Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

Adopting all forms; serene; Assuming all names; supreme; Sath-Chith-Anandha; the One; Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram. Education confers humility; Humility adds credentials; Credentials ensure prosperity; Prosperity assures tight living; Right living grants peace and joy Both here and hereafter. This day this Sathya Sai Grama (village) is blessed not by the dawn of the Sun, but by the dawn of anandha. Since the small hours of today until this moment, young and old, in large numbers have been busy preparing for this festival of joy and waiting with yearning eyes to welcome this delight. Such holy days are indeed very rare occasions for men. The day when deep devotees sing songs In praise of the Lord and please the ear; The day when sorrows of the poor are cured And men move close as brothers born; The day when servants of God are fed With Love and care, in thankfulness; The day when a Great One comes to us And relates thrilling tales of God; These indeed are the worthwhile days. The rest are like days dedicated to obsequies for the dead. The world now witnesses the devildance of injustice, anarchy, vice and wickedness. To end this and establish peace, tolerance, justice, joy and right living, we have to rely on the young, the students; they must become instruments for this transformation. This fact has to be recognised by all who desire a better world.

Of the four yugas, the present Kali yuga is far more congenial than the previous three (Kritha, Thretha and Dwapara yugas) for the acquisition of wisdom and the cultivation of discrimination (viveka) for, we now have many simple paths available for liberating ourselves. The scriptures say, "No, no, dear sirs, no age is equal to the Kali age! Through just smarana and chinthana, we can reach the Goal. Smarana is the process of keeping the Lord ever in the memory and chinthana is the process of thinking of His glory all the time. Many people are scared because they believe that the Kali yuga in which we live will witness the ultimate Deluge. Others call it the Kalaha yuga, the Age of Conflict, for it is now well-nigh omnipresent No, no. This age is the Golden Age for the seekers of God, for earning and learning viveka. In the past, institutions imparting education were rare. There were only a few, centred round the preceptors. They were known as Gurukulas. Now, every street has a school established therein. Knowledge is available in enormous quantities. There are also millions of means through which money can be earned. In spite of this, man is denied peace and joy. Why? The behaviour pattern, the type of activity - these are responsible. Though a person has all the virtues, when his actions and attitudes do not reveal their influence on him, he has to encounter loss and grief. So, he must cultivate justice and rectitude.

Educational institutions must adopt this royal road towards the good life. Education is losing its worth day by day because institutions seek distorted and devious roads and students are not loyal to the ideals of justice and rectitude. Vidhya must confer Vinaya - education must promote humility. Humility is totally absent today among students. Lessons on humility are found in the text books, but they are not reflected in behaviour, as precepts put into practice. In the past, emotions and feelings were trained and directed towards the achievement of humility. Why are personages like Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhwacharya, Buddha, Jesus, Zoroaster and other such religious pioneers, revered in human hearts until this day? Is their scholarship the reason? No. Their virtues and lives reflecting those virtues - these are the reasons.

Piles of books are now plentiful in bazars. Schools abound; there is no dearth of teachers. But wholesome learning and sincere teaching are not to be seen. It is for this reason that these spiritually oriented educational Sai institutions are being established to impart teaching in proper ways, in order to preserve the hearts of students in pristine purity, stability and unselfishness, to develop them into workers dedicated to the progress of Bharath, intent on removing the anxiety and gloom that have spread all over the land and determined to revive the glory of Bharatheeya culture. They are being established to fill the students of today with the courage and enthusiasm needed for this task.

There are now thousands and thousands of educational institutions in the world. But, there is a great difference between the rest and those founded by Sathya Sai. The fundamental objectives of Sai institutions are humility, adherence to discipline, and application of what is learned in daily life. If what is learned is not put into practice, the students is like a cow that does not yield milk, a fruit lacking in taste, a book bereft of wisdom. It is not really man's task to stuff his head with transient knowledge and waste time in acquiring it. He should not engage in valueless activities and fritter away years of life. When man ruins himself thus, he descends to the level of the beast. When man uplifts himself, he ascends to the level of God. Manava (man) can raise himself to Madhava (God). We have therefore to promote educational methods by which the humanness of man can be maintained and sublimated into godliness.

The Lion is the king of beasts. Yet, it turns round to watch the trail behind! It is afraid because it creates fear. Man too is nervous because he is intent on harming others. Do not entangle yourselves in violence and anger. Give up the backward look, the past habits and attitudes. Move bravely into the future. After joining the school and learning here, do not cling to old attitudes and prejudices. Watch your actions and ensure that they are right. Watch your qualities and modes of behaviour and ensure that they are also right. It is only when this is done that the true value of education and the sacredness of one's knowledge can be appreciated. The student has to pass this test in order to benefit from the education he absorbs. It is for this purpose, to revive this pure educational process, that this day the foundation stone for a Junior College was laid in this Sathya Sai village. Very soon it will rise as a beautiful building and later, it will become a limb of the Puttaparthi University. I bless that through this college and its expansion, the Sathya Sai village will develop fast. I also wish that here, too, a Degree College be established.

Since the boys coming for education from the surrounding areas are all from villages, they find it very difficult to move into towns for higher studies. It is not within their means. This college at the Sathya Sai village serves boys from villages. They will have every facility needed for their educational progress, in this rural environment. We provide hostels for all of them. My sankalpa (resolve) is to promote the advancement of villages. The children who come from villages must spend their lives in their own villages in order to develop them in every way. That alone can make their lives worth-while. This is the Sai Sankalpa - to adopt methods by which they can improve their villages, to implement those methods and to instruct them how to succeed in this mission.

Since those born in villages are trekking into towns and settling there, villages are declining. But, towns cannot exist without villages. Villages have to be fostered first. The village is the heart of the town; without it, the town becomes lifeless. Krishna was born in a village; He grew up in the village and developed its prosperity. Its fame became worldwide, on account of Him. So, we should protect and promote the village to such an extent that its renown will spread in all the quarters.

Sai Sankalpam is this children who come from a village must, after education, settle in the village itself, develop the village and purify the village atmosphere. Educated villagers now rush towards towns seeking udhyoga (jobs) there. How can any one deserve an udhyoga without first acquiring yoga? Your lives should have yoga as the goal, not udhyoga! Engage in some profession in order to secure the means to live and let the society in which you live benefit by your services to your self, to society and to the country - these are the stages which should follow one another. Because people skip the earlier stages and enter the last one, the condition of the country has deteriorated so much. Students should study well and attain a high level of education; they should serve their parents and make them happy. If you make them shed tears through your ingratitude, how can your own future be happy? Students must get the education that can inspire them to promote the happiness of their parents.

I wish that they imbibe through education the Dharma (virtue) that will shape them into heroes dedicated to the uplift of Bharath. Dear students! Become aware of your truth, start living in the light of that awareness, be humble before your parents and render obedience to them. Offer reverence to the elders of the village and speak politely to them, and be examples of moral living to the community.