Convocation Address by Maharajakrishna Rasgotra

[Guest guest]

Convocation Address by Maharajakrishna RasgotraAt Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning (Deemed University)22 November 2004

Revered Chancellor, Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Respected Vice-Chancellor,

Honoured members of the Governing body and the Academic Council, Learned

Members of the Faculty, Graduating class, students and friends,

This University is one of its kind; there is none other like it in India or elsewhere in the world.

Nor is there another teacher like the founder, mentor, guide and Chancellor of

this great seat of learning, the fount of divine wisdom and knowledge, the

Avatar of our age, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. His abode, Prashanthi Nilayam is the

world’s spiritual heart.

The convocations of this university, unlike similar occasions elsewhere, bring

together a vast congregation of men and women of high achievement and a large

number of people from all over India and the world, to bless the year’s

graduates, as they cross the threshold into life’s arena of works and

responsibility. Participation in this unique function is an exalting and

sanctifying experience. They are festivals of celebration of spirit of love of

human unity.

There is no greater honour than to be asked to be the chief guest at this event.

It is my good fortune to be here today as chief guest for the second time. I

hold no special qualification or position to merit this honour. I have done

nothing to earn it. Presidents, Prime Ministers and others of high distinction

have graced these occasions as chief guests. By summoning me here today, my

benign Master has lavished yet another shower of grace on his humble devotee.

To Him, I simply want to say : Swami, I am doubly honoured, I am twice blessed

: I thank you.

When I addressed the convocation in 1989, the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Learning was still in its early years; but intimations of it being the

harbinger of much needed change in the arid scene of Indian education and in

the country’s life were there. There are two ways of initiating change: one,

can discard or destroy the old and begin anew, or retain what exists and reform

and renew it by introducing new catalysts into it.

Sai is the messiah of change through reform and reconstruction. He has infused

in the prevailing pattern of education a stream of spiritual awareness and

social responsibility by inculcating in the child’s conduct, during his years

in school and college, the human values of sathya, dharma, shanti, prema and

ahimsa.

Today, 15 years later, this deemed university is, in the words of the National

Assessment and Accreditation Council of the University Grants Commission, “a

model worthy of emulation by the institutions of higher learning in the country

and elsewhere”. It is a well-deserved tribute to the Institute’s pioneering work

and it is to be hoped that the prized features of this model will be replicated

in all other Indian universities.

Young men and women, who pass through these portals into the wider world are

persons of character and integrity. Imbued with the best in Indian cultural

tradition and ethic, they are modern in outlook without the frivolity and pomp

of modernity. They are living examples of a good life of simplicity and

honesty, of compassion, love and service. Ten thousand of them already in the

field are changing life and environment around them. As their numbers grow the

university’s contribution to the making of a new Indian society will become

increasingly apparent.

Of the several new dimensions added to the conventional teaching in this

Institution, two, in my view, are of singular importance not only to

character-building of the scholars but also to the future of Indian society.

These are the university’s Gram Seva programme and the vocational training

imparted as a regular feature of hostel life. Introduction of these programmes

in the country’s schools and colleges will go a long way in reducing

unemployment and in energizing the process of national integration.

The Gram Seva work, in particular, makes education socially relevant. It gives

the disadvantaged in our villages the feeling of being part of a society which

cares, and it brings the educated elite closer to the reality of life in the

country’s vast hinterland, with uplifting effects on both.

Low cost and easily available rural health care facilities in the villages of

India are a vital and urgent need. Unfortunately, the system of Indian

medicine, which can provide such medical care in the villages, has remained an

area of comparative neglect.

The rural health scene in China was revolutionized by “barefoot doctors”

administering indigenous Chinese medicine. I wonder whether, as part of the

Gram Seva programme, or in some other suitable way, this university can take

the benefits of ayurveda to the villages served by the Grama seva programme.

Or, perhaps, this pioneering Institution could set one more example for other

major universities by adding to its already considerable assets a College of

Ayurveda.

Institutions dispensing allopathic medicine and specializing in complicated

surgery are also necessary, especially in our metropolitan areas. Bhagwan Baba

has already set-up two magnificent super-speciality hospitals where the most

advanced medical treatment is made available to the poor and needy of our

country free of cost. These and His projects to supply clean drinking water to

hundreds of villages in drought prone areas are examples for our State and

Central governments and the country’s growing corporate sector to replicate in

different regions of our country.

Applications in the field of the University’s scientific research has already

benefited rural development, environmental conservation and agriculture in

neighbouring areas. Good pioneering work of this nature deserves to be more

widely known so that its benefits become available to other needy regions also

in due course.

My dream for this university is that it should become, like Taxila of yore, the

intellectual hub of modern India, that in due course men of the caliber of

Panini, the grammarian, Kautilya, the celebrated theoretician and practitioner

of statecraft and diplomacy, and Charka, a progenitor of Indian medical

science, will lend luster to this institution and that its research work in

science and other branches of knowledge will bring international acclaim and

laurels to India.

In saying all this I am conscious that it takes time to build the knowledge base

and traditions of a place of learning. There are no short-cuts to utopia. But

considering what the university has achieved in its short life of 22 years, its

accomplishments in the next decade or two may well exceed our expectations.

I offer my warm felicitations to graduates who have received their degrees

today, and to those who have won medals and other distinctions. I pray for your

success in all your undertakings. You have been prepared well for life’s varied

tasks and responsibilities. I shall not, therefore, invoke the usual

convocation homily: sathyam vada, dharmam chara etc. During your stay here, you

have integrated all that and much more in your daily conduct. I want to speak to

you, instead, about the world you are about to encounter outside these hallowed

precincts, and of India’s place in that world. Also, as a fellow Sai devotee I

want to share with you my understanding of Sai’s mission and His teaching.

First the world: Of the many changes sweeping the world, globalization of its

trade and economy and of its politics is of particular importance. The

phenomenon is unavoidable, because astonishing advances in technology,

especially in transport and communication, have virtually eliminated the

necessities of distance and time. Day by day, the world becomes a smaller but

also a more complex place. Far-away happenings affect our lives in

unpredictable ways, and old notions of nationhood and sovereignty are loosing

some of their meaning.

Globalization is driven by the powerful market forces of the west led by the

United States of America. It has generated some unsettling effects in the

economies of several developing countries. But we have to live with it, and I

believe India today is strong enough to cope with the phenomenon, and even

derive some benefits from expansion of the world economy by improving its own

manufacturing capabilities and by enlarging its base of knowledge services.

India’s progress since independence has been impressive. India’s GDP has grown

from US$ 1 billion in 1947 to $ 475 billions today. Similarly, India’s annual

trade has increased from around $1 billion in 1947 to over $ 100 billion today.

Today, Indian economy is fourth or fifth largest in the world and it is growing

at a healthy rate. There is substantial progress in the spread of education.

There is greater political and social cohesion in the country. Cleansing of the

country’s politics, of its corruption and crime make it stronger still and will

ensure even more rapid progress in the future.

We are witnessing wondrous new advances in medicine, genetic manipulation and

space travel. Nanotechnology, the latest discovery of science which involves

making tiny robots designed to hunt down anything from dust particles to germs

in the human body, is revolutionizing medicine, chemistry and electronics.

Every fresh breakthrough opens doors to new breakthroughs, unfolding before us

realms of knowledge and visions of life unimagined before.

Interestingly, scientific enquiry is now also engaging in the search of answers

to the timeless questions about the nature and origin of the universe and of

man, and there emerges before us the prospect of bridging the gap between

science and spirituality. By demonstrating that through our molecules, we are

all physically connected, science is pushing empirical understanding closer to

recognition of the transcendental reality of integral unity of all life. Can

living entities that are physically connected be spiritually isolated from one

another? A few more leaps in scientific knowledge and will a Newton or an

Einstein proclaim with the Vedic seer!

“ekam jyothi bahudha vibhati.”i.e. one and the same light illumines all

forms(Atharva veda XIII,3.17)

The irony of it is that each scientific invention, while opening up fresh

prospect of man’s progress, also brings new perils to human security in the

shape of ever more lethal weapons of mass destruction. Our world is, by no

means, the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumukum, contemplated by our sages and seers

of yore! Humanity is splintered by hatreds and conflicts of race and ethnicity

and there is too much violence all around. Even religion, which is man’s quest

for the divine, and cultures whose intermingling should enhance human bonds,

lie behind much of the ongoing strife. Terrorists, armed with all manner of

lethal weaponry roam the earth with singular objective of killing innocent

people in the name of religion.

With all its abundance of material wealth and its great advances in science and

technology, it is an unhappy world because there is a great deficit of Love in

it.

In the last decade and half, the world’s political landscape has undergone a

radical change. The Soviet Union, a leading power of the 20th century, has

vanished from the world map and Russia is in the process of finding its feet as

a democracy. Several new states have arisen in central Asia adding to the

complexity of Asian politics.

Europe, for centuries the scene of schadenfreudal wars, is at peace and the

European Union, comprising 25 states, is engaged in consolidating its political

unity and economic strength for an enhanced role in world affairs. The centre of

gravity of world affairs has shifted sharply from the Euro-Atlantic region to

Asia, where China and India, the USA, Japan and Russia, are redefining their

regional and global roles. It is a dynamic situation and a time of many

uncertainties.

Clearly, the United States is the world’s pre-eminent military and economic

power and it is likely to continue to occupy that position for the best part of

this century; possibly longer, if it can eschew the war-psychology urge that

often goads powerful societies to provoke challenges to their own supremacy,

such as the on-going war in Iraq.

In recent years, a special link has developed between India and the United

States in the shape of a two million strong, prosperous and influential

community of Americans of Indian origin with roots and ties in both countries.

They are playing an important role in bringing our two nations closer. There is

much curiosity and general interest inside. Outside India, the USA is, perhaps,

also the country where interest in Sai’s work and teaching is the deepest. We

have much to give that country and, equally, a good deal to learn from it.

India’s relations with Russia – a traditional friend and supporter – and Japan,

a committed democracy and Asia’s economic power-house should form the central

focus of our foreign policy and diplomacy. Relations with the European Union

and China will also require the closest attention.

It is ancient wisdom that a rising power – and today’s India today is a rising

power – should take care not to antagonize the existing great powers. Further,

it must do everything within its means to avoid any possibility of a

combination of existing powers arising against it. Neglect of these maxims has

caused our country much harm and discomfiture in the past.

Regrettably, our own region, South-Asia, is beset with many difficulties : a

wide-spread armed rebellion in Nepal, ethnic separatism and violence in Sri

Lanka, unreasoned anti-indianism in Bangladesh and instability characteristic

of military regimes in Myanmar and Pakistan. Uncertainties surround the

India-Pakistan peace process because of Pakistan’s pathological fixation

concerning the intractable Kashmir issue. We have to learn to live with these

surroundings in calm detachment. India should offer willing cooperation and

help to those who want it; but towards recalcitrant neighbours a policy of

benign neglect is best.

India survived a long debilitating period of alien rule because of its innate

spiritual resilience which, in the course of the century preceding

independence, found its expression in the lives and teachings of Ramakrishna

Paramhansa, Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Shirdi Sai Baba and Mahatama Gandhi.

That same spirit, has flowered to perfection in the divine personage of Sri

Staya Sai Baba. His life, his work and teaching are shaping modern India’s

destiny and preparing the country for the role of a spiritual catalyst in a

changing world.

In a recent discourse, Sri Sathya Sai Baba had declared:“In future, many great

events are going to take place. The country should have no fear. Bharat will

certainly become a land of plenty and prosperity. Our students will contribute

a lot to the development of the country. They are the future leaders.”

These extraordinary words are a prophecy and a promise and a benediction. It is

the voice of the Avatar calling a rejuvenating nation to greatness and

conjuring the scholars and alumni of this university to be a major means for

his mission’s fulfillment: obviously he has other powerful means also at his

command, for example, his personal charisma, the miraculous magnetism of his

love, and the simplicity and profundity of his teaching which goes straight to

the heart.

Bhagawan Baba’s teaching is aimed, as were the teachings of Krishna, the Buddha

and Jesus Christ, at raising man to a higher consciousness and thus to help him

to work for his own individual perfection and for a perfect society.

All that is said or implied in the instruction of prophets, saints and seers of

all times viz., human equality and brotherhood, a virtuous life of compassion

and service etc., love of God and his creation, man’s divine destiny, is summed

up by Sathya Sai Baba in four simple words : Love All, Serve All. These simple

words, in my humble judgment, contain the core of all his teaching and the

teachings of all previous Avatars andsaints. He drives the message home by

showering His love on one and all without distinction of any kind.

Sai is here with us, is here in the world, to make good the deficit of love

which ails the modern world.

Love of which He speaks, is the human heart’s natural surge: directed towards

fellow beings love engenders the spirit of service which in turn, reinforces

the feelings of love, fellowship and compassion. The spirit of service also

tames the ego, ego which is the main hindrance on man’s path to God.

Sai’s emphasis on service echoes Lord Krishna’s teaching. He tells Arjuna that

He, the supreme Lord, is to be known as the “friend of all beings” (suhridam

sarvabhutam V.29). Therefore, those who want to attain Him must “engage in

doing good to all beings” (sarva bhoot hiteh ratah V.25). His true devotee is

one, Krishna affirms, who is “without ill will to all beings, is friendly and

compassionate (advestaa sarva bhootanam maitrah Karun eva ch XII.13). In short,

if you want to reach God, love his creation, eliminate the ego through service

of fellow beings. “Love all, Service All” is the mantra for man’s liberation

and immortality and also the recipe for the making of a perfect global society.

To a world riven by religious bigotry and contention Sai says:

“What is all the strife about? There is but one God, and there is only one

religion, the religion of love. I preach only the religion of love for all, and

this alone will integrate the human race into a brotherhood.”

Sai’s teaching is making an impact not only in India but in all parts of the

world. His way of uniting humanity in a universal bond of love and service is

truly globalization of the most far-reaching consequence to man’s evolution to

a higher plane of existence.

My young friends, Life’s passage is seldom smooth or trouble-free. There are

surprises and allures, challenges and crises at every step. In dealing with

them let the spiritual values you have garnered here and Sai’s teachings be

your anchor and your guide. When in need you will find that somewhere in his

teachings there is an assurance and a guideline to pull you through any and

every circumstance. But faith is important. Faith may not move mountains, but

it does remain man’s firmest mooring against the pulls and pressures of life.

Three routine disciplines go a long way in the making of a good and happy life.

These are disciplines of the tongue or speech, of the intellect and of the

mind. Coupled with charity, which is a form of service, these make living a joy

in a world which the Buddha described as nothing but misery and transience:

(sarvam dukkham dukkham, sarvam khshanikam khashnikam). A quatrain in Aadi

Shankara’s Bhaj-Govindam is a useful guide to the acquisition of these

disciplines. It says;

“Geyam gitanam sahasrami.e. chant the Geeta and the Lords’ thousand names(for

discipline of speech)Dhyeyam shripati roopamajassrami.e. Contemple the Lord’s

form(for disciplining the intellect)Neyam sajjansange chittam i.e.Lead the mind

towards good company (to control the mind)Deyam deenajanaya ch vittam”i.e.And

share your wealth with the needy.

Finally, I commend to you the necessity and importance of prayer in daily life.

Prayer is an effort to reach God: it is a powerful way of communicating with

Him and it is the best way to serve Him. Providence (Daivam), Lord Krishna

tells us, is one of the five factors in the accomplishment of all human

endeavours. Providence is unpredictable and it is also the most potent factor

in human action, it is beyond man’s control. Therefore, it is best to begin

each day with a short prayer from the heart asking the Lord to take charge in

simple words, such as these:

Lord, be my guide this dayIn all I think, say or do.Let this be your day in my life.

And the day should end with another short prayer rededicating to Him the day’s

efforts and their fruits, and asking Him to dispose of them as he thinks

bestSai Himself has often said:

“Pray to me with your heart full of loveWhen you pray with a loving heartI immediately respond.”

I advise you to take Him up on his word: if my own experience is any guide, you

will not be disappointed.

I pray for Sai’s blessings on you.

http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Convocation_Address.htm