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My
Students Are My Wealth
Text of the Divine
Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on
21st August 2004 at Sai Kulwanth Hall
One may acquire a high academic qualification such as
M.A., B.A., MBA and MFM and attain exalted position,
One may amass wealth, perform acts of charity and attain
name and fame,
One may have physical strength and enjoy a long and
healthy life,
One may be a scholar, but if he lacks human values all
his achievements will prove futile.
(Telugu Poem)
Students! Boys and Girls! Teachers! Patrons of
Education!
By mere acquisition of worldly education man cannot
attain exalted position in life. All human efforts will
be in vain without Divine grace. There are many in this
world who are highly educated, but are they rendering
any service to the nation? No. In this respect, the
unlettered people appear to be better human beings than
the highly educated. In spite of his education and
intelligence, a person who does not his true Self is but
a fool. One may be highly intelligent and educated, but
bereft of human values his life is meaningless. In fact,
one devoid of human values is no human being at all!
There is little use in acquiring a number of degrees
without imbibing human values.
Embodiments of Love!
To know and recognise a truly educated individual,
you have to look closely at our students. They are not
satisfied with mere acquisition of degrees. They utilise
their knowledge for the benefit of society. Education
which is not useful to society, serves no real purpose.
Our boys are highly virtuous and are endowed with the
wealth of character. They consider virtues as their very
life. Men of eminence who come here from all over the
world learn many things from our students. Some of our
students remain here and serve as teachers after the
completion of their education. I am very happy about it.
We don't need to be worried about getting good and noble
teachers from elsewhere for our Institute. Our own
students, after their studies, take up the
responsibility of teaching. In other academic centres
students are interested in pursuing higher studies for
their own selfish ends, but our students are not
interested in accumulating degrees, but in disseminating
their knowledge for the benefit of others.
One cannot acquire such character and nobility from mere
education. The education they received here is not
limited to textual knowledge alone. It develops virtues
which originate from the heart. Our students are
incomparable. They are taking up the roles of teachers
all over the world and are helping society by moulding
ideal students and men of character. Character is the
prime objective of education here in our Institute. A
person of such education and character, can rule over
the entire world. Education without character is
useless. I am very much pleased to have such students
who are virtuous, energetic and intelligent. Our MBA
students have all the noble qualities that are expected
of them. In addition to their studies, they learn
various languages. Students from Kerala have gained
proficiency in various languages, such as, Tamil, Hindi,
English, Telugu, etc. They speak all these languages
with such fluency that it is very difficult to identify
their mother tongue. For such talented students, it is
not difficult to learn the language of the Atma. They
give talks even in Sanskrit. But they also adhere to our
Samskriti (culture). Samskara is not imbibed by learning
Sanskrit, it comes from adherence to Samskriti. One who
adheres to Samskriti will be able to attain all types of
wealth and be an ideal to others. When I asked one of
the students which place he belonged to, he said,
"Swami, I belong to Puttaparthi." That boy speaks
Sanskrit very fluently. He has also learnt various other
languages. Students who have studied in Puttaparthi are
spreading Swami's message in various countries, such as,
America, Japan, Germany, Italy, etc. Students who have
such dedication and devotion are very rare these days.
But here are many such students in our institutions. It
gives Me great joy to have such students here. We need
such students. I wish that these students, after
completion of their education, share the knowledge they
have acquired here with fellowmen in society and
transform them. Men of eminence like the President of
India, the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers are all
praise for our students. They extol our students
whenever they visit this place.
In our Institutes, students are provided education
totally free of charge. In addition to this,
scholarships are provided to deserving students. If you
ask what is Swami's property, I say, "Students are My
property." Without the students, I will not be able to
do anything. They are looking after Swami with utmost
love and care. In fact, they are responsible for all the
development that we find in our educational and other
institutions.
The culture of Bharat is based on the Vedas which are in
Sanskrit language. Here students chant the Vedic Mantras
both in the morning and in the evening. You cannot get
such students even if you do intense penance. They can
certainly bring about progress in society. There is no
language that our students do not speak; they are very
versatile in all kinds of skills. You may be under the
impression that Swami is taking great pains to mould the
character of students. There is no pain whatsoever. In
fact, students are of great help to Swami. They are
spreading the ideals of Sai to the rest of the world
giving Hai (joy) to one and all. There is a need to
establish more similar institutions in order to mould
such ideal students. Parents themselves are not aware of
the innate potential of their children. Our students are
filled with noble thoughts and sacred feelings. They
give top priority to the service of their parents. They
treat their friends and relatives with love and
affection. They have no desire for accumulating wealth.
Their sole aim is to obey Swami's command and work for
the progress of society. I do not want any other
property than My students. With the help of these
students, many educational institutions can be
developed. Unlike students elsewhere who wake up very
late in the morning, our students get up in the early
hours at the crowing of the cock. They observe
moderation in food and habits. Such discipline can do
not find among student community elsewhere. They are
attentive in classes and learn their lessons well. They
are obedient to their teachers. They take part in sports
and games, such as, Badminton, Tennis, Volleyball in the
right spirit. They take good care of their health too.
They are all very strong in physique and spirit. You do
not find anyone weak and afflicted with diseases. Such
students who take care of themselves are capable of
taking care of the country as well. Our institution is
fortunate to have students of such calibre. If there are
another five institutions of this quality, they will be
able to raise the happiness level of whole regions of
the country. In fact, other colleges are trying to
emulate our institution.
Our students are like diamonds. They are obedient to
elders, courteous towards relatives. Seeing their good
conduct and listening to their sweet words, the guests
who visit their houses are highly impressed. They are
creative in their thinking and shine as role models. We
do not wish to praise the qualities of our own students.
But when dignitaries who visit this Institute talk high
of our students, I feel very happy.
(Here Bhagawan referred to the hip bone fracture He
suffered last year.) I am not suffering from any disease
or any ailment. Last year, one boy was hanging colour
buntings on the door while standing on an iron stool.
Meanwhile, I opened the door and came out of My room. As
soon as he saw Me, he became nervous and fell down from
the stool. As he was falling, the iron stool got toppled
and fell on Me. He too fell on Me. That was the time
when My hip bone was fractured. Doctors tried their best
to set it right. They felt sorry that it would be
difficult for Swami to walk. I told them, "No one needs
to feel sorry for Me. My students will take good care of
Me. They will follow Me like shadow wherever I go." My
students have become My doctors. It is because of them
that I am able to move around. Our students tell Me,
"Swami, we don't need to be worried about anything when
we are with You. We want to sanctify our lives in Your
service. With such love and faith, hundreds of students
have remained with Swami after the completion of their
education, performing various duties assigned to them.
They do not want to go outside for a job. You may find
it hard to believe if I tell you about the work they do.
Once someone from outside came here and took two of our
boys for employment. They were given a salary of 50,000
to 60,000 rupees per month. They utilised the money to
serve the poor children. Later on, they resigned their
jobs and came here as they could not bear the separation
from Swami. Our students have transformed Prasanthi
Nilayam into a big workshop. They are able to handle
various types of instruments and equipments very
efficiently. They are striving hard for the development
of hospitals. It is not possible for anyone to
understand the sacred feelings of our students.
(Swami asked one of the boys who was sitting near Him to
get up.) This boy did his Engineering and then completed
his MBA degree in our Institute. Many people from all
over the country requested him to join their companies.
But he rejected their offers. What is he doing at
present? He is spreading Swami's message all over the
world through Radio Sai Global Harmony. Even his parents
tell Me, "Swami, please keep him with You always." When
he was with his parents, though they would force him to
eat more, he did not put on weight. But after coming
here, he has gained 18 kg. even without timely intake of
food. Now he is always with Me attending to My needs. At
the same time, he does not keep his office work pending.
He attends to it at night.
(Swami asked another boy to get up.) What do you think
of this boy? He hails from a backward area in Orissa.
His father has three sons. Now, all the four of them are
working in Puttaparthi. These boys have completed their
M.Sc and MBA. They do not want to undertake any job
outside. All of them have remained here serving Swami.
They are satisfied with the salary they are paid here.
In this manner, all the boys who are working here are
full of virtues and are leading a life of sacrifice. For
the last few months, our boys are taking good care of
Me. I do not have any pain. I do not require any medical
treatment. I do not need to be worried about anything.
It is because of the loving service of My students, I am
spending My time blissfully without any inconvenience or
suffering whatsoever. They are always ready and eager to
serve Me. They carry out My instructions meticulously.
There are 200 such students around Me in Prasanthi
Nilayam. They do not sit idle; they discharge their
duties diligently. It is not possible to describe the
magnitude of work they do. They attend to all jobs. If
there are such students everywhere, the nation will
certainly prosper. They help everyone. I want to make
them totally self-reliant. They should depend on the
work they do and not on anybody else. They will
certainly be able to lead their lives in that manner. I
am telling all this today so that you will know the
noble qualities of our students. They are Gunavantulu
(virtuous), Balavantulu (energetic) and also
Dhanavantulu (wealthy). They earn their own money. They
do not take even a paisa from their parents. Sometimes,
the parents may come and ask, "Do you require anything?
They reply, "Swami has provided everything. He is taking
care of us very well."
In future, many great events are going to take place.
The country need not fear. Bharat will certainly become
a land of plenty and prosperity. Our students will
contribute a lot to the development of the nation. They
are the future leaders. It is a matter of great joy for
Me to see the students as future leaders.
Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Hari
Bhajan Bina Sukha Santhi Nahin ?"
Source:
http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2004/21_Aug_04.htm
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