Youth is characterised by sterling virtues - Divine Discourse

[Guest guest]

Source:

http://pavanaputra.tripod.com/kerala/kerala03.htm

http://www.sairam.ar.cx/

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

YOUTH IS CHARACTERISED BY STERLING VIRTUES

 

>From Bhagavan's Divine Discourse in Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall,

Brindavan (Whitefield), Bangalore on 12th April 2003 on the occasion

of Kerala Youth Camp.

 

 

 

Neither the study of the Vedas and Vedangas nor the other scriptures

can cut asunder the veil of Maya that separates the individual soul

from God. The individuals on one side of the veil of Maya and God is

on the other side. The action is on one side and the cause on the

other.

 

(Telugu Poem)

 

Young Men and Women!

 

PEOPLE think that youth means young boys and girls. But this is not

so. Youth denotes certain qualities. The main qualities of the youth

are purity, sacredness and courage. But today the youth are

generally associated with Arishadvargas (six inner enemies), namely,

Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya (desire, anger, greed,

infatuation, pride and jealousy). The youth should understand the

power of the senses and make proper use of them. They should possess

courage and strength of character. Their speech and behaviour should

be proper.

 

Put Human Values into Practice

 

The youth should have Satsanga. People think Satsanga means the

company of good people but it is not so. Sath means truth which is

changeless in all the three periods of time. It is uniformly present

in Trikalas (three periods of time), Trilokas (three worlds) and

Trigunas (three attributes). Sath is very sacred. It gives happiness

in all the three periods of time. To live in the company of Sath is

true Satsanga. Satsanga is very essential to develop good behaviour.

Manu, who first codified Dharmasastra (treatise on Dharma) and

propagated it to the world, laid great emphasis on the importance of

Satsanagated it to the world, laid great emphasis on the importance

of Satsanga. The three main principles of his teachings are: Bhadram

Pashyantu (see good), Bhadram Srunvantu (hear good) and Bhadram

Kurvantu (do good). These are most important ideals for the youth.

But if we enquire deeply into the truth, we will realise that these

three principles are necessary not only for the youth but for one

and all. You should not think that it is difficult to practise these

ideals. It is not difficult at all. To practise noble qualities is

the easiest of all paths. We find it difficult because we do not

follow the right approach. First and foremost, you should have right

vision, right hearing and right actions.

 

 

 

Your eyes should be filled with compassion. Your words should be as

sweet as honey. You should have a smiling countenance and your heart

should be filled with nectarine feelings giving joy to one and all.

 

(Telugu Poem)

 

-

 

Students!

 

Dharmasastra propounded by Manu is very important for man. Based on

Manu's Dharmasastra is what is now called law. But law is not

practised in life today. Man should always be smiling. Only then can

he radiate peace to others. Smile adds beauty to humanness.

Sacredness is an essential quality of a human being. But when does

he become sacred? He attains sacredness when he practises human

values in his life. Man loses his sacredness if he lacks human

values. So, man should put human values into practice. One bereft of

human values is not a human being but verily a demon. Suppose you

come across your enemy while walking on the road. If you look at him

as an enemy, the hatred in him will increase manifold and there may

be a fight between you and him on the road itself. Instead, if you

greet him with a smiling face, "Hello, my friend", he too will

reciprocate the same and the hatred between you and him will be

removed. You can develop friendship only by talking in an amiable

way. Through good words, you can develop unity among youth and

spread happiness everywhere.

 

Develop Nearness and Dearness to God

 

There are three stages on the path to self-realisation. I am in the

Light. The Light is in me. I am the Light. When you realise that you

are the Light, you will find light everywhere. You can attain this

ultimate state through devotion and self-surrender. When a question

is raised, where is God, some people say, He-is in my heart. It is

not the correct answer. (Bhagavan showing His handkerchief) Where is

this handkerchief? It is in My hand. Hence, My hand is bigger than

the handkerchief. Likewise, when you say, God is in your heart, it

means you are superior to God. Hence, do not say God is in you. You

are in God. Once you realise this truth, you will naturally develop

humility and devotion. Then the feeling of hatred will be totally

eradicated.

 

Self-enquiry can lead man to bliss. As I said in the morning, anger

is the root cause of hatred. Love cannot grow in you until and

unless you uproot anger.

 

 

 

One with anger will not be successful in any of his endeavours. He

will commit sins and will be ridiculed by one and all.

 

(Telugu Poem)

 

His own people will abandon him. He will lose all respect and

wealth. His anger will ruin him completely.

 

(Telugu Poem)

 

 

 

Hence, do not give room to anger. Once anger enters your heart, all

other wicked qualities will follow. Fill your heart with love. Then

hatred and anger cannot approach you. Due to the impact of Kali

Yuga, anger, ego and jealousy are on the rise among the youth today.

 

Consequently, humanness is being totally forgotten.

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

Let love permeate each and every drop of your blood. Shun all wicked

qualities. The Upanishads declare: Tattwamasi (That Thou Art). Tat'

denotes the transcendental principle of Divinity. It is referred to

as That' because it is beyond the senses. Twam' corresponds to the

individual T. Hence, Tattwamasi denotes, "You are That". Vedanta

mainly deals with two aspects - That' and 'this'. That' is beyond

the senses and 'this' is within the purview of the senses. You are

not 'this'. You are That'. You should understand and experience this

truth. Since Tat' transcends your senses, you are unable to

understand its form. Twam' is near you. So, you can visualise its

form clearly. In order to visualise Tat' clearly, you have to

transform it into Twam'. Only then can you say, "I am I".

 

Suppose you see a rope at a distance while you are walking on the

road. A question arises in your mind, what 'that' is. As it is at a

distance, you mistake it for a snake. When you go near the rope and

flash torchlight on it, you will realise, 'this' is a rope and not a

snake. So long as the rope is far away ('that'), you have doubts.

When you go near and see ('this'), the doubt is cleared. When you

mistake it for a snake, you are fear-stricken. When you go near and

see, the fear vanishes. What is the cause of fear in man? He thinks

Divinity is away from him and has doubts regarding its true form.

First and foremost, go near Divinity. Then you will be free from

fear. This is the teaching of the Upanishads. 'Upa' means near, 'ni'

means down and 'shad' means to sit. Hence, Upanishads take you

closer to Divinity. Once you go near Divinity, you can visualise

your true form. The Upanishads prove the nearness of Divinity.

Wherever you are, you should think that you are in Divine proximity.

It is not enough if you are near God, you should be dear to Him.

Once you develop nearness and dearness to God, you will be rid of

fear.

 

Students!

 

The teachings of the Upanishads and the Dharmasastra of Manu are

very subtle. Only on deep enquiry will you be able to comprehend

their significance. Your entire being is divine. But you are unable

to understand the latent divinity in humanity. You are studying a

number of books and acquiring various types of education. You are

able to know everything except yourself.

 

Once Narada met Sanat Kumara and requested him to grant him the

knowledge of the Self. Sanat Kumara asked, "What makes you think

that you are eligible to acquire the knowledge of the Self?" Narada

replied that he had mastered the four Vedas and the six Sastras.

Then Sanat Kumara said, "Narada, what is the use of studying the

Vedas and scriptures without putting them into practice? If you had

practised what you have learnt, you would have certainly acquired

the knowledge of the Self." In this manner, Sanat Kumara imparted a

great teaching to Narada. All your study of the Vedas, scriptures

and your visits to pilgrimage centres will be of little value unless

you know your true Self. Instead of questioning others, "Who are

you?" first question yourself, "Who am I?" Who am I? I am Sai Baba.

Once you know who you are, you will know about everyone else. Lord

Krishna said, Mamaivamsho Jivaloke Jivabhuta Sanathana (the eternal

Atma in all beings is a part of My Being). Every being is a

reflection of Divinity. The object and its reflection are not

different from each other. When you understand this unity, you will

not be deluded by multiplicity. You should see unity in diversity.

But today man is doing just the opposite. He feels proud of his

intelligence and tries to show that he is very clever. Consequently,

he becomes egoistic. Ego ruins his very life.

 

The World is your Reflection, Reaction and Resound

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

Know yourself in the first instance. When you know yourself, you

will know everything else. It is very essential that youth

understand this truth. You cannot call yourself youth on the basis

of your age and physical strength. Who is a youth? A youth is one

who is endowed with love, truth and bliss. When you realise your

true Self, you will be full of bliss. Then you will be free from all

worries. If you are devoid of bliss and haunted by worries, it only

means that you do not know who you really are. You are the

reflection of God. Whatever you see is reflection, whatever you hear

is resound and whatever you experience is reaction. Such being the

case, why should you worry?

 

Once upon a time, a cowherd boy took some cows for grazing to a

nearby hill. As the cows were grazing, he started singing a song. He

heard the echo of his own singing and was perplexed. He thought

another person was trying to imitate him and ridicule him. He was

very angry. He shouted, "Who are you? Why do you sing the song I

sing?" He at once heard the echo of all that he said. He felt

humiliated and wanted to know the person who was imitating and

insulting him. When he returned home in the evening, he narrated all

that had happened to his mother. The next day, his mother

accompanied him to the hill and asked him to sing again. Again the

echo was heard. The mother smiled and said, "Son, what you hear is

the echo of your song from the hills." The boy was amazed. Till then

he was ignorant of such a phenomenon. He was never again upset when

he heard his song echoing in the hills, for he knew it was merely a

resound. Man's lack of knowledge of truth is the cause of anger,

hatred and jealousy in him. When he realises that the whole world is

but a resound and reflection of his own feelings then he will not

develop anger, hatred, jealousy, etc., against others. Saint

Thyagaraja sang, Telisi Rama Chinthana Cheyave Manasa (Oh mind! Know

the truth and contemplate on Lord Rama). There is no point in

chanting the Name of Rama without realising its efficacy.

 

Whatever you hear outside is only a resound. We are the cause of our

own sorrow. No one else can pass on sorrow to us. We will not take

it if others want to give it to us. It comes from within us.

Whatever you experience outside is your own reaction, reflection and

resound. When you understand this truth and conduct yourself

accordingly, you will be full of bliss. If you want to understand

the principle of Divinity, try to understand who you are.

 

Three Debts of Man

 

Every man is born with three types of debts - Daiva Runam (debt to

God), Rishi Runam (debt to sages) and Pitru Runam (debt to parents).

You have to perform noble deeds in order to repay the debt to God.

God pervades each and every limb of your body. He is present in

every atom and every cell of your body in the form of Rasa

(essence). That is why God is extolled as Angirasaya Namah

(salutations to the One who pervades everything in the form of

essence). In the waking state, you think that you protect your body.

But who is safeguarding your body while you are asleep? He is none

other than God. He pervades your body from top to toe in the form of

Rasa and protects you in all the three states of existence - Jagrat,

Swapna and Sushupti (waking, dream and deep sleep). Such being the

case, is it riot your duty to be grateful to God? In order to

express your gratitude to Him, you should have Satsanga, develop

noble feelings and perform sacred actions. As God is protecting you

at all times, it is your foremost duty to repay your debt to Him.

When you conduct yourself in a noble way and help others in society,

you repay your debt to God.

 

The next debt you have to clear is the debt to sages who compiled

the Vedas, Sastras, Itihasas and Puranas (scriptures, epics and

mythologies).They understood the nature of Divinity and propagated

it to the worid.You can repay their debt by putting their teachings

into practice. The third debt is debt to parents. Mother carries you

in her womb for nine months and looks after you with love and care.

Father provides you food, clothing and education. That is why our

scriptures extol mother and father to the level of God. Matru Devo

Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava (revere your mother and father as God). ' It

is your bounden duty to express your gratitude to your parents. Once

you repay all these three types of debts, you will attain the

heavenly abode of the Trinity -Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. But the

present-day youth lack respect for their parents. They do not even

talk lovingly to their mother who gave them birth and brought them

up with love and care.

 

Students!

 

You may study well and earn name and fame in society but never

forget that you owe all this to your parents. He is a worst sinner

and betrayer who does not pay respect and express gratitude to his

parents. Mother, father, teacher and God;

 

this is the order of priority given by our ancients. The mother is

accorded the highest place because it is in her lap that the child

learns its first lessons. Mother Kausalya earned great esteem as she

gave birth to Lord Rama and brought Him up in an ideal manner. It is

in this context that Saint Thyagaraja sang thus:

 

 

 

Oh Rama! What great penance did Mother Kausalya perform to deserve

the good fortune of planting kisses on Your radiant and tender

cheek? What great penance did King Dasaratha perform to earn the

right to address You affectionately as his son ?

 

(Telugu Song)

 

-

 

Divine personalities are born to such noble parents only as a result

of great penance performed by them. Saint Thyagaraja described at

length the great good fortune of Mother Kausalya and King Dasaratha.

 

Women in general symbolise love and devotion. In the palace of God,

women have the right to enter the Antahpura (inner chambers) whereas

men have access only to the Durbar Hall (outer chambers). It means

that those who are filled with devotion and sense of surrender have

a closer access to God.

 

You can See God with Eyes of Wisdom

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

Fill your heart with devotion and sense of surrender. Contemplate on

the Name of God at all times, both in times of happiness and sorrow.

Then you will remain unaffected by worries. Never be in haste. Haste

makes waste, waste makes worry. So, do not be in a hurry. Understand

that God is everywhere. He is in you, with you, around you, above

you and below you. There is no place without God. Sarvata Panipadam

Tat Sarvathokshi Siromukham, Sarvata Sruthimalloke Sarvamavruthya

Tishthati (with hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading

everything, He permeates the entire universe).

 

When I say God is everywhere, you may ask, "Where is He? Show me."

Yes, I am ready to show God, but do you have the eyes to see Him?

You have the tongue to ask but not the eyes to see. Here I mean the

eyes of wisdom and not the physical eyes. Even the birds and insects

are endowed with physical eyes which can see the external world.

Snakes, scorpions, frogs, etc., all have physical eyes, but are they

able to see God? You cannot expect to see God with physical eyes.

You have to acquire the eyes of wisdom by developing love, devotion

and sense of surrender. Once you have the eyes of wisdom, you will

consider God very close to you. You will treat Him as your dear old

friend. Saint Thyagaraja developed such intimacy with the Lord. That

is why he could compose songs in which he addressed Lord Rama in

intimate terms, just as one addresses one's close friend. One of

those famous songs is, "Ra Ra Maa Intidaaka..." (Oh Rama, come to

our house). When you invite a new friend to your house, you will

address him using respectful words. On the other hand, when you

invite your old friend, you don't address him in a formal honorific

way. You will call him in an informal way with all intimacy and

freedom. You should experience such intimacy with God because He is

your dear old friend. Do not consider God to be someone above you.

Treat Him as your own. It is possible only when you develop love.

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

Make every effort to repay the debt to God, for He pervades your

entire being and safeguards you. Who is responsible for the blood

circulation in your body? How is it that the blood does not ooze out

as it moves in the body? You think you are sustained by food. But

neither food nor blood can sustain you. God alone is responsible for

your sustenance. However, you owe every drop of your blood to your

parents. Their food takes the form of your blood. Hence, it is your

foremost duty to respect and revere your parents. If you do not

respect your parents today, your children will not respect you in

future. What is the use of lamenting then? Respect your parents and

set a good ideal to your children. One who does not respect his

parents is verily a Rakshasa (demon). Do not lead the life of a

Rakshasa, live like a Manava (human being). Who is a Manava? 'Ma'

means ignorance, 'Na' means'without and 'Va' means to conduct

oneself. One who conducts himself without ignorance is a true Manava.

 

Revere your Parents as God

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

It is a mistake to consider yourself youth on the basis of your age

and physical strength. One can be called a youth only when one has

virtues like love, forbearance, adherence to truth and

righteousness. Youth are endowed with immense strength and are the

emancipators of the world. It is not enough if you strengthen your

body by doing physical exercises. You have to strengthen your

intellect. When you respect and revere your parents, God will

manifest before you. The story of Pundarika bears ample testimony to

this. When he was massaging the feet of his parents, Lord Panduranga

appeared and said, "Oh Pundarika, I have come to shower My grace on

you." Pundarika replied, "Oh Lord! I am serving my parents. Please

wait for some time." He pushed a brick which lay by his side towards

the Lord and requested Him to sit. The Lord wanted to test him. He

said, "Oh simpleton, when I, the Lord of the universe, am standing

before you, where is the need to serve your parents? Instead, come

and serve Me." Pundarika replied, "Oh Lord, now You have come to

grant me your Darshan; but where were You all these days? My primary

duty is to serve my parents because they have given me birth and

fostered me with love and affection. After I serve my parents, I

will come and serve You. Please wait until then." The Lord was very

pleased with Pundarika's devotion to his parents. He came near

Pundarika and commended him, "My dear one, this is the true love and

devotion that I expect from My devotees." No benefit accrues from

worshipping God without serving the parents with love and devotion.

Everyone should emulate Pundarika's ideal and serve his parents.

First serve them, and then you can think of God. If you want to

realise God, first and foremost develop love and devotion towards

your parents.

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

Young Men and Women!

 

At least from today onwards, serve your parents and become

recipients of their love. That is the sign of true devotion. That is

true humanness. I want to tell you an incident that happened in My

life. One day, Mother Easwaramma came to Me and said, "Swami,You

have ail powers in You. There is nothing impossible for You. Ours is

a small village. People are suffering for want of proper medical

care. Please construct a small hospital to treat the children of the

village." I assured her that a small hospital would be built to suit

the needs of the village. Within a short period of time, a small

hospital was constructed and Gopala Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra

Pradesh, was invited for its inauguration. He remarked, "Swami,

where is the need for a hospital in this hamlet?" I said, "Are the

villagers not human beings? Don't they require medical care? It is

for the welfare of the villagers that I have built this hospital."

 

After some time, Mother Easwaramma requested Me to build a school in

the village. She said, "Swami, I feel very much pained to see

children walking all the way to Bukkapatnam to attend school." I at

once acceded to her wish and built a small school to begin with. As

days rolled by, Swami's glory spread far and wide. One day Mother

Easwaramma again came to Me with a request, "Swami, You have built a

hospital and a school as per my wishes. I have yet another wish to

be fulfilled. The people of our village have to trek long distances

to fetch a potful of water. Their shoulders get swollen as they

carry water day after day. Kindly get a borewell dug in the village

and solve the water problem." She had requested for a small school;

now a university has come up. {loud applause} She wanted a small

hospital to be built; Swami has established super speciality

hospitals. She wanted a borewell for the village; I have provided

drinking water for the entire district of Anantapur. I give you so

much even when you ask for so little. But nobody comes forward with

such noble desires. People do ask, but how do they ask? They ask

from their lips, not from the heart.

 

 

 

I am searching, I am searching, I have been in search of a true

human being then and now who practises righteousness.

 

(Telugu Song)

 

 

 

I am going round in search of a righteous person but I am unable to

find one. One can understand the true form of God only when one

follows the right path. Embodiments of Love!

 

Serve your parents and fulfill their aspirations. Undertake service

activities in your own village and work for its development. First

have respect for yourself. When you develop self-respect, you will

have respect for others also. There are many more things to be

taught to you. Swami will address you again tomorrow.

 

(Bhagavan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Pibare Rama

Rasam...")

 

- From Bhagavan's Divine Discourse in Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall,

Brindavan (Whitefield), Bangalore on 12th April 2003 on the occasion

of Kerala Youth Camp.

 

 

Sourced from Sanathana Sarathi - September 2003 Pages 279-287

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Sai Ram web site:

http://www.sairam.ar.cx/