Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

When man makes mind his master It burdens him, worse than any beast; When man makes buddhi his master It raises him, high as Lord of the Living. Will the good, and you are happy. Will the bad, and you are sad and lost. Don't will at all, and be at peace This is the Truth, the Word of Sai. Embodiments of the Divine Atma, Teachers and Students, Man has achieved immeasurable progress in science and technology. But, in the field of morals, he is still unable to rid himself of narrow cynicism, limited outlook, and the demonic hold of selfishness, pride, envy and other evil traits. When we examine the basic cause for this state of affairs, we discover that it is the consequence of egoism that has struck deep roots in the heart of man. It has reduced man to the status of a puppet. It pollutes his thoughts, words and deeds. It directs him to gather and hoard material riches. It does not allow the Atma to shine forth. When the veil of egoism is set aside, the Athmic Essence, and with it anandha and jnana, will be revealed. Time is invaluable; do not waste even half a minute. The hours that have passed cannot return; the wheel of time will not halt for any person. So, examine your thoughts, words and deeds and find out whether spending precious time on them is worth while or not. Death is always waving its sharp sword over the head but, unmindful of this imminent and inescapable fate, many are lost in plans to build rich, prosperous and luxurious lives for themselves. They live in hope and dreams of better days. The Fire of Wisdom alone is capable of reducing these plans and hope into ash.

You are striving to gain education in this College in order to earn your livelihood. But, it is very hard to earn riches, to use them rightly and to keep them safe. When riches accumulate, pomp and pride become more insidious. As a result, one's character is lowered. Vemana says that when one loses wealth, his bad qualities also become too weak to hurt him and others. When the calf grows in age, the horns become longer and sturdier; so too when pride grows, the horns of greed and envy become stronger and sturdier. Education today does not feed the roots of law, justice and morality, three fields which ought to receive special attention. Can a system concerned with food for the stomach, train pupils to meet the challenges of life which require a strong self-reliant character? No. It can only smother even the inborn virtues of love and truth. Education must instil the fundamental human values; it must broaden the vision to include the entire world and all mankind. When earning money is held as the goal, the system fosters falsehood and injustice, it restricts the vision to family and community, and brings in its train, anxiety, sorrow and hatred. Education must equip man to live happily, without making others unhappy, to evaluate things, pleasure and possessions correctly and without prejudice, and to fix one's attention ever on the highest and the most precious achievement of all, the Athmic victory. The spiritual stream must flow in the heart as the source and spring of all endeavour. Women are the makers of the home, the nation and the world. You are the mothers who shape the generations. So you must enshrine in your hearts the spiritual urge towards Light and Love, Wisdom and Bliss.

The human body is spoken of as a temple where the individual jeeva is installed. I would prefer to describe it as a house taken on rent by you. God is the master, the owner. The jeevi (tenant) has taken it on rent and is occupying it. The rent has to be paid in the form of good deeds, good thoughts, good speech and good conduct. But, the tenant ignores the owner and does not pay the rent. So, the Master has to compel the man to vacate. He sends 'notices' reminding him of the need to vacate, unless he pays the rent. "Grey hairs are the first intimation; the tenant dyes his hair and pays no heed to the warning," The teeth fall out; that is the second warning. The tenant gets a denture fixed and ignores this reminder too. Cataract in the eye is the next warning of the need to leave the house; an operation helps him to pass it by. Glasses restore his sight. The skin becomes loose, wrinkled. This warning too is unheeded; the man hides the signal with the help of cosmetics. So, the owner has to send his emissaries - a few fatal illnesses - and force him to clear out of the house.

Why stick on, for years, like crows? Far better to live happily like a royal swan, albeit for a short span. Live ideal lives through controlled minds. The mind is like a sheet of paper; once rolled in one way, it will always roll along that direction only. You will have to roll it in the opposite direction in order to flatten it. It is now rolled outwards. So, roll it inwards to normalise its ways. Left alone, the mind works havoc. Witness the communal and caste conflicts, the fight between regions and religions; the discontent and disruption in campuses. The primitive fears and desires of man have not yet been overcome; they persist in various forms and explode, when opportunities arise.

There are four Houses - the House of God, the House of Education, the House of Food and the House of Medicine. In each of these, you must seek only that for which it is dedicated. Of course, in the hotel you ask for food and in the hospital, you ask for medicine. But, in the House of Education, you do not seek education. You carry into the process of education other needs, wants and cravings. There is no concentrated craving for what good education can do for you. In the temple too, the same is the case. You enter it for one purpose and you pursue other purposes. In the temple, you do not seek to become aware of God. In the college or school, the process of self-education is disturbed and delayed, by extraneous activities.

The old students of the Bangalore Sathya Sai College have formed the "Kingdom of Sathya Sai" and they have decided upon projects of social service. Here, too, you have formed the "Kingdom of Mother Sai" and you are praying to be allowed to take up service to the community. Of course, girls cannot venture as freely as boys into this field; still, they too can successfully translate their precepts into practice. Use your spare time in holy activities. If you cultivate faith in compassionate service, it will be of immense value for the uplift of society. Old students of the College can by the example of their lives inspire and instruct others to lead pious, purposeful lives.

Prices of articles have risen sky-high today, mostly because the desires of man have increased wildly. Limit desires, decrease the demand and the prices will have to come down. Develop vairagya as Vedantha instructs. Vairagya means 'renunciation' - not renouncing property and family ties, but renouncing the hold that the mind, and the desire it breeds, have on you. Burn all traces of envy, pride and greed. Fill your hearts with selfless Love. Be examples to others, I am sure by this means the people of this land can live in peace and prosperity.