DISCRIMINATION IS THE MEANS TO SELF-REALISATION

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DISCRIMINATION IS THE MEANS TO SELF-REALISATION

 

" Never Forsake your Culture

 

Man is endowed with five senses of perception. The functioning of the

five senses is also a type of business in which all the limbs are

engaged. All the senses perform their business in the most

appropriate manner with regard to the limbs they are associated with.

Those who give proper direction to their senses so as to lead them on

the right path are truly first rankers. Business which is done mainly

by reading books, business journals and comparing Indian business

with overseas business cannot be called business in the true sense of

the term. Indian business should be concerned with Indian traditions

and values. It should keep in view the interest and situation of the

country. Other countries are making changes in their business

ventures just to increase their power. We should not imitate them in

any such manner. We should adopt those practices which are

appropriate to our culture and traditions.

 

Taking only money into consideration in business is flawed; culture

has to be given utmost importance. Along with culture, the interest

of the country should also be given high priority. True business is

that which keeps in view, culture and country. Some people today

ignore the culture due to the influence of modern times. You should

never forsake culture at any cost. What is meant by culture? We

should understand and follow our ancient traditions and values. We

should never ignore our culture in our business matters. We should

enquire into the relationship between culture and country. Culture

has its existence due to the country. True humanness lies in the

integration of culture and country. Culture is not related to your

worldly relations and practices. Culture is concerned with the

feelings of your heart and your power to discriminate between what is

good and what is bad. Hence, you should develop strong power of

discrimination. This discrimination brings about many

changes in the life of man. It is due to lack of discrimination that

our culture has suffered a decline. And because of the decline of

culture our country has become weak. Wrong cultural practices

followed by the people are, in fact, the main cause for the weakness

of a country. Today people do not follow the true culture of our

country. Consequently, the Government also takes to wrong path. As

you all know, different political parties today follow different

cultural values and ideologies. But if they all work together for a

common cause, the results are sure to be good.

 

Give up Craze for Fashions

 

Once when I was a student, some political leaders approached Me and

requested, " Raju! We understand that You write good poetry. We have

arranged a meeting in Bukkapatnam where a large number of people are

expected to come. We request You to please write a good song that can

inspire the people. " Those were the days of the Second World War.

Adolf Hitler was marching forward to conquer various countries in

Europe. He was trying to invade Russia. India was then under rule of

the Britishers. Taking the situation into account, I wrote a small

playlet. In that playlet, I kept a rubber doll in a cradle and sang

the following song, rocking the cradle gently:

Do not cry, my child, do not cry.

If you cry, you will not be called a valiant son of Bharat.

Go to sleep, my child, go to sleep.

Did you get scared because the terrible Hitler has invaded the

invincible Russia?

Go to sleep, my child, go to sleep.

Do not cry, my child, do not cry.

For the Red Army is marching under Stalin.

They will put an end to Hitler.

Then what else is the reason for your crying?

Is it because the countrymen lack unity?

All the countrymen will unite and fight to win freedom;

Go to sleep, my child, go to sleep. (Telugu song)

I used to compose songs and make the children sing those songs in the

village so that people might give up their craze for fashions and

cultivate noble thoughts. The wrist watches had just arrived in those

days. If anyone in the village wore a wrist watch, he was considered

to be a great person. Not only that, gents used to keep a small

moustache under their nose as a fashion. I composed a song on these

fashions.

Oh folks! What are these times that have descended on us!

People hang silver medallions from a leather strap on their left

wrists – and call it fashion!

Grotesque appearances are made that cannot be seen by the eyes – and

they call it fashion!

Long moustaches are cut to tiny patches under the nose – and they

call it fashion!

 

Seeing all these fashions, I asked them, " My dear! Why have you done

this? Your moustache appears like two flies sitting on your upper

lip. This is not good. " New fashions do not become prevalent all at

once. These are the result of imitation; people see others and start

imitating them. Gradually, this imitation changes into fashion for a

particular period of time. See the influence of fashion on women!

They have given up the use of auspicious turmeric and kumkum

(vermillion) mark on forehead and have started putting a miniscule

dot which is hardly visible. All these fashions keep changing. How

long does a fashion last? It lasts only for a few months. Similarly,

fashions of youngsters and adults undergo change within a short

period. As you all know, earlier bell bottom pants became a fashion

for youngsters; these were tight from above and loose below like the

shape of a bell. This fashion lasted only for a short time. After

some time, pants of the shape of a pipe tightly sticking to the body

came into fashion. Recognising that it was not good, people

thereafter reverted to ordinary dress. In this manner, many

unnecessary fashions appear from time to time like clouds in the sky

which come and go. I corrected the people when they took to such

fashions. Man should live like a human being.

 

Unnecessary Changes are Harmful

 

Today many changes are being made in the field of education also.

Many meaningless changes are being made in the syllabus. Authorities

may thrust such changes from above. But, do they prepare the teachers

who are responsible for putting these changes into practice? No, not

at all. What can the students learn from such teachers? First of all,

qualified teachers are required. Our university is making great

efforts to prepare such qualified teachers. If the teachers are good,

the students will also become good.

 

Not only in the field of education, but changes have now crept in the

area of health also. Earlier, people used pitchers, plates and pots

made of clay by local artisans. After some time, stainless steel

utensils replaced the clay utensils. But now plastic pitchers, plates

and pots have come into vogue. These plastic articles have exposed

man to great dangers. The plastic bags and other articles have

created enormous waste material which is not biodegradable. Even if

you bury it underground, it does not decompose and remains as it is

even after many years. Much land is being spoiled by this plastic

waste. Vegetables grown in such land are harmful to man. In this way,

many harmful changes have crept in the life of man today. Therefore,

we should not resort to unnecessary imitation and changes,

particularly in the field of education.

 

Living in Present is Most Important

 

We should follow our indigenous system and experience the happiness

of living in the present. Then our future will also become happy.

Many people are worried about their future. Do not brood over past;

don't worry about future. Past is past; forget the past; do not think

about it. Present is important. It is not ordinary present; it is

omnipresent. Many people worry about their past and future and spoil

their present. We should make proper use of our present. Sathya Sai

colleges are the only institutions which teach the students to make

proper use of their present, though the environment in these

institutions may appear to be like that of a rural institution.

 

Future does not always bring happiness. And so far as the past is

concerned, how much happiness have you experienced in it? Therefore,

live happily in the present. Nothing is lost when you lose money.

Acquisition of good qualities makes your mind steady. A steady mind

is a good mind. It is the mind that brings about a change in the life

of man. Even the parents do not know the mind of their children. The

parents also should live in present. What is the use of thinking

about the past? Presently, our students have achieved great progress

in many fields and set ideals for all. What should we do in the

present? Follow the maxim in the present: Less luggage more comfort

makes travel a pleasure. We should not worry about the past at all.

Thinking about past will not do any good to us. Therefore, we should

lead our life in the present and achieve all-round progress. You

should realise the significance of the word `present'. What does it

mean? When you are in the class, you are present, otherwise you are

absent. Absence will reduce your value. In every aspect of your life,

present is important.

 

You achieve good results in all subjects when you are present.

Therefore, all of you should think about only present. Today many

elders have fond memories of past times, thinking, " Our past time was

so good, but everything has turned bad in the present time. In those

days, children respected their elders; they conducted themselves with

great humility. They revered their elders and learnt good things from

them. In fact, there was no need to go to teachers; the grandmother

in the house taught many good things to children. In ancient times,

all led a happy life. " " Old is gold " is a proverb. True to this

proverb, people in olden times were like pure gold. By their

teachings, they helped the people to take to noble path. But today we

have damaged this path. Therefore, we should repair this damage and

restore the path again.

 

Love and Serve your Motherland

 

Today, wherever you go you see people fighting with one another.

There is neither unity nor purity anywhere; it is enmity everywhere.

Anybody you come across, you will see him in anger. You talk to

someone, he will talk against you. We should therefore drive away the

evil qualities like anger, jealousy, hypocrisy, etc. We should never

harm anybody; we should not cause pain to anyone. Help Ever, Hurt

Never. You can achieve anything through unity. Therefore, you should

always stick to the noble path of unity. Why Subhash Chandra Bose had

to leave the country? It was nothing but enmity. When does enmity

arise? It arises when selfishness overtakes you. Though he had to

leave the country, he fearlessly kept serving the people wherever he

went. Our country is in dire need of such noble people. Our

professors also said, " Swami, our students are very good. They can

bring about many good changes in society. Many parents today are

sending their children to overseas countries. But, why should they

send them out? Instead they can remain in our country and bring about

changes in the community. " Instead of earning 10,000 rupees a month

abroad, it is better to be satisfied with 1,000 rupees in Bharat. In

overseas countries, even pure water is scarce. Life is full of

difficulties. Half of your earning will go as house rent. All other

things are equally expensive. A small banana costs ten rupees!

Wherefrom can you get so much money? How can you bring up your

children? Impossible! In Bharat, your children would be happy and

satisfied if you give them a simple food of rice and chutney.

Forgetting this simple life in our own country, people want to go to

foreign countries undergoing all sorts of difficulties.

 

I have never visited any foreign country except East Africa. Even in

East Africa, I spent most of My time seeing wild life in the forests

and observed the good qualities of wild animals. There I saw large

hordes of elephants; that looked very beautiful and majestic. I

offered bananas to some elephants which they accepted very gladly and

wanted more of them. Their ears were as big as a winnowing pan. When

they swished their ears, mosquitoes sitting even at a long distance

would fly away. There were many zebras and giraffes also. They were

happily moving in the forest. None of these wild animals causes any

harm to man. They will be inimical towards us only when we approach

them with the intention of harming them. Otherwise, they will be

friendly with us and follow us like pets. I saw a group of lions

sitting at one place with their young ones. Even when we were very

close to them, they did not show any feeling of enmity. In this way,

all the wild animals behaved in a very gentle manner. Your evil

qualities are reflected in the animals. If your feelings are good,

the snakes will also not harm you even if you were to lie down by

their side. Otherwise your own pet cow may gore you with its horns.

If a person is angry with you, what is the reason? It is only

reaction, reflection and resound of your own feelings. It is only the

evil qualities of man which bring about a change in the gentle nature

of animals, birds and beasts. Today there is hatred and conflict even

between two sons of the same mother! What is the reason for this

mutual hatred? Their evil qualities are responsible for this. We

should never give room to such qualities.

 

Cultivate Unshakeable Faith in God

 

You are studying in a good college. You should uphold the good name

of this college with your good conduct. If you want to earn a good

name, you should join good company. Tell me your company, I will tell

you what you are. As is your company, so you become. Hence, join good

company. It is a great good fortune to be associated with good

company. Therefore, you should join such good company and try to

develop all-round goodness. Yesterday, the talks delivered by two of

our MBA students were very good. Listening to them was a great

pleasure to Me. We are very happy to have such good boys in our

college. These two boys stood first in their class and were awarded

gold medals. But you should not be satisfied with these awards and

rewards. You should become good boys. Even the value of gold may

diminish but not the value of goodness. Hence, you should cultivate

goodness and earn a good name which will remain forever.

First of all, you should develop self-confidence. If you have self-

confidence everything will turn out to be good for you. Devotees like

Dhruva, Prahlada and Radha led their lives with sacred feelings.

Everything became good for them because they had good thoughts.

Wicked Hiranyakasipu subjected Prahlada to all types of sufferings.

He attempted to get Prahlada trampled by elephants. Prahlada

continued to chant the divine name of Narayana. He was never afraid

of elephants. He saw Narayana in elephants also. Hiranyakasipu threw

him before snakes but he escaped unharmed. When he was pushed down

from a mountain top and thrown into a deep sea, Lord Narayana held

him in His arms and saved him. In this manner, one with faith in God

will never be put to harm. Hence, you should develop unflinching

faith. Your firm faith in God confers on you all types of knowledge.

Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love there is

Atma. Atma has no specific name or form. Similarly, faith has no form

and divinity is also formless. Love is God. Live in Love. Truth is

God, God is Truth. The entire creation has emerged from truth.

The creation emerges from truth and merges into truth,

Is there a place in the cosmos where truth does not exist?

Visualise this pure and unsullied truth.

 

Realisation of truth is sakshatkara (God-realisation). Therefore, we

should develop faith in this truth. No doubt, people do have faith

but their faith is wavering. As is the faith, so is the result. If

you have total faith, the results are bound to be good in all

respects. When you are confronted with difficulties, you tend to lose

your faith. You may lose anything but not faith. You should consider

faith as your life. That is the path you should follow. You have a

strong belief that your parents are your parents. Even if a thousand

people tell you that they are not your parents, you will not agree

with it. You must have such total faith in God also. God will go to

any extent to help those who have such unshakeable faith in Him. Your

faith in God should be total. We may have to undergo any number of

difficulties and hardships, yet, our faith should remain firm.

Ramadas worked as Tehsildar (revenue officer). He prayed to

Rama, " Swami, whatever revenue I have collected I have spent it in

your service. He sang thus:

 

Oh Ramachandra! I have spent ten thousand gold coins to adorn Mother

Sita with a gold necklace and another ten thousand sovereigns to

decorate Your brother Lakshmana with a gold belt. That crest jewel

which adorns You cost me another ten thousand gold coins. Unmindful

of my travails, You are flaunting the jewellery as if You got it with

Your own money!

The compassionate Lord Himself appeared before the king and paid the

money due from Ramadas. Later on, Ramadas repented and prayed for

forgiveness, saying, " Unable to bear the hardships of Your test I

have spoken such harsh words. Oh Lord! Please forgive me. "

 

One can achieve anything in life with the help of God's grace. When

you face all the tests of God with total faith and do your duty, you

are sure to succeed. Do you know the depth of faith of overseas

devotees? Many of them come to Puttaparthi and live in small

hutments. Even then, they are very happy. It is not possible for

anyone to describe their happiness which is the result of their

unflinching faith. If you have such strong faith in God, He will take

care of you wherever you are.

 

God is your sole refuge wherever you may be,

In a forest, in the sky, in a city or a village, on the top of a

mountain or in the middle of deep sea.

Study to be Steady

 

First and foremost you should develop confidence. Mere acquisition of

knowledge is not enough. Your knowledge may be as vast as an ocean,

your common sense may be as great as the mighty Himalayas, but if you

do not have discrimination, then everything is useless. It is enough

if you have discrimination. Before you undertake any task, always

enquire, " Is this good or bad, is this right or wrong? " You will come

up in life if you develop this one quality in you. This itself is

self-realisation. So, it is important to have discrimination first.

Unfortunately, people use their discrimination to suit their self-

interest. This individual discrimination varies from person to

person. The same thing is viewed by ten people in ten different ways.

You must adopt fundamental discrimination which is beneficial to

society at large. Only fundamental discrimination will give you self-

satisfaction which in turn will lead you to self-realisation. So,

proper discrimination is of prime importance for self-realisation.

 

Students! You are like pure gold. You are all very good. But

sometimes you encounter waves of disturbance and doubts in your

lives. Many a time, your faith is shaken by some aberrations. Do not

pay attention to these. They will go as they come. Come what may, you

must remain fearless and steady. Your studies are meant to develop

steadiness in you. Study to be steady. Keep this always in your mind.

Look at these two boys. How happy they are! In fact, all the MBA

students are good. It is not possible to say that one is good and the

other is bad. Their singing also was so good. They are intelligent,

virtuous and full of vigour. They will be an asset wherever they go.

Such boys should stay back to serve the institution so that they can

impart their goodness to others. There is nothing great in going

abroad and earning a lot of money with your academic qualifications.

Money comes and goes, morality comes and grows. You should develop

such morality. It is enough if you have morality. What can money do?

Can you eat money? Unless you spend it to buy something, you cannot

satisfy your hunger. Hence, money is not important, morality is

important. Faith comes first, job next. Do not give up your sacred

culture and love for your motherland. Subhash Chandra Bose never

forgot his motherland even when he was staying in other countries.

You should proudly proclaim, " This is my motherland. " Do not tarnish

the image of the sacred culture of your land. Be happy.

 

- From Bhagavan's Divine Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi

Nilayam on 22nd August 2007 on the occasion of 21st Anniversary of

the School of Business Management Accounting and Finance of Sri

Sathya Sai University.

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan

rgcjp