Divine Call

My dear devotee,

Education has to reveal to man his natural instincts and impulses as well as attributes and attitudes of his mind so that he can understand himself. It must also be concerned with his discriminating intelligence.

Bharathiya educational theory and practice are fully based on eternal values, tested by experience and treasured in discriminative capacity of man and his other basic excellences which make up the very humanness in him.

Since the beginning of creation, in Bharath, the Centre of holy spirituality, the master—disciple relationship is the crux of the educational process, from generation to generation. Such a system of educational transmission cannot be found in any other country or continent. The very incarnations of God, Rama, and Krishna have accepted it and submitted to it.

In fact, for man, the disciple, this vast Universe is the hermitage of the Master. The five elements—space, air, fire, water and earth, the son and the moon, each being and thing, each act and activity, all these teach him some lesson or the other. Mother Nature is for him the chief Guru. She starts her lessons from the moment of his birth. Later, the mother enters on this task and after her, the father and then, the guru continues the process.

The person who contributes spiritual wisdom and skill is the teacher of the highest order. He is the real Guru, for he destroys the basic ignorance that binds man to the ever-revolving wheel of birth and death. And the supreme Lord is the guru of gurus. He is extolled as the Jagadguru, the cosmic preceptor.

Education is not limited to the years spent in school or college. It takes place everywhere, at all times. It is a process that has no end, one that cannot be finished. All my hopes are centred on the youth. Youth has to recognise that a full time, tempered by discipline, is the only means of avoiding the downfall of the individual and the country. Our forefathers have laid down that education finds its fulfilment in moksha (liberation). This is as true and valid today, as it was in the past. 

Through the awareness of the divine alone can we really bring true peace in the world. There is no doubt that considerable effort is being made by great leaders of the world on the material plane to bring about peace and harmony. But Sai does not see any sign of their success. The only way left for us to turn our minds within themselves and find out the true and everlasting basis, or the supreme source, from which alone we can get true happiness and peace in the world. That basis is God, who is dwelling in the hearts of every one of us. He is the universal spirit. Every one of you is the very embodiment of divinity. Your true being is Sat—Chit—Ananda, absolute existence, consciousness and bliss. You have forgotten about the truth. Therefore, remember it by taking the holy powerful name of the reality until your mind disappears and you stand revealed as the Truth itself and enjoy, as Sai has been enjoying that infinite bliss which never exhausts itself.

Real education is not mere scholarship in spiritual subjects; so, also, moksha is not for body. Education must include the training for the skills necessary for the individual to serve man. So too, moksha or Liberation is concerned with the release from all types of enslavement which curb the life of a man. Enslavement can be of two kinds. Subjection to foreign rulers and submission to pseudo—needs arising out of ignorance of what is lasting value. Only that education can be termed true which helps man to secure this release.

Students have to be constantly engaged in self—examination. They must be ever engaged in the cultivation of virtues so that they can promote and preserve the treasure of character and achieve progress in acquisition of character. Through education, they must also acquire mastery over the mind. They will be free from fear and anxiety, the passions and emotions. But in the present—day educational system, chances for developing such self—mastery are very few; we can even say that there is none. The need for self—mastery has been totally ignored by moderns.

Students should have firm faith in the truth that the power of the Self is far greater than all material powers and forces. This is the Sadhana that has no equal, this yields a weapon of incomparable might. By living a pure life marked by self—discipline and self—mastery, this mighty Power of the Self (Atma Sakthi) can be attained.

If the passions and emotions are not controlled in the early life, it is impossible later to win them over in middle age or after reaching old age. This does not mean, of course, that while young, they should sit in one place with their attention concentrated on the nose and its breathing process. It means only that all activities—playing games, singing, reading books, and performing daily rites like Sandhya—must foster and promote the quality of forbearance. As a result of this, the Atma-sakthi, the Potency of the Atma, can be made patent.

Students must themselves accept and submit to discipline. By this means, they will become fit to be leaders in the manifold fields of service to the people.

Baba.