Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

WHATEVER qualities a man may possess, he cannot make proper use of them if he lacks company of good people. Through the Satsangam (company of good persons) one can develop good qualites, good thoughts, good feelings and do good deeds and thereby transform his human nature into divine nature. This, in fact, is the primary duty of every individual.

A village is made up of an aggregation of families. Therefore every householder has an obligation to the village as a whole, just as the five fingers of the hand have to act together to carry out any work efficiently, all the villagers have to work in cooperation for the welfare of the village.

Indian culture and civilisation have been built up from ancient times on rural communities. Even today this culture survives predominantly in villages. The national life is sustained by the villages. It is wrong to ignore the interests of the villages or to allow them to decay.

Our ancients built temples to help the people to cultivate right feelings and act righteously. They felt that there should be no village without a temple. A school without teachers, a temple without a deity, a wire without current and a field without water are of no use. Every one should regard his heart itself as a temple and strive to realise the divinity that is in him.

The first requisite is to promote the love of God. The Lord is the real and sole protector. Many powerful men are, in the ultimate reckoning, unable to protect themselves. Hence, you should put your faith in the Lord, who is the protector of everybody. Every morning and evening, and on every occasion when you have time, you have to go to the temple, recite the name of the Lord and pray to the Lord to fill your hearts with love and enable you to lead a right life.

You must see that every action of yours is pure and sacred. It should be based on truth and should be intelligent and purposeful. The ancient Rishis used to pray, "Tasmai-Namah Karmane" (I bow to the all-powerful Karma). We tend to waste our precious life in activities devoted to worldly matters and petty pleasures. No time is devoted to the achievement of the enduing and sacred bliss that is delved from the enjoyment of the Self. Time is not anyone's exclusive property. It is common to all whether he is a multi-millionaire or a destitute. All are subject to the dictates of Time.

All must cultivate the spirit of equal-mindedness. This is the mark of a true human being. It is the spirit of serenity in which one looks upon praise or blame, honour or dishonour, pleasure or pain alike. We tend to shrivel up when somebody abuses us. The whole world looks gloomy. We swell with pride when anybody praises us. What we should cultivate is an attitude in which we remain unaffected in both the situations. Shanthi (mental tranquillity) is necessary for experiencing the truth of the Self. There is no greater thing on earth than peace of mind. Every effort must be made to acquire Shanthi.

The villagers lack many things. But they should not think that it is enough if they have clothes to wear, houses to live in and food to eat. How many, who have all these, are really happy? For real happiness you must have a large and loving heart. If you cultivate fraternal feelings towards all the people in the village, you will not only acquire real happiness but will also help to make the village a prosperous and harmonious community. Whenever I see such villages I feel extremely happy. There is generally more peace in the villages than in the cities. There is hardly any peace in the cities, with their hustle and bustle. Rural life should not be considered lowly and contemptible. The atmosphere in the villages is pure and healthy. With proper housing and good water supply, life can be very enjoyable in the villages. This village has been visited by many political leaders but because of lack of unity in the village, it has not received any aid from the Government. If you have unity, I shall be prepared to render any amount of help for your improvement. From today you must lead a life of unity and co-operation.