Power of Fate

Showers of rain get absorbed in sand,
The same rain makes alluvial soil smooth;
The same rain makes a shell to yield a pearl;
And the effects of the same education vary
According to destinies

Embodiments of divine Atma! Teachers!

Education teaches two things—what is meant by life and how to make use of it? Also, it teaches the aspects of livelihood. The former is known as Paramarthika Vidya. The contemporary education is different from that of the olden days. In those days, education was mainly involved in ethical, virtuous, and spiritual aspects. The present education sans discipline. It encourages unbridled life. We must discriminate between good and bad. Our vision keeps on creating impressions about the things or people we come across. We conceive different feelings towards different people. The same individual considers the son with affection, treats husband with passion, and regards in-laws with respect. Also, a single individual is called as grandfather, uncle, or husband by different individuals. Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (truth is one only. But, it is severally described by several scholars).

All Branches of Education Will Merge in Spirituality

Among your students, some may take up arts subjects and others may study science courses. But, you must realize that the goal is one and the same for all. These secular studies are like small rivulets. But, the spiritual education is like an ocean. All these studies must merge into the ocean of spirituality. The formidable qualities called Satva, Rajas, and Tamas are responsible for all the troubles and tribulations. Sri Rama as a young man had been to the forest along with Sage Vishwamitra and killed Tataki. While proceeding to Mithila, He redeemed Ahalya and united her with the husband. He saw Sita at Mithila and accepted her as his wife. Among these three women, the first one represents Tamoguna, the second one represents Rajoguna, and the third one represents Satvaguna. Rama had distanced Himself from Tamoguna and Rajoguna, but accepted Satvaguna. Tamasika and Rajasika qualities give rise to ego which is an evil power. This is foremost among all bad qualities. People like Ravana got destroyed because of this bad quality. Man gets totally ruined by this quality.

Do not become arrogant on account of your degrees. There are so many things that you must learn from the elders. Approach them with respect and humility. Life goes on smoothly only in the absence of ego. For instance, a football is subjected to repeated kicks. It receives kicks as long as there is air in it. But, when air is removed, it is not possible to kick or throw the ball. An egoistic person is like the football filled with air. As long as this ego is there, blows and brickbats are inevitable. The person is free from troubles only when he gets rid of ego. A balloon bursts when excess air is blown into it. So also man’s life gets ruined when his ego bloats up.

Humility is very important for man. Honour is his life. One should develop sense control and acquire honour. You are all potential mothers. Right from now you should develop humility so that your children become exemplary. Education fosters humility. Humility gives one the right to earn money that can be spent for pious acts like charity and thereby one gets worldly as well as spiritual fulfilment.

Woman should not be considered as a weakling. In fact, woman’s qualities of adventure, sacrifice, power, benevolence, love, and patience are unique. Love should become your way of life. All of you should move together like sisters. You must sanctify your lives by developing Satvika quality and shedding Rajasika and Tamasika qualities.

You must realize this sacred purpose through education. The educated people are like electric bulbs. The bulb is effective only when current is present. The current of spiritual education is essential for our wellbeing. You must get rid of the dust of Rajas and Tamas so that you can brighten the atmosphere and stand as an ideal to the husband and children.

This is a New Year day. In fact, every moment of life is new. There is nothing new or old to the journey of life. Progress in mundane pursuits is, in fact, not a progress. You may wash coal with soap or even with milk. Coal will not become white. Similarly, Rajas and Tamas cannot be removed from the heart so easily. They can be removed only through Bhakti (devotion) and by God’s grace. When these qualities are eliminated, the heart becomes light and life becomes bright. Human values can only be fostered by women endowed with qualities like sense control, self-respect, renunciation, and love. Therefore, along with secular education, spiritual education has to be fostered. Life without discipline cannot flourish. Na Shreyo niyamam vina…

There is no prosperity without regulation. Take the case of the body. Blood circulation, inhalation, and exhalation are running in a highly regulated manner. If this regulation is disturbed, life is in danger. All these function within their limits. Our life is a limited company. We expect so much from life. After investing some amount, we crave for large profits. This is wrong. We must work hard before aspiring for any fruits.

Mud and Gold Are Same for God

“God is invisible and therefore how can I believe His existence?”, asks some people. When you throw up a stone it invariably falls back to the ground. It is due to the gravitation of earth. It is not visible to the eye. Can you, therefore, say that there is no gravitation at all! Similarly, God’s presence is invisible, but understandable. We read about so many materials in an encyclopedia or a dictionary. We believe all that, but we don’t accept God’s presence. In fact, this is a simple knowledge. But people are confused in their ignorance. There is no humanity without divinity. Humanism has a meaning only when divinity is recognised. Otherwise, it is a sheer waste. On one Gokulashtami day, a Krishna idol was completely decorated with gold jewellery. But the same night all the jewellery was stolen. Immediately after noticing this in the morning, the priest reported to Rani Rasamani. Madhunath heard this and could not control himself. He turned to Krishna’s idol and said, “Krishna, you are shameless. You are unable to protect the jewellery that was on your own body. Then how can you protect the world?” Ramakrishna heard this scolding and said, “Nonsense! Will Krishna protect the gold that is equal to mud? It may be gold in your view. In God’s view, it is mud. You brought this jewellery and so it is your responsibility to protect it”. It is a great mistake to expect that God should protect us on all counts. We must consider worldly things as trivial and must strive to realise the eternal principle of truth.

You should not despair at little things. You must cultivate fortitude, humility, and etiquette as a potential housewife. This is what is called general knowledge, or common sense.

Fate cannot be erased with human effort. Unlike the vermilion mark on face, we cannot erase the fate written on one’s forehead. We should develop devotion through which it is possible to obtain God’s grace and love. Develop and foster good character, renunciation, benevolence, and good manners. Then, by God’s grace, your life becomes joyful. Make it a point to be cheerful at all times without resorting to grim faces (‘Castor oil faces’). You should always strive to find the inner significance and meaning of what you are dealing with. It is not enough if you do things mechanically. Spiritual experience is not a thing that can be borrowed or inherited from somebody. It is an experience confined to the individual concerned.

Woman has an exalted position in society. A country is reverentially addressed as Matrudesham (Motherland). The country is revered in a feminine form, because its future is dependent on mothers. Women are not weaklings. They are highly powerful. They have enormous divine power in them. Once in the past, there arose a situation at Papikondas near Rajahmundry, which escalated into a war. In such an explosive situation, all women of the region took a resolve to stop the war, convinced their husbands and were able to diffuse the tensions and avoid the calamity. Women should bring out this kind of hidden power and use it for the good of the society.

When we seek to find defects in others, those same defects will rebound on us. Therefore, we must only see good in others, and try to learn from them. God’s vision is impartial to all. A magnet attracts equally—be it a butcher’s knife, a doctor’s knife, or a wood-cutter’s axe.

Mind is responsible for the conditions of surroundings. When the mind is trained in good path, then naturally all the regions and countries become good. I bless that all of you realize this truth and strive to improve your environments.