Rest and Peace

Men aspire good time, positions, and good life.
They express not good thoughts,
wisdom and good behavior
Oh the gentle and good assembly of seekers
What more shall I teach than this!
(Telugu poem)

Embodiments of Love, girl students!

These days, we find enormous dissatisfaction among boys and girls. Wherever you see, you find reverberations of resentment, agitations, and riots. What is the reason for this? What is the reason for the prevalent dissatisfaction among selfless, pure, and well-to-do boys and girls? We must think over this aspect. Its basic reason is that they are neglecting our vital Bharateeya culture, imitating useless practices, and subjecting themselves to cynicism. Why are they developing craze towards the western culture and vying for honours in this direction? What is the reason for disowning the Bharateeya culture?

In fact, the foremost thing in man’s life is to acquire God's love. All our education becomes useless when we ignore this aspect of love. What is meant by vidya (education)? It means wisdom. When all the educated people are wise, then where from all these agitations are cropping up? So, then, we may as well say that this kind of education is a bad habit which we are acquiring for eking out a livelihood.

Education is For Liberation

The truly wise people must strive to spread their knowledge and human ideals in society through their exemplary teachings. Savidyaya muktaye, the voice of Indian culture proclaims vidya as that which liberates man from the vicious cycle of births and deaths. But now, is our education liberating us from sorrow? Really speaking this education is increasing the mundane bonds, sorrows, and worries. Man is losing peace, independence, and contentment. Man has lost his mental satisfaction. He is getting only physical comforts. The mind requires as much peace as the body needs rest. People are building recreational clubs, but not abodes of peace. How then is peace obtained? We just can’t buy it or borrow. It can only be achieved from our own heart. Peace and happiness are possible only through God's grace and love. When we distance ourselves from God's love, we are also distancing ourselves from peace and happiness. In order to obtain God's grace, we must keep up our modesty, spiritual chastity, and social ideals. These aspects are very important without which we may lose humanism. Some secular knowledge is no doubt needed in order to sustain humanism. Education is necessary for this. But these studies must not be confined to livelihood. They must lay a proper path for spiritual progress.

These days, many women are educated, and some are establishing educational institutions. But unfortunately, when you think of benefits from these institutions to the world, you find only a selfish motive behind all their actions. You rarely come across people dedicated in a selfless and divine attitude. Most of these people enter the field for the sake of money and more money.

“When all women go out on their jobs,
Who will take care of needs of the home?
When both husband and wife go to their offices,
Where is the woman who looks after the home?
When the mother goes out to teach others children,
Which mother will teach their own children?
When women hold books and go out like men
Where is the woman who runs the kitchen?
In trying to solve the money problems,
They are increasing the household problems
On the whole there is no happiness
For a woman who holds a position in office”
(Telugu poem)

Home is Top Priority For A Woman

Thus, women are distancing themselves from happiness by entering into jobs. The mother must give preference to the duties at home and strive to enhance the honour of the house. She must teach her children the aspects of humility, loyalty, discipline, and general knowledge. She should be capable of turning the family into an ideal family. The main reason for the absence of integrity in modern man is the craze for money.

Along with wealth, arrogance increases;
Along with arrogance, vices increase
When wealth is lost, arrogance vanishes
Oh Vema, decline of arrogance results in decline of vices.

Asantapto dvijo nastah – dissatisfaction reduces one’s status. Is there any limit for avarice?

Let him be a scientist, businessman, or an officer – everybody wants to go higher and higher in power and wealth. No one remains satisfied. Present-day greed is reaching such proportions that people are losing basic discrimination.

Suppose, there is an advertisement in the newspaper: for the post of God. The next day there will be a spate of applications. They do not even think whether they have the requisite capacity or sacredness. People keep on craving at all and sundry unmindful of human dignity. What is needed is to discharge one’s duties in a responsible manner.

What is the root cause for dissatisfaction in students? It has become a way of life for everybody to preach without practicing. Peace, wealth, and integrity will prevail in the country only when people cultivate the practice of ideals in life.

People are imitating western culture in an ignorant manner. They neither imbibe the western culture properly, nor do they do justice to their motherland. How can a person who is incapable of understanding his own culture, understand alien cultures? Usefulness of education lies in gaining happiness and leaving sorrow.

Education gives humility
Humility begets eligibility
Wealth from humility and Dharma from wealth.
Dharma gives fulfilment here and hereafter
(Telugu Poem)

Make Proper Use Of Tongue

How much our education fosters humility? Humility is a part of discipline. Discipline is important for students and teachers as well. Discipline is the most important aspect of human life. In the absence of discipline, we become either ‘eddus’ or ‘moddus’, but certainly not Buddha's (bulls or blockheads, but not wise). The disciplined way of life you cultivate now brings forth enormous happiness and peace in the future. Many students are not familiar with rules, regulations, and ideals of this college as yet. These female students may find this regimen to be hard for now, but in future, it enables them to lead a secured life.

God had reposed all the five senses in the head itself. Out of these five senses, only the mouth is provided with a pathway. What is its significance? There are doors and windows in a house. Air can pass through the windows, but no one can enter through them. Anybody can enter the house through the door. The temple of the body has the doors of eyes and mouth. The door of the mouth is meant to restrict our talk. One should not speak as one likes. The doors of eyes serve to confine our vision to auspicious sights. When you are habituated to looking at bad things only, your inner core turns bad in course of time. Eyes are meant to follow the right path. If on the other hand, they go after all and sundry; then we will face troubles. It is said in the Bhagavatam about Prahlada,

“Eyes are ever filled with compassion
Words are ever filled with devotion and
Sweetness of thought glows ever on face”

We are bestowed with ears so that we may hear sacred words charged with truthful thoughts. Ears are not caves that allow wild animals to dwell. Atibhana mati-hani (excessive talk damages the mind). Willpower is lost when indulged in loose talk, thereby honour and memory power are also lost. Such people grow old faster. Some people remain silent, but mentally they are always engaged in soliloquies.

All girl students are potential mothers of tomorrow. A woman’s present behaviour lays the seed for the future of children and their peace and protection. Education must culminate in spiritual knowledge. One day, Siddhartha happened to look at a patient, an old man and a corpse. These sights were enough to stir up his conscience and to make him Buddha. Every day we come across any number of such sights. But, our hearts do not undergo any change. We are not 'Buddhas' but 'Baddhas' (Bonded). Youth are resorting to arrogance. But they forget that they are going to face old age later.

Do not be arrogant of your beauty,
youth and strength.
The crocodile festival of old age is in store for you.
(Telugu Poem)

Therefore, one must strive to attain liberation instead of indulging in empty pursuits. We must strive to obtain God's grace; Liberation is the goal of human life.

Prahlada told his father, “Chaduvulalo marmamella chadiviti (I read all the secret essence of education)”. He did every act of his with the uttering, ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’. You may ask, ‘what about the stomach, if you are engaged in Japa always’. You must keep your heart on God as you are engaged in daily chores. Raga and Vairagya (passion and renunciation) are two opposites. We must do anything and everything to please God.

Sri Krishna on one side exhorted Arjuna on spiritual knowledge and at the same time, He prompted him to fight the war. Partha was perplexed, because these two were contradictory. Then, Krishna said, “you proceed with the thought that you are doing it for My sake.” Therefore, we must do everything as God’s work. Even the food that we eat should be an offering to Vaishwanara, the God in the form of digestive fire.

“Aham vaishwanaro bhootva
praninam deha mashritah
prana pana sama yuktah
pachamyannam chaturvidham”

Bhagavad-gita

Time should not be wasted by indulging in desires, anger, selfishness, passion, arrogance, and jealousy. Life must be spent in an idealistic manner. Desires must be disciplined. This leads to sacredness of a high order. Discipline must start with the practice of the silence.

Now, this college has attained the age of 10 years. It is like a sweet young girl glowing with chubby cheeks and springing in gay. It is necessary to take extra care at this stage. A child of two or three years will not go out of doors. A girl of 20 years age can take care of herself. A girl of 10 years has to move around, but at the same time, she lacks the knack of avoiding accidents. Therefore, extra care is needed for the college at this stage. The college is dependant on your ethics and integrity. It depends on Discipline, Devotion, and Duty. These qualities are useful in the family atmosphere as well.

You must not give way for unrighteousness and abandon, because these are the root causes for all agitation. Women should not move about in a reckless manner. Keep these values in your pure, selfless and sacred hearts. I wish that you grow in leaps and bounds earning good name. The teachers must keep one aspect always in their minds. When a student goes astray, it is only that person who is involved. Whereas, if a teacher goes astray, a whole lot of students get spoiled. Students are like children to the teachers. Your good qualities will reflect in them. I conclude My discourse with blessing and wish that all teachers and students mingle like mothers and daughters, exchanging thoughts of love and affection.