Embodiments
of Divine Love!
A steady mind, truthful
speech and a body dedicated to
service - these are the
three most important requisites for life. In the
Vedanta, this is called: Trikarana Suddhi -
Purity of the three instruments. The
Upanishads define manava (man) to mean
"one who trusts and can be trusted". Every person
lives only on the basis of this trust or faith. From dawn
to dusk, all our activities are made possible only by
faith.
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Education must promote faith in God
To what ends do people
use faith? Do they use it to perform daily tasks, to be
blissful, or in service to others? Do men use faith in
the right direction? We have faith in everything. It is
only with faith that we go to the market or travel in a
car. We promise to fulfill tasks in the future, fully
expecting to be alive the next day. All actions are
initiated only by faith. But humans, who have faith in
everything, do not have faith in the existence and
omnipotence of God.
What is the reason?
Worldly objects are related to the senses. The power
beyond the senses, although omnipresent, is
invisible. For this reason, man is not able to believe in
it. But does man believe only what he sees and reject
everything that is unseen? Can he see his mind? Is his
happiness visible to him? Although they are invisible, he
knows they exist. But due to weakness, he trusts only the
visible. So he doesn't trust his own mind, his self. Our
ancient culture urges us to pursue education in order to
cultivate strong, immovable faith in the reality. What
kind of education? Not worldly education. Worldly
education caters only to your selfishness.
From the time you
wake up, till you sleep again,
You struggle constantly only to fill the stomach.
Earning worldly education by forgetting the Lotus-Eyed
Lord,
What great happiness do you enjoy, tell me truly, o
man?
What happiness is man
able to enjoy from worldly education? People only think
that they get happiness from such education, but it is
temporary. Lasting bliss is obtained only in spiritual
education. Man enters school early in childhood and
perseveres for years, learning many subjects, only to
fulfill ambitions for wealth and reputation. He feels
proud of his learning and degrees. But this education is
not something you should be proud of.
Pustakamul
Pathinchitini, Poortiga Joochiti Sarva Saastramul,
Nistulamaina Vidyalanu Nerchitinanchunu Garvamela Nee
Hastayugambu Modchi Paramaatmuni Bhakti To Kolvaleni
Ee Prastuta Vidyalanniyunu Dhaatri Nirarthakambu Kada, o
Manava?
"I have read texts,
looked at all sciences" -
Why pride yourself so, on useless learning?
If you cannot join your palms and express devotion to
God,
Aren't all your studies a total waste, o
man?
Worldly studies,
diplomas, and degrees cannot be called "education". These
studies gradually destroy even human qualities. Peace is
obtained only when human qualities are merged with our
divinity.
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Sândîpani's Hermitage
After Kamsa's
death [S.B.
10.44],
Devakî and Vasudeva arranged for the
schooling of Krishna and Balarâma.
Till then, the boys had not even learned the alphabet.
Why? Nanda and Yas'odâ were afraid
that if they admitted Krishna into any gurukula,
Kamsa might send demons there and endanger the lives of
many other children.
In the interest of true
education, it was the practice in ancient India to send
children away from home to a gurukula where
everyone, whether sons of emperors or ordinary people,
stayed as equals in the guru's house. You heard
Prahlâda's story [chapter
8]. Although
he was a prince, he stayed in the house of his gurus,
Shanda and Amarka. He did not stay at home
like "day-scholars" of today.
So,
Krishna and Balarâma were sent to the hermitage of
Guru Sândîpani. Sândîpani's
âs'ram was neither in Mathurâ nor in
Vrindâvana. It was in the holy city of
Kâsî [S.B.
10.45].
Leaving Krishna and Balarâma in Kâsî
their parents lived fearlessly in Mathurâ. The
students of those days excelled in physical prowess and
intellectual acumen. Still, they were ever humble and
obedient and tread the path of sathya and
dharma under the guru's guidance.
Although Krishna and
Balarâma had destroyed many demons in infancy and
earned universal fame, they performed household chores in
Sândîpani's house, lived their guru's
commands and acquired true education. They would go into
the forest daily and fetch firewood for the kitchen. Only
by following the disciplines of the gurakulas in
humility, students of those days transformed themselves
into ideal men and set glorious examples for
posterity.
Sândîpani had
only one son, who died young. Sândîpani and
his wife bore this burden of sorrow with great effort. In
those days, there was a practice called
guru-dakshina. After completing their education,
before departing to become householders, students would
make a token offering of gratitude to their guru. This
offering was guru dakshina. Balarâma and
Krishna also went to Sândîpani. Standing
humbly with folded hands, they prayed, "Guru Deva! It
is time for us to return home. Kindly tell us what we may
offer to you as guru-dakshina."
Sândîpani
said, "My dear sons! It was my greatest good fortune to
be guru to ideal students like you. Your prowess and
divine attributes are known the world over. During your
stay here, your behavior was exemplary, not requiring a
single corrective remark from me. What can I ask of
divine personages like you?" Thinking for a while,
Sândîpani said: "Balarâma, Krishna! You
are all-knowing and all-powerful. Once you resolve upon a
task, you achieve it under all circumstances. I have
cherished a desire for long. My son died many years ago.
I want you to resurrect him and bring him back to
me."
Balarâma and
Krishna set out. With their superhuman abilities, after
much exertion, they were able to bring the boy back to
life. In this manner, they exemplified how students
should spend time in a gurukula, display humility
and selfconfidence, honor the guru, and enhance the
reputation of their parents.
-
The Establishment of Dharma
Meanwhile, the King of
Magadha, Jarasândha,
along with his allies, attacked Mathurâ.
Jarasândha was Kamsa's father-in-law. He hated
Krishna and wanted to avenge Kamsa's death.
Jarasândha attacked not once or twice but seventeen
times! Hearing this news, Balarâma and Krishna
hurried to Mathurâ from Sândîpani's
hermitage. The brothers thought: "Why have we taken
Avatârs? To free the world from sinners, to
strengthen the forces of good."
By killing
Jarasândha, his gargantuan armies would not be
depleted. So they decided to eradicate his army and spare
him. Whenever Jarasândha attacked, Krishna and
Balarâma annihilated his army and sent him back
unharmed. Jarasândha would return with another
army, go back defeated again and so on. Thus, he invited
humiliation upon himself seventeen times. Finally,
Krishna eliminated Jarasândha also.
All the kings who
professed friendship with Jarasândha formed a
clique. Name a king, and he was a hater of Krishna. These
kings began harassing the Yâdavas. Krishna gave
this matter much thought. He wanted to provide sanctuary
to the Yâdavas in a secure place. He summoned the
architect of the heavens, Vishvakarma, and told him to
build a city in the middle of the sea [see also
S.B.
1.10].
Vishvakarma could construct any structure by mere
willing. He obeyed Krishna and built
Dvârakâ. Overnight, Krishna
transported all the Yâdavas to this miraculous
city.
The world still abounded
in tyrants and demons, and Balarâma and Krishna
evolved strategies to destroy them. Dvârakâ
was the most beautiful city in the world.
Dvârakâ's beauty spoke of its heavenly
origin, in contrast to man-made cities, which were plain.
The Yâdavas were able to lead secure and happy
lives in Dvârakâ. Students should recognize
the difference between the Yâdavas and
gopikas.
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Humility and Obedience
The Yâdavas
thought: "Krishna is our relative, our friend." They
related to Krishna with attachment based on pride. This
wrong kind of attachment fed their ego constantly,
bringing about their destruction many years later. But
the gopikas were different. Instead of telling
Krishna, "You are ours", they said, "We are Yours." This
surrender earned them security and divine love all their
lives. Humility and obedience poured out of the
gopalas and gopikas. Humility and obedience
are very essential for everyone, especially for
students.
Education
teaches humility,
Humility grants deservedness,
Deservedness bestows wealth,
Wealth facilitates acts of
dharma,
Dharma grants fulfillment here and
hereafter.
The student stage is a
peculiar period. It comes and goes as a flash across the
screen of life. It is in youth that man ruins his future
years. Young people run after fleeting joys and
jeopardize the rest of their life. Human life itself is
temporary. And this period of youth is still more
temporary! Students today enter into unnecessary gossip,
indulge in unrighteous acts, pursue destructive goals and
cause insecurity to the nation. This is not what students
should be doing.
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Expand your Heart
Students are meant to
establish peace and security in the nation and the world.
They should serve fellowmen and aspire for the welfare of
all. This should be their chief aim. But sadly, they
follow the opposite path. Modern students have no respect
for gurus, no love or respect for parents. Who else will
they respect? What good is their schooling if such is
their behavior? Prahlâda said: "Father! I have
learnt the essence of all education." [see
S.B.
7.5-10] What
is this essence? It is only the expansion of the heart,
blossoming of discrimination.
But the students of today
have extremely narrow hearts. Their love is "contracted".
Therefore, students need to practice "expansion of love".
You must renounce the distinctions of "I" and "they".
Just as you amass wealth by working diligently over
years, you must amass peace and contentment by
entertaining divine feelings. Humanness can be
transformed into divinity only when peace and contentment
are allowed to flourish.
One who knows swimming
(eeta) does not worry about the depth of the
water. Similarly, one who knows the
Gîtâ [see Bhagavad
Gîtâ, the Divine
Song, with
comments taken from the writings of Bhagavân Sathya
Sai Baba] is not worried about the unrest in the
world. He just follows the divine command, lends peace to
the society and crosses this ocean of birth and
death.
Therefore, we must
practice God's words in every situation. Not just
practice, but derive bliss therefrom and share it with
others. Instead of selfishness (svârtham),
share your joy with others in the spirit of spirituality
(parârtham). Only then can society become
ideal.
Students! You were born
in society, brought-up in society and you are living in
society. If you are not sensitive to the needs of
society, for how long do you expect society to nourish
you? Through your education, you must ensure peace and
security for all. We should not lead a life of isolation
like a drop of oil on a leaf. You should live in harmony,
in unity with all. Understand the suffering and pain of
others and make efforts to relieve them, thereby
increasing your own purity. Only then will your life be
meaningful.
Students are future
leaders. The ones on whom the future will place such
responsibility should promote righteousness. If we have
only God's grace, we need not fear wherever we go. Exert
your utmost to become worthy of such grace.The one who
buys a ticket can sit anywhere in a train. He is not
worried about anyone asking him to leave. But the
ticketless passenger mistakes every uniformed official
for the ticket collector! He is in constant fear.
Likewise, the one who acquires the ticket of divine grace
can go anywhere without worry. He will not bend in any
situation.
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Faith in yourself is Faith in God
Today, we experience
frustration, worry and fear every moment. What is the
reason? We have no faith. Faith is absolutely essential.
Lack of faith makes man susceptible to imaginary fears.
What is faith? You must believe in yourself! That is
self-confidence. Self-confidence is the strong foundation
of our lives. On this foundation build the wall of
self-satisfaction. Lay the roof of self-sacrifice on this
wall. Then you will earn the bliss of
self-realization.
First develop
self-confidence, without which you will experience many
troubles. Self-confidence is faith in God. One with such
faith has no problems. Lack of self-confidence is also
the reason for not doing well at studies. Students say:
"I study, but I don't remember my lessons." One without
self-confidence lacks memory power. With self-confidence
comes memory power. Hence, develop confidence and stand
out as examples.
Students! First believe
in yourselves! Faith in yourself and faith in God -
This is the secret of greatness. Life will have no
value if you do not have faith in yourself. You and God
are not separate. Faith in yourself is the same as faith
in God.
Swami wants students to
be ideal. With ideal students, Bharath will become
an ideal nation. Mainly, students should not entertain
differences of community, caste, religion, color, and
nationality. All are children of God. "Brotherhood of
Man. Fatherhood of God." People of all nations are
humans. There is only the caste of humanity. All are
brothers, brothers, brothers.
But there is one feeling
higher than the feeling of brotherhood. That is the sense
of unity on the basis of the one Âtmâ.
Sometimes there is animosity even between brothers. So,
the unity of the Âtmâ is better than
brotherhood. It is not easy to develop, but do not give
up, saying it is not possible.
You can achieve
whatever you desire! Students should cultivate
such determination. Without determination, you cannot
achieve anything. Don't say: "I will try." Say, "I must
do"! Don't even use the word "try". If you say "try", it
will be "dry"! So say, "I must do".
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Observe Limits
Students are not at
fault. Parents and teachers lead them astray. How? They
consider worldly life to be permanent. Yes, we need
worldly life. But there is something beyond. An example:
Consider a game of football [soccer] with six
players on each team. There are goal posts at either end.
If the ball passes between the posts, a goal is scored.
The two goal posts are worldly and spiritual knowledge.
Our life is the ball. The six evil qualities (lust,
anger, greed, envy, pride, attachment) are one team.
Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema, Ahimsâ, and
Prakruthi Dharma (worldly responsibility) form the
other team. The ball of life is kicked by both teams. The
ball should pass between the two boundary posts to score
a goal. Beyond the boundary posts, it is only "out", not
a goal.
Today, you are kicking
the ball beyond the boundaries. Hence you are not
succeeding. Act within limits, and you will be
victorious. Nah Sreyoh Niyamam Vinah - Lasting
happiness cannot be gained without limits and rules.
Without limits, life is meaningless. For example. body
temperature has a limit of 98.4oF.
99oF is considered a fever. Blood pressure is
normal at 120/80. If it touches 90, it signals trouble.
Similarly, our eyes can see only a limited brightness.
Too much brightness burns the retina. "Life is a limited
company". Do not cultivate ego. Earn respect by observing
limits.
You will ruin your minds
with unlimited desire. It is normal to have ambitions,
but ensure that your ideals are pure. Note the difference
between desires (aasa) and ideals (aasaya).
It does not matter if desires are not realized, but take
care that ideals are never violated. Students should be
disciplined. Without discipline, life becomes an animal's
existence. Cultivate discipline in your daily lives and
become ideal men and women.
Jarâsandha:
the
son of Jarâ, uncle of Krishna and brother of Kamsa
who with twenty-three armies was defeated seventeen times
by Krishna who used him to assemble His enemies to defeat
them before He withdrew in Dvârakâ (see S.B.
10: 50). Rukmî and S'is'upâla were his
allies.