WHETHER one is a renowned scholar with expert knowledge of the deeper levels of religious lore, or a monarch revelling in the brilliance of palatial luxury, or a hero of many battles, or a miserable victim of poverty - if one has no devotion to the Lord, one does not deserve homage, honour or attention.
The physical body, the senses, the mind, the intellect - these are all to be considered as the clothes we wear. We are advised to control our senses but this can be done only when their true nature is analysed and known. When that is not known, various obstacles present themselves. The body is known as dheha , which means 'that which is consumed by fire.' It is burnt on the pyre when life departs and consumed by the flames of desire when life persists. It burns on the pyre of anxiety and fear, even when alive! There is another word, shareera , meaning 'that which wastes away,' which also means body. While living, it is afflicted by wants and wishes which rob it of peace. When dead, it b...
Discourse delivered at the inaugural function of workshop for teachers and field workers involved in the programme of Education in Human Values
07 March 1986
THE five-lettered word WATCH can be as potent a mantra in promoting the five basic Human Values Truth, Righteous conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence - as the Panchakshari mantra - Namah-Sivaya in promoting the spiritual progress of a sadhaka. Three categories of people support and sustain human society - those who produce, those who guard and those who guide - the workers, the soldiers and the teachers - the Karshaka, the Rakshaka, and Sikshaka. A society can be strong only when those who produce the food, clothing and shelter are well equipped and active, when the guardians of law and order and those in charge of the frontiers are patriotic and skilled, and when those who open the eyes of children and unfold their innate richness are full of love and understanding. These three are like the three legs of a tripod. But as a mere structure with three legs the tripod cannot be useful and efficient. The people who are the concern and under the care of the three categories form th...
THE resolutions made at this Conference, the rules and regulations flamed here for the Units of the Organisation, must be taken by you as the Royal Road to the Divine Presence. They render the journey smooth and quick. As children of Bharath, you have to foster the ideals of its ancient culture guarding it by the discipline these rules prescribe. So far, as a result of mental and intellectual weakness, you are finding it impossible to adhere to those ideals and to observe the vow and restrictions that they impose. Though we have been laying down many rules, and restrictions and guidelines during the last five years for the proper working of the Units, and emphasising their importance, they have been more misused than made-use-of for the betterment of the Organisation.
As a result of misuse, you find yourselves helpless in cleansing the blemishes in your own minds and eradicating the evils rampant in society. The brightness of the sky is hidden by a thick fog; so too, the fog of evil an...
The Gurus, versed in yoga in ages past, Shed all fascination for the physical, All dependence on desire. The Gurus, all through the centuries, Lead such lives and lead others too! EDUCATION has the responsibility of rendering every field of life fruitful and beneficial. It has a duty to the nation to make people skilful and upright. Unfortunately the educational institutions of today are following a contrary path. Man alone, among living beings, has the capacity to recognise the Divinity in himself and in all else, the sacredness of his mission and the capacity to realise his manhood, which implies detachment, renunciation, virtuous conduct and disciplined behaviour. But these qualities are not developed to any significant extent by our education today. We now believe that the acquisition of knowledge is for the acquisition of wealth. But this is not right. True education is really related to the very consummation of life. It has to do with the goal of life more than the means of livi...
Man is essentially mind, and mind is a composite of thoughts. These thoughts shape his fortunes. We are experiencing the effects of the actions provoked by such thoughts. What exactly is the reason why the world today is different from what it ought to be? The reason is human activities are not of the nature they ought to follow. Why, then, these activities? Because, man’s thoughts are polluted; they lead him into wrong paths. The remedy, therefore, lies in reshaping these thoughts so that they are pure, holy, tending towards detachment and service to others. Every activity of man has an urge which impels it. When he goes to the bazar, it is to shop for provisions. When he reaches home with them, that activity ends. That urge is over, purpose is served. The student goes to school to acquire education. Each little act of ours has to be in pursuit of a goal. We forget that the great big activity of living on the earth for years and years and years must also have a goal, a purpose, an ...
