Spiritual Education Is Deathless

“Does a dog know the value of a sacred word?
Does a bull know the taste of a savoury?
Does a donkey know the fragrance of sandal?
Does a blind man know the beauty of moon?”

Teachers! Girl students! 
It has been a custom in our college to celebrate festivals wherein the students express their hearts, full of joy. The castles built by man on the sand dunes of life are destroyed by merciless gales that visit without any notice. Formidable evil spirits are ever ready to crush the blossoming buds that waver. In this kind of experience, we will also notice that human life is but momentary. Vidya tapobhyam putatma. Education in itself is not capable of making man sacred. It is the combination of vidya (education) and tapas (penance) that makes man sacred. Just as positive and negative are needed for making use of electricity, so also both education and penance are necessary for the fulfilment of life.

Out of these two, what is meant by education? It is apparently of two kinds – worldly education and spiritual education. It is possible to enjoy temporal as well as transcendental experiences out of education. Worldly studies are what we are learning normally. The purpose of education is construed as getting degrees, coveting high-flying jobs and possessing comforts. All these vocations, starting from a cleaner up to the Prime Minister, can be termed avidyas (Non-education). It is clear that all these mundane studies are undertaken for the sake of livelihood. Are we supposed to live for the sake of food, or is it for the sake of life? We must realise that food is for the sake of life, but life is not meant for the sake of food. This secular education is meant for livelihood only. Then what is this non-secular education? It is Brahmavidya (education pertaining to Brahman). Really speaking, vidya (education) is only meant for the knowledge about Brahman and not for worldly talents. The education that enlightens about Brahman is known as Brahmavidya. This education links us to the Paramatma (the Supreme Soul). This integration is what is called man’s divinity. For this kind of divinity to be experienced, we need some kinds of education, no doubt. But we will not derive any happiness due to cheap type of education. They lead us to some kinds of suspicions and detractions. Does man’s karmic fulfilment depend on the physical atmosphere? It is not at all dependent on this. His fulfilment depends on the strength of qualities and sacredness. The root causes for a transcendental and happy life are the qualities like character and renunciation. It is not long life, but divine life that is desirable. Therefore we must seek education for developing qualities such as the above.

Progress Through Eligible Teachers Only

“Adhyatmika Vidya Vidyanam” - The Vibhuti Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita says. Only the spiritual education is real education. This requires the power of tapas (penance). Tapas does not mean that one should leave family, go to forest, stand upside down and carry out severe austerities. It really involves actions that integrate pure thoughts, words and deeds. It involves talking in consonance with thought and work in consonance with word. Education therefore has to be taken up as a tapas. There is an immense need for highly dedicated and virtuous teachers in this noble task. Food-oriented life is equal to death. Atma oriented life is eternal. It has no old age or death. Therefore, students must strive for such a life, because the future of the world is dependent on them. When we have such eligible teachers in India, we are assured of this progress.

Oh girl students that are the embodiments of love! You should make proper attempts to realise your Atmic principle. Anyone that forgets her own reality cannot achieve anything. We are celebrating birthday. Really speaking, there is no birthday for either Swami or for anybody else. The Atmic form has no birth or death. When some shape or attribute is imposed on such an Atma, it then becomes a cause for sorrow. Happiness is the real form of Atma. We are celebrating mundane birthday for the sake of eternal Atma.

This is because man is addicted to temporal and trivial joys. Really, birth is for whom? It is for the body alone. This body takes birth, grows, decays and dies. Not only this. It is filled with six kinds of aberrations. We need not care for such a body. We must not waste our lives in a manner of attracting people. Suitable efforts must be made to develop inner vision that attracts Atma. Secular education brings several girl students together, makes them play and enjoy, attracts and fulfils desires through various fields or faculties. We have some subjects like chemistry, physics, botany and zoology, etc. There is a possibility of understanding certain secrets pertaining to the nature through these subjects. When we understand the secret of nature, we will realise, “Brahma Satyam jaganmithya” (Brahman is Truth. World is illusion). Everything that is born in this world will undergo changes. The person or individual, who is associated with this change, is also subjected to change. How then these ever-changing materials could provide changeless Bliss to the ever-changing individual. You may think about it. All these materials and bodies are subjected to constant change. Only, change is permanent in this mundane world. They are all castles in the air. They are exceeding like the sky. Innumerable people are undertaking researches and studies to reach the moon, the sun and the galaxies. However, the experiences pertaining to daily life are different from the facts pertaining to the ever-changing materials. Is this the truth? Or that is the truth? This question arises in the thinking minds.

For example, I am sitting on this chair. If the chair shakes I too will shake. This is a fact. But the earth on which we are living is moving at a speed of thousands of miles per hour. Even then we are not experiencing this speed. Therefore, is this experience true, or that? The chair can actually move only when we move. But we feel the other way. This kind of experience pertains only to the mundane daily life. Take another example. As long as we are on the ground, we may designate East, West, South and North. But when we go into space there is nothing of this sort. So then again, is this true or that? A scientist knows very well that there is nothing like sunset or sunrise. But he is also experiencing the effect of ‘sunset’ or ‘sunrise’.

Woman’s Life Is Nobler

Therefore it is clear that the daily experience is our common base of perception.

'There is no disease for the indweller.
In fact he has no birth or death.
Nor is he bound by passion or prejudice.
The Indwelling Atma is God of Gods, this is the Truth!

We imagine a form for the Atma in terms of the bodily form. But you must develop inner vision and must realise the indweller Atma. Just now three girls have spoken and had expressed sacred stream of thoughts. Accordingly, all of you must practice these ideals and put them into practice so that society can emulate. There are many fields in which development is possible only through women. Any family or any society gets its name or fame only because of women. Women’s birth is noblest among all beings.

While God is sporting in the world
In the forms of men and women,
Surely it is the life of woman that is nobler
As she has to undergo pregnancy
For nine months, give birth,
Teach and foster the child; then
How could a mother be inferior?

That is why, when you mention of parents, the word mother comes first; father comes next. So when you speak of motherhood, two things come to the fore, namely character and spirit of sacrifice. When women imbibe this combination, then the whole world becomes flush with joy and merriness. After joining this women’s college, many students feel that they have no freedom to wear any dress they like and no freedom to move about freely. But this is a great mistake, because they are not able to realise the noble position and fame they are about to get in the future. In fact, they are going to be instrumental in the formation of noble clans and noble institutions. They are going to stand as worthy icons for emulation.

At this age you may find certain restrictions as hardships. But in future, they will prove out to be great benefactors. “Na sukhat labhyate sukham”. Do not expect happiness out of comforts. We should try to achieve Joy out of difficulties. That is why it is said, ‘pleasure is an interval between two pains’. When you equip yourself in a proper way, you will be able to take up leadership in all the fields in the future. Queen Victoria had ruled over the British Empire. Many erudite women had occupied highly respected positions in the royal courts of Janaka and other kings. You find many people, in this Kali age, opposing women’s education. But women’s education was considered sacred in the Puranic age.

Many people find spiritual education painful. At this moment they may feel so. But in the future when they are subjected to several headaches, it is this spiritual thinking that can save them. What was considered a headache today becomes the right medicine in the future? There is no better recipe than spirituality for any and every kind of malady. Just as soap and water are used to remove the dirt of clothes, so are the agonies of life removed by spiritual thoughts. Real education will beautify and sweeten life. Cheap type of education is that which teaches for livelihood.

Husband’s Home Is A Sacred School

“Husband’s home is the sacred school
that fosters sacred ideals for woman!
It is the temple that pardons all mistakes
and provides fulfilment without hardship!
Gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara
are obliging to women of good ideals!”

Where is a greater college for woman than husband’s home? You come across all kinds of experience at home. You don’t have to depend on anybody for this. Education will have real value only when you strive to become an ideal housewife, an ideal mother, an ideal daughter-in-law; instead of striving to get degree after degree.

There was a woman who did her M.Sc. and then married a B.E. degree holder. They had a child. One day the child developed some cold. Then both the wife and husband started weeping without knowing what to do. They had also pestered the doctor. These days we acquire big degrees, but we are not capable of tackling even minute things. Then what is the use of these degrees? Women should be able to cook their own food, should be able to wash their own clothes and should be able to clean their own vessels. Only then you will bring credit to womanhood. On the other hand if you keep on saying, ‘I don’t know this, I don’t know that’, then you will make yourself a burden as also a burden to earth. It is their ill-luck that is dragging some students away from this college in their condition of intolerance and impatience. Our students must be prepared to face some hardships considering them as meant for their own good and safety; and should develop a joyful disposition.

This kind of celebration will take place in this college periodically, whereupon it is expected that our students show improvement year after year with regard to their spiritual and secular learning. While blessing you all for success in this regard, Swami expresses happiness to have interaction with such ideal students and to share happiness. This will help to enlighten students on the nature of things, and on the differences of transient and permanent aspects. In addition to imbibing Swami’s ideals, you should also be able to propagate them in the society. I expect that you will not tread a path that is contrary to these principles. ‘Devotion, Discipline and Duty’, these three are very essential qualities. Man is in fact endowed with three eyes. You may say that we see only two eyes for man. With these two eyes we see the present. We also saw the past. We will also see what is going to happen in the future. Our deeds of the present lay seeds for the future. As we sow, so we reap. As we eat, so is our belch. Therefore, we must try to spend the present in a sacred manner so as to derive good in the future. “Be good, see good and do good. This is the way to God”, it is said. For today’s celebration, all of you were looking forward eagerly all night awaiting the sunrise. This is not ‘sunrise’ (Arunodaya). It is ‘Joy-rise’ (Anandodaya). I conclude my discourse with a blessing and hope that all of you will fill your hearts with lasting happiness.