Unity is the Cause of All Problems of India
An elephant is so powerful that with a mere swish of its tail, it can throw a man away. But since it is not aware of its strength, it obeys the command of an ordinary mahout; it sits when he orders it to sit and stands when he commands it to do so. The same is the condition of the Bharatiyas today. Just as an elephant submits to the commands of the mahout, the Bharatiyas, in spite of their great strength of purity and sacredness of heart, are following the dictates of others and behaving like slaves. Truly speaking, there is none in the world who can vanquish the Bharatiyas. Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa are the natural qualities of the Bharatiyas. They are endowed with the great wealth of Sathya and Dharma. The scriptures teach man to follow the great principle: Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara (speak truth, practise righteousness). But this great principle is being distorted by people today as Sathyam Vadha, Dharmam Chera (kill truth and imprison righteousness).
Everybody should ask himself, “Who am I?” He should remind himself, “I am a human being, not an animal or a beast. Since I am a human being, I should have human qualities.” What are the qualities of a human being? The first and foremost quality is truth. Sathyannasti Paro Dharma (There is no Dharma greater than adherence to truth). Dharma originates from Sathya. Where there are truth and righteousness, there you find the manifestation of peace and love. Where there is peace, love would manifest there automatically. Where there is love, jealously and hatred are conspicuous by their absence there. But, unfortunately, man today is devoid of love. Even birds and animals have love but there is no love among human beings. Today there is lack of unity in India. This is the main cause of the sorry state of affairs in our country. Where there is unity, there is purity. Where there is purity, there is divinity. Therefore, it is by unity that we can attain divinity, which is the goal of our life.
Man should Develop Faith in Atma
Today scientists are making many inventions. They have made even double decker airplanes to fly in the sky. But how many people are losing their lives! In ancient times, life was not that full of dangers. Today man is full of fear. But, where has this fear come from? The real cause is man’s lack of faith in the Atma. Na Ayamatma Balaheenena Labhyah (a weak-minded person cannot realise the Atma). Lack of Self-confidence has made man weak today. He is reposing his faith in everything else except the Atma. First of all, he should have Self-confidence. When he develops Self-confidence, he will have Self-satisfaction. Only then can he develop the spirit of Self-sacrifice which will lead him to Self-realisation. Therefore, if we want to attain Self-realisation, we should first develop Self-confidence. In fact, Self-confidence is the foundation of the mansion of our life, in which Self-satisfaction are the walls and self-sacrifice is the roof. When the foundation is strong, the walls and the roof will also be strong and safe. But, today, the foundation itself is weak. Then, how can the walls and roof stand on it? Self-confidence, self-satisfaction and self-sacrifice are the essential steps to Self-realisation.
Bharat is the land of humanness. That is why this country is safe from various dangers and calamities which are occurring in other parts of the world. The Bharatiyas are leading a comparatively happy and peaceful life although peace has been disturbed in many parts of the world. Today pollution is widespread everywhere. Food, water, air – all have become polluted due to the misuse of science and technology. To a large extent, India is still safe from this all-pervading pollution. It is therefore necessary that we do not put science to indiscriminate use. On the other hand, we should promote humanness which will give us great strength. There is no power greater than the power of humanness. In fact, man is potentially divine. If somebody questions, “Where is God?”, the simple answer is, “Man himself is verily God.” The Vedas declare, Chandrama Manaso Jataha, Chaksho Suryo Ajayata (the moon was born out of the mind and the sun out of the eyes of the Supreme Being). Our Atma is our strength. There is no strength superior to it.
Education should Give Knowledge of the Self
Man should acquire education which gives the knowledge of the Atma.
In spite of his education and intelligence, a foolish man will not know his true Self and a mean minded person will not give up his evil qualities.
(Telugu Poem)
Modern education leads only to argumentation, not to total wisdom. What is the use of acquiring education which cannot lead you to immortality? Acquire the knowledge that will make you immortal.
(Telugu Poem)
Modern education does not provide true knowledge. It helps you to earn money and meet the needs of your family. People today are spending lakhs of rupees and sending their young children to overseas countries for studies. But all this money is wasted and children also get spoiled. Here is a small incident to illustrate this.
Once the parents of a student took him to a temple before his departure to a foreign country for higher studies. They advised him, “Dear son, this deity is the Divine Mother to one and all. She is the mother of the universe. You should never forget her. Constantly contemplate on her, wherever you are.” They, in fact, extracted a promise from him to that effect. As soon as the boy set his foot in the foreign country, he totally forgot about the Divine Mother, fully immersed as he became in the new environment. After a lapse of three years, he returned to his native place, fully accustomed to the foreign way of life. The parents took him to the same temple straight from the airport for the Darshan of the Divine Mother. As soon as he entered the temple, the boy, instead of offering salutations to the deity, greeted her in English, “How are you, Madam?” The parents then chided the boy and asked, “Is it what you have learnt there? We sent you abroad spending so much money. But you have forgotten even God!”
Many students who go abroad acquire bad thoughts, bad habits and bad qualities. In fact, there is no necessity for anybody to go to foreign countries for anything. The bounty that you find in Bharat cannot be found anywhere else. Having been born in this blessed land and calling yourself Bharatiyas, what is the use if you forget your culture and moral values? Nobody can describe the greatness of Bharat. The Bharatiyas should first of all develop self-confidence and adhere to ethical, moral and spiritual values. But, unfortunately, people today lack morality. That is why life today has become an endless trouble. Many overseas devotees are inviting Me to their countries. They are prepared to bring even special planes. But I do not want any planes or comforts. I want only devotion.
All love Me and I love all. I don’t have any enemy. But some people do not understand My love and take to wrong ways even after receiving My sacred love. Some of them even start opposing Me if their wishes are not fulfilled. Will they derive any benefit if their wishes are fulfilled? No. They will actually come to harm. In our college also, we put a certain limit on the students and give them proper training. Look at the students of our college! They do not have even a trace of hatred. All of them gather around Me, lovingly calling Me, “Swami, Swami, Swami”. They shed tears when they take leave of Me.
When you see outside colleges, can you call them colleges at all? The students there do not show respect even to their own parents. Parents should be considered as sacred. Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava (revere your mother and father as God) is the injunction of our scriptures. Mother is God, father is God, friend is God. In fact, all are the very forms of God. Unable to understand this truth, we say, “such and such a person is my opponent and my enemy who would put me to trouble.” In this way, we fill our mind with hatred towards others. Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavathi (as are the feelings, so is the result). Whatever type of feelings we have, we get the same type of result. We develop hatred towards even those who come to us with love. There is nothing great in doing good to those who help us. But Sai does good even to those who try to harm Him. You should also follow this principle and do good even to those who harm you. This is the quality of a true human being. You should develop this quality, considering everybody as divine. Daivam Manusha Rupena (God is in the form of a human being). God incarnates on earth in the form of a human being. See any picture of a divine incarnation. He is portrayed as a human being. See the picture of Rama and Sita. They are all in human form.
See Oneness of Atma in All
All human beings are the embodiments of the Atma. Physical forms and names may be different but the Atma in everyone is the same. Ekatma Sarva Bhutantaratma (one Atma dwells in all beings). This feeling of oneness should be developed in children from an early age. This principle of equality of mankind should be inculcated in students in their young age. You may think that it is difficult to observe this principle of oneness, but it is not so. There is nothing more blissful than this. Even when your opponent comes before you, you should offer salutations to him and greet him, “How are you, brother?” Then, he will also respond, “How are you, brother?” He will not be angry with you. Why? When you call him brother, he will also consider you as a brother. People will develop feelings of opposition or trust towards you, depending upon the type of language you use. Visualise the oneness of the Atma in everyone, though the body, mind, intellect and Chitta (mind-stuff) are different.
When you see oneness of the Atma in everyone, then you will experience that you yourself are also the embodiment of the same Atma. You will realise, “I am the Atma and all are my images.” When you look into the mirror, you see your own reflection in it. All the bodies are like the mirror. You should see your own image in all of them. Only then will you attain supreme peace. It cannot be attained merely by the performance of Japa, Tapa, (recitation and penance) Yoga and Yajna. People search for peace everywhere but they cannot find it anywhere. They see only pieces outside! If you want peace, you should look within. There only can you find peace. Everybody is endowed with peace. You can be called a true human being only when you develop inner vision. Animals and beasts do not have this inner vision. You are not an animal or a beast. You are a human being. Therefore, you should lead the life of a human being. If you lead your life like an animal, then how can you call yourself a human being? Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya (desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy) are all animal qualities. A human being should not have all these bad qualities.
Do not hate anybody. I do not have even a trace of anger or hatred towards anybody. That is why everybody loves Me. There is only love in Me. Even if I go to a dense forest, all the people will follow Me there also. It is My love that attracts everybody towards Me. There are however some people who bear hatred even towards Me. But it is none of My fault. It is all their own imagination. I don’t have anger towards anyone. People wonder, how Swami is always peaceful although He meets so many people during the day! Peace is natural to Me. I am always cheerful. I never put on a ‘castor oil’ (melancholy) face. I always have a smiling face. I exhort all of you also to be cheerful always. Your happiness is My great joy. You should see the reflection of My happiness in you. It is not My fault if you develop hatred. What is the reason that I am the recipient of love of so many of you? Did I send any invitation to you to come? It is your love for Me that has brought you here. My love itself is the invitation. Even if you send invitation, will so many people come to you? Even when I pass through a locality, people come out of their shops and houses on their own. What is the reason for that? It is love only. Love is God, Live in Love. This is what you are supposed to learn. On this sacred day, I exhort you to develop love.
Unity of the World is Imminent
Very soon, the entire world will be united and Bharat will have a great name and fame. After 28 years from now, the entire world will become one. Everybody will feel proud to call himself a Bharatiya. Nobody will say, “I am from Karnataka”, “I am from Tamil Nadu”, “I am from Kerala”, etc. Wherever you go, you should say, “I have come from Bharat.” Karnataka and all other States are parts of Bharat. Without Bharat, how can there be Tamil Nadu or Karnataka? Limits have been created by politics and political parties. We do not belong to any party. We have only one party and that is love, love, love! (loud applause). Therefore, you should develop love. Then you will be respected wherever you may go. People will then give you whatever help you need and treat you like their brother or sister.
Love is always selfless. There should not be even an iota of selfishness in man. But sometimes he develops selfishness, anger, hatred, etc., on his own. They are not given by God. God has given only love to everyone in equal measure. Man may lack anything but love in him is eternal. Therefore, develop love. There is no power, courage or valour greater than love. When Sita was in confinement in Lanka, her love for Rama was her only strength. She was surrounded by demonesses with swords in their hands. But she was totally unperturbed because she constantly chanted ‘Rama, Rama’. Since she had the strength of Rama’s love due to her constant chanting, none could touch her even though she was there for ten months. Such unwavering love gives you everything. Therefore, you should develop such unflinching love. This is what we should propagate in the world. All should become embodiments of love. Pray for the welfare of all the worlds. Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu (May all the beings of all the worlds be happy!) Everybody should attain peace and happiness. This should be our only desire. I love all of you. I don’t have any ill-will against anybody. Sometimes, I may use strong words to correct some people, but there is nothing in My mind against anybody. Your life will be sanctified and blessed when you follow Swami’s ideal and love everyone. When you do so, your parents, brothers, sisters, friends, relatives, all will be happy.
Audio Source: Sri Sathya Sai Media Centre, Radio Sai Archives
Transcript Source: ‘Benedictory Addresses’ (Edition: May 2011), published by Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division
Audio excerpt of the Divine Discourse by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba during the SSSIHL Annual Convocation
Dear Students! Boys and Girls!
Man struggles hard day and night just to earn money. Why should he waste all his time in such futile pursuits?
(Telugu Poem)
Embodiments of Love!
It is not proper for man to neglect what he is supposed to do and engage himself in unnecessary pursuits, and thereby waste his time and effort. Time is sacred and eternal. Time waste is life waste. You are students. You have to become leaders of others.
Human Values Signify Man’s True Nature
Every human being has desires. It is the duty of students to control their desires. Control of desires is the hallmark of a student. Desires come one after the other in an unending stream. The control of these desires should be the aim of a student. ‘Vidya’ comes from the root ‘Vid’, which connotes the light of knowledge. Hence, Vidya is that which gives us the light of knowledge and shows us the path where there is darkness of ignorance. Therefore, students! You should become ideal for all. We look after our students with great love so that they grow up to be ideal persons. Enormous amount of money is charged by outside institutions for providing education to students. We do not collect even a naya paisa from our students. Not only do we provide free education, we provide water and healthcare also totally free of cost to millions of people. In fact, we give something to our students instead of taking anything from them, and help all needy students in every possible way. When you understand this truth and conduct yourself accordingly, only then can you become a true student. We treat our students like our children (loud applause). Education is your property. Do not consider education as a means of your livelihood and sustenance in this world. Education is not meant only to help you to lead a worldly life. Even illiterate people can lead a worldly life in some way or the other. What is the use of your degrees like M.A., M.B.A., M.Sc., and all your education if you use your education to lead a worldly life like illiterate people? Modern education may be of some help to man to lead an outer worldly life. But there is nothing in it that supports man’s inner life. That which supports man’s inner life is adherence to truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence. These five values signify the true nature of a human being. Truth is basic to all these values.
The creation emerges from truth and merges into truth,
Is there a place in the cosmos where truth does not exist?
Visualise this pure and unsullied truth.
(Telugu Poem)
God is the creator of all living beings of the world right from an ant to an elephant. Nothing can happen without the Will of God. Even the small ants that you see are born out of the Will of God. Therefore, Thyagaraja said, “Cheemalo Brahmalo Siva Kesavaadulalo Prema Meera Velasi Unde Birudhu Vahinchina Rama Nannu Brovara” (Oh Rama! In Your pure and unsullied form of love, You indwell all beings from an ant to Brahma as also in Siva and Kesava. Please be my protector too).
Do not Forget Fundamental Principle of Creation
You are aware of the truth of this song. But when an ant comes and bites you, you kill it at once. On the other hand, when Brahma manifests before you, you offer your salutations to him with folded hands. You should understand that the same Atma is present in all the creatures although they are of different forms. Those who have faith in the oneness of the Atma do not face any troubles anywhere, at any time. Everything becomes available to a person who has self-confidence. All the desires of man serve only his little self. He wants everything for himself. “This is my body, this is my head, this is my mind.” Then who is this ‘my’? When you say ‘my body’, it is your body only today and tomorrow. Day after tomorrow, where is your body? You have so much trust in and attachment to this body which does not belong to you! The body is the gift of God. In fact, everything is the gift of God. (Bhagavan showing His handkerchief) This is a handkerchief. Where has it come from? Has it come from the sky? No, no. It has come from cotton. From cotton thread is made and from thread comes the cloth. Hence, there can be no thread without cotton and no cloth without thread. Therefore, if we want a handkerchief, we require both cotton and thread. Just as cotton is the basis of cloth, there is a fundamental basis for everything. We should not forget this fundamental principle of creation. We become the victim of all problems and difficulties when we forget this fundamental principle.
We repeat the name of God. But where do you think He really is? God is with you, in you, around you and behind you. You are God. You should develop firm faith in this truth. God does not leave you and go somewhere else. He is present in the form of Atma in all the crores of people. We see different names and forms. But the principle of the Atma is the same in all in spite of the diversity of names and forms. Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names). Jewels are many but gold is one. You may have all types of ornaments but if you melt them, all will change into gold only. Therefore, embodiments of Divine Atma! Try to know the fundamental principle.
My Words, Actions and Life itself is for your Welfare
You may think that you, your mother and your father are different. In fact, all three of you are one. Therefore, you should never think that you are different from each other. A man with a dual mind is half blind. Hence, do not have a dual mind. The education that you are acquiring today is not merely for your benefit; it is for the benefit of your fellow human beings and even animals, birds and other creatures. You should help each and every living being. Only then can you call yourselves truly educated. Even if you come across someone who bears enmity against you, you should greet him with love, saying “hello, hello”. Love everyone. Do not hate anyone. Nobody bears any hatred towards Swami. You may ask if there is anyone whom Swami does not like. All are recipients of My love. My love is present in all. I neither bear any hatred against anyone nor do I cause any harm to anyone. I do not betray anyone either. Since the feeling of oneness is firm in Me, everybody loves Me. In fact, the entire mankind loves Me and I love the entire mankind. It is only those who lack faith think that Swami may have the feelings of hatred. It is merely their delusion; there is no truth in it. All My words, all My actions and My life itself is for your welfare (loud applause). You should understand this principle and develop faith in it. When you develop faith, love will manifest there on its own. When you have both love and faith, all your aspirations will be fulfilled. Therefore, love and faith are most important in the life of man. All other things which come in between are like passing clouds which come and go. You should not pay attention to them. You should carefully preserve love and faith. Faith is the image of love. Love is the very form of God. Love is God. Live in Love. Truth is truth and it never changes. Hence, truth is God. Never think God is separate from you. God is not separate from the world because the entire world is His form. You should constantly remember this principle of oneness.
Understand the Oneness of the Principle of Atma
Dear Students!
You read many types of books. All these books contain the letters of the same alphabet. Voluminous books can be written using only 26 letters. You would have seen lawyers carrying big books. The same alphabet is the basis of all of them. Similarly, the basis of everything is God, whether it is health, happiness, comforts or conveniences. Only God is the basis of even good and bad. Truly speaking, nothing bad is seen in this world. Wherever you see, it is good only. Since you do not understand the meaning of goodness properly, you see bad in it. The bad that you see is only due to the difference of time. The good food you eat today becomes waste matter tomorrow morning. What is Phala (fruit) today becomes Mala (excreta) tomorrow. If you understand this relationship, you will understand the unity of good and bad. And unity is divinity. God is present in everything. There is no place where God does not exist. Nobody has the right to say that God is here and not there. Only one thing exists and that is Divinity. We imagine many forms of one Divinity and thereby create confusion in the world. The reason for this confusion is that we consider all individuals separate from each other. We should give up these individual differences to some extent. All the education that we acquire is meant only to help us to do away with these individual differences. When you see the unity in this relationship, then everything will become one.
Religions are many but goal is one.
Clothes are many but yarn is one.
Beings are many but breath is one.
(Telugu Poem)
So many people are sitting here. They are not separate individuals. Only bodies are separate, but the divinity present in all the bodies is one only. Therefore, whomsoever you see, you should consider him as divine. Love everyone considering him as the embodiment of divinity. Due to the illusion caused by the body attachment, you see individual differences. All your troubles are caused by this delusion only. Therefore, you yourself are the cause of your troubles. Both good and bad originate only from your mind. Mind is only one but it plays all types of tricks on you. All your education and all your degrees are meant only to understand that the principle of the Atma is one. Ekameva Adviteeyam Brahma (God is one without a second). You should carefully preserve this truth in your heart. You may think that some people have enmity towards you. It is due to your own feelings that you see change in others. Otherwise, there is no change in them. Everything in this world is only reaction, reflection and resound but the reality is only one. If we have such a feeling, we will be filled with immense bliss. You may wonder as to how Swami is always smiling blissfully. I always keep smiling because I consider everyone as one. Your bliss is My food. You should also attain this bliss. The other day, our children performed a drama. I was filled with bliss on seeing it.
All are one. We say, ‘I and we’. Where does ‘we’ come from? It comes only from ‘I’. Without ‘I’, there can be no ‘we’. Hence, ‘I’ is only one. When you cut it in the middle, it becomes a cross. What is meant by cross? It means breaking of the individual ‘I’. Therefore, we should consider everyone as one. We should cultivate the feelings of oneness and consider all as our brothers and sisters. There is no one other than brothers and sisters anywhere. Moreover, brothers and sisters are not separate; both are one. If you think on these lines, you will see total unity in this world. You may think, there is diversity in the world. But there is nothing like diversity. It is only unity. When we install the principle of oneness in our heart firmly, we will find unity everywhere. Suppose, you love a girl. But who is this girl? She is not separate from you. It amounts to loving your own self. When you consider her separate from you, you call her your wife. But if you think in terms of unity, both of you are one. You should clearly understand this principle of oneness. In spite of the diversity of forms, there is the underlying principle of unity.
A Truly Educated Person Recognises the Unity of All
Embodiments of Love! Students!
You should all become ideal. If you become ideal, others will also become ideal. Therefore, do not observe any differences of mine and thine. All are one. Be alike to everyone. You should always remember this. Only then can you be called a true student. Otherwise, you can be merely called a literate person but not really an educated one. There is a lot of difference between an educated person and a literate one. What is the meaning of an educated person? A truly educated person is one who recognises the unity of all. Modern education gives only bookish knowledge. It is Vidya (light of knowledge) which makes us understand the principle of unity and illumines our path. In the absence of Vidya, we will have to live in the darkness of ignorance.
Embodiments of Love!
Develop love for God. If you divert your love towards worldly things, it will keep changing from time to time. Love is only one. Focus it on the principle of oneness and experience bliss. Consider all your brothers and sisters whomsoever you come across. Someone addressed a public gathering, saying ‘Brothers and Sisters except one.’ When someone asked him, he told that the one referred to his wife. It is because you tied Mangal Sutra (sacred thread worn by married women), she became your wife. If there is no Mangal Sutra, there is no husband and no wife. Therefore, all are one. Live in unity without observing any differences. Whatever little you have, share it with your fellow beings.
Arjuna won the hand of Draupadi in a Swayamvara (ceremony to select a groom by the bride). When the five Pandava brothers returned home along with Draupadi, they told mother Kunti that they had brought a wonderful fruit. Kunti did not see anyone and said from inside the house, “My dear ones! Share the fruit among five of you equally.” That is how Draupadi became the wife of all the five Pandavas. It is for this reason that Krishna publicly declared:
Draupadi dutifully obeyed the command of her husbands. She would never say to any one of them that she had no time to serve him. She was satisfied with whatever she got in life. She was the supreme example of chastity and none could match her in this respect. (Telugu Poem)
The relationship between Draupadi and the Pandavas was so intimate as if she was in them and they were in her. That is how she faithfully served all five of them. All the five brothers observed proper discipline. They could live happily because they observed discipline. You should follow the principle of oneness in order to lead a happy life. When you observe this principle of oneness, there will neither be any differences nor any anger or mistakes.
Everything is fine with Me; not only My body, but everything. My mind does not waver hither and thither. Body may undergo changes but I always remain changeless. Some people ask, “Swami! How is it that You are always smiling? Don’t You have any sorrow?” No sorrow can ever touch Me. Whatever has to happen will happen at its own time. If you unnecessarily worry about it, can you escape from it? If you start worrying, your worries will become manifold. Therefore, do not allow the worries to come near you. Once you allow a worry to enter your mind, it will not leave you. When your examinations come near, you start worrying, “How am I going to write my examinations?” Why all this? Whatever you know, you will write. Then why should you have fear? When you stop worrying, you will be able to write your examinations well. Do not have any fear even if someone comes with a gun to shoot you. He can shoot only your body, but can he shoot your mind, intellect or Atma? None can touch the Atma. How far is the Atma? The sky is far away. Nobody can tell how far away it is. That is why it is said ‘sky is blue’. How deep is the sea? None can estimate. So, they say ‘ocean is blue’. Since nobody can tell the height, width and depth of the sky and the ocean, both are described in the same manner. Similarly, none can describe the form of divinity. Hence, blue colour is ascribed to God. But in reality, God is not blue in colour. If really God were to manifest in blue colour, you would put Him in an exhibition. None can bring about any change in divinity. There may be change in you but not in your Atma. Nirgunam, Niranjanam, Sanathana Niketanam, Nitya, Shuddha, Buddha, Mukta, Nirmala Swarupinam (It is attributeless, unsullied, final abode, eternal, pure, enlightened, free and embodiment of sacredness). That is why it is said, Buddhi Grahyamatheendriyam (the Atma is beyond the ken of the senses and can be understood only by the intellect). Do not make futile efforts to change the principle of Atma.
Students should Bring a Good Name to their Parents and Institution
Earn a good name and bring a good name to your parents and society. Society can be good only when the students are good. From all quarters, I hear that our students have a good name wherever they go. You should live up to this good reputation and maintain it. This is the only desire I have. Whatever you require, I will give. In fact, I have given Myself to you. Be always happy. Do not fight and abuse each other. Live like brothers. Education is meant to foster this equality in you. You can be called truly educated only when you have this equality. What is the use of all this education if ultimately one is going to die? A mean minded person will not give up his wicked qualities in spite of all his education. You should always remain a good student. First and foremost, make your parents happy. If you cannot make your parents happy, how can you make Me happy? When you live happily with your parents in your house, I am also happy. When people say, these students are from Sri Sathya Sai College, then our institution gets a good name and you also earn a good reputation. When you go to Delhi and enquire, you will find that Sathya Sai School and Sathya Sai College are held in high esteem by the government. The recognition that our university has received is not attained by any other institution. There are many colleges which have been functioning for a number of years. But they have not been recognised. On the other hand, our college had hardly completed two years when Madhuri Shah (the then chairperson of U.G.C.) came from Delhi and said that it should be made a university. Many people opposed her, “How can we give recognition to an institution which has not completed even two years?” they argued. At that time Bhagavantham, who used to translate My Discourses, was by My side. He was a scientist. He also whispered into My ears, “Swami! This is impossible.” But I declared emphatically, “It is possible.” During the second year, the committee came and saw everything. They said that it was the topmost college and it should be given the status of a university. Madhuri Shah again came here and inaugurated it. Then she said in public, “Bhagavantham, you said it is impossible. But how has it now become possible?” In fact, this is not possible for others.
All our students are highly virtuous, learned and intelligent. You may not be aware how great name our university has in America. There are 180 students of our university in America. All of them came here some time ago. They wanted to spend their entire vacation here only and did not want to go anywhere else. Goldstein, who is the President of the Sai Organisation in America for the last 20 years, is here with us today. (Bhagawan then called Dr. Goldstein to the dais and asked him to speak).
Dr. Goldstein said, “It has been my experience with many students who have come to America that they have brought light to the Sai Organisation not only in America but all over the world. The light of Swami’s love has conveyed the divine essence to his devotees in almost 200 countries all over the world. These students have brought Swami’s message, Swami’s love and inspired the devotees to rise and aspire to achieve the realisation of their own divinity. You must realise how fortunate you are to be here at the Divine Lotus Feet, to have studied in this university and to be the ambassadors of divine love and inspiration to the world. Should it be necessary for me to live another life, I pray to Swami that He would let me come and be a student at this university.”
Long ago, when Bhagwati was at Ahmedabad, I told him, “Very soon, you will be going to Delhi.” I asked him to pack up his luggage. Bhagwati was doubtful. He said, “My name is not there in the panel. How can I go to Delhi?” Very soon, he received the orders. He was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court. Right from that day, he has never forgotten Bhagawan any moment of his life all these years. He is dear to Me.
Justice Bhagwati (former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India) said, “Today words fail me to express what I am feeling within myself. Swami has been so kind and so affectionate all these years that I can never forget. He has shaped and moulded my life. Whatever I am today is entirely because of His divine grace. My prayer to Him is that He may continue to be my Divine Master so long as I am alive. Not only in this life but in all the lives to come, I may always continue to serve Him.”
Audio Source: Sri Sathya Sai Media Centre, Radio Sai Archives
Transcript Source: ‘Benedictory Addresses’ (Edition: May 2011), published by Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division