Sai Pearls of Wisdom - Part 24

[Guest guest]

Seva and YogaOM…OM…OM…Sai Ram With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan, Dear

Brothers and Sisters, What is Yoga?

We are happy to hear that people are enjoying ‘Sai Pearls Of Wisdom’ and are

eagerly looking forward to more and more information from us. Today, we will

talk about the event that took place on 28 October, 2003 when there was a

seminar in Sai Kulwant Hall. Bhagavan wanted the students of Sri Sathya Sai

Institute of Higher Learning to organise a seminar on one of the days of the

All India Vice-Chancellors’ Conference. That way the Vice-Chancellors would

have some idea of what happens at the Institute under the Divine direction of

Swami.The seminar as its theme had the village project, a gram-seva (rural

development) programme. All the students presented different perspectives of

the rural development programme, and how Swami guided them at every moment. I

will try to draw your attention to some of the highlights conveyed by the

students in this seminar. I give it the title “Seva-Yoga.” Seva is service;

yoga is

spiritual discipline, or the spiritual path. In other words, for Sai devotees,

service is yoga; service is spiritual discipline. The spiritual path does not

mean reciting a Name, chanting a Name, or doing meditation for a time, on your

own. It is not simply that. The most important thing is service, and this

service is true yoga. Yoga is the spiritual path, the spiritual discipline. So,

service is the path that takes you to Swami. The seminar started with this

introduction by a student: “Swami is very impressed by our service activities.

So the title of this seminar is ‘Seva and Yoga’. What is yoga? Yoga is the

connecting link between the seeker and God. If devotion connects you with God,

it is bhakti yoga. If wisdom connects you with God, it is jnana yoga. If action

connects you with God, it is karma yoga. If pure Love connects you with God, it

is prema yoga. If meditation establishes the link

between you and God, it is dhyana yoga. In simple words, yoga is the connecting

link between the seeker and God.”“For us here, the seva, the service, is yoga.

It is the connecting link between the one who serves and God.”“Bhagavan also

said, ‘Everything is yoga, if you offer your services to God’.”

‘O Lord! Let all my actions be pleasing unto Thee.I offer the results of my actions to You.’

“If you do that, whatever you do, it is yoga. Then as Swami says, ‘Work is

transformed into worship.’” After those few words of introduction, the seminar

started. Holy days – not holidaysI collected some excerpts from the

presentations. I will share with you the highlights or the summary, the

quintessence or the essence of what was said.Actually speaking, all the world

over, students are eager to go home for vacation. Usually they go home because

they miss their parents. They miss their brothers and sisters, and they miss

home cooking. All over the world, students like to go back home during

vacation. The Sri Sathya Sai University is very unusual. It is very special in

the sense that students don’t want to go home at vacation. They want to be with

Swami. You might not believe it when I say that there are students here who have

never gone home. They have been here for years and years and they say,

“Swami is everything for us.” So instead of going home, their parents come here

to see them every now and then. That is what is happening. Elsewhere, we find

students who like to rest at vacation because at term time, they are so busy

with academic work. According to Swami, rest is not relaxation. Rest is not

spending time being idle. Rest, according to Swami, is change of work.

Therefore this year, for vacation, Bhagavan blessed them to take up grama-seva

or a rural service programme in the neighbouring villages around Puttaparthi.

So, these were not holidays for the students. In other words, they were holy

days.Then the All India Vice-Chancellors’ Conference was held here from the 28

October to 30 October. The University Grants Commission and the top department

Heads of all universities attended, and many of them participated. They were

very excited and thrilled to see the hostels and the students, the classrooms

and the laboratories. They appreciated all

that was done here. I decided to share this information with all our Sai

devotees, with the idea that it will be of some help to you. Bhagavan’s message

at the age of 12

Bhagavan said the following lines in the form of a poem, a long while ago, when

He was 12 years old. I will convey the English version.One: “What is My

determination? I am determined to spread bliss to the whole of humanity. That

is My determination.” Two: “What is the vow that I have undertaken, the pledge

I have undertaken? It is to take people away from the wrong paths in which they

have been till now, and put them on the right track. I pledge to see that they

are put on the right path and that they will lead a righteous life from now

on.”Three: “What is it that I love very much? I love to alleviate suffering; I

love to see smiles on poor and needy people, from serving them. That is what I

like.” Four: “What kind of devotion should you have? True devotion is to

maintain equal-mindedness both in times of pain and pleasure.”This is the

substance of the poem, which He rendered at the age of 12.Service to

Man is Service to God

So Bhagavan’s life is a message. He is the Embodiment of service and selfless

Love. In fact, Swami has no desire whatsoever. Swami has nothing to achieve

because all is His. Nothing is separate from Him. All the property, all the

wealth, all human beings all over the world, belong to Him. We belong to Him

and He belongs to us. There is no barrier between us. So what is it that He is

in want of, as He has everything! He has no desire; there is nothing to

achieve. In the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu scriptures), Lord Krishna says to Arjuna,

“Look here, my boy, I do everything, though I would not have to do anything. I

do, so that you may follow My example. If I am at rest, you will be lazy. I

want to set an example to everybody. Therefore I do, though I don’t have to

achieve anything. I don’t have any desires.” Now Bhagavan says clearly,

“Service to man is service to God.” Swami also said, “This human body is given

to serve humanity.”

The whole life of Bhagavan is the best example for an illustration of service.

It is a continuous saga of giving and forgiving. That is why Swami says,

Where there is confidence, there is Love.Where there is Love, there is

faith.Where there is Love, there is peace.Where there is peace, there is

TruthWhere there is Truth, there is bliss.Where there is bliss, there is God.

So, life starts with confidence and ends with the visualisation, the experience

of God. If we carefully follow a day’s schedule in Prashanti Nilayam, we see

Swami giving darshan (the public appearance of Swami), smiling all the time,

comforting people, consoling people and advising people. He is very, very busy

throughout the day. He talks to the boys, and distributes sweets and fruits.

Every moment of His is spent in service to spread joy and bliss to everybody. I

think we have to emulate that in our life. Swami’s hand or His body does not

know what strain is. It does not know tiredness. The physical body of Swami

never becomes strained or tired because His Love surpasses all, in spite of the

day’s long work. His Love excels. His Love overcomes the strenuous, tiresome,

laborious work that He does day in and day out. Swami’s instructions for rural

service

The whole rural development programme was carried out within fifteen days. It

was such a stupendous, magnificent programme and on such a large scale. Three

thousand students were involved, covering six hundred villages and five towns.

It required fifty lorries, fifty trucks, carrying loads of stuff to different

villages over a period of a week. These boys carried truckloads of foodstuff

and clothes, sometimes by foot, since there was no approach road to some

villages. It was no easy thing, no joke.Bhagavan told them clearly, “Look here.

First, distribute to the poor people, the old and the needy. Every member of the

family should have food, prasadam (food sanctified by Swami) of Swami and new

clothes.” Further, He said, “Give pants and shirts to the boys, frocks to the

girls, and dhotis (cloth covering the lower half of the body) to the male

villagers, and saris for the elderly women. Distribute clothes to everybody.”

He also

gave pencils, pens and notebooks to be presented to the school children. Really,

that was wonderful for the children. Bhagavan instructed the students to start

from one place, with Veda chanting, followed by nagarsankirtan (the singing of

spiritual songs through the streets) throughout the village, and then start

distributing prasadam and clothes. As a result, the whole village was full of

the resonance of namasankirtan, echoing Baba’s Name everywhere. The result is

devotion, sincerity and steadfastness, in full. The boys mentioned miracles

they experienced

In their presentations, the boys mentioned miracles they experienced even before

reaching their destinations. This convinced them of the unseen hand of Bhagavan.

I will mention a few of them.There is a town called Hindupur, about a two-hour

journey from here. A colony of weavers lives there. The boys went there to

distribute prasadam. They met a very old lady living by herself, with nobody to

take care of her. The tragedy is that she had lost both her sons; both had died.

So she had no children left to help her. Swami had requested the boys to give

her a photograph of Himself, and also His prasadam. Then she said to the boys,

“Since this morning, I have been waiting for this prasadam. In spite of the

calamities in my family, which have left me all alone, I was able to continue

with my life because of Sai’s matchless Name. The glorified Name of Sai has

saved my life up to this day.” Here is another very interesting

story. That year we had rain in Prashanti Nilayam and all over the area. Let me

tell you that the rain did not interrupt the work of the boys. They travelled

by truck, visited all the villages, distributed prasadam to every family

member, and the rain did not come towards them. That is a miracle. Sometimes

the whole sky was clouded. At any time, it could have rained, but it only

rained after the work, not before and not during the work. Why? The boys

commenced their work here in the mandir (temple) by doing pradakshina, circling

around the temple and receiving blessings from Bhagavan. So the outcome could

not be otherwise. There could be no obstacle, no problem; the whole project

continued excellently. This is the strong unparalleled, irresistible Will of

Bhagavan.Another incident: There is another place called Kadiri, which is about

an hour’s drive from here. Near Kadiri, there is a small village. The boys went

there and tried to give food and

clothes to a person. He said, “Sir, we live at the outskirts of this village. We

are harijans (the caste previously known as the untouchables). Nobody will come

and touch us. So, please don’t come and touch us. We live far away from the

people. We are cut off from the higher classes of society. Don’t touch us.” But

the boys went. They hugged the man and said, “This is not what Baba said to us.

Baba said, ‘There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one

religion, the religion of Love.’ How can anybody be an untouchable? Impossible!

No, my brother, please come. We are Baba’s devotees.”That man could not believe

what was happening. He said, “For generations, we have been the neglected class

of society. To have post-graduate students come to my hut and shake hands with

me, that is enough to convince me that Baba is God.” For all of us, it is a

revelation to know that this is the effect of Sai’s message.Then when they were

returning, some

of the villagers called the boys and said, “You know, Baba loves us very much.

Look at that water tank, which was constructed by Bhagavan Baba for us. Every

day we get enough water because Bhagavan Baba gave us the water tank. For

years, this whole area suffered from shortage of water. Today there is no water

shortage. Why? Baba gave the water tank for the benefit of the village. We are

the recipients of His Love.” These are the feelings of gratitude and

thankfulness, which have been shown. For your information, I will tell you that

in all the villages around there is either a temple, or a school, or a community

hall exclusively constructed by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust under the

presidentship of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. All the seven hundred villages

benefit by Bhagavan’s service projects.When these boys went to a small hut,

they saw a very old lady who hadn’t had food for two days. She was very hungry.

When they gave her food packets, she said, “I don’t

know how you knew that I was very hungry, with no food for two days. God

Bhagavan knows that I am hungry. He sent you to pass this food on to me. I am

very grateful to Him.” While shedding tears, that is what she said.There is

another village by the name of Karnatakanagapalli. Eshwaramma, the mother of

Bhagavan, came from there. A lady from far away came walking all the way to

that village and said to the boys, “I knew that you would be coming today. I

left about 3 o’clock in the morning, so that I could get here.” Then she said,

“The sari I am now wearing was presented to me last year by Bhagavan Baba. I

have come to receive that gift once more, because you have a sari, which you

are sure to give to me.” She added, “My eyes were operated on in Baba’s

hospital, so now I am able to see everything clearly.” The Love of Bhagavan and

their Love for Him is really great, unparalleled.And there is one place, as I

said before, Kadiri, with a village called

Kotharamapuram. The boys completed their work there. They noticed a lady

standing in front, waiting for them. Perhaps she had been waiting for a couple

of hours. The boys said, “Amma (Mother), we gave you prasadam. For whom are you

waiting?” She said, “My house has just been built. You boys have come here and I

think Baba sent you. There is a grihapravesha (a house-warming function). If you

just step into my house, I will have the feeling as though Baba visited my home.

You are the children of Swami. If you come to my house, I will have the same

feeling as if Baba visited my house.” It was a small house with a small kitchen

because they are poor people. Imagine her happiness in requesting the boys to

step into her house! It was as if Swami had inaugurated her house. That was

really grand. She said, “Boys, the whole house is sanctified now because you

have come from Puttaparthi. The dust of Puttaparthi, which you carry on the

soles of your

feet, has dropped onto the floor of my room. Yes, that is vibhuti! I am very

happy. That is my feeling.” What a noble thought!There is another village,

Subbireddypalli. While the boys were there, the school children gathered and

started shouting, “Jai Sai Ram, Jai Sai Ram, Jai Sai Ram.” They were jumping

all around because they received pants and shirts, books, pencils and pens.

That is why they shouted, “Sai Ram, Sai Ram” jumping in joy. Adults can control

their joy, but children express their feelings naturally. That was a wonderful

scene for all the boys.They visited another village called Peddapalli. They

tapped on the door of a house. A man came, and they said, “Here is prasadam for

you and this is a sari for your wife.” The man said, “I have one request.“ They

asked, “What is that?”“My parents are staying in the next room. Please give to

them first and myself next.” These days, because of urbanisation and

city culture, people seem to have forgotten the ancient value of giving priority

to the parents. This is one of the effects of modern civilisation. Bhagavan says

repeatedly, “If the culture still exists, you will find it in the villages.” So

this man said, “Go to the next room and give first to my parents. Then you can

come to me.” In another village, one lady came in a wheelchair, which had a

little roof. She said, “This is my house. This is my everything. Bhagavan gave

me this wheelchair, with the little roof. This is my whole property. I am so

happy.” Then she said, “Bhagavan’s Love is more than that of a thousand

mothers’ love. Look at me. Though I am helpless in a wheel chair, I am quite

happy because of His blessings.”These are all the miracles that the boys

experienced during that period of service to villagers. Service in the villages

is a type of practical experience

Service in the villages is a type of practical experience, a sort of training

given to the students. Bhagavan wants the students to learn service, not just

merely school subjects. Anybody can learn subjects by heart; they should also

learn how to serve. It is a new experience. You know, thousands and thousands

of people come to Prashanti Nilayam for every festival, on every important

occasion. In those earlier days, Swami used to distribute saris and food here

in Prashanti Nilayam. But from the year 2000, Swami started a rural service

programme, which is done only by the students for the villagers in their own

area, so they do not have to travel here. This is a new project and a new

experience for the students. Along with the unfoldment of their spiritual

being, students could develop leadership qualities, managerial skills and the

complete understanding of rural areas. In some aspects, they could attain

social awareness, learn

strategic planning and coordination. All the things they learned are really

practical and very essential. It is not enough if they have a degree. A mere

degree is useless without some practical training. So this training, which

Bhagavan has given, has helped in a myriad of ways.Anantapur Campus - Service

of Girls

I am sure that you are aware that the girls from the Anantapur Campus of Sathya

Sai University begin producing food packets from 10 o’clock at night. The work

goes on until 6 in the morning. A thousand girls do that work. What is the work

they do? Cooking the food and packing it. Every day, at least twenty-five

thousand packets are needed. In certain places, like towns, seventy-five

thousand packets are needed. Look at that! They are doing all that work. How

did they do it? By singing Baba’s Name, doing bhajans (devotional singing). It

is a sight for the gods. We, too, feel like doing it; it is a thrilling

experience for everybody. Service should be one of quality and not of quantity

This awareness also came to the villagers. The boys, teachers and professors

could see the innocent faces of the villagers and experience the love they had

for Swami. In turn the villagers, could observe their devotion to Swami, their

feelings of gratitude and thankfulness to Swami for all the help they received.

Finally, they could arrive at the conclusion that the best way to God is through

selfless service. And service should be one of quality and not of quantity. As

Bhagavan said, “All things that happen in our life are a matter of reaction,

reflection and resound. If you love, you will be loved. If you serve, you will

be served. If you respect, you will be respected.” Therefore, everything comes

back to you as you do.It is a grand celebration during that period

There is one village called Virampalli, which has no approach road. Buses,

lorries or trucks cannot get into that village. So, some villagers came and

organised bullock carts for the boys to go there. Then the foodstuff and saris

could be carried in by bullock cart. It shows there is also participation from

the villagers. They are not always at the receiving end. It is a time of

sensitivity, gaiety and grand celebration. The way we were all received with

smiles by the householders…some had decorated the streets…some had decorated

their residences. It is a grand celebration during that period. Bhagavan is the

Embodiment of goodness and makes everyone good who comes close to Him. He will

help every person who wishes to do good for society. Above all, if we have a

feeling that we are the instruments of Swami, we will be able to do all that is

given to us to do in humility, reverence and respect. We find Bhagavan waiting

for us with

a smiling face

Let us also know a little of what happens from Bhagavan’s side in Prashanti

Nilayam. Every day we are all supposed to return by 4 o’clock. We start from

here by seven in the morning and return by 4 p.m. We are supposed to eat the

same food served to the villagers. We are supposed to eat only in the village,

and with the villagers. There is no special food for professors. There is no

special food for students, no extra dishes for the volunteers. Nothing of that

sort. Swami strictly instructed that all students and professors eat the same

food as is distributed to the villagers, in the village. After the day’s work

when we return, we find Bhagavan waiting for us with a smiling face. “When did

you arrive? How was the day? How are you?”When Swami says that, all the

tiredness, stress, strain, they vanish. We are refreshed, very refreshed

because Swami’s smile energises people. That is the role of a Divine Master. In

the presence

of another human being, we lose energy. In the presence of a Divine Master, we

gain energy because that is the response to the Divine vibration. So, the boys

are enthused and feeling full of life, just from the smile on the face of

Bhagavan. Swami knows everything

Before they start telling Swami about their day, He will look at a group and

say, “Oh! You went to that village. Good! How was it? You met that man or this

man?” He names the people. He turns to another group and says, “Oh! You went to

those people. Was that the way there? Are these some other villages around

there? Swami mentions the names. How did you like that day’s work?” Before they

say anything, He starts to tell them all what happened there. It was a very

exciting experience for the students to realise that Swami knows everything,

that they have nothing to tell Him. The students experience that they are only

powerful instruments in His hands. There is no point in reading a book or in

listening to somebody else’s experience. This is a direct experience where

Swami tells you all what you have done, including the extra sweets that a

certain boy swallowed. Every boy is expected to eat just one laddoo. Some boys

had eaten three, four or six.

(Laughter) After all, boys are boys, you know. Swami says, “Arrey! (exclamation)

How many have you eaten? Ten at least, I know.” (Laughter)Or, “Arrey, boys, you

had six (Laughter).”Or, “Arrey, boy, you still have some in your pocket.

(Laughter) Eat it.”That is Swami. He loves them, so He says, “I love it if you

eat. Come on, eat.“ It doesn’t matter. That is how Swami is. One boy had his

passport and visa, and was all ready to go to America for higher studies. After

returning from the rural development service programme, he told his classmates,

“I saw the villages around here. There is a lot of service to do in this

country. There is no point in going abroad. There is no point in my being rich;

I should help my community.” He dropped the idea of going abroad. That is the

effect of this village service.This is real service

To sum up the village programme will take three steps: “From I to We - from We

to He” One: I - the individual. Two: We - the community.Three: He - Bhagavan

Baba. The students could experience these three levels. Today in society, we

find social service is just a show of service. S.H.O.W. This is not real

service. We also find some organisations that declare they are dedicated and

committed to service activities. We notice that the service is slow service.

S.L.O.W. So we find either slow service, show service or no service. What we

have done here is real service.Bhagavan always says, “You should have concern

for your fellowmen. You should love your people. Your body teaches you through

a very good experience. What is the experience of your body? When there is a

thorn in your foot, the hand will take out the thorn. Is it not? When the leg

is hurt, the eyes starts shedding tears. It is not the leg that cries; the eye

also shares that pain. All the limbs of our body work together in complete

coordination, responding in total cooperation. That is the lesson we should

learn from the body. It is similar to working co-operatively and unitedly,

offering our services to the community.”Therefore, this rural development

service is an eye opener for Sai devotees and Sai students. This is a summary

of the presentations made by the students on 28 October in Sai Kulwant Hall,

coinciding with the Vice-Chancellors’ visit. That way they would know all that

the Sai students do here. Golden Jubilee Year of University grants Commission

This is the summary of the talks given by three outstanding Vice-Chancellors on

30 October, 2003, in Sai Kulwant Hall. Many Vice-Chancellors from all over

India attended the conference. On concluding the valedictory function, three of

them addressed the gathering, sharing their experiences. I noted the summary of

their speeches to share with you, because as Sai devotees, we would like to

know what they spoke about that day.This year is the Golden Jubilee year of the

University Grants Commission, the apex body in Delhi, which manages all the

universities in India. The recognition of universities, the financial

assistance to universities, the standard of the universities, all these aspects

are controlled by the University Grants Commission. The top-level people from

Delhi prayed to Bhagavan, “Swami, we want to have a meeting in the immediate

Divine presence at Your Lotus Feet, because the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference

coincides with the Golden

Jubilee celebration of the University Grants Commission.” Our merciful Bhagavan

accepted. So the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference was held from the 28th to the

30th of October. The following text relates to the details of the 30th

valedictory function.Sri Sathya University is the best

The first speaker of the day was V.S Prasad. He is known at the national level

and is in charge of the supervisory body that evaluates and assesses the

standard of all universities in this country. He heads an autonomous body,

which controls the universities. In education, he is a very important person,

particularly at the university level. He made some very interesting statements,

which I want to share with you.Quote: “We visited Sri Sathya Sai University and

we visited colleges affiliated to Sri Sathya Sai University. We have been to

the laboratories, seen the campuses and the vast stadium. We were also

privileged to visit the hostels. We could interact with students and staff

members. We could also discuss certain details with members of the

administration. Following all this, we unanimously feel that a visit to Sri

Sathya Sai University is a privilege and a blessing. This would not have been

possible but for the Divine Grace of Bhagavan.”

“Having been around the campus and having had discussions with everybody, we

understand the devotion, the duty and the dedication of the professors and

teachers working here in the university. We also feel the love of students for

Swami. We all appreciated and observed their interest in academic study and

standards.” “We had the opportunity to visit the Sri Sathya Sai Super

Speciality Hospital. In the hospital, we saw past students of Sri Sathya

University working as technicians, in administration, as para-medical staff and

so on. We observed the employees in the Super Speciality Hospital practicing all

the human values, which they studied while they were students here in the

Institute. ““We were very thrilled listening to the presentations made by the

students on the 28th of October about the rural service programme that was so

efficiently organised. The apex body in India declares that Sri Sathya

University is the best among all the universities in the

country. We call it the crown jewel of this country.” “We also believe that

other universities in this country should emulate this example of the best. It

is very necessary. The integrated education offered here in Sri Sathya

University is not present anywhere else in this country. The syllabus and the

teaching of values are so nicely blended and integrated in the regular

curriculum and the regular classroom work. This system is wonderful and

exemplary. In fact, there could be harmony in society if we had the Sathya Sai

system of education all over the country.” He also said, “We feel (we, meaning

the Vice-Chancellors) that the rest of the universities all over the country

should follow that same syllabus adopted by Sri Sathya Sai University. We also

feel that examinations should be conducted in human values and the score must

be added in the awarding of grades to students in their final examination. The

array of science, or the array of biology, the way they are

coupled with human values as taught in the Sathya Sai University, is the best we

can recommend for the other universities. We all humbly pray to Bhagavan Sri

Sathya Baba that He should start a National Institute of Excellence in Human

Values to be attended by batches of professors from all over the country. They

can be trained in the integrated system of education in human values so that

they can follow this university’s example. We pray to Bhagavan to bless our

efforts and our proposals.” Sri Sathya University is not merely a university

The second speaker was Professor K. Sudha Rao. She is the Vice-Chancellor of the

Open University in the State of Karnatake, Mysore. She made certain important

statements, which I want to share with you.Quote: “Sri Sathya University is not

merely a university. No! The surroundings, the ambience, the atmosphere is so

sacred, that every department in this institution is quite independent, each as

an institution in itself; and every student is himself an institution.”“I feel

that personality development can only take place in a university of this type

because I feel that the integrated system of education is exemplary and best.

Not only this, today we find people everywhere speaking about values, but they

do not practice them. To my surprise, as I listened to the conversation of the

students, as I talked to them and watched their activities, I can say that they

are filled with the values according to Sri Sathya Sai Baba. In their daily

life,

they are practising them the way that He taught them. The values are not limited

and restricted to books and book reading. No! They are translated into action,

which is very much reflected in their daily life. Values, which are not

practised, are useless. Therefore, there is only one university - the Sri

Sathya Sai University; it is an example of values taught and practised. There

is no other university, which is better. Swami, we thank you very much for

giving us this chance to attend this conference and to spend time at Your Lotus

Feet.”Our visit to this University is a pilgrimage

Now I present the speech given by N Jayasankaran. He is the Vice-Chancellor of

Sri Chandrasekara Saraswati Vishwa Mahavidhyalaya, Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu. He

made his speech, which was very well applauded by the assembled congregation.

Here are a few points collected from his talk: “In this vast gathering at Sai

Kulwant Hall, (there were about twenty thousand present that day) I see in the

faces of everyone assembled here, the face of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The

faces of the entire congregation are as a mirror in which I see the very

reflection of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.” Then N Jayasankaran said, “I address

several meetings and I speak at several gatherings. However, you must have seen

my legs shaking. You must have also noticed me drinking three glasses of water.

(Laughter) I am totally nervous (Laughter) because I am conscious of standing

by the side of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I don’t know what is happening,

therefore, I may not be able to express all that I really want to say.”

“Particularly, I am thrilled by the students’ speeches made yesterday in four

languages. I tell you all here, please know this…none of the Vice-Chancellors

here can make a speech up to the standard of Sai students. The students are

better than all of the Vice-Chancellors who attended the conference today and

gave presentations.” Furthermore, he said, “This country is known for excellent

speakers, particularly from Tamilnadu, like Lakshman Swamy Mudaliar, Ramaswamy

Mudaliar, Rt. Hon. Sreenivasa Shastry, the former President of this country and

Dr. S Radhakrishnan. They are all well known for their oratory skills. Yes! The

students of Sathya Sai University will be of that order, of that standard. I

have not seen students before make speeches of that calibre, and of that

distinction. Let me tell you, the skill, the talent, the articulation, the

gestures and content are all gifts of Bhagavan to those

speakers. That is the devotion of the students towards Swami. I want all the

students of Sathya Sai Institution to spread Baba’s message all over the

country, and abroad.”N Jayasankaran related how he came to Swami for the first

time two years ago. It seems the daughter of his maidservant had a heart

problem. The little girl’s parents consulted doctors working in the Apollo

Hospital in Chennai, known before as Madras. They said, “You need three lakhs

(one hundred thousand) of rupees for surgery and for the girl’s treatment.”

Because she is a daughter of the maidservant, her parents are very poor. They

gave up hope. The little girl was bound to die. They were helpless. At that

time, N Jayasankaran, on official duty, happened to visit Bangalore. Somebody

said, “Why don’t you go to Sri Sathya Sai Baba about the daughter of your

maidservant?” He went and Baba granted him an interview. In the interview, he

said, “Swami, this is the situation. The daughter

of my maidservant needs Your intervention; she needs Your blessing. Please save

her life.” Baba immediately materialised vibhuti for the girl and called Dr.

Saffaya, the Director of Bangalore Super Speciality Hospital. He said to him,

“Treat this little girl at once. Do the operation and give all treatment free

of cost.” Swami gave immediate instructions and materialised a ring with three

diamonds for this Vice-Chancellor. Then the Vice-Chancellor said, “I paid my

debt of gratitude and the girl had the operation here. This happened three

years ago; now the girl is hale, healthy and back to normal. The doctors had

said that she would not survive for more than three months. Three years have

passed and her health today is fine.” He made a further remark. “Swami, I can

tell you, the way that the Vice-Chancellors are treated here while attending

this Conference, it is as if we were bridegrooms. A royal treatment is accorded

to us. Swami, our visit to this

university is not a simple visit; it is a pilgrimage.” He then stated, “The

future leaders of this country, I am sure, will be from the Sri Sathya Sai

University.” Then he observed that the serenity, the silence and calmness that

he experienced here is not seen elsewhere.Finally, he made a funny statement,

“Baba, there are three hundred universities in this country. We want them

blessed by You and for them to be like this university. We pray that You take

three hundred Forms and be present in every university. Then all three hundred

universities can be under Your Divine guidance, like this university.” He

added, “Nowhere else would Vice-Chancellors sit for three days continuously,

actively participating, and enthusiastic. Sometime or another, they go to the

city and make purchases for their family members because the government pays

them money. They go sightseeing as a break from the routine. However, this

conference held at Prashanti Nilayam was attended by

all the Vice-Chancellors, 100% attendance for all sessions. This is something

unique. People utilised the time in the best way possible. This is the miracle

of Baba.”That is how the valedictory function ended that day. Thank you very

much.God Bless you. Sai Ram! (Applause)JAI BOLO BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA JI

KI JAI!

Source: http://www.internety.com/saipearls/15.12.2003(E)central.htm© Anil Kumar Kamaraju 2004

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