Bhagawan's Discourse on 21st August 2004, My Students Are My Wealth

[Guest guest]

My Students Are My Wealth

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 21st

August 2004 at Sai Kulwanth HallOne may acquire a high academic qualification

such as M.A., B.A., MBA and MFM and attain exalted position,One may amass

wealth, perform acts of charity and attain name and fame,One may have physical

strength and enjoy a long and healthy life,One may be a scholar, but if he

lacks human values all his achievements will prove futile. (Telugu Poem)

Students! Boys and Girls! Teachers! Patrons of Education!By mere acquisition of

worldly education man cannot attain exalted position in life. All human efforts

will be in vain without Divine grace. There are many in this world who are

highly educated, but are they rendering any service to the nation? No. In this

respect, the unlettered people appear to be better human beings than the highly

educated. In spite of his education and

intelligence, a person who does not his true Self is but a fool. One may be

highly intelligent and educated, but bereft of human values his life is

meaningless. In fact, one devoid of human values is no human being at all!

There is little use in acquiring a number of degrees without imbibing human

values.Embodiments of Love!To know and recognise a truly educated individual,

you have to look closely at our students. They are not satisfied with mere

acquisition of degrees. They utilise their knowledge for the benefit of

society. Education which is not useful to society, serves no real purpose. Our

boys are highly virtuous and are endowed with the wealth of character. They

consider virtues as their very life. Men of eminence who come here from all

over the world learn many things from our students. Some of our students remain

here and serve as teachers after the completion of their education. I am very

happy about it. We don't need to be worried about getting good

and noble teachers from elsewhere for our Institute. Our own students, after

their studies, take up the responsibility of teaching. In other academic

centres students are interested in pursuing higher studies for their own

selfish ends, but our students are not interested in accumulating degrees, but

in disseminating their knowledge for the benefit of others.One cannot acquire

such character and nobility from mere education. The education they received

here is not limited to textual knowledge alone. It develops virtues which

originate from the heart. Our students are incomparable. They are taking up the

roles of teachers all over the world and are helping society by moulding ideal

students and men of character. Character is the prime objective of education

here in our Institute. A person of such education and character, can rule over

the entire world. Education without character is useless. I am very much

pleased to have such students who are virtuous, energetic and

intelligent. Our MBA students have all the noble qualities that are expected of

them. In addition to their studies, they learn various languages. Students from

Kerala have gained proficiency in various languages, such as, Tamil, Hindi,

English, Telugu, etc. They speak all these languages with such fluency that it

is very difficult to identify their mother tongue. For such talented students,

it is not difficult to learn the language of the Atma. They give talks even in

Sanskrit. But they also adhere to our Samskriti (culture). Samskara is not

imbibed by learning Sanskrit, it comes from adherence to Samskriti. One who

adheres to Samskriti will be able to attain all types of wealth and be an ideal

to others. When I asked one of the students which place he belonged to, he said,

"Swami, I belong to Puttaparthi." That boy speaks Sanskrit very fluently. He has

also learnt various other languages. Students who have studied in Puttaparthi

are spreading Swami's message in various countries,

such as, America, Japan, Germany, Italy, etc. Students who have such dedication

and devotion are very rare these days. But here are many such students in our

institutions. It gives Me great joy to have such students here. We need such

students. I wish that these students, after completion of their education,

share the knowledge they have acquired here with fellowmen in society and

transform them. Men of eminence like the President of India, the Prime Minister

and Chief Ministers are all praise for our students. They extol our students

whenever they visit this place. In our Institutes, students are provided

education totally free of charge. In addition to this, scholarships are

provided to deserving students. If you ask what is Swami's property, I say,

"Students are My property." Without the students, I will not be able to do

anything. They are looking after Swami with utmost love and care. In fact, they

are responsible for all the development that we find in our educational

and other institutions.The culture of Bharat is based on the Vedas which are in

Sanskrit language. Here students chant the Vedic Mantras both in the morning

and in the evening. You cannot get such students even if you do intense

penance. They can certainly bring about progress in society. There is no

language that our students do not speak; they are very versatile in all kinds

of skills. You may be under the impression that Swami is taking great pains to

mould the character of students. There is no pain whatsoever. In fact, students

are of great help to Swami. They are spreading the ideals of Sai to the rest of

the world giving Hai (joy) to one and all. There is a need to establish more

similar institutions in order to mould such ideal students. Parents themselves

are not aware of the innate potential of their children. Our students are

filled with noble thoughts and sacred feelings. They give top priority to the

service of their parents. They treat their friends and

relatives with love and affection. They have no desire for accumulating wealth.

Their sole aim is to obey Swami's command and work for the progress of society.

I do not want any other property than My students. With the help of these

students, many educational institutions can be developed. Unlike students

elsewhere who wake up very late in the morning, our students get up in the

early hours at the crowing of the cock. They observe moderation in food and

habits. Such discipline can do not find among student community elsewhere. They

are attentive in classes and learn their lessons well. They are obedient to

their teachers. They take part in sports and games, such as, Badminton, Tennis,

Volleyball in the right spirit. They take good care of their health too. They

are all very strong in physique and spirit. You do not find anyone weak and

afflicted with diseases. Such students who take care of themselves are capable

of taking care of the country as well. Our institution is fortunate

to have students of such calibre. If there are another five institutions of this

quality, they will be able to raise the happiness level of whole regions of the

country. In fact, other colleges are trying to emulate our institution.Our

students are like diamonds. They are obedient to elders, courteous towards

relatives. Seeing their good conduct and listening to their sweet words, the

guests who visit their houses are highly impressed. They are creative in their

thinking and shine as role models. We do not wish to praise the qualities of

our own students. But when dignitaries who visit this Institute talk high of

our students, I feel very happy.(Here Bhagawan referred to the hip bone

fracture He suffered last year.) I am not suffering from any disease or any

ailment. Last year, one boy was hanging colour buntings on the door while

standing on an iron stool. Meanwhile, I opened the door and came out of My

room. As soon as he saw Me, he became nervous and fell down

from the stool. As he was falling, the iron stool got toppled and fell on Me. He

too fell on Me. That was the time when My hip bone was fractured. Doctors tried

their best to set it right. They felt sorry that it would be difficult for

Swami to walk. I told them, "No one needs to feel sorry for Me. My students

will take good care of Me. They will follow Me like shadow wherever I go." My

students have become My doctors. It is because of them that I am able to move

around. Our students tell Me, "Swami, we don't need to be worried about

anything when we are with You. We want to sanctify our lives in Your service.

With such love and faith, hundreds of students have remained with Swami after

the completion of their education, performing various duties assigned to them.

They do not want to go outside for a job. You may find it hard to believe if I

tell you about the work they do. Once someone from outside came here and took

two of our boys for employment. They were given a salary of

50,000 to 60,000 rupees per month. They utilised the money to serve the poor

children. Later on, they resigned their jobs and came here as they could not

bear the separation from Swami. Our students have transformed Prasanthi Nilayam

into a big workshop. They are able to handle various types of instruments and

equipments very efficiently. They are striving hard for the development of

hospitals. It is not possible for anyone to understand the sacred feelings of

our students. (Swami asked one of the boys who was sitting near Him to get up.)

This boy did his Engineering and then completed his MBA degree in our Institute.

Many people from all over the country requested him to join their companies. But

he rejected their offers. What is he doing at present? He is spreading Swami's

message all over the world through Radio Sai Global Harmony. Even his parents

tell Me, "Swami, please keep him with You always." When he was with his

parents, though they would force him to eat more, he

did not put on weight. But after coming here, he has gained 18 kg. even without

timely intake of food. Now he is always with Me attending to My needs. At the

same time, he does not keep his office work pending. He attends to it at

night.(Swami asked another boy to get up.) What do you think of this boy? He

hails from a backward area in Orissa. His father has three sons. Now, all the

four of them are working in Puttaparthi. These boys have completed their M.Sc

and MBA. They do not want to undertake any job outside. All of them have

remained here serving Swami. They are satisfied with the salary they are paid

here. In this manner, all the boys who are working here are full of virtues and

are leading a life of sacrifice. For the last few months, our boys are taking

good care of Me. I do not have any pain. I do not require any medical

treatment. I do not need to be worried about anything. It is because of the

loving service of My students, I am spending My time blissfully

without any inconvenience or suffering whatsoever. They are always ready and

eager to serve Me. They carry out My instructions meticulously. There are 200

such students around Me in Prasanthi Nilayam. They do not sit idle; they

discharge their duties diligently. It is not possible to describe the magnitude

of work they do. They attend to all jobs. If there are such students everywhere,

the nation will certainly prosper. They help everyone. I want to make them

totally self-reliant. They should depend on the work they do and not on anybody

else. They will certainly be able to lead their lives in that manner. I am

telling all this today so that you will know the noble qualities of our

students. They are Gunavantulu (virtuous), Balavantulu (energetic) and also

Dhanavantulu (wealthy). They earn their own money. They do not take even a

paisa from their parents. Sometimes, the parents may come and ask, "Do you

require anything? They reply, "Swami has provided everything. He is taking care

of us very well." In future, many great events are going to take place. The

country need not fear. Bharat will certainly become a land of plenty and

prosperity. Our students will contribute a lot to the development of the

nation. They are the future leaders. It is a matter of great joy for Me to see

the students as future leaders.Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the

Bhajan, "Hari Bhajan Bina Sukha Santhi Nahin …"

Source: http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2004/21_Aug_04.htm