Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 10 (1970)
Topic - Excerpt from Divine Discourse
1
Pride and the fall

Some persons suggested that the Presidents of these Organisations may be given a short refresher course of instruction, so that they may carry out their duties (of encouraging units to undertake saadhana and service) more efficiently. This is very much like the move to train whole-time archakas (priests) for performing worship in the temples! Imagine someone being trained for adoring God! It is not a mechanical process, amenable to the curricula and time-table of the classroom; it is a spontaneous urge from within, born out of sincere faith and yearning. If puujaris (temple priests) are to be trained to pray and adore, the suggestion may crop up tomorrow that God too should be given training so that He may respond and reciprocate in correct proportion!
Presidents and others are now in those positions because they are acknowledged by their people as virtuous, devoted and capable of doing sustained service to their brothers and sisters. What can a course of instruction add to their spiritual height? This and similar suggestions raise their heads, because most of you have not grasped the very raison d’etre of this organisational set-up. The goal is not the proliferation of activities and centres, the multiplications of units, dotting the map with Bhajana Mandalis (Chanting groups) or Seva Sanghs (Service units), but encouraging saadhaks (spiritual aspirants) to become examples and inspiration to others. What is planned is ‘inner individual reform and reconstruction’ and not ‘outer reform and rebuilding.’ This is no game of word-building, where out of one big word a number of small three-letter words are derived and paraded! This is world-building where out of a large number of straight and sincere individuals the new human community is ushered in.