Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

I AM glad that the villagers of Kalkunte are so deeply aware of the benefits of education, that they have decided to give themselves a spacious new school building, for the sake of their children. Out of the meager and ' uncertain 'earnings of hard toil, they are setting apart a proportion for this good cause. This is a Temple of Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning and so the Goddess of Liberation. For, liberation comes through intellectual awareness of the unity, that underlies the diversity. Ganga is Karma (altruistie action), Yamuna is bhakthi (divine devotion) and at Prayag, a third river Saraswathi joins them, to flow towards the Sea - the Saraswathi, symbolising jnana (spiritual knowledge). The hearts of children are unsullied by sensual desires. Teachers and parents, comrades and elders, spoil them by their conduct and example. They tarnish their immaculate nature. If only they are allowed to grow in the proper spiritual atmosphere, if they are allowed to approach God, then, they become good, just, humble and pure. That does not mean they will be weak; they will be strong, with all the strength of Truth. Then, they will be invaluable assets to the nation; but, now, when schools are denied the spiritual atmosphere, they grow up into handicaps on the road to progress, problems to themselves as well as to the nation. This is the reason why I have entered the field of education, and established colleges for the new era, for both boys and girls, in different states.

The Minister for Education spoke now of God being the electric current, illuminating all bulbs, of whatever candle power. But, the switch that operates the current is in the heart of each one. You can turn it on or off! You can deny God and flit about blind in the darkness, hitting your head at every obstacle. Or, you can switch on and benefit by the light. Even the heaviest burden becomes light, when His light falls on you. Darkness breeds disease and distress; light reveals, makes aware, and makes the vision clear, the faith strong and stable. When we speak of the electric current, you have to consider the positive and the negative, which together produce it. The positive pole is' Grace, Divine Majesty, Might, Compassion, basking in His Glory. The negative pole is: the consciousness 'Not I,' 'Not mine;' the denial of the deluding experiences of the waking, the dream and the deep sleep stages; the destruction of the warp and woof of the mind; the process of weeding and cleaning. Villages in this country are torn by internal factions; they are suffering from the consequences of disunity. No useful work can succeed when one half of the village is against it, for the simple reason that the other half is initiating it! Individual likes and dislikes, prejudices and predilections are exaggerated into poisonous fumes of hatred and envy; so, love, faith, enthusiasm, co-operation, are unable to raise their heads. The task of providing health, education and happiness to the villagers is severely curtailed thereby. The head, hands, stomach and feet are parts of the body; they have no separate existence, apart from the body. They are all comprised under one name: Body. When we speak of Pullayya or Mallayya, we mean the composite of all these - limbs, organs, nerves, breath - all. If any limb is injured, Pullayya suffers. If any limb is set right, the entire Pullayya benefits. Kalkunte too is one body and its limbs are the many households that comprise this village. Each house may have a different name or description; Srinivas, Lakshmi Nivas, or simply, 'the house of Padhmanabha,' but, all are included in the one name, Kalkunte! All households must act like one. One limb should not fight against another.

I am glad this village has an ancient temple and that it is kept very clean, with all the traditional rites of daily worship, scrupulously followed in practice. A temple where God is adored as a living entity is as the heart to an individual. It is said that you should not sleep in a village where there is no temple; for, the people there are sure to be so ungodly that your life is in danger amidst such unbelievers. God is the guardian, the corrector, the admonisher, the saviour; so, people must get into the habit of calling on Him, as a living Presence. The temple helps soften the hearts! It instils the virtues of compassion and charity. Greed and cruelty will spread in an atmosphere that has no devotion and adoration to God. Make yourselves into moving temples. Become aware of the God that resides in you. It is He who protects you, provides for you, prevents you from falling a prey to pernicious propensities. The One is known by many names; the One is pictured in many Forms. There is only One Truth. People discern one facet at a time; their vision is too limited to see it whole. The shortest moment of peace, the slightest taste of Bliss that any being gets here is but a drop of spray from the wave on the Ocean of Peace and Bliss, which is God. Why then hate, compete in pride of possession, and suffer grief and pain? It is good to cooperate, love, live in harmony, and be aware that you are He and He is you.