Valedictory of First Overseas Convention of Chairs of Sai Centres
24 November 1998
Manam Hithva Priyo Bhavathi,
Krodham Hithva Na Sochathi,
Kamam Hithva Arthavan Bhavathi,
Lobham Hithva Sukhi Bhavathi.
As long as a person is egotistic, no one will love him including his wife and children, though they may pretend to do so. As long as there is anger in an individual, grief is inevitable. Satisfaction eludes one who is full of desires. One with greed can never be happy. Ego, anger, desire and greed are the root cause of restlessness in the world.
Embodiments of Love!
Man feels that happiness and peace of mind result from spiritual practices, but in reality it is not so. Mind is the source of happiness and sorrow. So, conquer the mind. Conquering the mind will lead you to the state of equanimity, wherein you treat the dualities alike. Vedanta has declared,
“Manayeva manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayoh
(mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation.)”
Once you control your mind, you will grow beyond the dualities of sadness and happiness.
Happiness is derived ...
We have here at the World Conference delegates from many counties, wedded to different cultures and traditions, languages and styles of dress, food etc. But, this variety should not hide from our vision, the unity of Divinity inherent in all of you. The world today is afflicted with formidable problems and fast-spreading fear–fear of war, of famine, and of demonic terrorists, problems of racial, religious and regional conflicts, of economic recuperation and survival, of student indiscipline, of credal clashes, of frenzy and fanaticism, of power-grabbing and extreme egoism. The only remedy for this creeping fear is an attitude of Vairagyam (non-attachment). When one is attached to the body-mind complex and the I-and-Mine limitation, fear is inescapable. The Adhwaithic awareness, that what we witness is but a super-imposition of our own mind on Reality; it is the best cure; and service is the most effective sadhana. Our deeds reveal our motives; our motives design our habits; our ha...
Theism is on the decline and atheism is on the rise.
Righteousness and respect for elders are gradually becoming extinct.
Devotion and ancient wisdom have become extinct.
Education has become agitation today.
Today is the sacred festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. ‘Ga’ symbolises buddhi (intellect), ‘Na’ stands for vijnana (wisdom). So, Ganapati is the master of buddhi and vijnana . The universe is sustained by ganas (gods), and Ganapati is their master. In this world, everybody has a master, but Ganapati has none. He is a master by himself. This is the birthday of the Master of Masters. Ganapati is also called Mooshika Vahana (one who has a mouse as his vehicle). You may wonder how a small mooshika (mouse) can carry on its back a hefty personality like Vinayaka. Here, mooshika does not mean a mere mouse. It symbolises the darkness of ignorance because it is in darkness that the mouse moves about. Hence, Mooshika Vahana is one who subdues ignorance and dispels darkness. It is onl...
