Satyopanisad

[Guest guest]

Swami! You seem to be very much upset and annoyed when anything goes wrong in

respect of discipline, educational standards and personality development in

general. Swami! You come down heavily upon students when you see their slackness

in coming up to your expectations and openly reprimand the guilty in public. It

is terrifying to be a witness to this sort of a thing. I get fear-stricken when

I think of you, Swami, in that mood. How are we to reconcile ourselves to such a

situation and take it positively?

 

First of all, you should know that Swami is completely selfless. You should also

note very clearly that Swami is never angry with anyone: " God is Love, Love is

God " . I pretend to be angry and unhappy with you only to correct you. Even that

apparent anger vanishes very soon like a shower of hail. You cannot call anyone

a guru if he accepts and endorses all that you do and say. He is a guru in the

true sense of the term if he corrects you and turns you in the right direction

as your well-wisher.

 

Suppose this is a workshop. All damaged and spoiled vehicles come here for

repair. I must, if I am a mechanic, tighten bolts, nuts, screws, etc. Similarly,

I should correct your mistakes, make you free from your faults, see that you are

rid of your weaknesses and defects and finally mould you into ideal citizens of

this country. Your mistake must be corrected immediately then and there itself,

as and when it is committed. I should be harsh enough to correct you. You bend

iron when it is hot, don't you? But, when it is not hot, no man with all the

strength of his muscles will be able to bend it. So, you should be corrected and

admonished when you go wrong immediately. If your mistakes are pointed out in

public, you don't repeat them.

 

Take a small example here. Suppose, wearing a lungi (a South Indian informal

dress, a long robe wrapped round the waist, down to the feet), you are sweeping

your room with a broom. Suddenly your friend comes to see you. What do you do?

You will put the broom aside, change your dress and make yourself presentable to

your friend. Why do you do that? After all; you are cleaning your room. Nothing

wrong about it! You don't want to be seen in your informal dress. You want to be

dressed neatly before you meet him. You care for him. Don't you? So also here,

when I point out your mistakes in public, you will be able to correct them

forthwith and you will also be careful enough in future not to repeat such

mistakes, won't you?

 

In fact, I don't lose anything if you are spoiled. I don't gain anything if you

are good. I don't expect anything from you. I want you to be good and get a good

name to your parents, your institution, and your country. This is not for me,

but for your ultimate good.