Message from Swami to Youth

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Quotes from Sathya Sai Speaks

MESSAGE FROM SWAMI TO YOUTH

Unfortunately young people today, ignore the examples of such great figures and

lead purposeless lives. They get prematurely old because of their ways of

living. Students must lead righteous lives, acquire courage and manliness, and

realize the Divine. They have to recognize the supreme importance of keeping

the mind under control. To get close to God you have to go beyond the mind. To

have control over the mind is the mark of wisdom (jnana). To seek to achieve

proximity to God you have to develop devotion. Millions of people all over the

world are seeking God-realization. But all their efforts are at the mental

level. They have to go beyond the mind to realize the Divine, who is the

embodiment of Truth-Wisdom-Omnipotence.

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I have often compared the heart to a lock. Turn the key leftward and the lock

closes. Turn the key to the right and it opens. Turn your heart God-ward.

To control the mind, the ancients resorted to various disciplines, including

food control. They fasted on the full-moon day and gradually increased their

intake up to the new-moon day. From the next day, they gradually reduced their

intake until full-moon day. Students need not resort to this discipline now,

but they should avoid eating excessive food.

By their spiritual discipline, regulated eating, and other habits, the ancients

led long and healthy lives.

When Lava and Kusa went about singing the glories of Rama, they had no

nervousness or apprehension. Today, young people hesitate to put any auspicious

marks on their forehead when they visit temples and don't venture to fold their

palms in reverence when they meet elders. On the contrary, Lava and Kusa forgot

all bodily considerations and sang from their hearts the glory of Rama. They

thus taught what is relevant to youth today: the path to a God-oriented life.

There is nothing greater than chanting the name of the Lord. [swami recited a

ballad in praise of the Divine name].

People are eager to listen to gossip. But the ears are deaf to the sweet names

of God. You do not hesitate to go to the films endlessly, But your eyes find it

hard to look at God in the sanctum.

For what are the eyes given? For what do you have ears? You should remember

God's name and go to the abode of God.

In this manner Lava and Kusa went about glorifying the greatness of Rama

joyously and telling the people how they should adore God.

Today's youth should resolve to spread the love of God among the people without

any hesitation or fear. They should make every man realize the sweetness of the

Lord's name, the divinity enshrined in it, and the purity associated with it.

These feelings should emanate from the heart. That is true recitation of the

Lord's name (namasmarana).

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Make good use of the Sai who has come to you. Adore the feet of this Lord at

Parthi. Offer your devotion and achieve liberation. Do not go after all and

sundry. Awake! Abandon your delusion. [Telugu Poem].

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Man should make efforts to visualize unity in diversity and thereby attain

divinity. Unity leads to purity. Where there is purity there is divinity. Only

through unity, purity, and divinity, can one experience bliss. You can never

attain bliss if you do not give up the feeling of diversity and cultivate the

spirit of unity.

It is true that health is wealth. Dharmarthakamamokshanam arogyam moolamuthamam.

Health is the fundamental requirement to achieve the four goals of human life,

namely, dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire) and moksha

(liberation). However, once you attain the state of bliss, you can always enjoy

good health.

Man is deluded with the feeling that he can lead a blissful life by acquiring

wealth and position of authority. Neither wealth nor position of authority can

confer bliss on you. Bliss can be experienced only when you visualize unity in

diversity. If you do not understand the principle of unity and attain bliss,

all service activities, like construction of hospitals, will be of little

consequence. Everyone working in a hospital, be they doctors, nurses,

paramedical staff, or technicians, should have the spirit of unity. This

hospital demonstrates the ideal of unity. All the staff in this hospital work

with the feeling that they belong to one family. Our hospital stands for unity

in diversity. It does not crave money, name, and fame.

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There will be peace and security in the world only when people give up hatred

and violence, inculcate the feelings of love, and realize the unity of mankind.

(Telugu Poem)

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For a happy and healthy life, apart from proper medical attention, pure drinking

water is also very essential. My plan of action for the welfare of humanity is

stupendous. It is bound about the resources. There is no dearth of resources in

our country Bharat (India). But there are very few who have the noble intention

of doing good to society. When you undertake a sacred task, even nature will

extend all its help.

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Help others. Only then can your life find fulfillment. You know why hands are

given to you? Is it merely to partake of food? No. They are. meant to render

service to others. You know why the tongue is given? Is it to indulge in vain

gossip? No. It is meant to chant the divine Name. In this manner, all the

senses should be properly utilized. This is what Buddha did. He studied various

sacred texts, met many noble souls, and listened to their teachings, but he was

not satisfied. Ultimately, he realized that spiritual practices are of no avail

if one does not make proper use of one's senses.

See no evil, see what is good; Hear no evil, hear what is good; Talk no evil,

talk what is good; Do no evil, do what is good; This is the way to God.

 

In order to sanctify your senses, you should utilize them in the service of

others. Yad bhavam tad bhavathi (as you think so you become). If you have bad

vision, listen to bad talk, or indulge in bad activities, you will ultimately

ruin yourself. If you cannot undertake any service activity, at least speak

softly and sweetly. You cannot always oblige, but you can speak always

obligingly. Today, man speaks harsh words, which hurt the feelings of others.

He puts his senses to misuse, how can he expect to be happy and healthy? In

order to enjoy perfect health, make sacred use of your senses. You may be a

pauper or a millionaire. You may have money or not, but God has given each one

of you five senses. Make proper use of them and sanctify your lives.

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The President of America has said that the terrorists should be wiped out. Who

are the terrorists? Anger and jealousy are the 'terrorists'. These wicked traits

are present in every man. Man should make every effort to annihilate them. Only

then can the world progress. One should not kill one's fellow human beings;

instead, one should destroy the 'terrorists' within and cultivate virtues. This

is what I desire from you. The country will attain plenty and prosperity and set

an ideal to the rest of the world only when jealousy and anger are completely

eradicated.

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Like the oil that is in the til seed, Like the presence of ghee in milk, Like

fragrance in a flower, Like juice in a fruit, Like fire in a piece of wood, So

does the Divine permeate the cosmos.

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The one whose heart is laden with compassion, The one whose words are marked by

truth, The one whose time is spent in performing beneficial deeds for the

welfare of others, Such ones are not affected by influence of the age of Kali.

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That which fosters universal peace, That which destroys all scope for mean

thoughts, That which encourages unity and cooperation, Is real Education; This

is the education a student should aspire to acquire.

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There is no disease greater than greed, One's anger is his greatest enemy, There

is no sorrow deeper than poverty, There is no greater peace than wisdom.

 

 

Where there is love, there is peace, Where there is peace, there is truth, Where

there is truth, there is bliss, Where there is bliss, there is God.

 

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You commit several sins. But ask for fruits of meritorious deeds instead! This

is not proper. You must not subject yourself to sin in the first place. Always

enter into virtuous deeds. As far as possible we should be of some help to

others. God Himself is always helping others. Can't you do at least a fraction

of this good work to others?

 

Follow the Master, Face the devil, Fight till the end, Finish the game.

 

Make it a point to follow the Master. You will then receive His abundant grace.

You have been worshipping for several years with devotion. You take ritualistic

bath and sing bhajans unfailingly. Has at least an iota of dirt in your mind

been wiped out? On the contrary, it is increasing day by day. Are you able to

experience at least a moment of bliss wholeheartedly? Definitely not! If yes,

why then have you so many desires? What do you gain by desiring progeny? To

some extent this desire is essential. It is a duty to be discharged by you.

Certainly do it. But once done, God will take care of the rest. You need not

entertain worries on that count. Today, you are indulging in looking after

their welfare. What is the result? Is it not much better to offer the

responsibility to God and let Him handle it? You will be happy and so will

they.

Therefore, don't ride on your desires. They should be gradually reduced. Lesser

the desires, more the happiness. First make attempts to understand the nature

of God.

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The word WATCH has an important message to convey. WATCH means:

W: Watch your Words A: Watch your Actions T: Watch your Thoughts C: Watch your

Character H: Watch your Heart

 

The watch you that you wear breaks one day or other. But this watch is

unbreakable. Watch whether you are speaking good or bad. Watch whether you

abuse others or appreciate others. Your tongue can indulge in many sins. You

should not use your tongue in abusing others. Abusing others is not a virtue

but a vice. If you abuse others, others will also abuse you. There is reaction,

reflection, and resound for everything. Hence, exercise control over the tongue.

Don't allow the tongue to indulge in sin. The tongue that criticises others is a

sinful tongue. Don't allow the tongue to indulge in gossip and criticism of

others.

 

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We have taken human birth. What should we do having taken human birth? Should we

use human birth for earning wealth? No, we should use the mind for the

acquisition of virtues and not wealth. The students of today are interested in

acquiring kalimi (wealth), balimi (strenght), and chelimi (friendship), but not

guna (virtue). What is the use of leading a life without acquiring virtues?

The dunce studies and becomes an eminent one. He studies all disciplines of

learning but ends up as a dunce. The wretched one may master many types of

learning but he cannot be free from the vices that he had cultivated. Too much

learning encourages a person to become a logician. But he cannot acquire wisdom

at anytime; what is the use of learning and dying. Master that education which

knows no death.

The body is temporary. It is a water bubble. The body comes and goes, as the

water bubbles come and go.

The body is a den of diseases. It is a basket that degenerates in course of time

It is a weak raft that cannot cross the ocean of samsara It is a quiver of

arrows. O man! Do not think that the mind is permanent. Surrender yourself at

the feet of Hari (The Lord).

 

We should perform all deeds with a spirit of devotion to God.

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All these things can be acquired by love alone. Love is God, live in love. We

can acquire understanding of spirituality only by cultivation of love. That is

why I often say,

Start the day with love, Fill the day with love, Spend the day with love, End

the day with love, That is the way to God.

 

Everything is possible by the power of love. Love is everything in this world.

The world cannot exist without love. But the world exists to some people who

have bad desires. Those people who are drowned in bad desires will not have

even a peaceful death. We must keep the mind peaceful and sacred. We can

acquire peace of mind only by love for God.

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Control of the five senses is real spiritual practice. We should not allow the

senses to go wayward. Senses can be controlled only by love. Always live in

love. We must make others happy with love. Never harbour hatred or evil toward

anybody. Help ever, hurt never. It is said,

Paropakara punyaya papaya parapeedanam Merit lies in helping others, sin lies in hurting others.

You can control the mind by silence and by surrendering it to God. You can do

your sadhana (spiritual exercise) based on your faith. In the beginning sadhana

may be difficult. But it gives happiness to some extent in course of time. It is

said,

Body is the temple of God. God exists in you.

God does not exist elsewhere. He exists in you.

Sin is not elsewhere. It exists where wrong action is committed.

Whatever spiritual practices you may pursue, there is always God in you. God is

intertwined with your life. All that you need is self-confidence.

Self-Confidence is most important for spiritual development.

 

Where there is self-confidence, there is truth. Where there is truth, there is

bliss. Where there is bliss, there is peace. Where there is peace, there is

God.

 

Hence you must cultivate self-confidence. Otherwise there will be utter

confusion. You must build every thing on the foundation of self-confidence. For

example, take this very building. The foundation is the basis for the building.

The building cannot exist without the foundation. Similarly, faith is the

foundation for everything. Do your duties. The Buddha sacrificed many things in

life for the sake of ananada. Where there is sacrifice, there is ananada.

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Reduce your attachment to the body. As you go on increasing your attachment to

your body, your suffering also increases. Your body is the temple of God. Think

that this is not your body, but as a temple of God. The body is sacred, because

God resides in it. Hence, you must use the body for performing good deeds. You

have been

gifted with the body to obtain ananada. You may do your spiritual practices, but

perform your spiritual practices with the feeling "God is none other than you."

Strengthen this feeling in you and shape your lives accordingly. "Live in Love

and Live with Love."

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Today, it is rare to find children who revere their fathers or fathers who care

for their children. The teacher-student relation is deplorable and tainted

without any respect being exchanged. Parents at home don't know how to set

ideals for their children. Brothers don't care to stay united, and children

don't bother to maintain the family's honour. Husbands and wives lack

understanding and are unable to set examples to the society in which they stay.

Honour and respect are ignored and too much freedom is given to all.

The problem begins at the home, which is the first school of a child. The

parents are the first teachers. They should teach their children how to respect

elders, speak the truth, follow righteousness, respect the teachers, and

interact with other children at the school. The discipline of the school must

be followed. Only such an exercise can generate ideal students.

In the days of yore, students would arise as the cock crowed at dawn. After

their ablutions bath, meals consisting of nourishing and palatable items would

be taken in limited quantity. Loitering about in dirty and unhealthy locations

was never done. Willing participation in sports and games was common. It was

these set of practices that ensured good health. Good health is essential for a

sound education.

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Man's speech earns him wealth; his speech helps him find friends and endears him

to his relatives; his speech is responsible for his bondage; his speech is

responsible for his death and destruction.

Words carry enormous weight. It is therefore essential that man weigh his words

carefully, discriminate thoroughly, and only then speak. Every man has

sacredness inherent in his words. He should not misuse them to hurt others or

cause harm to himself either.

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Regards,

 

Subhashbhai

 

E-mail : bjswadia (AT) (DOT) co.uk

 

Sai Ram!

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