His Story - 6

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other village in those days, leaving Puttaparthi. However, the body used to

visit Bukkapatnam daily to attend to the school. Myself and some other children

used to go to the Bukkapatnam school, together. The family in which this body

took birth was very poor, then. The other children in the village were also

very poor. The Griham Ammayi used to prepare some sankati (ragi porridge) for

My lunch. That was My semi – solid staple food. She used to make a small hole

in the centre of that sankati and put some groundnut chutney in it. There were

no tiffin carriers in those days. I used to pack My luch in an old cloth and

hang it on my shoulders, while going to the school. The lunch bell used to be

rung at one o’ clock in the afternoon, daily. As soon as the bell was rung, we

used to run upto the village tank. But, I could not eat My lunch immediately,

since the

normal">sankati was dried up and stuck to the cloth. Hence, I used to go to the

tank hold the lunch packet soaked in the water for a few minutes. Then, the

solid stuff comes out of the cloth. Among our classmates, there used to be a

boy who belonged to a rich family. He used to get rice mixed with soup. He used

to share it in small quantities with all the children. I also used to share My

sankati with all the children. Thus, we used to experience the joy of sharing

in our food and recreation. There is so much joy in unity. Unfortunately today,

the spirit of unity and love are extinct in the educated class. Instead,

jealousy and hatred are increasing day-by-day. I have to tell you about a

small matter in this context. The

Teachers in the school used to love Me very much. Every teacher, as soon as he

entered into our class room used to enquire “Did Raju come?” Do you know how I

used to be in those days? I was not having dozens of pants and shirts, like the

present day students. I used to have only one pair – one knicker and one shirt

for the entire year. As soon as I returned from school, I used to wrap a towel

around My body and wash the knicker and shirt and keep it ready for the next

day. Thus, I used to manage with only one pair of clothes for the entire year.

I used to answer well, all the questions put to Me by the Teachers. But, the

other boys were not able to do so. The literacy rates in the British times was

very low. There used to be boys who were quite old in age, even in the Vth

class. Infact, I was the only student, who was the youngest of all students.

We used to have an English Teacher, by name Mehboob Khan. He had immense love

towards Me. And, that love was born out of Atmic relationship, not bodily

relationship. He used to be very eager to take up our class. The moment he

entered the class room, he used to pressurize the teacher, who till then was

teaching, to leave the class immediately, whoever he may be. As soon as he sat

our on the chair, he used to call Me and make Me sit by his side. He used to

put his hand endearingly on My shoulders and stroke My head lovingly. He was

fifty years’ old then. He had no children. Hence, he used to invite Me to his

house, frequently. He was a great devotee. The moment he entered our class, all

the children used to make fun of Me, saying, “Ah! Raju! go, go near his chair!”

That was an embarrassing situation for Me. If I obliged the Teacher, the

children used to make fun

of Me. If I don’t go to the Teacher as ordered by him, I don’t know what he will

think of Me. Nevertheless, I did not inform the Teacher that the boys were

making fun of Me. Neither did I ever behave arrogantly with the children,

simply because the Teachers were treating Me so affectionately. One day I

approached My teacher and explained the position in a firm, but soft tone,

thus: “Sir! If you call Me only out of all the boys, they may think otherwise.

Please do not, therefore, call Me to your side. Allow Me to sit along with

those boys.” The Teacher, however, got angry at My pleading. He told me frankly

“Let them think what they wish to. I am not bothered. I am not doing anything

wrong. Therefore, I do not fear anybody. In fact, I am loving all the children.

But, I love you, a little more. This is due to the divinity latent in you.”

Whenever any savouries like Pakodas are prepared in his house, he used to bring

some for Me, packed in a newspaper. I used to humbly reject them

saying “Sir! I do not know whether some non vegetarian dishes were cooked in

your house. Hence, I am sorry, I cannot touch these pakodas.” The Teacher then

used to assure Me and plead with Me “No, Raju! I am telling you the truth. I

swear on Myself. I don’t at all allow such things to happen. I have brought

these eatables with great love and affection towards you.” After obtaining such

an assurance, if I would take a small piece of that item and eat it, he used to

feel extremely happy and greatful, shedding tears of joy. There used to be a

Teacher called Iyengar in our school. The students in those days used to have

respect as well as fear for this teacher. If they happened to see Sri Iyengar

anywhere in the market place, the children used to silently slip away into the

side lanes, out of fear for him. Sir Iyengar came to know of this practice. One

day, he was under the misapprehension that I too was avoiding him like the

other children. I used to be the Monitor for our class. I am so “big” even

now. You can imagine how short I was in those days. It was my duty to bring one

long twig of a tamarind tree and keep it ready in a corner of the class room

before our Teacher Sri Iyengar entered our class, daily. One day, he took the

twig into his hands as soon as he entered the class and demanded “Hey! Raju!

come here”. I went near him boldly, since I was sure that I did not commit any

mistake. He enquired “Why did you slip into the side lane the other day on

seeing me?” I answered very coolly. “Sir! I did not see you. My note book is

with

that boy who lives in that lane. I went into his house to take back My note

book.” I spoke the truth. Thereupon, he shouted at Me “Did you not see me,

really?” I replied that it was a fact that I did not see him. Then he

threatened Me that he would beat Me. I replied, “As you please”. At last, he

realized that I was speaking the Truth. He called Me to his side and said

“Raju! I know you are not like the other children. But, I was under the

impression that you are committing a mistake, though you are not in the habit

of committing a mistake. That is why I am angry. I am sure you won’t commit a

mistake. You please drop into our house once tomorrow, on your way back to your

house”. His house was on the way to our house. The next day I went to his

house, as per his command.

I stood in the verandah, thing that I should not enter the house of the Teacher,

without his permission. Our teacher had already given instruction to his wife,

“A boy by name Raju would come to our house. When he comes, you bring him in”.

Accordingly, she came to Me and enquired “My dear son! Are you Raju?” I said

“Yes, Mother!” “Then, you come in; your sir is calling you”, she said. I went

inside the house. His love for me, knew no bounds. He brought two pakodas in an

aluminium plate and put it in front of Me and said “Raju! I am sorry I wanted to

punish you, for no fault of yours. I realized my mistake. In order to correct

that mistake, I would like to make friendship with you.” See! How our good

nature, good qualities, purity and truthful words can move and melt even

a stone-hearted person! I humbly replied “Sir! I am a young boy of about 7

years. You are an elderly gentleman and moreover our Teacher. What is your

level and status and what is mine? How can you make friendship with Me?” Then,

he tried to convince me saying “My dear son! you don’t entertain such

differences. It is not the age or education that are important; it is the

purity of the heart that is important. You are a very good boy. That is why I

would like to make friendship with you.” So saying, he enquired whether I was

studying well. I said “yes”. Then, he advised Me, “You are having examinations

during next month, study well.” Our examinations commenced as per schedule.

We were giving two hours to answer the question paper in each subject. But, I

could finish

writing my answers within half-an-hour. I placed My answer sheet on the table of

the examiner. He was a bit surprised an enquired, “Raju! you don’t seem to have

answered the questions well!” I answered “Sir! I have written all the answers

correctly. You yourself can see it tomorrow.” The next day he took out My

answer sheet from the bunch and went through it. He could find therein, some

topics, about which he himself was not aware. Then, he wrote on My answer sheet

“Very very very very good.” In those days, our Teachers used to keep all our

answer sheets with them only. The next day, he invite Me to his house for

coffee. He said “You please take a cup of coffee in our house and go.” I

politely rejected his offer saying “Sir! I am not in the habit of taking coffee

or tea. Then he requested Me, “you please take atleast one dosa.” I humbly

replied, “I don’t take anything at this hour.” Thereupon, he pleaded with Me

“My dear son! You please take something, at least for my satisfaction.”

I could nor refuse. I took a dosa, to please him. The students shall thus please

their Teachers. Some students are very much afraid of their Teachers. But, I was

never afraid of our Teachers. Why should I be afraid, when I did not commit a

mistake? The students and Teachers must love each other. The students can win

the heart of their Teachers with love, however tough the Teachers may be.

Similarly, the Teachers can also mend the students with love. It is only when

we love others that others would also love us. The Teachers should understand

the love and behaviour of the students, well. There should be cordial

relationship between the Teachers and the students, based upon love and

understanding. The most essential message of the Indian culture and

spirituality is

“Sathyam Vada, Dharmam chara” (speak truth and practice righteousness). This

message has to be translated into action, by one and all. In those days, the

Teachers could understand My nature well. On My part, I also used to be very

humble, respecting the Teachers and elders. Same is My message to the students,

even now. “You cannot always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly.” Sweet

and soft words can melt the heart of any one. However, we are obliged to speak

harshly on certain occasions. I can be harder than the diamond, when occasion

demands. But, I can be softer than butter, in matters of love. In those days,

after we returned from our school in Bukkapatnam, Easwaramma used to make all

the children sit around her and enquire “My dear children! what had happened

in the school Today?” One day, in answer to her query, one boy informed her

“Mother! Today, one of our teachers made Raju stand up on the bench”. So

saying, all the children started criticizing the Teacher. Easwaramma could not

bear this criticism against a Teacher. She counseled the students saying “My

dear children! you should not say anything against your Teacher. He must have

punished our Sathyam thus, only when he had committed a mistake. No Teacher

would ever punish his student, without a reason.” So saying, she enquired from

Me “Sathya! what mistake you have committed, tell me.” Then I narrated the

incident exactly as it had happened, thus: The Teacher ordered “Whoever had

written the notes dictated by me in their note books put it on my table; others

may stand up

on the bench.” Since I did not write the notes, I stood on the bench. However, I

explained to the Teacher “Sir! No doubt I did not write the notes dictated by

you, but I can answer all the questions put by you.” The Teacher felt offended

by My reply. Expressing his annoyance, he said “How arrogant you are?” and

ordered Me to stand up on the bench for three periods consecutively. In the

meanwhile, our English Teacher Mehboob Khan came that way. He was a noble soul.

On seeing Me standing upon the bench, he enquired that Teacher “Why did you make

him stand on the bench?” He replied that this boy did not write the notes.

Mehboob Khan explained “It might be true; but He can answer any question you

put to Him. Hence, tell Him to sit down on the bench. What you did is a

mistake.” Despite Mehboob Khan’s advice, the Teacher Kondappa did not agree to

the suggestion. In the meanwhile, the bell rang signifying the end of this

period. The Teacher tried to get up from his chair so that he may go

to another class. But, he could not get up. He looked around to see whether his

dhoti go stuck to his chair and hence could not get up. Mehboob Khan, on seeing

the plight of this teacher told him again ‘We should never punish people without

a reason, even if they are our students. This boy may appear to you as an

ordinary boy. But, there is immense divine power in Him. You ask Him to sit

down, at least now’. Kondappa ten ordered Me to sit down. The moment I sat

down, the Teacher Kondappa could get up from his chair”. While the Teachers

were thus treating Me with great love and affection some of the boys were

jealous and started developing hatred towards Me. They, therefore, used to push

Me and drag Me in the chitravati sand holding My legs, during our return trip to

Puttaparthi from the school. They used to splash dirt on My clothes and tear off

My shirt. But, I used to keep My cool, inspite of whatever they did to Me. I

used to tell them, “Love is My form; tolerance is My nature. You may do

whatever you like.” So saying, I used to walk up to the tank near the Anjaneya

Swamy Temple and clean my clothes there with water. In those days, I was not

having even a safety pin to put together a torn shirt. That was our condition.

There was no

money in the house. Nor I was prepared to borrow from someone. That was My firm

resolve. There used to be a cactus plant near the Sathyabhama Temple. I used to

pluck a small thorn from that plant and join the torn parts of the shirt with

that thorn. Such was My firm resolve to uphold the honour and dignity of the

family. One can achieve anything in life if one is wedded to the Truth and

makes such a firm resolve. From that day onwards till today, it has been My vow

not to accept anything from others. Subbamma was, however, anxious that I was

becoming thinner and thinner day by day and therefore used to advise Me “Raju!

How come, you are becoming weak? In this young age, you must eat well and grow

strong.” My friends also used to bring whatever was prepared in their houses

and try to pressurise Me to eat that stuff. But, I used to tell them sternly

not to bring any

eatables from their houses for Me. I used to firmly reject those items saying,

“You eat meat in your houses. Your people cook fish curry in your houses.

Hence, please do not bring any eatables prepared in your houses, for Me.” In

the meanwhile, our public examinations were fast approaching. They were to be

held in Penugonda, a nearby Taluk headquarters. In those days, people were so

much afraid of going from Bukkapatnam to Penugonda, as if they were going to

Russia or America. There were no buses even to go to Bukkapatnam, in those

days. There was not even a “pucca” road.

It was for the first time that a rail line was laid to Penugonda and a train

service was introduced. The villagers used to weave fantastic stories about the

train, saying “It seems that the train comes like a gigantic caterpillar with

one eye.” The train was a eighth wonder to the villagers in those days. They

used to go to Penugonda in large numbers making use of the bullock carts, just

to have a look at this strange object. Such being the condition of the village

and the people inhabiting them in the days, I had to go all the way from

Puttaparthi to Penugonda, to write My public examination. Hence, the mother of

this body, Easwaramma prepared a variety of eatables for Me to partake during

My journey. She was very much worried that I was going to some distant foreign

country. She, therefore, packed these items in a piece of cloth and gave it to

Me. There were no tiffin carriers in those days, as we have now. When this body

started proceeding to Penugonda, Venkamma and Parvathamma

(the sisters of this body) and all other friends and relatives could not control

their emotions and started crying. They all came alongwith Me upto Bukkapatnam.

>From there, eight of us students hired a bullock cart to go to Penugonda. One

of our Teachers accompanied us. The roads were so bad then that if we traveled

a distance of one mile in the bullock cart, we had to get down and walk for

five miles continuously. Since the entire terrain was full of ups and downs, we

had to get down from the cart, whenever there was a steep gradient. Thus, we

underwent a lot of difficulty getting down from and getting into the bullock

cart. My problem was compounded by My short stature. Even now I am short. You

can imagine how ‘tall’ I was in those days. I felt it would have been better if

we went by walking all the way. Further, there were other children in the

bullock cart, who were younger to Me. Hence, Poor man! it was our teacher who

had to bear all the strain of bringing down and putting

them back into the bullock cart all through the journey. The Teachers in those

days had great love and affection for the students. We started from Bukkapatnam

as early as 5 o’ clock in the morning and reached Penugonda as late as 9 o’

clock in the night. There were no hotels or lodges for us to stay, in those

days. Same is the position in the Bus stand and the Railway station. There was,

however, one choultry on the outskirts of the town, where we settled down. We

took some rice, cereals and other essential items alongwith us, while starting

from Puttaparti. Besides some mirchi powder and chutney powder was also

available with us. I used to cook rice for all of us. We used to take some rice

alongwith the chutney. Thus, we spent three days in Penugonda. I am not

revealing this information out of ego of for earning a name, but it is a fact

that among all the students who wrote the examination it is only Swami who

passed the examination with Ist class. All others failed in the

examination. After we returned to Bukkapatnam, the people of that town extended

a warm welcome to Me and took Me through the streets in a big procession, since

I was the only student in the entire Taluka (Revenue area) who passed the

examination, that too in first class. There was no further scope for Me to

pursue higher education in Bukkapatnam. Hence, Seshama Raju (the elder brother

of this body) took Me to Kamalapuram, his in-laws’ place, for higher education.

One day, while I was returning from Bukkapatnam, a mother was sitting at a

particular place chewing pan, combing the hair of her daughter for lice. She

did not notice My coming that way. She suddenly spat, which fell on My shirt. I

cannot describe in words the embarrassment she felt on noticing that her spit

fell on Me and spoiled My shirt. Immediately, she brought a towel from inside

her house, wrapped it around Me, removed My shirt and washed it clean then and

there. Such was the love and affection shown by the villagers in those days.

They were such noble and simple folk that they remember till their end, any

help that they might have received from others. The reason why I am narrating

this incident is to stress the point that purity and gratitude are very

important qualities for a human being. Infact, ingratitude cannot be atoned

for. Hence, you must be greatful till your end to those people from whom you

received help of any kind. During My childhood, people 20 to 30 years older to

Me even used to approach Me with a request to teach them alphabets. They used

to make a living by raising flower gardens and selling the flowers. As soon as

I came home, I used to teach them alphabets. Hence, they used to respect Me

very much saying “Raju is our Guru (Teacher)”. When they came to know

that I will be leaving for Kamalapuram shortly, they were very much

disappointed, They brought one paisa each as Guru Dakhsina (a token of

gratitude to the Teacher). I told them “Why are you offering Me this money?

Keep it with you.” But, they insisted on My accepting this token of their love

and gratitude towards Me. Their Guru Dakshina added up to twelve paisa. They

followed Me by walk upto Bukkapatnam. They repeatedly enquired from Me “Raju!

when will you return to our village? Such was the love and affection of the

villagers in those days. But, today the situation is totally in contrast to

that. The humanness has declined on account of modern education. The sense of

gratitude has become extinct. That is the reason why the country is facing

several difficulties today. The most important quality of a human being is

gratitude. The villagers of those days used to conduct themselves with a great

sense of gratitude, respect and courtesy. --- From the book “His Story: As

told by Himself” (A Compilation from the divine discourses of Bhagawan Sri

Sathya Sai Baba)

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