Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

TODAY man can, thanks to the advancement in science and technology, move about in space and underwater, land on the moon and listen to the stars, but the pity of it is, he has lost the secret of living on earth with peace in his heart and in harmony with his fellowmen. He can beat the bird in the sky and the fishes in the sea, but he is helpless as a man. The innate purpose for which he has earned this human birth is being neglected in frantic pursuit of the petty pleasures derivable from the outer world. Thus he is only laying waste the years given to him. There is a divinity, higher than humanity, that is behind and beneath all man's activities. But, man is not aware of it and he fails to benefit by that awareness. His first task is to cognise this source of joy and peace. That divinity is like the thread in which the flowers are strung; we see only the garland; we do not cognise that string that holds the flowers together and makes a garland out of a heap of blossoms.

Mankind is strung together by this inherent divinity. I see in this campus people from all the States and all the linguistic areas of our country. I look upon this gathering as a garden shining with multicoloured blossoms. But, in spite of these differences and as a result of the underlying unity, you have met here in this Academy with the same ideal, undergoing the same training and welcoming the same series of experiences.

I wish to emphasise three guidelines or Suuthras which have to be followed to ensure success in your endeavours. Your responsibilities and your duties require that you should pay attention to these three. They are: Duty, Discipline and Devotion. For the Police, especially, discipline is essential. Your job involves many trying moments, many worries and much exertion. Really, you are the custodians of peace and guards of security. Therefore, a disciplined mind that ever remains in equanimity is very necessary for you to lead peaceful happy lives. Equanimity can arise only from the spring of devotion in the heart. These days, even those who are educated and those who benefit by training courses such as yours, are anxious about the future and full of fear lest the standard of life to which they are accustomed may fall. How and by what means can I increase comforts in my life? - that is the concern of everybody. No one worries about the happiness that he can contribute, the joy he can give, the duty he can discharge. Every one is calculating the happiness others can give him, the joy he can extract from society and the duty that society owes to him. The number of those who concentrate on their responsibilities rather than their wants is very small. How can I as an individual get the maximum benefit out of society? - that is the urge. But, people forget that it is their primary duty to safeguard the security and prosperity of the society of which they are the limbs.

It is only when the individual is prepared to sacrifice his selfish desires and toil for the welfare of society - that the nation will prosper. Then only will the world have peace. That is why the Vedas proclaim that man can have peace only when he renounces selfish desires. The Vedas condemn persons who accumulate wealth and who are ever immersed in activities that can add to their physical comfort. The man who gives, receives even while he gives, more than what he gives. Do not strive for your own happiness but strive for the happiness of all; then you can derive greater happiness, with additional joy of having added to the happiness to others. When you joined this Department of Public Service, you dedicated yourself to the service of society and you decided to welcome all the incidental troubles and worries. You renounced an easy-going life in favour of the higher ideal of ensuring peace, safety and security in society. Faith in an Omnipresent God will sustain you when you are overwhelmed by the' ups and downs of life. Cultivate devotion and dedication and you can be ever at peace with yourself and the world. For, then, you can fulfil your duties with joy and with all your strength.

Nowadays, every person in authority talks of discipline and exhorts others to be disciplined, but we do not find in those persons even a trace of what they want others to have! You have come here, many of you, far from your own states, for the purpose of equipping yourselves better for the jobs you have entered into. Feel it as your duty to benefit to the utmost from the course of training given here. Otherwise, you will be doing great injury to your own careers, and, more serious than this, causing injury to your motherland. Children of Bharath must live, not for the salary they get but for the chance of service they have secured. I advise you to develop faith in God and promote that devotion through duty and discipline. Earn fame as sincere servants of society and vigilant guardians of its safety. Without an ever present faith in an all-knowing God, life is dry and drab, shadowed by despair and doom. Love for God and fear of sin, are the two primary needs for a happy life. Without these two, man becomes a monster. Man must be ever ready to sacrifice his selfish needs for the sake of the larger community. There is nothing so glorious as renunciation. Be honest, be proficient in detachment and with God installed in your hearts march forward to offer your talents and skills for the duties you have undertaken.