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Sai Pearls of Wisdom - 25
February 13, 2004
Professor Anil Kumar has presented
this talk as an extra satsang. He has selected important messages
Baba has imparted to the students gathered around Him during the
afternoon sessions on the verandah at Prashanti Nilayam.
ANIL KUMAR'S SATSANG:
BABA'S CONVERSATIONS WITH STUDENTS
“Sai Pearls of Wisdom”
Part 25
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
VICE-CHANCELLORS IN SWAMI’S PRESENCE
I want to share with you what
happened on the 29th of October, 2003. All the Vice-chancellors
attended a meeting held to evaluate and assess the standards of
Sathya Sai University. They wanted to share their experiences with
everybody in the open auditorium in the presence of Bhagavan. It
was in the evening, at about 4 o’clock.
Three to four of the Vice-chancellors were selected to express
their views, which were recorded. Bhagavan asked some of the
students to also share their experiences, because the
Vice-chancellors were there and could listen to them speak. This
is just a follow-up, so that I can tell you what the students said
about Sathya Sai University.
STUDENTS HAVE TO BE READY -- EVER READY
Well, I’ll draw your attention to
how Swami will pick boys. He doesn’t give them any time to do a
lot of preparation, or sufficient homework. They have to be ready
-- ever ready! He may pick anybody, at any time, as He did on the
29th of October 2003.
A few students were picked to share their views with the audience.
Each one spoke in a different Indian language, with the result
that we had speeches in English, Sanskrit, Hindi and Telugu. But I
will give you the summary of their talks in English, so that you
can understand and appreciate them.
The first speaker’s name was Sri Sasank Shah. He is a second year
MBA student who spoke in English. The second speaker was Y.
Ranganadha Raju. He is a MA second year student who spoke in
Telugu. The third speaker was V.Jagannadhan, a student of M.Tech
Computer Science, and he spoke in Sanskrit. The fourth speaker was
Jagadish Chandra, a M.Sc. student, who spoke in Hindi.
Everybody appreciated their talks. Swami patted them on their
backs, and generously showered His blessings on all four, which
they deserved. So, I will try to give you the substance of the
talks, one student after the other.
SWAMI NEVER FAILS HIS WORDS
The first speaker: Sri Sasank Shah,
a second year MBA, who spoke in English. He shared his views with
the people as follows.
“Bhagavan Baba declared in 1951, a long time ago, that Sri Sathya
Sai University would be in Puttaparthi. This happened when
Bhagavan visited a school in Bukkapatnam where He used to study.
It is in a village just three miles away. Bhagavan was invited to
go there for the school anniversary, being an old student of the
school.
The headmaster said in his speech of welcome, “Bhagavan, we would
like a junior college in this place. Please allow us to have
intermediate levels in the high school, so that it can be upgraded
into a junior college.”
Then Swami, surprising everybody, declared, “Why a junior college?
There will be a University here in Puttaparthi.”
He said this in December, 1951, in His discourse. It materialised
30 years later when Sathya Sai University was founded, on November
22nd 1981.
SATHYA SAI EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE UNIQUE
Then Sasank said that the Sri Sathya
Sai University was founded to inculcate human values in students,
apart from their academic courses. “There are a number of
universities already all over the country. Sri Sathya Sai
University is not merely an extra addition to those in existence.
This university is different. It is a difference in background,
and has a purpose, which is the dissemination of human values to
mould ideal citizens of this country.” Sasank also mentioned that
the medium of instruction in Sri Sathya Sai University is
Discipline. The first, second and third languages studied are
Love, Service, and Sadhana, or spiritual practice.
Sasank also wanted us to think back to at least 50 years ago, in
the early 50’s, when Puttaparthi had no transport facilities or
proper roads. “Today it has bus facilities, an airport and also a
connecting railway line. What a tremendous change! Sathya Sai
University is a connecting link, proving to the whole world the
strong bond of Love existing between students and Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba. “
Sathya Sai University is an expression of Bhagavan’s feeling of
giving and forgiving. He has repeatedly mentioned that students
are His property. Bhagavan’s Love for students is beyond all our
imagination. No definition can clearly give us the depth of His
Love for students. His Love is beyond all known measures of human
comprehension.
BABA RESPONDS TO PRAYERS
“This incident happened in 1970. The
college, and also the hostel attached to it, was in Bangalore
(Whitefield). As the hostel was too small, Swami was thinking of
building a bigger hostel to accommodate more and more students in
the coming years. So the plans were all made ready to lay the
foundation stone for the construction of a new hostel in
Bangalore. The plans were ready, all the orders were placed, and
the date also was fixed to lay the foundation stone.
However, the boys were not happy because the proposed new hostel
would be a long way away from Swami. The boys would be distant
from Him. Psychologically, they were not prepared for this
physical distance. At that moment, a very young boy gave a letter
to Swami, who was deeply touched and literally moved by reading
that little letter.
You know, Bhagavan responds to our prayers. Prayer makes anything
on earth possible, though it may seem impossible to all of us poor
mortals. There is nothing that cannot be done by prayer. Because
of this simple, genuine, humble prayer of this young boy, Swami
decided to respond positively. You know what the letter said?
“Swami, are You justified in taking us away from You? Do you think
that we can bear this separation? If You have decided to construct
a new hostel specially for us, I pray Bhagavan for You now to have
a residence built for Yourself too, at the side of our new
hostel.”
So he wanted Swami to have a new building constructed for Him
also. The young boy didn’t want to be at a physical distance from
Bhagavan, which would be the result of living in the new hostel.
So he wrote, “Swami, You too have a new house built by the side of
our proposed new hostel.”
That really touched Swami. He called the chief engineer in charge
of the construction of the hostel building and said, “Change the
plans. Shift the plot from there to this place, so that the boys
can stay very close to Me. They don’t want to be away from Me;
they are crying.”
That’s what Baba said. And today the hostel building that you see
in Whitefield, Bangalore, is a replica of the monument of Love of
Swami for students.
SWAMI IS LOVING AND FORGIVING
He has the Himalayan quality of
forgiveness. He gives and forgives. Sasank mentioned another
incident to substantiate his statement that Baba forgives. It also
tells of His Love for students.
“One day, a boy got into Bhagavan’s white Impala car. He did not
notice that the car was in gear. The moment he sat down, the car
started up and hit the wall, very close to the garage. The boy was
frightened. He was literally shaking and ran away. He didn’t come
to darshan for two days and the college warden enquired about his
whereabouts.
After an absence of two days, the boy came shaking to darshan.
Swami saw him and said, “Boy, do you think I am angry with you?
No! No! I am not angry with you. You are more important than my
car. Hitting the wall might damage the car. I am not worried about
that. I am glad that nothing has happened to you, because you are
more important than my car.”
“That is what Bhagavan said. Then the boy fell at the Lotus Feet
and washed both of His Feet with tears of regret and repentance.
Swami’s Love is much more than a thousand mothers’ Love.” That’s
what Sasank told the audience. The university boys learn these
human values with Bhagavan Himself as a role model. Bhagavan
teaches and practices.
“LOVE CAN TRANSFORM ANYTHING”
Then Sasank mentioned another
incident, which happened in 1972. “At that time, we used to have
summer classes in Indian culture and spirituality, open to
students from all over the country. Every state and district could
participate.” Around a thousand students from all over the country
used to attend the seminars in those days.
One morning, the topic dealt with by a professor happened to be on
non-violence, ahimsa. The talk being over, the boys entered the
dining hall. There was a boy playing on the lawn, tearing up the
grass, just playing around. A boy said to him, talking very
closely, “Why do you do that? Why do you hurt those innocent
blades of grass? Didn’t you hear the talk on non-violence, just
given by the professor? Why do you do that now? Why are you being
violent to the grass?”
And the other boy said, “After all, it’s just grass. Why are you
so agitated? Why are you so disturbed? There is nothing wrong with
tearing it up.”
Later, the next morning, Swami called one of the boys, “Look here,
boy, what were you saying yesterday? “
Before the boy could answer, Swami gave all the details to him.
Swami said, “You said, ‘After all it’s just grass; nothing wrong
with tearing it up.’ You are wrong. Know that grass also has life
in it. When you tear it, it feels hurt at being damaged. You are
hurting it. It also feels pain.”
Then with a happy smile, Bhagavan touched a rose bud. When Swami
touched it, that bud started blossoming and opening. “See. That is
the power of Love. The power of Love made this bud open up and
blossom. See and notice it.” And furthermore, Swami wanted this
boy to touch another flower bud nearby. When this boy touched
another bud, that bud started opening up.
Then Swami said, “That is the effect of Love. Love can transform
anything. It will make the flower blossom. Anything will respond,
provided you have Love.” That is what Swami said.
He gave the definition of the word ‘non-violence’ in a single
sentence. “Not hurting anybody by thought, word or deed is
non-violence.” That is what Swami said.
EDUCATION IN SRI SATHYA SAI UNIVERSITY IS FOR LIVING, NOT FOR
LIFE
Continuing his talk, Sasank said
that the University offers training in the usual secular
knowledge. But apart from that, they are also taught the
principles of different religions so that they will know that all
religions are one, and God is One. So, the synthesis of religions
is also taught to students in this university.
He said that this University offers education not merely in a
classroom. The students learn in three places: first, in the
hostel; second, in the college campus; third, in the mandir
(temple) premises. In all these three places, they learn human
values. This university has the highest standards in this country,
as judged by the University Grants Commission. Yes!
Then the boy said that the real property is spirituality, not
worldly knowledge or secular information. “But at the same time,
we should learn how to bring a balance between worldly knowledge
and spiritual knowledge. Doubtless, they are separate; but at the
same time, we should be able to strike a balance between the two,
and lead a comfortable life.”
As Bhagavan said, there are two important things: rights and
duties. Rights and duties are comparable to the two wings of a
bird. The education offered here in Sri Sathya Sai University is
for living, and not for life. It passes on all the important
values relating to righteous conduct, ethics, morality, the
physical, the mundane, the universal and the spiritual, so that
the students are able to respond properly when necessary.
This is termed ‘integrated education.’ When students are taught
how to behave with other friends, how to be respectful to elders,
well, that forms a totally integrated personality. Education
should not make anybody broken, fractured or amputated. Education
should bring about a totally integrated personality in everybody.
And really this university is lucky enough to have Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba as the Chancellor! It is a blessing, a fortune,
that this university is in the safe Hands of the Creator Himself.
And what is it that we can give Him in return? “How can we express
our gratitude to Bhagavan for all that He does?” Sasank concluded
his talk by just saying; “It is enough if we prove to be worthy
instruments in the Hands of Bhagavan, to fulfil His Divine mission
all over the world. So our prayer should be to be fit
instruments.” With these words, he brought his talk to a close.
SWAMI’S LOVE IS BEYOND CLASS, CADRE, SEX
Now I pass on to the summary of the
next speaker, Y. Ranganadha Raju, MA class, a post-graduate
student, who spoke in Telugu. He made the following statements:
“There is only one religion and that is the religion of Love.
There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. Prashanti Nilayam,
particularly the hostel, gives testimony of what Swami says.
People may be from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra, Orrisa, Gujrat,
Punjab, or Kashmir. They may be anybody; but once they come here,
they behave as sisters and brothers, which is an extraordinary
thing.”
“Outside we find policies and administrations run by the laws of
the land. But here there is no law at all. It is Bhagavan who is
guiding the entire university. That makes everybody think that it
is paradise. Is there any place called paradise? It cannot be any
place other than that of Prashanti Nilayam.”
Raju said, “Swami’s Love is beyond class, caste, or sex, because
Swami’s Love has no conditions. People from all over the world,
speaking different languages, are drawn here. So here there is no
bias or anything. He belongs to everybody…everybody. There is
nothing like a class structure. A boy may be the son of a
millionaire; another may be the son of a pauper. The millionaire
and pauper are the one and the same in front of Swami.”
SWAMI’S ACTIONS CANNOT BE BROUGHT DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF THE
HUMAN MIND
“A simple example. I think most of
you look at the crossword puzzle in the newspapers, don’t you? So,
there was a boy who was very interested in doing the crossword
puzzles. One day he was short of four words, and they wouldn’t
come to mind. Of course, there were clues given. One was:
‘Represents a country, the name of which ends with the letter
‘Q’.’ Still the boy could not say what it was, despite scratching
his head many times.”
“Swami, looking at the devotees said, ‘They are from Iraq. Q… the
last letter. It is an oil country, as you all know.’ So, with this
‘I-r-a-q’, the whole puzzle was solved for that boy. Swami’s
answers are mysterious. Swami’s way of handling people is unique.
How He touches every person is really worth observing. It is a
sight for the gods. So, the small puzzle was done. Sometimes
Swami’s actions also seem to be very peculiar. He cannot be
brought down to the level of the human mind.”
A SILENT TRANSFORMATION UNKNOWINGLY TAKES PLACE
Raju gave another example: “A silent
transformation unknowingly takes place in every student after
coming here. His whole personality will be totally different from
that of the past.”
The speaker mentions another instance. This is also a revelation
to the audience. The boy related this incident, which demonstrates
the psychology of these students.
“The boys were getting ready for the Sports and Cultural Meeting.
As all of you know, the winners at the Sports Meet have the
privilege of receiving gold medals from the Divine Hands of
Bhagavan, in front of fifty thousand devotees. This is not
something ordinary. So there is very keen competition among the
boys for the opportunity to receive the cup directly from
Bhagavan!
There were two boys competing in the foot race. It was the final
round. Many had participated, coming second, third and so on.
Finally there were two left. One has to be the winner, naturally.
They were running, while all the people were watching. One boy
fell down. Of course, the other boy was declared the winner and he
would receive the cup from Bhagavan.
At the end of the race, the other boys came and consoled the boy
who fell down. “Don’t worry. Don’t worry. After all, sometimes in
life these things happen.” Then one boy asked him, “How is it that
you fell down all of a sudden? You are a very fast runner. You
have been first for years. Why?”
Do you know what that boy said? “The boy who won promised his
father that he would be the college champion this year. He told
his father that he would win and certainly receive the cup from
Bhagavan. So I didn’t want him to be disappointed. I wanted him to
win the race. So I fell on purpose.”
Would this happen anywhere else in the world? No! We can see that
this is the spirit of sacrifice, which is something exceptional.
It is not mere competition. It is not mere winning or losing, it
is something much more. It is the values of life.
The speaker, Raju, said this: “I come from an area full of
terrorists, an area of violence where people kill each other. But
seeing me, nobody would believe that I come from such a place
where rowdies kill each other. Today I am in front of you like
this because Bhagavan made me a cultured, decent man of human
values.” And furthermore he said, “Can you deny this? I openly
declare this is the effect of Bhagavan’s Love on my life.”
SWAMI IS OMNISCIENT
One student narrated this incident.
It seems a student had the practice of cutting his nails every
Thursday. It had become almost a habit. One Thursday, it so
happened that he had to rush off to the college. He couldn’t cut
his nails. On the same day, Baba chanced to visit the Institute.
He called this boy and said, “How are you?” With a wave of His
hand, He materialised a nail cutter. (Laughter) “Come on! You can
cut your nails with this.”
A PRAYER TO SWAMI
Bhagavan’s leelas or miracles cannot
be estimated, cannot be judged, and cannot be explained. So saying
this, the boy quoted a beautiful poem composed by Bhagavan
Himself, a poem composed by the Divine Master, Baba.
I will give you an apology of this translation, that’s all. I
don’t think that I could do full justice to the original
composition. But I will just give the meaning of it here:
Whatever I may have, plenty, prosperity or poverty,
I am not bothered.
If You are pleased with me,
That is enough, Bhagavan.
Whatever I may lose, whatever I may gain,
If You are favourable to me,
That is enough Bhagavan.
I may have a number of desires, fulfilled or unfulfilled,
But if Thy Grace is on me,
That is enough, Swami.
I may be in a high position or out of position,
Whatever it may be, if You love me,
That is enough, Swami.
I have so many things that You have given me,
And things that I am likely to receive in future,
But Lord, I want one promise from You.
I only desire one thing;
That I should lead that kind of life,
As to make You say that I am your devotee;
that You are pleased with me.
That is enough for this life.
When he recited this poem, there was thunderous applause in the
whole of the auditorium. Then he quoted another poem, composed by
Bhagavan Himself.
(I just want to tell you, my friends. You may have heard me
quoting Bhagavan’s poems in the course of my talks. Whenever I am
given the chance to speak in the Divine presence, I translate
Swami freely. This is not because I want to advertise my
scholarship. No! The poems are in Telugu and that is my mother
tongue, so they are easy to pick up. I can quote from the
original, and those people who know Telugu would appreciate that
very much. But I don’t want to disappoint the others. So I do the
translation in English then and there, immediately, knowing full
well that full justice can’t be done to Baba’s words. I know that,
yet I must do my job.)
This is the substance of the second poem quoted by the boy,
written by Bhagavan Himself fifty years ago.
O God, Thou art the tree and I am a creeper around You.
O Lord, You are the flower while I am the honeybee, buzzing around
You.
O Bhagavan, You are the vast sky while I am the small star,
shining and glittering along the way.
Bhagavan, You are the ocean and I am only a river trying to merge
in You.
O Swami, You are the mountain and I am the waterfall.
This is the substance of the poem, which everyone loudly cheered.
Swami wanted him to repeat this poem once again. God takes delight
in His own composition!
OFFERING GOD HIS OWN GIFTS
The next speaker was V. Jagannadhan,
M. Tech. class, a student of Computer Science. He spoke in
Sanskrit. This boy quoted a verse from Adi Shankara. You must have
heard of Adi Shankara, the greatest intellectual the world has
produced. People say he is the very incarnation of Shankara, Lord
Shiva Himself.
Really, I feel like talking about Ramana Maharshi and Shankara to
a small group someday. These two topics are not for everybody.
Unless one has depth, unless one has 100 percent concentration,
unless one has a sufficient background in spirituality, Shankara
and Ramana Maharshi cannot be understood. I only pray that someday
I shall have the opportunity to speak on the compositions and the
lives of these two great people.
This boy, Jagannathan, quoted from Adi Shankara’s composition,
called Soundarya Lahiri, meaning, “Beauty Flows.” “The Incessant
Flow of Beauty” is the literal translation, if I can give it that
way. This composition is in praise of the Goddess, the Divine
Mother.
“What do we do as we have our daily bath? If people go to the
river to have their bath, they collect water from the river, and
offer it to God. The water, which is the creation of God, is not
yours; it is just there. And you offer the same water back to God.
Am I clear? ‘O God! What else can I give You other than Your own
Creation, because everything belongs to You. I have nothing. I can
only offer Your own gifts back to You, Swami. I don’t have any.’
With this idea, they collect water and offer it to God.”
“Similarly, Swami, all we have learnt from You will be offered
back to You out of our devotion. We don’t have anything else to
give You, God. We know that nothing can happen in this world
unless You will it. Unless you determine it, nothing can happen in
this world, O God!”
GOD NEVER LETS HIS DEVOTEES DOWN
The boy mentioned one episode from
Mahabharatha, a great Indian epic. “In the epic, there is a
character by the name of Arjuna. He is a great warrior, of
enormous strength and an expert in archery. Arjuna went on
pilgrimage. He visited several places, and at one place he saw
Hanuman, who was a monkey character from Ramayana (another famous
Indian epic, taking place in the previous yuga).
He had no knowledge of Hanuman’s powers because Hanuman belonged
to the Treta Yuga, an earlier period, which was Rama’s time. Rama
was the seventh Incarnation of Vishnu, whereas Arjuna belonged to
Krishna’s time, Krishna being the eighth Incarnation of Vishnu. So
Arjuna had no way of knowing Hanuman at all.
Well, Arjuna assumed that he was an ordinary monkey. Then Hanuman
demonstrated who he was in a very extraordinary way. Arjuna looked
at the bridge at Rameshwaram, near the tip of South India, and
said to Hanuman, “Look! Your Sri Rama built that bridge with the
help of monkeys? Had I been there, I would have done it by
shooting arrows. I would have constructed the bridge with arrows,
single-handedly, without the help of monkeys. Rama did it with the
help of monkeys. What’s so great about Rama then?”
Hanuman was deeply hurt. “Oh, I see. Are you as great as that?”
And He said, “Come on, do that now.”
Arjuna shot the arrows. The bridge was ready. Hanuman said, “Let
me test it for strength.” He started walking on the bridge. The
bridge started shaking like the modern bridges, which are made
more out of sand with less cement. It was ready to collapse any
moment, and Arjuna started trembling. He prayed to Krishna
silently, and then immediately said, “Oh Hanuman, walk again now.”
When Hanuman walked again, the bridge was strong.
Later, Krishna appeared in front of Arjuna, saying, “Arjuna, know
this. When Hanuman was walking on the bridge, it was about to
collapse. When you prayed to Me, I supported the bridge with My
back, so that it did not fall. It did not collapse because I gave
My back to keep it up. Now you can see stripes of blood on My
back.”
This is the episode narrated by that boy, as stated by Bhagavan to
them. The boy said, “Arjuna’s prestige and dignity was maintained
by God. Those of us who believe in God can live in respect and in
grace. We don’t have to bend our heads in shame before anybody
because God is there for us, as the prestige of the devotee is the
prestige of the Lord. He will never allow anybody to fail.” That
is what that boy said.
“ANY PATH THAT YOU MAY FOLLOW, I AM THERE TO BLESS YOU”
And the boy related another
statement by Bhagavan to the boys, which would be of interest to
all of us:
“Boys, you may go anywhere. You may do any spiritual practice. But
remember that whatever the place, any spiritual practice will be
beneficial, fulfilling, and earn you Grace only because of Me.
Understand that any path you may follow, I am there to bless you.
You may go anywhere; I am there to bless you. Understand this.
Sathya Sai Baba is the Ultimate Reality. He continues to shower
His blessings on everybody, everywhere, whichever path you may
follow.” This was said by Bhagavan. Everybody, all present there,
were extremely happy on hearing this statement made by the boy.
And the boy said, “Swami wants us to cultivate a few important
steps in our lives. We have to begin with self-confidence. Out of
this confidence, we will have self-satisfaction. This
self-satisfaction will make us ready for self-sacrifice, which
will end in Self-realization. These steps are absolutely
necessary. Service is the best spiritual path in life.” With this
sentence he concluded his talk.
THE TUG OF WAR BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
Then we had the last speaker,
Jagadish Chandra, M.Sc., first year Physics, who spoke in Hindi.
You may be wondering, ‘Anil Kumar, do you know all these
languages? Hindi, Sanskrit and all that?’ I do not know. I
requested them to give me the English version of their talk. They
gave it to me and I made a note of the talks. I make no false
claims of knowledge of all languages. No! It is enough if I am
conversant with the two languages I know. My mother tongue is
Telugu; I learned English as it was the medium of instruction.
Now, Jagadeesh Chandra, what did he say in Hindi? He narrated an
episode from our epics where the demons and angels participate in
a tug of war. “They started churning the ocean of milk. Angels
were on one side; demons on the other side. The ocean of milk was
churned by these two rival groups. The churning produced Divine
Nectar.”
“Today there is a tug of war between the good and evil forces in
the ocean of life. Out of this has emanated the nectarine,
beautiful, majestic form of our Avatar, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba. He has taken life, He has taken birth, from this churning
process between evil and good.” That is what he said.
PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF
Then he started mentioning a few
important points: “Today we find people concentrating more on
money. Everyone thinks of money. Money makes many things, but not
everything. It is unfortunate that money has taken priority in the
life of the individual today. In these modern times, people do not
have the knowledge of the Self, as mentioned by Adi Shankara or
Ramana Maharshi. They have knowledge of nature, but they do not
have knowledge of their true nature. They have knowledge of the
outer world, but they have no knowledge of the inner Self. That is
what is happening.”
Bhagavan has said, “This knowledge is the Self, which is so close
to you, so near to you.”
“We don’t see the light. We grope in the darkness. We are drowned
in the darkness of illusion. We don’t watch the light within us,
the light of the Self.”
“I TEACH YOU IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS FOR ME AND YOU”
Then this boy said, “Sathya Sai
University is the dream of the student community, realised in
reality. We have students from all over the country, from all
states, representing different cultures of this land, and
different languages of this land. Education is totally free, right
from kindergarten to the level of the Doctorate degree. Totally
free!”
Baba told the students one point which rings in their ears, day
and night. What did He tell them? “Boys, always be sure that I am
always with you, in you and around you.” That gives them enough
enthusiasm, courage and dynamism for life. That is what Baba said.
The boy said, quoting Swami: “Believe that I am always around you
to motivate and inspire you, to awaken the Me within you. When I
see you responding, the knowledge of the world is put in front of
you, and I, Myself, teach you in a language that is for Me and
you. There is a separate language between you and Swami that is
totally personal. I, Myself, will teach you what I really want to
teach you in the language known to Me and you. I shall also see
that you learn all things of this world easily without any
difficulty.”
FAITH IS INSTILLED IN OUR HEARTS BY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
The boy told of an incident: “It
seems that one student from the higher secondary school
unfortunately lost his eyesight in an accident. It was most
unfortunate. The days were going by, and the examinations were
fast approaching. How could this boy sit for the examination? How
would he fare? It was not easy. He could not read and prepare. But
he had firm faith that Swami would come to his rescue and save
him.
He had that feeling in him, and what happened? God never fails.
One day, Swami came slowly and gently towards him, waved His Hand
and created vibhuthi, smearing his eyes with it. Immediately the
boy’s vision became normal. He could see everything! He could read
and prepare. That is how faith is instilled in our hearts -- not
by reading, not by listening, but by our own personal experience.”
That is what that boy said.
GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS CHILDREN
Thousands and thousands of people
are treated in the Super Speciality Hospital. Millions of people
have their thirst quenched by Swami’s drinking water supply. These
projects speak of God’s Love for His children.
This boy in his talk mentioned another incident. “It seems a
student was admitted to the hostel for the first time. He was a
young boy and he was very homesick. He started crying. He kept
Swami’s picture very close to him on his chest, wept and wept, and
finally slept.”
In his sleep, Bhagavan appeared in a dream, and catching hold of
his hand, took this boy around the hostel. He showed him every
room. He showed him the kitchen, and every place. He showed him
the water taps, the dining hall, the kitchen, and everything. He
also sat him in the car and the boy went travelling with Him. All
this happened in a dream. Swami asked him in the dream, “Is my car
good? Is it beautiful? It is a new car. How do you like it?”
Naturally, dreams do not last long. The dream vanished. The next
morning the boy got up. He saw other students running towards the
road. He asked them, “Where are you going? Why are you running?”
They said, “Swami is likely to come this way. So we are going to
see Him.”
So, he too ran and stood with them. He had the good fortune to get
close to the window side of the car. He saw it was the same car as
in the dream, and the same smile of Baba as he had seen Him in the
dream.
Now Bhagavan also put the same question: “Boy, do you like My car?
How do you like this car?”
And the boy giving the talk said, “This is an open question to all
of you. Do you come across God, any other God who will just melt,
by just one tear?” By just one tear, He melts and He responds. Do
you find any God of this type?”
Now, the boy is well-read, so I understand. He quoted from a good
book on Krishna, Sri Krishna Leelamritham. It is a very
good book. He quoted a verse which aptly fits the context:
That God worshipped by all angels,
That God adored by all sages and saints,
That God who attracted all cowherd boys and cowherd girls of
Brindavan,
That God is in our midst, in the form of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba.
Where is paradise? Where is heaven?
It is here now!
With these sentences, he concluded his talk.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
OM OM OM
Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Source:
http://www.internety.com/saipearls/13.02.04(E)central.htm
© Anil Kumar Kamaraju 2004 - Here
reproduced for personal use of the devotees for the purpose of
seva.
Anil Kumar website:
http://www.internety.com/anilkhome/ -
http://www.internety.com/saipearls/
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