Latest: Divine Discourse on 22nd October 2005

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CULTIVATE SATTWIC QUALITIES RIGHT FROM CHILDHOOD

Childhood passes in trivial play with other children.Youth passes in amorous

sport,Middle age absorbs time and effort in amassing wealth,Come dotage, time

crawls in futile longing for worldly desires, yet there is no time for

contemplation of God.Thus is wasted the precious heritage of human birth,

deeply entangled in the net of karma. (Telugu poem)Why waste your time in

idleness?Time wasted is life wasted;Arise, awake, it is not too late,Think of

the future, at least now. (Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love! Dear Students!If you spend your time thus, if you fritter

away your time and energy in vain pursuits thus, what for is your human birth?

What will happen to you in future? Did you ever ponder over this? Time is the

measure for human life. Time is the most precious aspect in human life. Don’t

waste time. “Time wasted is life wasted”. You have to seriously question

yourself whether it is sensible to waste your time thus. If you waste your

precious time in this young age, when will you be able to sanctify your

life?Man has to perform Karma in this Karmabhumi (field of activity) right from

birth to death. In fact, the human birth has been given to us to perform Karma.

We are, therefore, engaged in performing various Karmas, continuously. But,

very few make any effort to enquire to their selves whether the Karmas

performed are Sathkarmas (good deeds) or not.One has to strive to sanctify his

time, right from childhood. We are, partaking of a variety of items as food, to

sustain the human body. But none is making an enquiry whether the food one

partakes of is proper and healthy; whether it is beneficial for nourishing and

nurturing his physical, mental and spiritual health.“Man is born out of karma,

grows and departs from the world due to karma;Karma is verily the embodiment of

divinity.It is only due to Karma that Happiness and sorrow occur in the world.”

(Telugu Poem)The Bhagavadgita exhorts that man has a right only to perform his

duty and none to the fruit thereof. Of course, there will be a result for every

Karma that is performed by a human being. There will be a good result for a good

Karma and a bad result for a bad Karma. This is the eternal law. When you

partake of a mango fruit, you will only have the belch of that fruit and not

that of a lime fruit. In the same manner, your head (thoughts) will always be

conditioned by the type of food you consume. “As is the food, so is the head

(thoughts). As is the head, so is God” Thus, the food, the head, and God will

be on the same wavelength. Hence, one has to cultivate good and noble thoughts

always. If you eat Sattwic food and cultivate Sattwic nature right from

childhood, your entire life will run smoothly. Hence, one has to be wary of his

food and head (thoughts). If you wish to sanctify your human birth, you should

not live like a bird, beast or an animal. Having taken birth as a human being,

one has to perform the Karmas worthy of a human being. One has to conduct

oneself as a human being. What does the term “Human Values” imply? Sathya

(Truth), Dharma (righteousness), Santhi (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa

(non-violence). It is only when we cultivate and exhibit these five human

values in our daily lives that we will be entitled to be called as human

beings. Human being is a repository of Trigunas, namely, Sattwa (calm

serenity), Rajas (passionate activity), Thamo Guna (sloth and slumber).

Unfortunately, today, we find the Rajo and Thamo Gunas more active in human

beings. We do not find even a trace of Sattwic Guna anywhere. Hence, it is of

utmost importance today that people are taught and encouraged to cultivate

Sattwa Guna, perform Sattwic karmas and finally reach the abode of Sattwic

Guna.Embodiments of Love!You are now in the stage of childhood. This is the

right age to cultivate Sattwic Guna. The quality of your life in the later

stages will depend upon the qualities you cultivate now. What is the use of

trying to cultivate Sattwic Guna at the fag end of your life, when your

physical body refuses to co-operate with you in your Sadhana? Hence, you must

cultivate and put into practice the sattwic guna in the youthful age itself. If

man wishes to experience Manavatwa (humanness) and reach Daivatwa (divinity),

Sattwic Guna is very essential. It is only when you consciously cultivate

Sattwa Guna that you will be able to attain Sattwic nature. If you aim to

attain Sattwic nature but indulge in Rajasic and Thamasic acts, it is not

possible. All our ancient sages and seers did their Sadhana when they were

young and strong. Embodiments of Love! You have to partake of Sattwic food. By

partaking of Sattwic food, you will be able to cultivate Sattwic thoughts. And,

by cultivating Sattwic thoughts, you will be able to undertake Sattwic Karmas.

It is absolutely necessary that one should have Sattwic friends in youth and

constantly move about in their company. It is said, “Good company leads to

detachment;Detachment makes one free from delusion;Freedom from delusion leads

to steadiness of mind;Steadiness of mind confers Liberation.” (Sanskrit

Sloka)Hence, you have to partake of Sattwic food keeping your goal of

liberation in the mind. You may at times have a doubt that you may not get such

Sattwic food. I do not at all agree with this view. Don’t you get vegetables and

edible green leaves in plenty? In fact, the moment you are born out of your

mother’s womb, you are surviving and thriving on your mother’s milk or cow’s

milk. Is this not Sattwic food? Can you not live upon a vegetarian diet

consisting of vegetables, green leaves and cow’s milk? Why should you cater to

the dictates of your palate adding chillies, salt, tamarind and spices? It is

only when you gradually reduce these ingredients for taste you will be able to

cultivate Sattwa Guna. Parents have a great responsibility in teaching the

children about the efficacy of Sattwic food and getting them accustomed to it

right from their childhood. On the other hand, if the parents themselves

prepare and serve Rajasic and Thamasic food consisting of meat, fish, etc., in

their homes, how can they expect the children to develop Sattwa Guna? I am of

the view that the children at least should abstain from such Rajasic and

Thamasic food and demand from their parents only the Sattwic food. One has to

consciously cultivate the habit of partaking of only Sattwic food. Only then

will one be able to develop Sattwa Guna.Embodiments of Love! All our senses are

conditioned by the Trigunas and the Gunas, in turn, are conditioned by the food

we consume. Hence, if we start eating Sattwic food, undertake Sattwic Karmas

and move about in the company of Sattwic friends, I am sure that we can

transform ourselves into Sattwic individuals. It is the bad company that is

responsible for evil qualities. If you want to cultivate good qualities, you

have to eat Sattwic food. In fact, it is the food that we consume is

responsible for all the evil qualities. Dear students! If you develop bad

qualities like anger, passion, envy, jealousy, etc., right form this early age,

your entire life will be spoiled. You are poisoning your young minds with these

evil qualities. My advice to the youngsters and students is eat Sattwic food;

cultivate Sattwic behaviour and keep the company of Sattwic people right from

this early age. I often observe that youngsters today join bad company the

moment they enter the school or college and continue to move about in the

company of bad people. With the result, they cultivate bad qualities, resulting

in bad behaviour. Frequently they are not even aware of the subtle changes

taking place in their behaviour towards elders, parents, teachers and society.

They think that they are on the right track, since they are pursuing education

in a good educational institution. The education they are pursuing may be good,

but the core of their heart is polluted due to bad company. Several bad thoughts

emanate in their mind even at a young age. People often think that it is a

natural phenomenon due to young age. I do not at all to this view. It

is not a natural phenomenon at all! It is most unnatural. Since, you are

partaking of bad food, you are having bad thoughts. Hence, first and foremost,

give up bad food. People who are devoted to Swami, must join Satsanga. But, you

are joining bad company and, as a result, are developing bad thoughts. Once bad

thoughts enter your mind, none can drive them away. Hence, you have to

cultivate good thoughts, even before bad thoughts enter your mind.Dear

children! There are several parents who are not concerned about the future of

their children. Either they are too busy pursuing their vocations or they are

helpless in supervising your behaviour. But, if you tread the right path they

will be most happy. On the other hand, if you are moving about in bad company

cultivating bad habits, resulting in bad behaviour, they will be very sad and

will be unable to share their distress or anguish with anybody. Hence, it is

your foremost duty to keep your parents happy. If you want to keep your parents

happy, you must tread the right path. So, tread the right path and keep your

parents happy. Only then will you be able to cultivate good behaviour. There

are three aspects in human life, which are interlinked – the thoughts,

behaviour and the end result. As are the thoughts, so will be the behaviour and

as is the behaviour, so will be the result. Teachers expect good behaviour from

their pupils. How is it possible, when the students move about in bad company,

eat wrong kind of food and entertain bad thoughts? The end result is always bad

in such a situation. While taking bitter food, how can you experience sweetness?

In short, the Rajasic and Thamasic food that you consume is the root cause for

the bad thoughts that are entering your mind.Dear students! All of you must

tread the right path. Even if your parents for any reason offer you Rajasic and

Thamasic food prepared in the home, you must explain and convince them of the

ill-effects of such food, saying, “Mother! If you serve Rajasic and Thamasic

food to me thus, I will only get bad thoughts. This is not conducive to good

behaviour on My part.” You must also convince them of the need to prepare and

serve Sattwic food to all members of the family. Not only should you eat

Sattwic food, you should also read good books. Your entire life is dependent

upon good food, good thoughts and good company. Dear students! You should not

read all sorts of trash like cheap novels, stories, etc. Such trash will

generate bad thoughts in you and pollute you mind. When you go to a library,

you should read the biographies of great and noble people which will help to

cultivate good qualities and good thoughts in you. One reason for the pollution

of young minds and proliferation of bad thoughts in them is reading all sorts of

cheap literature. In fact, it is only the mind that is responsible for good or

bad thoughts. That is why it is said, Manaeva Manushyanam Karanam

Bandhamokshayo (mind is responsible for both bondage and liberation of man).

Unfortunately, in these days it is only cheap books that have become popular

and acquired great attraction. Good books have become a rare commodity. A

question may arise as to where one would get such good books. You go to good

libraries of institutions committed to the moral and spiritual uplift of

humanity. Frequently we come across people travelling in trains and buses

purchasing worthless books available in the railway platforms and bus stands

and reading them with absorbing interest. They may say that they are reading

them for whiling away the time. They do not realise how harmful those books are

in generating bad thoughts and polluting their minds. Hence, you must always

select books that contribute to your intellectual, moral and spiritual

development. Embodiments of Love! If you wish to cultivate good thoughts and

good behaviour, you must read good books. Several students today consider it a

fashion to read cheap literature that is available for a low price. With the

result, cheap thoughts and cheap behaviour are generated in them. They look for

cheap books and trash distributed free of cost. They woefully lack a sense of

discrimination to judge whether such writing is conducive to their moral,

spiritual and character development. They will, however, realise the

consequences of their action after their minds are totally polluted. Then it

will be too late for them to retrace their steps. It is only through good books

that good thoughts and good behaviour can be cultivated.Dear students! There are

several other important aspects to be taught to you in these three days which

will enable you to cultivate noble thoughts and tread the right path. I will

teach several aspects in due course that will enable you to cultivate pure

thoughts.

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