Expel the six enemies and elicit values
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourse
Dasara, Prasanthi Nilayam, 29 September 2006.
Embodiments of Love!
Since I came a bit late today for this afternoon programme, you all had some misapprehensions about My health. I want to assure you that I am perfectly alright. I cannot be idle, that is my nature. There were a few devotees waiting for Me there. I therefore spoke to them for sometime and made them happy. Thereafter, I started for giving darshan to the devotees in Sai Kulwant Hall. Whatever I do, it is only for satisfying the devotees. I have no other work. There is no work you can call My own. I have not come down for eating and drinking. Eating food and drinking water are of no importance to Me. Occasionally, I just sip a few drops of water and continue My talk. After all even a brand new car, needs petrol in its tank to keep it moving. Is it not?
What is educare?
These days the world is taking to strange ways. In every field — physical, moral, spiritual and worldly — there is rampant pollution. We are of two minds with the way in which the world is moving. We are both amused and sad at the state of affairs.
Humanness is very sacred. There is no greater force than humanness. Man has to pursue two kinds of education — ‘Education’ and ‘Educare’. Education is acquiring knowledge from textbooks written by someone else. Educare is manifesting the divinity latent in a human being. This is by self effort. It involves bringing out something which is already there from within, by one’s own sadhana not bringing out evil qualities that are carefully and perversely preserved in one’s bosom. Educare is bringing out or manifesting the human values of Sathya, Dharma, Santi, Prema and Ahimsa by sadhana.
The first among the five human values is Sathya (truth). Who is the author or who spoke and taught about this Sathya? It is said Manasyekam vachasyekam karmanyekam mahatmanam (those whose thoughts, words and deeds are in perfect harmony are noble ones). Such noble souls have preached this truth since time immemorial. Sathya (truth) manifests from one’s own heart.
The second value is Dharma (righteousness). Who created this Dharma? What is Dharma and what is Adharma? If you go on enquiring, it becomes clear that Dharma is not something that is created by someone. Sathyannasthi paro dharmah (there is no Dharma greater than adherence to truth). Dharma originated from Sathya.
The third value is Santi (peace). You enquire from any millionaire, “Sir! You have everything in this world for a happy living. Are you happy?” Pat comes the reply, “I have everything, but I have no peace.” Peace is not something that a person passes on or gives in charity to another person. It has to come from one’s own heart. Today, wherever you see, “only pieces, no peace.”
The fourth value is Prema (love). Where did this love come from? Did it come from mother or father or some friend? Did anyone gift it? No! Love is your very life-breath. Devoid of love, the world cannot exist.
The fifth human value is Ahimsa (nonviolence). Gautam Buddha taught Ahimsa paramo dharmah (nonviolence is the supreme dharma). But, today wherever you see, there is only violence. Like the other human values, the heart is the seat of non-violence.
The five human values Sathya, Dharma, Santi, Prema and Ahimsa are not independent of each other. They closely follow one another. These five qualities are the gift of God to a human being. We as human beings have to manifest these five human values by putting them into practice. That is ‘Educare’.
Values are natural to humans
What is the foremost quality of a human being? Speaking truth is the foremost quality of a human being. To speak untruth and talk irresponsibly does not behove a human being. If you indulge in useless and indiscriminate talk, how can it be called truth?
In fact, truth has to dance on your tongue. Before you speak something, you must enquire whether it is truth or not. “Truth is one, not two.” If there is duality, it cannot be truth. We have to speak only truth which emerges from our heart. The entire world has emerged from truth and everything merges into truth.
The clouds moving in the sky sometimes obscure the Sun. It is not possible to remove the clouds. They just come and go. Once the clouds move away, the resplendent Sun is fully visible. Similarly, it is only when the dark clouds of resolutions and confusions in our heart are cleared, truth manifests.
The panchabhutas (five elements) are natural phenomena in creation. Similarly, the five human values of Sathya, Dharma, Santi, Prema and Ahimsa are natural to human beings. Man has to manifest them from his heart and lead a natural life. They should flow from the ‘source’ and not extracted by ‘force’. Truth is pure and unsullied. Love is selfless. We have therefore to lead a selfless life. That is real love. Love does not expect anything in return. Selfishness troubles a human being in subtle ways. It is very cunning. Hence, one should not allow selfishness to come near him. If you are suffused with love, selfishness cannot approach you. Hence, develop love. Love is divine. When you are able to develop love, non-violence will come to you of its own accord. Where there is love, there can be no trace of violence. Thus, when man is able to manifest the five human values of Sathya, Dharma, Santi, Prema and Ahimsa, then his intellect becomes steady and he can walk the straight path.
Everyone has to face the consequences Of their Karma (actions). Who has made the bats to hang from the branches of a tree With their heads downward? Has Anyone tied them upside down Out of Hatred? No, it is their fate.
Likewise, Nobody can escape from
The consequences of Karma.
(Telugu poem)
None can escape karma phala
The bats will be hanging to the branches of trees with their heads downwards. They move about in darkness only. Their entire life is spent in darkness. Is it anybody’s malice that makes the bats hang heads down from their perches on the branches? No, this is not anyone’s making. It is God’s leela. Similarly, man has to follow his destiny. While experiencing the result of his past karma, it is possible that some changes can occur. Sometimes, the ways of karmaphala (fruits of action) appear to be rather strange. Once, Lord Vishnu enquired of sage Narada, “Narada! How is the world?” Narada replied,
The stories of the Lord are amazing;
It purifies the lives of the people in All the three worlds.
It is like the sickle that cuts the creepers Of worldly bondage;
It is like a good friend who helps you
In times of need,
It is like a shelter for the sages and Seers Doing penance in the forest.(Telugu poem)
Karmaphala makes the human beings dance to its tunes in several ways. People cry when someone close to them dies. Similarly, they feel happy when a child is born in the family. Is it not a fact that happiness and sorrow are the result of karmaphala? Is it not true that they are part of the divine lilas? Hence, develop the faith that whatever happens is as per the divine will. It is a common practice in the present-day world to blame others for all their ills and praise themselves when they are happy. This is not correct. Develop the attitude that everything is God’s gift and whatever happens is for our own good. Happiness and sorrow, losses and gains are all like passing clouds!
Develop good vision and good thoughts
Embodiments of Love!
first and foremost, control your thoughts. The clouds of these thoughts are moving about in the sky of your heart. The clouds, as they move will cover the sun called the intellect and the moon called the mind. It is said, Chandrama manaso jataha (the moon was born out of the mind). The moon reflects the mind’s nature. The intellect is the reflection of the sun. Both of them move about in the sky of the heart. Sometimes, our own thoughts form ‘dark clouds’. More so in the youthful stage. The ‘dark clouds’ are water-borne, meaning they are associated with desires. When such ‘dark clouds’ gather, the sun and the moon are hidden by them. It is only in the youthful stage you are troubled by an excess of thoughts. You will be drowned in them literally and will forget your very humanness. Hence, first and foremost, you have to remove those ‘clouds’. from where do these ‘clouds’ come? They are formed on account of your sankalpas (resolutions) and vikalpas (indecisiveness). Hence, first and foremost, you have to control your thoughts. If you are able to do it, then your mind and intellect will shine brightly. The mind is a bundle of thoughts. When the thoughts and resolutions are controlled, it will be clean like a placid lake. Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) tried his best to control his thoughts, when he was a youth. When he finally succeeded, he acquired a pure heart. He constantly reminded himself, “I am very proud of my birth as Bharatiya. How great and sacred is this country Bharat! How pure it is! “To whichever country he travelled, he used to teach the people of that country about the greatness of Bharat. The very thought of the sacredness of Bharat would make you great. Hence, you must constantly remind yourself of the greatness of Bharat. The students of the present times are not at all reading the life history of great people like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. They read all trash novels. They consider them as great literature. I want that you should throw away such cheap literature.
God is immanent in every human being. God is everywhere. It is said, Ekatma sarva bhutantaratma (one Atma dwells in all beings). The same Atmic principle is present in all human beings. You may have a doubt in this context, “if that is so, then why should I not make friendship with such and such person?” When his age, behaviour and thoughts are not conducive to your moral and spiritual development, you should not make friendship with such a person. If you do so, you will also become like him. “Tell me your company, I shall tell you what you are”, Its said.We should make friendship with good people. It is only in keeping with this principle, Adi Sankara in his famous treatise Bhaja Govindam declared as under:
Satsangatwe nissangathwam
Nissangatwe nirmohathwam
Nirmohatwe nischalatathwam
Nischalatathwe jivanmukti
(Sanskrit sloka)Good company leads to detachment;
Detachment makes one free from delusion;
Freedom from delusion leads to steadiness of mind;
Steadiness of mind confers liberation.
You should move with good people, speak good words and see good things. It is only when you develop good vision and good thoughts and undertake good activities, you will become a good person. You should not read bad and cheap literature. Reading such trash is like moving in bad company.
Values are like vital airs
Especially today, I don’t wish to dilate upon such topics as Divinity, spirituality, etc. What I am interested in is that you should lead your daily life in accordance with the principle of truth. The five human values of Sathya, Dharma, Santi, Prema and Ahimsa are embedded in you. They are like the five vital airs in you. They are, however, enveloped by the arishadvargas, the six enemies of kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (pride) and matsarya (jealousy). What you have to do is to throw away this outer layer of arishadvargas and bring out the five human values latent in you. If you want to draw water from a well, you have to tie a rope to a bucket and with the help of this bucket you can draw water. In the well of your heart, there is the pure water of human values. In order to draw that water from the well, you have to secure the rope of firm faith. However, people today lack such faith and become blind.
The loss of the spiritual eyes of faith leads to spiritual blindness. You should not become blind. It is only when you develop firm faith in God, will humanity be transformed into Divinity. Many people can deliver ‘speeches’. But, we do not derive satisfaction merely by listening to such speeches. We just listen to them and forget them soon after that. It should not be so. What has been listened to has to be contemplated upon and then put into action. The most important aspect is you should develop firm and unwavering faith. When the rope of faith is strong and secure, the bucket can draw out the water of the five human values from the well of your heart. This process is called ‘Educare’. Educare is to bring out that which is in the depth of one’s heart. It is not something external. It cannot be purchased from the market. Nor can it be taught by a teacher. You yourself have to strive for it. Only then can you attain self-realisation. For this, the prerequisite is self-confidence. In order to gain self-confidence, you must develop noble qualities.
Embodiments of Love!
Your education may help you to achieve a sharp intellect. But, real happiness comes from ‘Educare’ only. That should in fact, be the basis for our life. Bookish knowledge is not very important. Even those who have acquired high academic qualifications have to give importance to ‘educare’. Devoid of ‘educare’ all the education and academic achievements are useless. You may acquire high degrees, but your education is not complete without ‘educare’. Of what use is all your education? Is it only for making a living? There is no shortage in this world of highly educated people. What is it that they are doing? Did they contribute anything for promoting non-violence in the world? Do they protect dharma in any manner? Are they fostering santi (peace)? At least, are they able to live in peace? No, not at all! They are unable to live in love and harmony even with their own children. Hence, first and foremost, cultivate love and share it with all. Only then will you experience its taste. Students have all the capabilities at their disposal. They have a strong and healthy body and mind. But, if they do not put them to proper use, they will become weak physically and mentally. Such weak people cannot achieve anything in their life. A strong will is a prerequisite in the spiritual field.
Having resolved on what ought to be resolved, Hold on to your resolution till You have succeeded. Having desired What Ought to be desired, Hold on to it Till Your desire is fulfilled.
Having asked What Ought to be asked,
Do not leave The hold till you attain it. Having thought what ought to be Thought, Hold on to it till you have Succeeded.
With heart mellowed, The Lord must yield to your wishes or
With no regard for yourself, you should Ask Him with all your heart. Persevere, be tenacious, and never give up ; for it is the quality of a devotee
Never to retreat, abandoning his resolve.
(Telugu poem)
If you wish to secure good marks in the test given by God, you must have a firm resolve. This is necessary even in your worldly education. You should not, however, be satisfied with getting high academic degrees. You should not be elated by good marks; avoid bad remarks.
Only then will your education have value.
Dear students!
I am teaching you many things daily. But, you are not giving proper thought to them. You are forgetting the purpose for which you have joined our Institution. You have to recognise that purpose in the first instance. You came here with a purpose, but your actions are different. There is no use at all by such behaviour. for example, you wish to have a breakfast of idli and sambar. But, you go to a military (non-vegetarian) hotel to get those items. You have joined this Institute to sanctify your heart and make it pure. But, you are taking part in unholy activities. The reason is your mental pollution! You should not at all pollute your mind and thoughts by involving yourselves in such activities. These are the things that our elders have been teaching us since ancient times. You are students of the modern age. Along with the modern education, you should sustain our ancient traditions. It is only when you conduct yourself accordingly, will you be able to attain the happiness you wished for. Then only will your life be sanctified. Worldly education is for the life here and spiritual education is for the life hereafter. You have come here to acquire Brahma Vidya (knowledge of the Brahman), not merely worldly education. Along with academic education, you also learn spiritual education. You have to strike a balance between these two. Only then will your life be sanctified.