Swami teaches... Part 1. The Beacon Light for Students,Teachers and Parents

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Light and Love Swami teaches... 1 - 3 October 2007 Part 1. The Beacon Light for Students, Teachers and Parents What greater gift is there than the gift of food? What greater deity is there than one's parents? What greater morality is there than promoting the public good? What righteousness can excel more than compassion? Is there any gain superior to the company of the good? Is there any disability worse than enmity?

 

Moderation is desirable in food and drinks and in exercise, both physical and spiritual; that is the best cure; then only can you advance in position. However, as regards God, there is no question of over dose or under dose; any dose should be welcomed. The Lord who is beyond time and space prior to the beginning and subsequent to the end can never be described in terms of the mushroom memories of human, the temporary phenomena of human family and human society. Do not make God modern to suit your fancy. He is neither ancient nor modern; His countenance never changes, nor His Glory.

 

All life is as a process; the final initiation will be the ultimate initiation; the opportunity to reunite with the initial Source. Worldly desires are the luggage in the journey of life. Why do you trouble yourself with 'heavy luggage,' when you are going to the abode of supreme peace?

Life is like a mega-clock. Its three hands indicate the rate at which the days, months, and the year are passing. Human rejoices in the movement of the clock's hands but does not realize that every movement is a reminder of his diminishing lifespan. “In the practice of the Way every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things until you finally arrive at non-action. When nothing is done nothing is left undone” (Lao-Tzu). Hence, before the final hour strikes, every human should realize what his/her duties are and see that the remaining time is well spent. Reduce your wants; minimize your desires. All these material knick-knacks are short-lived. During the lifetime, become rich rather in virtue, in the spirit of service, in devotion to the Higher Power. Human is subject to Time and Time has no respect for wealth or position. Human is devoting all his/her time to worldly pursuits and the demands of the body.The heart, which is soft and compassionate by nature, has hardened into stone. Bear in mind what Swami has declared many times in many places to the young and adult generation. The whole His Teaching is in fact His Declaration based on ancient scriptures, Vedic wisdom entwined with present conditions in Bharath and the whole world. Now and always with the light of Swami's advice in your hearts, you can proceed on life's journey for any length of time.

 

Wealth once lost, can be regained; A lost friend can be retraced; A lost wife can be replaced; A lost land can be recovered; But the time that has gone cannot be recovered. The night that has passed cannot be recalled by any means. The waters of the Yamuna, once they have merged in the ocean, cannot be turned back. A fruit that has been eaten and digested cannot be recovered. In this vast cosmos and among the myriad species, human is the highest and noblest being. If a human loses basic human values as attributes of humanness, they cannot be easily regained. At present time, in the whole world, all things have gone up in value; human alone has become cheap. Endowed with the costly gems of reason, discrimination, and detachment, human has allowed them to slip away and he/she is beset with dire poverty, as a consequence. Human is slaughtered in millions without any qualm, because of the terrific growth of anger, hate, and greed; he/she has forgotten unity with all people, all beings, and all worlds. The contemplation of that unity alone can establish world peace, social peace and peace in the individual. All other efforts are like pouring sweet-scented rose water on a heap of ash, ineffective and foolish. The piling up of atom bombs, the systematic amassing of weapons, cannot ensure peace. Without removing hatred from the heart and planting love therein, mere terror and counter-terror cannot establish cordiality and harmony. As a rule, person's effort is so microscopic: but expectation of fruit is gigantic. How can this wish for peace be realized? Little has done to cleanse the mind of hate, but every one expects international peace tomorrow at dawn.

Today more and more people are able to see, to feel, to be aware that things cannot continue the way they are, especially from the ecological and social aspects.

In general, the prosperity and well-being of the world mainly depend on the awareness of the youth, their, conduct, character, knowledge and virtue. The tree is based on the seed and the seed determines the nature of the tree. Similarly, the actions of youth depend on education and the state of integration educare in education they have to receive mainly from parents and teachers. (For the ills with which the nations are afflicted today, the parents and teachers are responsible in much). It is the parents, who lead children to the highest levels or cause their fall to the lowest depths. When a child is born, the parents desire that he should be educated, encouraged to make as much money as possible there by whatever means. This is nearly all that they teach their children. Parents, as a rule, do not teach the children to cultivate good qualities. They condone the lapses of the children and often encourage them in their bad habits. Parents don't correct the mistakes of their children or chastise them. Therefore, parents have to reform themselves. Today parents all over the countries are worried about the conduct of their children and are not at all happy. They lament about the behavior of their children, but do not realize that they are themselves to be blamed. Pampering the children in various ways, they usually allowed going about like street dogs. How can such children be reformed? It is impossible. When wealth grows, arrogance increases and morality declines. Education should not breed a class of parasites, who exploit others. It should help to promote good qualities. Parents have the right to warn and correct their children. Why should they be afraid to do so?

 

A life based on the body and the senses is an animal existence. One who is totally dominated by the thoughts and fancies of the mind is a demon. One who ignores the calls of the body and the mind and follows the call of the spirit is Divine. The animal, the demonic, and the Divine possibilities are immanent in the human condition. For these three kinds of behavior, the parents and teachers are responsible in much. However, not wealth and riches are important for human being. Following Dharma, faith, character, and Love of God - they are primary for everyone.

Krishna told Arjuna that he should consider God and Dharma (Righteousness) as most important. Because the Pandavas adhered to Righteousness and had firm faith in God, they could ultimately enjoy all prosperity and happiness. Because of their Lovefor God, they could bear with fortitude all troubles and difficulties. What was the fate of the Kauravas who ignored God? Not one of Dhritharashtra's hundred sons survived. Despite all the resources, they had and the valiant commanders who were on their side, God was not on their side.

 

This is the purpose, why Swami pays much attention to the teaching of integral Knowledge based on educare. What is integral knowledge? "The integral Knowledge is something that is already there in integral Reality: it is not a new or still non-existing thing that has to be created, acquired, learned, invented or built up by the mind; it must rather be discovered or uncovered, it is a Truth that is self-revealed to a spiritual endeavor: for it is there veiled in our deeper and greater self; it is the very stuff of our own spiritual consciousness, and it is by awaking to it even in our surface self that we have to possess it" (Aurobindo, The Life Divine). In days of yore, the people of Bharath earned name and fame by their high level of spiritual culture. Vedas, the great epics the Ramayana, the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavata, bring out the quintessence of human nature. Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Religion) will certainly rise in splendor in Bharath. It teaches human to investigate the truth about him/her and the world. Is that not the most proper thing for human to do? Bharath is the country that propagates spiritual knowledge to the rest of the world and wishes the welfare of the entire world - Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu (may the whole world be happy)! /In the word Bharath, 'bha' refers to bhava (feeling), 'ra' refers to raga (tune), and 'ta' connotes tala (rhythm). Bharatiyas are those who worship God, harmonizing the three: bhava, raga, and tala. 'Bha' also stands for effulgence. So, Bharatiyas are those who are in pursuit of divine effulgence/. Indian subcontinent knew that the secret of peace lay in service and love towards all beings. The culture of this land proclaimed that the best form of service is to fosterthe practitioners of the good life, the sages, and spiritual aspirants. Do not decry the servants of God; do not obstruct the charity of the generous; do not discourage the study of the scriptures even if you cannot positively promote any of these; that is the lesson taught in this land. In this land where Meera (Princess of Rajastan and queen of Chittor; devoted to Krishna), Jayadeva (Sanskrit poet; wrote the Gita Govinda, which describes the early life of Krishna), Valmiki (the saint-poet who wrote the Ramayana),Thyagaraja (18th and 19th century mystic singer/ composer), Ramdas (Maratha 17th century saint; author of work on religious duty; guru of the great King Sivaji), and Tukaram (well-known Maratha 17th century writer), by their intense yearning and fortitude, showed the path of achieving lasting joy. The four Maha-vakyas (great truths) which the Vedas proclaim, announce that all this is Brahmam, one unitary uniform substance, appearing only to the diseased eye as many. Aham Brahmasmi - "I am Brahman" - you must assert; then, you transmute yourself into sons of Immortality. Queen Madhalasa gave birth to four sons. From the time the child was in the cradle, she taught the child the ideal of renunciation and a lullaby for the child, treating Pranava mantra as the cradle, the Maha-vakya "Thathvam-asi" (Thou art That) as the bed, Awareness as the cord drawing the cradle. The four Vedas were the chains for the cradle. In olden days, after the disciples had completed their education and before they entered the life of householders, they stood before the preceptor to receive words of advice from him. (This was similar to the convocations held these days).

 

The great teacher, Adi Sankaracharya, was the child of parents who were highly virtuous and noble in their conduct. For the great name attained by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, the credit goes to their parents. Many great men achieved name and fame by following in the footsteps of their parents.

 

If Gandhi, who was an ordinary person, was able to achieve greatness and world renown, it was because of the lessons in good behavior, which he learnt from his mother. In his childhood, Gandhi used to be full of fear. There was a maid in his home called Rambha. Gandhi disclosed to her how he was always afraid. Rambha told him: "Child, always recite the name of Rama. By chanting Rama's name, your fear will go away." (The habit of reciting Rama's name, which began in his boyhood, continued fight up to the moment of his passing). When Gandhi was twenty-four years old, he proceeded to South Africa at the invitation of an Indian Business House to conduct a Court case. There he witnessed the humiliation being heaped upon Indian settlers by the whites. Gandhi stayed on among the oppressed Indians and native blacks and devised the strategy of Sathyagraha (passive resistance or civil disobedience) to end the exploitation. When the movement showed signs of quick success, General Smuts invited Gandhi for discussion. Gandhi explained to him that he had to resort to non-violent Sathyagraha since the inhuman policy of insulting and injuring humans having black skins had to be resisted and exterminated. General Smuts retorted by pointing out to Gandhi how millions of Indians - human beings like the rest - were kept out of villages and condemned as untouchables. The General's word acted as a bullet shot right at the heart of Gandhi. Gandhi felt that he had no right to correct another while he was himself infected with the same evil. He decided to return to India and practice the strategy of Sathyagraha for the removal of untouchability and other social evils and to free his Motherland from exploitation by foreigners. Gandhiji was able to achieve his aim of winning the country's freedom by non-violent means. For such a life of purity and virtue, the parents were primarily responsible. Gandhi was hailed as the Father of the Nation. Gandhi declared, "Carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Manage and watch your words, for they will become your actions. Consider and judge your actions, for they have become your habits. Acknowledge and watch your habits, for they shall become your values. Understand and embrace your values, for they become your destiny" (Mahatma Gandhi). Speech is always important for human whether for experiencing loss or gain, prosperity or adversity or pain and pleasure. Through the power of speech human is able to conquer kingdoms. Through speech human can to lose all wealth. Human acquires kinsmen and friends through speech and loses them also by his/her words. Through words, again, human can lose his/her life. Words are the root cause of all these happenings. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 2. "Primers of spiritual education," Chapter 23; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 5. "Dharma and dharmashaala" Chapter 12; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 18. "The Victory," Chapter 17; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 25. "Parents and Teachers Must Set The Example," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 29. "Make Swami's words your beacon-light," Chapter 9; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 30. "Role of Sai Youth in World Crisis," Chapter 14; Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 32 Part 2. "Seek God within," Chapter 14). Namaste - Reet