Author: SSSIHL

In the days of yore there were those outstanding personalities and skilled figures, the rishis and sages who could communicate the quintessence of the Vedas and the texts and bring home the cherished lessons embodied therein to the pupils. They were not only highly accomplished teachers but at their command even a lifeless entity such as a stone would spring to life and acquire the skills which were being given, skills of varying dimensions and varying descriptions. Today too there are these outstanding personalities, men of high accomplishments and achievements, who could make others transcend their limitations and lead them from the front. But what is the use, if the pupils of today do not respond and reach out to the cries and the need of the situations?
Listen to this, O students!

After passing through this “gurukul” stage and being on the threshold of entering into the household stage there are these people to whom you have to listen, for they are your well-wishers who look towards your peace and prosperity. Education does not mean getting the know-how of the alphabet. What is learnt has to be practised and shown in your daily life thereby sanctifying your life, and you must try to understand the inner purpose of life. Education, you should understand, has as its corner stone the guiding principle whereby you could remove yourself from sorrow and difficulties and move on to a higher path. If you have to communicate an idea in the medium of words there is this word ‘Samhita’ which goes on to show that the choice of words for communication should be clear cut, and precise such that the ideas contained are got. This word Samhita is also called Sandhi. In this educational fields there are four types of Samhita. They are: (i) Loka Samhita, (ii) Aloka Samhita, (iii) Vijnana Samhita, (iv) Praja Samhita. One pertains to the world, the second that is called Aloka, the third pertaining to science and the fourth pertaining to the people.

What you have beneath you is the earth. You have the world of the stars above you. That which brings these two together is the wind, and after bringing together thus, that which takes the form is the sky. Earth is one which is at the beginning, and these stars come at the second place. But then there is a force of attraction between the earth and the world of the stars. We could say that the earth is attracting the stars above or the nether worlds below. So, that which has got a greater capacity to attract and wield its course is what attracts the second body. Between the earth and the nether worlds there are seven types of winds.

The first is called Navaha,
the second is called Pravaha,
the third is called Anuvaham,
the fourth is called Samham,
the fifth is called Vivaham,
the sixth is Pravaham,
the seventh is Praviham.

The first lesson given to students is that it is these categories of winds which link the earth below to the stars above. By seeing the stars and the clouds it is said that the sky goes into ecstasy and she basks in the rays of the Sun. The first lesson contained in the Sikshavalli is that there is link between earth and the stars. The second is called Aloka Samhita. This is also called Jyoti Samhita. Below you, you have fire. Above you, you have the Sun. The link between the fire and the Sun is water, and in this light of the Sun you have the lightning. The fire and the earth, and this lightning streaks emanating from the Sun, there again is a link between the two. Thereby you have water. One who gets to know the nature of this water would certainly understand the nature of the world around us. It also says that one who has grasped this water would have grasped the world itself. So, the second lesson is that there is this link between the fire and the sun and that is how the human existence also comes into being. In the vedas we have references to the fact that the moon in linked to the mind and the heart, and the Sun is linked to the eyes.

The third Sainhita is called Vignana Samhita. Here the guru is the first entity. The pupil is called Uttara. There is this link, the relationship between the guru and the Sishya, because the pupil and the teacher come together and what emanates is Vidya. It also proves that for a human being it is not merely the worldly skills that are important, rather it is the knowledge of the Atma that is truly important. It also cautions that in addition to the worldly knowledge, what is of paramount importance is the spiritual knowledge. It also tells us that through this process of education an individual could transform himself or herself into a lighthouse so as to dispel the darkness around him or her. With limitless desires, with meaningless anxiety, trying to seek that which cannot be sought, these words would verily become the beacon for the lost soul. These are, “Speak the truth”, “Tread the path of Dharma, without any fault or shortcoming try to further your understanding”. There should not be any carelessness in accumulating knowledge. Stop doing evil. Try and do that which you can talk about. You have to lead a disciplined life and you are bound by the conduct upheld by the Society. While in the household stage, in tune with your capabilities, act charitably. Be obedient and humble before elders. In the execution of a task or in the discharging of your duties and responsibilities you should move about without any carelessness or laxity. It also tells us that these are the sacred injunctions students should always bear in mind for transforming themselves into divine entities. But unfortunately, such thoughts and ideas are nowhere to be traced in the minds and hearts of students of today. A student should never think that studying is merely for the sake of getting a job. He should understand the truth that this education is meant to give him knowledge supreme. Today’s education renders the educated into a selfish person. It makes him a slave to his senses. As a result, he forgets the divine spark within him, and the education of today is leading to such troubles and chaotic conditions all around. Today’s educated person does not come forward to assist the grief-stricken and those who are suffering. He forgets the fact that he is born in the society and is very much its part and parcel. He tries to lead a life in isolation like a drop of oil over the surface of water.

Today the educated man has no room for broad mindedness. He becomes petty and narrow minded. He should also understand that this is not what marks out an educated person.

Even after 37 years of Independence, there is still the attitude of a slave in every Indian. The advances made in science and technology are not being put to use for the betterment of people at large nor are we trying to find out how best we can tap the resources in terms of scientific and technological developments. The educated people are trying to take a distorted view of the advances made in science and technology for destructive purposes. But then this is not the fault of the students alone. The Government has not come forward to encourage the students to go on constructive ways. Neither has it made any effort whatsoever to fill the hearts and minds of young students with noble and lofty ideals. In the educational institutions of today you don’t have ways and means by which a student is trained to face the challenges which the world throws against him. He is educated, he has got a certificate; but he is still a slave, he has not cared to rid himself of his bondage. Freedom does not connote moving about aimlessly like the animals in the street. Fill your time with good cause taking path of truth. A life led thus is led thus is indeed a life of fulfilment. Understand this once again. Education is not merely for the sake of degrees. This is a mistaken notion. The man of today goes out of his way to secure his rights; but he does not bother about what his duties and responsibilities are. When you want your rights but don’t want to discharge your responsibilities you lose the rights given to you. The rights on the one hand and the duties and responsibilities on the other are inseparably linked with each other.

Then there is the element of love that has to be taken into account. Love and law, these again go together. Today’s man looks upon love as one of the guiding principles but he forgets the fact that the law also has to give as to how best you can tap and use your love. In the spiritual domain too those who are believers keep aspiring for peace and joy and happiness, but they do not know how to go about these. You don’t need God. You don’t think that you need have devotion. But then you want that God should confer on you peace, joy and happiness. God is not such a blind person. God is one who is more well versed than you. You go to a shop; you want to buy a thing. In order to get the thing, you have to pay some price from your side. Only then you can get the thing. In the same manner if you want to secure for yourself this commodity called peace, there is something that you should give. So if you want to secure santi or peace, then try to lead a life which is in tune with this aspiration. Taking to ways which are bad and following the path of adharma, how can you get santi, peace or happiness? This is merely a vain wish. How can one who eats a mango get the flavour of another fruit? The fruit will be in tune with your karma. In terms of your thoughts, God would grace you. So let your ideals be high and noble.

Let your actions be in tune with dharma. Only then you can get the right to understand the inner significance of educational philosophy. In today’s educational philosophy, there is no place for trust and humaneness. The bee is said to have a very pointed nose. It is said that it can go through a hard obstacle it can make its way through a hard object like a piece of wood. But the same bee, once it gets into a lotus and the lotus petals fold up, then it cannot extricate itself. It becomes forgetful of its stings and loses its life. In the same manner, man has become forgetful of his divine power within him. As a result, he succumbs to the difficulties, troubles and agitations, in the process, disintegrating and collapsing. Today’s student should strive and bring to fore the qualities within him. He believes the novels. He goes by the drama. He goes by the newspaper. He goes by what the man in the street has to say. But he does not believe in God. He does not go by what God has to say. This could be classified as very unfortunate. One accomplished person says “Today is Sunday” The student goes by these words and tries to experience leisure and relaxation. A pundit who says “Today is Ekadasi”; You can by that word undertake fasting. So also, in terms of what a Vedantin says “Today is Amavasya”, you go about performing the day in a proper manner. But then you do not go by this word, this injunction given to you that “Oh Child, you are really Brahman”. The educated person does not place trust in words like these which bring home to him his divine nature. Rather he goes by what the world has to offer in terms of his mechanical existence.

At the very outset, educated persons should understand the truth that this education is not for the sake of filling their stomach. In the Ramayana, we have an illustration of a very interesting person. Through this character, the Ramayana brings home to us a lesson. Who is this person? This person is Kabanda. His form is very peculiar. His head is in the stomach. There is an inner significance to this. It means that man is using his head for the purpose of his stomach. His hands and limbs are very long and powerful. By means of these long hands of his, he used to secure within his grasp whatever he could reach and ate it. What is the inner meaning of this? He is not utilising them for the sake of others in the society around him, for the betterment of his fellow beings or for being of use to others. So, if you understand in today’s context, you will find that our behaviour or mannerism is in tune with Kabanda’s so much so that we are brothers of Kabanda. But then we are not Kabandas. We are related to God. With this divine nature that is ours, with this relationship that we have with the divine, we should try and become self-sufficient and self-reliant. Just as you have the streak of lightning across the dark clouds, so also alongside education, you must have the streak of Jnana. Today we pride ourselves that we are educated; but, no trace of education is to be found. So if you really want yourselves to be qualified to be called educated, then let your life be one where everything is good and noble. When you see people suffering, go and help them. This is the Truth.

Today’s education has become mechanical. There is no place for skill. There is no place for creativity. How can we know the uniqueness of the significance of education? Education means effulgence and splendour. The nature of this effulgence is that it dispels the darkness around you. We are blind because we are deliberately closing our eyes. We have established educational institutions to impart an ideal education to students of today and to mould them into citizens of tomorrow. There are many who tend to believe that our students are proficient only in doing bhajans, worship or taking up the spiritual path. But this is a mistaken notion. Our students are trained in every aspect of their existence the physical, ethical, moral, political, intellectual, scientific, spiritual and the like, and we can also add to these fields, music, literature, dance. drama and all the arts Fine Arts. A true illustration of the accomplishments of our students is the pots filled to the brim, that do not spill out the liquid. They remain steady. This outward appearance is mistaken as a sign of weakness. Our students do not exhibit what they have. Our students are sure that ego has no place in their existence. One who wants this exhibitionism is the one who wants to go after everything in this material world. Of course, in a handful of cooked rice, you may have a pebble or two. It could be true of our students also. We should not take this to be the general nature of our students. So, our students are embodiments of high ideals. Knowingly or unknowingly they might commit some faults and mistakes. But once they know what they must do, they would certainly uphold the truth proper. Our educational institution is making an endeavour to have thousands of these students spread themselves to all the parts of the world in a few years. The uppermost thing for the students is that they should further this moral aspect of ours. Today, morals and ethics are at a low count. In today’s educational system, there should be classes set apart for moral and spiritual education.

Today’s educational system aims at giving a degree to the students. As a result, the number of the unemployed increases. In every educational institution, there should be a job orientation and if this be given, a student would be encouraged and enthused to assimilate all that is given to him. But what they learn is not giving them a job. Nor are the students themselves interested in job-oriented education.

That is why the life of students is being frittered away like this. We should not waste any time of the student. In our educational system here, right from 5AM in the morning to 10PM in the night, students have something or other to do. There are marks assigned for everyone of their activity. In this manner, facilities are provided so that they are not to waste their time on any account. In this process, they are learning more and more. Time is everything. Time wasted is life wasted. Do not waste time. In these three sentences is contained their activities from morning till night. But in the general scheme of things, students go to the colleges without knowing why they go there. Not only do they stop learning things, but they develop an interest in the material world around them. Such people can they be called students? After entering as students, they are becoming people craving for material things. This is not a true trait of education.

In ancient India, after students have done their studies and are on the threshold of entering the life of a house holder, the gurus address an assembly of students so that they could impart to them the best ways and means of carrying out these duties. The purpose of the Convocation is to equip the students with their beacons, the guiding stars. The words of the gurus are verily the beacons. This is the true purpose of a convocation. But in today’s world a convocation has become a place of agitations and unruly behaviour and these in turn lead to a life which has no meaning at all.

Today’s students are the builders of tomorrow. But they have lost track of their purpose and they are indulging in destructive activities. What is the cause for this? Who is responsible for this? If you look deeper into this, you will realise that the parents are responsible for this. They may have love all right. It is natural for the father to love his son. But, even this love has a certain constraint. Dhritharashtra loved his children. A son who goes astray should be controlled and cautioned by the parents. Along with love, he should also have a means to punish him. The elephant should have the goad, then only will it listen to the master. The horse should similarly have the reins so that you could hold the horse. So, along with what is laid down, there should also be a means of punishment. Only then, the two can go together, But, no parent of today is making an effort in this direction. They are all the while carried away by love towards their children. Along with love they should insist on the conduct. The children may not know but the parents should tell the children what they should do. The parents say things like: “I have left my son to himself for whatever he wants to do”. This is a cowardly act. Tomorrow if he goes astray and brings disrepute to the family and the parents, who will be responsible for this? So, we should try to mould the child so that he brings up the name and fame of the family. The name and reputation is important. “What is in a name?” you might say. We say that if the city has got a good name the citizens are good. If you are good the town itself gets a good name. How do you get a good name? through your behaviour. It is not mere intellectual excellence but your qualities that are truly important. So, try to further these qualities, not your wealth or money. Money is also necessary. In addition, you need good quality. A chariot without its two wheels cannot move. A bird which has not two wings cannot fly. So, you should have money and good qualities. These two go together. Our primary task is to foster these good qualities.

When you go out into the world you should not become slaves like everybody else. Now you are trying to imitate what the other man is doing. You do not understand the truth that imitation is a sign of weakness. So long as you are in the Sathya Sai Educational Institutions, being filled with good behaviour and good words you remain good. But once you go out into the world you go about a changing process. You grow long hair, grow mustache and a beard and you are like a beggar. Does not a cockroach have this mustache or a rat its whiskers? What is the use of your calling yourself a man? Such weaknesses should be given up. What we are, should be shown, in what we do. You get carried away by your education or your money. These are not yardsticks of your greatness. Your behaviour is the yardstick for your greatness. So, students who are embodiments of love, even if you go to the world, what you learnt here, the good and the noble ideals, try to put them into practice in the world outside. Believe that this is the true Vidya that you must have.

In the sacred assembly of the Convocation whatever you have heard, whatever has been given to you in the form of injunction, let them be the very life breath of you. Try to become ideal models to the world outside, by translating this message in your daily life there.

Chivalry of speech has increased;
Chivalry of deed has disappeared;
Life is laden with false vanities;
This is the life the student leads today.
Money has become our God;
Pride has become our creed;
Selfishness sits supreme in Buddhi’s seat;
Egotism has become our fashion:;
Greed has become our beauty;
Dharma has come to naught;
Compassion has sunk low;
Moral fervour is lost;
Hypocrisy has become the light of our life;
Love and kindness lie sick and diseased;
Modern education has blinded men with lust;
Life has become a burden;
Minds have gone astray.
Delay no more for delay is disastrous,
Fuse morality with education in sweet harmony,
And see what happens.

What is education? What kind of education should we seek? what is the true measure of education? What kind of education fosters the well-being of humanity at large? What good has the current system of education done? He indeed is the wise one who focuses his attention on these five aspects of learning and obtains the right insight into the true nature of education.

Mere interpretation of the meanings of words does not constitute education. Education is that which throws wide open the doors of the mind that men of learning should first experience within themselves the sublime beauty and splendour of education, and then they should impart it to others.

Students strain themselves hard to acquire degrees. But they must strain harder to acquire noble qualities. The value of an individual depends on the measure of purification that he brings about in himself. It is by giving up bad habits and by cultivating good ones in their place, that one purifies oneself. Education should enable a person to nurture proper virtues in himself.

Education without purification of one’s personality is like a kite whose twine has snapped. No one knows for certain where such a kite falls on a bush or a brier. Education without refinement of character is like a rudderless boat no one knows where it will take us! Education bereft of purity of character is like a dungeon where no light streams in and where only beasts of Kama, Krodha, etc., live. The student who has not achieved purity of character suffers from raga (attachment) and dwesha (hatred) and will make a wreck of himself. Education devoid of character is like a coin which has lost its currency. Even a beggar doesn’t condescend to accept such a counterfeit coin! Even parents do not love their own children if they reek with vices. It is not the acquisition of education that matters much. What is most essential is the cultivation of samskaras along with your education. Vidya is not mere accumulation of knowledge. Vidya should be transformed into dedicated dynamic action.

People today mistake science for education and nourish the wrong notion that there is nothing more powerful than science. It is dynamic action which is more powerful than the knowledge of science” Knowledge without wisdom, action devoid of discretion, scholarship sans sagacity, life without prudence, music minus melody, speech not based on truth, friendship bereft of loyalty, society not marked by discipline and education without humility do not earn the admiration of men. Education should sanctify the heart of man and lead him along the sweet avenues of life. But the education imparted today hardens the heart of man and makes him a bond slave to his senses.

Students should gaze back at the glory of education in ancient times. There is a world of difference between the ancient System of education and the modern one. Education has slid from its lofty heights of the past. Students in the past distinguished themselves in all disciplines of knowledge scientific, economic and spiritual. They faithfully pursued the path laid down by the Smriti and the Sruti and rose to eminent heights of glory. On the contrary the students of today have descended down to the depths of degradation, in all disciplines of life.

People who glibly lisp pious words of peace do secretly encourage deeds of violence and unrest. Such self-deluding people have increased in numbers by leaps and bounds. Cruelty has come to the fore as a consequence. It is these people who destroy the peace of the world by encouraging unrest and violence.

We do not see today even the slightest signs of sacrifice, good conduct and honesty. We are human beings only in form and appearance. We are students only in dress and style. Even the men of learning are determined to destroy the very foundations of Dharma. such attempts by these men will spell destruction not only to Dharma but the very social organism.

‘Dharayati iti dharmah’ Dharma is that which holds and sustains. As burning is the nature of fire, fragrance, of a full blossomed rose, sweetness, of sugar, so is truthfulness of man. Dharma is that which enables us to live as a human among humans without ever losing the glory of humanness. It is the decline of truthfulness that causes the decline and downfall of humanness. Students shourd firmly resolve to go to the rescue, when Dharma is in danger.

Students are the sons and daughters of this effulgent Bharat. This country is the cradle of courage, valour, chivalry and prosperity. The students of today are born to the glorious lineage of great Rishis, as Vasishta, Vamana, Jamadagni, Parashara, Bharadwaja, Gautama and others, who shook the three worlds by the power of their penance. The descendants of such illustrious Rishis have given themselves to a state of supine complacence when Dharma is berated by others. It is not meet on the part of the sons of Bharat to give themselves to such torpor. Students should leap to the defense of their motherland even at the cost of their own lives, when she is being treacherously betrayed.

Today the so called educationists talk loud and long that there is no God and even if He is, there is no place for him in their hearts. How ludicrous is their talk! How low is their intelligence! God is the embodiment of Truth. These people who argue that there is no God indeed indirectly confess that there is no place for Truth in themselves, for God is Truth. God is verily the Sun of wisdom. These people by denying the existence of God deny the presence of wisdom in them. As strange buds grow on the trunks of trees before they decay, similarly strange thoughts spring from the minds of these people. These men sin by lending voice to such wicked thoughts. Denying the existence of God is like saying that one has tongue but cannot speak. It is as foolish as saying “My mother is barren.” The one who denies the existence of Atma denies his own existence. Only those blind of atmic knowledge cause such controversies.

Students should come to know the right kind of knowledge and see that it is translated into the activities of their daily life. We should bring about reforms in the current system of education.

Modern education has waxed high,
Atmic knowledge has waned low,
Sathya and Dharma are extinguished forever.

The education that we acquire today does not help us to understand concepts like Sathya and Dharma. Mankind should develop the feeling of oneness of humanity and they should endeavour to live as members of one society.

A serious study of the present educational system reveals that it creates ignoramuses on an enormous scale. Twenty one thousand five hundred students worked on various thesis and obtained their doctorate degrees between 1975-80. Their research work by no means contributed to the welfare of the world.

There are scientists who toil hours together in the laboratories without doing any good either to society or to themselves. They at best succeed in wasting their energy and time. The U.G.C. expends crores of rupees on research. It is no greatness to expend huge amounts of money; real greatness lies in spending huge amounts usefully.

Sir Charles Carton was the Chairman of the Committee which made a detailed enquiry into the research work undertaken in different disciplines of knowledge. He found that the benefits that accrued out of research were meagre. He felt sad that the research work which many undertake is a wasteful activity involving wastage of time, work and energy.

There are those who have toiled and earned their doctorates with hardly any capacity to communicate to others the findings of their research. Hence due effort should be made at the post graduate level to develop in the students the skills of teaching. Many have received their Ph.Ds without ever obtaining any skill in the art of teaching. At least once or twice a week, students should be given training in the cultivation of teaching skills.

There is a widespread thinking on the part of our students that the end of education is gainful employment and possession of wealth. These cannot be the true end of education. Students enroll themselves in the Employment Exchange Office, make many visits to it and some of them even commit suicide out of despair. This is not the right attitude for a student.

Students with sound financial resources should launch self-reliance schemes like small scale industries and thereby remedy the unemployment problem by providing employment to the poor and the helpless But if these students with sound financial resources gain employment for themselves by exercising their influence, they will be inflicting incalculable harm on the poor and the helpless, who cannot compete with the rich for securing jobs.

It should be the earnest endeavour of every student to lend work to every hand; to irrigate every field; to light lamps in every house; and transform every home into a factory. Then alone the present educational system will be able to add grace and distinction to itself. Students of today should renounce selfishness, give up pride and arrogance and illumine their lives with humility.

We scarcely find either vitality or skill in the present educational set up. Education without humility is no education. So, students should cultivate the attitude of obedience to elders, devotion to God and unflinching faith in Dharma. They should nourish within themselves the belief that the strength that springs from Dharma, morality and spirituality is real strength.

Students of today are mercurial in their temperament and flit from mood to mood They greet you with a ‘hello’ in one moment and bid you farewell in the very next, leaving you in the lurch. How can vidya reside in the hearts of these men who have no constancy of mind and in whom raga and dwesha have reached their very zenith? What is the cause of all this? The Government which grants a considerable measure of freedom to our students is responsible for the violence in the campus. It is the unions and federations sanctioned by the Government that trigger chaos in the campus.

What is a Union? Living as one is union. The Union has the ultimate objective of remaining a friend to a man through thick and thin, pain and pleasure. Unity is seeing the one in many. But the students of today divide the one into many, instead of fusing the many into one. The Government has sanctioned elections at all levels, ranging from the primary school to University colleges utterly oblivious to the atrocities committed in the name of elections. First and foremost, the U.G.C. and the Government should suspend the elections and instead of holding elections for the selection of a leader, the best all-rounder amongst the students should be chosen as the leader. Elections fill the students with hatred for one another. It doesn’t stop with them, but descends down on the fresh batches of students that enter the portals of an institution. Love and affection should be fostered in the students; the feeling of oneness has to be instilled in them; and the feeling of fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man has to be nurtured. Love will start welling up the day we suspend the elections in our institutions.

There are people who advocate ragging in the name of cultivating friendship and fearlessness. This foul practice is being increasingly encouraged in the name of friendship. But creating horror in the students and forcing them to end their lives is not a mark of friendship. It is due to sanctioning of these small measures of freedom that education has fled and agitation has set in.

It is not the fault of the students that they indulge in agitation We must bring about due changes in the code of discipline that we have laid down for our students and grant them only that measure of freedom they deserve. No good accrues without discipline. Discipline should mark every aspect of our life.

Today we have unions of all kinds; students union, teachers union, workers union, etc. We have unions but there is no unity. Teachers hate fellow teachers; students hate fellow students; men hate fellow men. All reek with hatred. The heart is not filled with love. It is the absence of compassion, righteousness and devotion that causes this lovelessness.

Compassion is a superlative virtue. A heart without compassion can never become a temple of God. It is through Prema that we should seek to promote the feeling of humanness. Vidya filled with love alone can enable us to employ knowledge in the service of our fellow men.

We see today proliferation of various disciplines of study. The proliferation of subjects for study unhinges our brains. The education imparted in ancient Gurukuls was of exemplary excellence. Even a subject like mathematics was learnt by heart and formulae were tenaciously retained in the mind. Students of today do not know that 4+3+3 add up to 10 (Ten). The master and the memsahib press the buttons of the calculator even to total the cost of vegetables they purchase. The human brain rests idly while calculators and computers do brisk calculation for them. We can use calculators and computers when the need arises but we should rely on our brain instead of pressing the computer and the calculator to action for every silly thing. The power of our faculties decreases if our dependence on computers and calculators increases.

The knowledge that we obtain in the present educational system is more extensive than intensive. We learn too many things but our knowledge of these things is too shallow. It is the mark of right education to know few things intensively and deeply. Learn a few subjects but learn them well instead of learning many without mastering even one. lt is thoroughness that lends strength to our knowledge.

Let us cultivate common sense and general knowledge which are essential in our day to day life. We scarcely find even the slightest trace of these two in our educational system. Students earn ranks in their examinations but in practical life they earn zeros. Which of these two is more important? success in the examinations or success in daily life? We should in fact take these two aspects as the two wings of a bird or as the two wheels of a chariot. We must blend education and life in one sweet harmony.

Inconstancy rules the minds of our students today. They never remain steadily even for a second. Of what avail is their education which does not develop this virtue of steadiness of mind in our students? Students waver and vacillate and do things according to their whim and fancy. Students should cultivate awareness, for awareness is life. We must lend expression to our awareness in all walks of life.

We nowadays give credence to intelligence, discounting the importance of character. Character should keep pace with the advancement of intelligence. The development of intelligence without a corresponding development of character is an exercise in futility.

Students! we should make an earnest enquiry into the true nature of Vidya. What is Vidya? What kind of Vidya should we acquire? What are its distinctive marks? What kind of Vidya brings about the wellbeing of humanity? What benefits has the Vidya of today bestowed? We become true students if we grasp these five aspects of Vidya. Mere mastery of subjects and scoring high ranks do not make a real student.

Do reading and writing make a student?
Does securing degrees make a student?
Can education without wisdom become education at all?
If education is for living, do not birds and beasts live?

Education is not for a mere living. Birds and beasts also live. Education which does not bring about unity of mankind is futile. Students! we should first cultivate the virtue of gratitude. We must reason within ourselves well; who are the ones who have enabled us to reach the present status? Your mother is your first Guru; your father is your second Guru and your teacher is your third Guru. Hence, we have the prayer;

Mathru Devobhava,
Pitru Devobhava,
Acharya Devobhava.

God is the embodiment of all these three. Today we show no gratitude to our parents, who have given birth to us. We show no gratitude to our guru, who has nurtured our mind and intelligence. And to God we are least grateful. Life without gratitude is sheer cruelty devoid of all feelings of humanness. It is gross ingratitude on our part to throw into the fire the very boat that has steered us through the waters of the stream. We don’t know where and when and who will be of help to us. Even little things can be of great value in life. So we must not belittle anyone in this world. We must show lifelong gratitude to the parents who have given their blood and bone to us, and the teachers who have taught us.

Children should shape themselves into ideal human beings. The places where students meet should exude peace and joy and the very Nature should delight in their presence. But today the rendezvous of students turns gory and Nature is deprived of all charm and delight. Students of today destroy peace and joy and endanger safety and security. Such behaviour on the part of students is not in consonance with the ideals of education. The students who ought to be leading and guiding and fostering fellow human beings, on the contrary, inflict untold misery on them.

Students should resolve to protect and foster every act, art and organisation, that are related to life. In spite of strains and stresses, undaunted, students should strive to defend our dharma and our institutions, spread abroad the science of spirituality, foster wisdom and ultimately obtain the vision divine.

Students should ask themselves, before launching any action, whether their action is beneficial in any way to their brethren.

Science has made rapid strides in modern times. It has brought us atomic bombs. It examines everything with analytical intensity which encourages only divisive tendency. This tumbler in my hand is made of many atoms. It is the gathering of the atoms in a particular harmony which has created the tumbler. If we start separating its atoms, we won’t have the tumbler at all.

Our expenditure on the atomic research far exceeds the production that we obtain therefrom. Students should spend less, produce more and avoid wasteful extravagance. You will be causing immense harm to society by spending lakhs of rupees on scientific research for advancing your own self-interest.

We should practise simple living and high thinking. Unfortunately, students of today practise high living and simple thinking. Your parents miss two square meals a day to put you through schooling whereas you regardless of their sacrifice walk up and down, trim and tidy, without caring to lend a helping hand to them.

Students! Time is precious. Waters of a river and the youth of a young man can never be restored once they are lost. This period of your life is your golden age. Do not waste these sacred years but sanctify them by doing noble deeds. Plunge into the service of society and extend help to your fellow men. Do not turn yourself into a beast by harbouring selfishness. Cheer up saying to yourself “How soon the day will come when I finish my studies and serve my fellow men in the society.

Don’t waste time by participating in strikes which are triggered off for every silly reason. Do not use your time, wealth and energy in pursuit of shallow purposes. Try honestly to resolve your problems by approaching with peace and humility the concerned authorities. If on the contrary you adopt an attitude of unrest and violence, you will never succeed in seeking solutions to your problems.

There is a good deal of truth in the adage, “A washerman is much better than an educated person”. You know pretty well how intelligent a washerman is. The washerman who collects the clothes of four hundred boys in a hostel makes a mental note of the clothes given by all the boys for wash without ever using a note book, whereas you who pride on your intelligence have to use a note book and waste a lot of pen, paper and ink, though you have to give him for wash a pair of shirts, a pair of pants and a hankey. Along with intelligence develop your character. Your passing B.A., B.Com., and M.A. examinations should not inflate you with pride. The marks of true education are:” Good qualities, good thoughts, truthfulness, devotion, discipline and dedication to duty. Vidya is that which teaches these. And these the students should learn.

We should employ our education in the service of society. We should use it for the realisation of ‘Soharn Tatva’ instead of idling away our time. Do not live for yourself. Live in society and dedicate yourself to it. Shape yourselves as the sons and daughters of Saraswati and strive sincerely to realise the sanctity of goddess Saraswati. Let the students of our University shape themselves into ideal men and women and resolve to impart true and lofty education to the children of Bharat.

We see fear wherever we set our eyes upon. There is unrest and agitation everywhere. We are not sure that a boy who has gone to school and a person who has gone to market will ever return.

Facilities for higher education have immensely increased. But there is a corresponding increase of fear, burden and responsibility as well. Students should determine to prove that they form the backbone of the nation and they are the harbingers of security and safety.

The alumni of Sathya Sai University, wherever they go, should leave behind them an abiding impression of serenity and sanctity. It is ludicrous if you throw to the winds the discipline that you so religiously observe here as soon as you leave the portals of your alma mater. Only ignorant fools act that way. Don’t degrade your degrees by acting in such ludicrous fashion. A time should come when people will know by your humility and obedience that you are the alumni of the Sathya Sai institutions. Become street lights as soon as you leave this place. And donot turn into street dogs. It is in order to instill in you this spirit of humility and righteousness that our Vice-Chancellor has administered the oath of promise from the Shikshavalli of the Taittiriya Upanishad.

You are all well aware of your Vice-Chancellor Dr. Gokak. It is the Diamond Jubilee year for him for he is 75 years old. This is the age at which he ought to have been leading a life of rest, mentally and physically. It is because of his high sense of devotion that he has accepted the Vice-Chancellorship of our University and is toiling day and night for its sake. The clerks work during the scheduled hours i.e. from 10 AM to 4 PM and go home after the scheduled time but not so Dr. Gokak, for he works day and night. He is striving hard to realise the truth that service is God. Many of you may not even know that he does not accept any remuneration for all the work that he does as a Vice-Chancellor. He deems it his great good fortune to serve this Institute. He takes great pains of travelling often to Delhi on matters relating to the Institute. He is administering the University with great discipline.

Allasani Peddana, the poet Laureate in the court of Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagar Empire, on the occasion of wearing the golden bracelets that the king gifted him with, said, “I do not prize these decorations (Bhushanas) high. I esteem the Bhushana of God’s grace most.” Our Gokak earned the title Padrnabhushan. For Gokak who is like the lotus (Padma) the grace of God is indeed a bhushana (decoration). Titles like Padmabhushan are no bhushanas (decorations) to Gokak, as the only bhushana that he esteems most is the bhushana of Daivanugraha (God’s grace). He does vigorous sadhana to merit God’s grace. Members of the Trust (Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust) have entrusted me with the responsibility of adorning him with Daivanugraha Bhushana.

Sri Krishna wore three Kankanas (resolves)
The first Kankana that he wore is :
Paritranaya Sadhunam
Vinasayacha duskritam
Dharma Samstapanarthaya
Sambhavami Yuge Yuge
(I incarnate myself from age to age to protect the gentle, destroy the wicked and establish righteousness)

The second Kankana that he wore is :
Ananya chintayantomam
Yejana Paryupasate
Tesham Nityabhiyuktanam
Yoga kshemam vahamyaham
(I take care of those who have surrendered themselves to me completely, utterly oblivious to all)

The third Kankana that he wore is :
Moksha Isyamimasucha
(Do not feel sad for I will surely liberate you)

Even the Lord descends down to the earth wearing these Kankanas (bracelets of resolve). Our Gokak puts on two Kankanas; the first, is the resolve to place before society a set of dedicated students and the second Kankana that he wears is the resolve to merit God’s grace. The sincere service that Dr. Gokak renders gives immense satisfaction to Swami.

Fully realising the capacity of Gokak, the U.G.C. appointed him for a period of three years as the Vice-Chancellor of this Institute as a special case. Our lnstitute is a tender babe of two years. It requires great alertness and responsibility to guard this child against disease and danger.

As Lakshmana to Rama, our Registrar Chakravarthi works hand-in-hand with the Vice-chancellor. The members of the staff are full of harmony and adjustment and the students are indeed gold! It must be spoken that it is our great good fortune to have such students, staff, controller, registrar and vice-chancellor. They are devoted workers and are much dedicated to God.

Sathya Sai Central Trust through Me will now adorn Gokak with the bracelets of God’s grace. The felicitations extended to Dr. Gokak should not be misconstrued as an exhibition and a show of satisfaction. These are felicitations of Prema. Dr. Gokak did not know till this moment about this. Right now Swami is adorning Gokak with this Prema Kankana and Anugraha Kankana, the bracelets of love and the bracelet of God’s Grace.