GURUPURNIMA DIVINE DISCOURSE(7th July 2009 at Sai Kulwant Hall): BE EXEMPLARS OF SELFLESS SERVICE

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GURUPURNIMA DIVINE DISCOURSE:

7th July 2009 at Sai Kulwant Hall

BE EXEMPLARS OF SELFLESS SERVICE

 

(Editors note.

On the auspicious Guru Purnima morning, four senior functionaries,

namely, Sarvasree A.V. Appa Rao, Financial Controller of the Sri Sathya

Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, A.V. Sathyanarayanamurthy,

Senior Engineer in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical

Sciences, Prof. Nanjundaiah, Controller of Examinations, Sri Sathya Sai

University and Prof. A.V. Lakshminarasimham, Registrar, Sri Sathya Sai

University were felicitated by Bhagawan. In the evening Bhagawan again

called Smt. & Sri. Appa Rao, Smt. & Sri. (Prof.) Nanjundaiah to

the dais, to bless them profusely before commencing His Divine

Discourse)

Embodiments of Divine Atma!

In the morning there was no time to talk about these people. Ever since

our hospital started functioning, Appa Rao has been working there as an

auditor. For fourteen years, he worked hard, day and night. I am

pleased with his work. He came here with the sole intention of

rendering selfless service, not with any other motive. Those were the

initial stages of the Super Speciality Hospital, so there was plenty of

work, day and night. He alone had to attend to everything … receiving

parcels of medicines, checking them and noting them down. In spite of

being a non medical person, he worked untiringly taking care of

patients also. He is meticulous in checking all details. He has worked

with full satisfaction. All these fourteen years, he never aspired for

anything..

He

did not accept even a naya paisa. Everybody in the hospital earns these

days twenty to thirty thousand rupees. But he has not taken any money.

He had to climb up and down the stairs many times everyday, while

looking after the stores, patients, nurses and doctors as well. He

looked after so many things, all alone. He never complained to Me also.

 

He has been adjusting himself. He has never been deficient in his work.

I Myself used to see him now and then to enquire about the work. We

should express our gratitude to such a dedicated worker.

With

much compassion towards him, I told him, “Appa Rao, Now the number of

patients coming to our hospital has increased by thousands. Mentally,

of course, you are quite alert, but physically you are weak. Therefore,

take rest at home. You have come to serve Swami. There was no

shortcoming whatsoever in your service.â€

His

wife also supported him and has been taking good care of him at home,

looking after his food and other needs meticulously. He has no habit of

taking food outside. So, when necessary, she used to send his food to

the hospital.

Appa Rao has

also been taking care of poor people in many respects. He rendered help

in many heart operations to the poor people. He used to send free

medicines to the homes of those heart patients even after they were

discharged. He worked very hard. My heart melted at his service. How

can we leave such a person who worked so hard? Everybody, including

students, sought his help. I tell our students often, “Help ever, Hurt

never.â€

We do not take even

a paisa from anyone for rendering medical services. Our hospital always

gives and never takes. He rendered seva (selfless service) with the

feeling, “This is my hospital, my Swami’s hospital.†He considered the

hospital as his own and served it selflessly. Even when I was away

physically, I helped him in all that he did.

As

this is our first Super Speciality Hospital, he had to work very hard

for its development. Subsequently, another Super Speciality Hospital

has been established in Bangalore. There is an Orthopaedic division

also in our hospital here. Appa Rao has been looking after all this. I

liked his work. Before this, he worked for the government. There

also, he rendered good service. As he utilised all his experience for

the benefit of our hospital, today we have gathered here to honour him.

 

His

younger brother Murthy is an electrical engineer. He is also working

with us. Whenever there is any electrical problem he is called by

telephone, and he attends to it immediately. Even at night, he is ever

ready to do service.

The

youngest brother Lakshminarasimham worked in our university as

Registrar. He is also growing older, and needs a little rest. He has

not married, so there is no bondage. He has been totally dedicated to

our university. He first joined in Seva Dal. He did Ph.D.

with the intention of joining our college. These three brothers have

been rendering good service. They have been very helpful to us, in

spite of many troubles they had to face.

Nanjundaiah

has been the controller of examinations. He has been very kind to all

students. He has been working day and night in order to declare the

results well in time. He never used to take rest even for a while. He

would engage himself in correcting papers even while suffering from

fever. Everybody was depending upon him. He had to take much trouble in

sending results to Anantapur and Bangalore colleges. We were very much

concerned at the troubles he had to face. His wife also has been taking

good care of him at home, providing timely food and looking after other

needs meticulously.

The

University has now grown very large. We are receiving more applications

as compared to other institutes. Right from big officers to small

clerks in India, all have great regard for our institutions. Be it the

hospital or the university, there is no habit of taking money for the

services rendered in our institutions. We know only to give. In Sai

Organisations, there is only giving and no taking.

Recently,

we appointed a committee to oversee the working of the Hospital and

provide necessary help and guidance. We have procured some new

machinery also. We have even imported necessary equipments from abroad.

We have in our stock a variety of books. The University has produced

many Ph.D.s. This year also, fourteen researchers got Ph.D. degrees.

The

students have great faith in these two people. These two have been very

helpful to us with regard to hospital services and educational

activities. All the responsibility was shouldered by them. They used to

send me letters while I was not present here. I used to discuss every

detail with them. I used to ask Nanjundaiah about the examination

results.. The results were always good.

We

have now decided not to burden them with these responsibilities any

longer. Today, I am thanking and blessing them. These two are foremost

among those who have strived hard for our Institutes. Therefore,

wherever they are, Swami is always with them, guiding and guarding

them. They came here only for the sake of Swami. Therefore, I wish to

provide them with houses and keep them here only. Just as they looked

after patients and students, I wish that hereafter also they both

extend necessary guidance and help to the newcomers in the respective

areas. There is much to learn from these two people. What is this

Organisation doing for the society? How is it doing? What is their

responsibility in this regard? Such details should be accorded to the

newcomers, and necessary zeal and motivation should be inculcated.

The university was started first with undergraduate courses only. Now studies up to Ph.D. level are available.

Our

university and hospitals are now being regarded as the best in India. I

am very happy that you have contributed much for this name and fame.

You always belong to Me. You have never thought that you are working

for the hospital or the college. You have been working with the

feeling, “This is ours, this is our Swami’s.†That is why we got all

first prizes for the colleges and high reputation for hospitals. Even

this information is known only through newspapers; we never proclaimed

it in any manner. Our hospitals and university have become very famous

indeed.

The students have

learnt many things from such people, and have grown up to great

heights. Many of them, who are Ph.D.s, have been appointed here so as

to lead these institutions. Now many novel subjects have been

introduced along with the conventional faculties like B.Com., B.Sc.,

M.Com., M.Sc., Ph.D., etc. Many deserving students are unable to get

admission in other schools and colleges and with great hope are looking

at us for help. I told our authorities to take such students also into

our fold. We do not have any selfish motive. It is only in

consideration of their parents’ anguish. They have given us the

responsibility of looking after the welfare and progress of their

children.

Appa Rao and

Nanjundaiah must both be given the job of keeping watch with vigilant

eyes on the affairs of these institutions. In other institutions, new

entrants have to pay money and take receipts. But our hospitals and

university have never given a scope for such things. Here everything is

free, free, free. People wonder how we are managing these institutions

with so many entrants, like this, without taking even a paisa? They

just come in their clothing, as we admit them here. We are admitting

all, including those who obtained average marks, and we are developing

them into ‘First class’ students.

In

other hospitals, patients have to spend thousands of rupees toward

heart operations. But we do not charge them even a paisa. For us, love

and devotion are important and not other things. “Love to love, Heart

to heart.†We seek only this. They are all deriving great joy. Many

patients are coming from Nepal and Bhutan for free treatment. In this

endeavour, the students also must extend necessary help to the doctors

and other officials. Our hospital and Institutes have been fostered in

this manner for the past twenty years.

 

This trend has to continue in the future also. Without begging anybody,

we have made fixed deposits to the tune of twenty or thirty crores for

each institute, and they are running on the interest accrued from these

deposits. I have made necessary arrangements in this regard. We are

paying at par with the Government salaries. Students of our institutes

or patients in our hospitals need not worry about anything. We take

care of everything.

You

must strive to keep everybody happy. Make parents happy. Help your

parents. Some parents are being admitted into old age homes when they

are short of money. This is not correct. You must provide necessary

support to your aged parents. It is your own responsibility to look

after your parents. Even though Swami is taking care of your education

and other necessities, the aspect of parent’s care is your own

responsibility. Parents should not be sent to old age homes. You must

keep them with you and serve them. You must work hard and take good

care of them. You need not prepare special items for their sake. It is

enough if you can give them whatever you are eating.

As soon as students pass the exam and acquire a degree, they go in search of jobs.

When all women go out on jobs, who will look after chores of their homes?

When they go out for teaching other children, who will teach their own children?

When husband and wife go to offices, who will take care of their children?

(Telugu Poem)

Some

people are deprived of homely food because there is no one at home to

cook food. So they eat whatever they get. Thus, they are spoiling their

own health. There is no happiness for a woman who is employed in an

office. They spend their valuable time in some clubs. They do not have

any consideration for their children in the house and for their timely

food. One should give priority to the fostering of the children..

An

officer gives a phone call to his house and tells the cook, “We have

arranged a tea party at home today. Make all arrangements for the

party.†But there is no tea powder, no sugar, no material for making chapathis or pakodas

in the house. This is the kind of situation they have at home. Also,

the children’s health gets spoiled because of inconsistent food habits

and lack of parental care. They drink contaminated water and spoil

their health, because there is no one at home to guide them.

Why

should the wife go out and work? When she goes to school to teach other

children, who will teach her own children? So it is your own duty to

take care of your children. It is equivalent to earning a good salary

if you can teach your own children and bring them up well. One feels

sorry at the state of a woman who fails to take care of her husband and

children. It is enough if you are able to provide proper timely food to

your children and take care of their health. If you take up jobs,

leaving your children at home, your entire earnings will go toward

cooks, baby sitters, and cleaners. The house gets mismanaged. What you

spend toward the cook, caretaker, and others will work out to be more

than what you earn. You can save so much money if only you attend to

your own work. This is the way of life all women must adopt.

The

children should also learn to render necessary help at home. As soon as

you come home, find out what is available and what is not available?

What is needed immediately? When there is shortage of water, the boy

should not keep quiet. He should immediately rush out with a container

and fetch water from the available source. He should not feel, “I am

educated. Why should I carry water?†Family life involves such domestic

chores.

Students must learn

how to make parents happy. Parents’ duty is to take care of their

children. This is the education that is essential for one and all.

After having obtained a Ph.D., one need not go far away for the sake of

an extra thousand rupees. If you take care of your children and do

service to parents, that itself is a great wealth.

 

Today, parents are being treated like servants. It is enough if you

take care of your parents, your children and the family. That is real

education. Getting a first class and struggling for a job is not a wise

thing. Whatever job you take up, you must help your parents. This is

what you must learn.

Students

must emulate people like Appa Rao. “Help ever, hurt never.†These are

the good qualities that you should learn in the Sri Sathya Sai College.

Whenever any poor person comes to you, you must feed them first, even

foregoing your meal if necessary. Instead of going to a club and

spending money there, it is better to use that money for the sake of

the poor. It is necessary that you learn good qualities and habits so

that you may improve society.

First

of all you must develop love for God, fear of sin, and morality in

society. Bad qualities have to be curbed and ethics must be fostered in

the society. When morality is lost, what is the use of any amount of

social service you do? These are the lessons that you must learn. When

you follow the path of elders such as these, you can reap immense joy

and goodness in life. It applies to girls also. You must learn from

parents the aspects of service and put them into practice. If you make

your parents happy, your children will make you happy.

What

is meant by morality? It is not just earning money and depositing in

the bank. You must refrain from troubling your parents. When you have

love for God, you will have fear of sin. After acquiring morality you

may proceed to serve the society at large. When you are unable to

attain God’s love, how do you expect to win people’s love? You must

earn name in the society in a way that people talk of you as a good and

helpful person. You must learn from parents how to help.

First

thing is to develop love for God, fear of sin and morality in society.

How can morality be acquired while one is engaged in acts of sin? When

you come across elders, always respect and serve them.

Today

I am honouring such good people so that you will try to emulate them.

This is what gives Me happiness. First take care of your children at

home and extend happiness to your parents. How can you be happy while

your parents are not happy? If today you love your parents, tomorrow

you will receive love from your children. You can be called educated

only when you learn these two things. You may acquire big degrees, but

who will love you if you do not love your parents? Society will love

you when you take good care of your parents. First set your house in

order and then think about the progress of society. It is with this

purpose that I am honouring today these experienced elders.. You should

take a lesson from this and follow in the footsteps of the elders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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