Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

WHEN clouds gather in the sky, lightning illuminates the clouds. Similarly, wisdom must illuminate education. This word of Sai is the path of Truth. Smaller than the smallest atom, bigger than the biggest thing, witness of everything, the Atma (true Self) is Brahman (Supreme Self) and Brahman is Atma. Students! From sunrise to sunset your day lasts and it is rounded off with sleep. Thus the life of man on earth goes on and on. When sunrises in the East, we say the day dawns, and when the sunsets in the West, we say that night has set in. According to man is not the rise and setting of the Sun a baseless belief? Men point out four directions as East, West, North and South determining each other's position according to these imagined concepts. But do they, in fact, exist. When we recognise that the earth is spherical, such divisions are untrue. Thus the daily experience of man differs from truth, but man depends on that experience. For example when we sit in a boat, car, train or plane and they move, we also move with them; but we think we are stationary. Thus it is a natural experience of man that while the earth moves round itself and round the Sun, we find it at rest. Though the earth is in fast motion we think it is stationary, and though we are stationary on earth, we are ever in motion. Even the greatest scientist acts according to this apparent experience and not according to the Truth. Though there is no sunrise and sunset, he believes them to be and though there cannot be any East, West, North, South he accepts them to be. The scientific standards are observations and experiments.

When the first spaceman Gagarin declared that he had not seen God anywhere in outer space, he depended upon a mechanical device to come to this conclusion. He never carried on any investigation in the mind. To arrive at the truth, one must go behind what we see, for what we see with the eyes is not true knowledge. True knowledge consists in cognising that, for all that you see, there is always a hidden cause. It cannot be known by studying yanthra (machine) alone, but by studying the mind and taking to manthra (mental enquiry). Bamboo is valued for its form and strength and beauty. Similarly the real worth of man lies in his intelligence. His intelligence has come to him over many lives and the real value of his buddhi (intellect) is to practise thyaga (renunciation). But our buddhi is covered by illusion, which is only unreal reflection of the truth. When we throw away the water in the pot, we throw away the reflection of the sky in it as well. The reflection of truth in our minds is only the conglomeration of our desires.

We talk of moksha (liberation). What is it? It is only giving up the Anatma (the unreal). Suppose you want a tumbler of fruit-juice. Unless you throw away the water already it the tumbler you cannot pour the juice in the tumbler. Similarly unless you give up materialism, atmabhava (spiritual attitude) cannot come to you. Moksha is not a distinct and different sadhana (spiritual discipline). It is only giving up unnecessary desires. Through anger wisdom is lost; disharmony is the cause of anger; of disharmony, jealousy and of jealousy, ignorance is the cause.

The Upanishaths say the whole Vishwa (Universe) is the form of Vishnu. So real jnana (spiritual wisdom) is Adhwaitha dharshan (seeing the One in diversity). Due to duality or difference, wisdom declines.

There are three types of knowledge. Knowledge of material energy, knowledge of mental energy and knowledge of cosmic energy. Cosmic energy works in every person, in the form of divine knowledge. Matter in all forms is only energy. Without atoms you cannot have any matter, and in the atom, energy has the form of electron, proton, neutron, etc. Energy springs from the structure of the atomic constituents. For example if you take water from the ocean in a vessel, it assumes its shape and when the breeze blows there are ripples on it, which manifests energy proportionate to the quantity of water in the vessel. But when the whirlwind rages over the ocean the big waves can sink ships and pulverise cliffs. Scientists only work on the external source of energy, they don't investigate the internal sources. You go millions of miles into space, but you don't go half-an-inch within, where lies your strength, the Atma shakthi (Supreme power of the Self).

People think they live on food. Then how is it that while the wealthy who can afford all kinds of food succumb to untimely death, the poor still live? Man does not live by food alone, In fact he lives by the power of the Atma. So you must use your strength of body and mind, wealth and education with intelligence, in order to realize the power of the soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength?

Dhritharashtra had a hundred sons and hundreds of thousands of soldiers on whom he could depend. But what happened to him? To presume that either from wealth or from kith and kin you can derive mental peace is a great error. Such peace comes only from God. In fact, there is no strength superior to Love; where Love is, there everything is. So you must live in God, and live in love; then everything shall be right. You must make others also live in love. Alfred Nobel worked on and discovered dynamite, which caused great destruction. Alfred was very unhappy at this. He had a lot of money and fame, but he felt so miserable for the destruction he brought to humanity that he made a will and donated all his wealth for the good of humanity. This college has been established to give you ethical, moral and spiritual strength. Just think how much your parents are sacrificing to give you proper education. So don't waste time; if you waste time you will be wasting your life. Make your body and mind pure. This place is like a workshop where broken down cars are repaired and made whole. Don't entertain bad thoughts and do bad deeds.

Life is holy, sacred. Go through it with joy and happiness. Do not carry gloomy, unhappy faces. Happiness is union with God. This period of your life is sacred. If you cannot derive happiness and live in bliss at this age, can you be blissful when you grow old? Now, you have only two legs to carry. You can jump about freely. But when you marry and rear up a family you will move like a caterpillar with many legs! People must be able to identify the students of Sri Sathya Sai College by looking upon their effulgent and joyous faces. Fill your hearts with love, and do all your work with love.

You do not sing bhajan (devotional songs sung in groups) aloud. When a man has fallen into a well and is unable to get out, he does not mutter to himself. He shouts loud to get men to save him. What do you do to drive away birds sitting on a branch, you clap your hands loudly. Similarly sing the names Govindh, Gopal, Narayan aloud, and clap hands with vigour so that the birds of evil passion, kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed) infesting your mind shall fly away. Make your life worthwhile.