Proceed With Courage

Pradono depakah chandrah
Prabhate depako ravih
Trilokya depako Dharmuh
Suputro kula depakuh!

Students!
Moon is the provider of light to the night. Sun is the provider of light to the day. Dharma is the provider of light to all the three worlds. A virtuous sibling is the provider of light to a clan. Every month we come across two things– the full moon and the new moon. New moon night is filled with darkness. No one likes darkness. Only the evil-minded and thieves relish darkness. Darkness will not promote good thoughts. It fills man with fright. It promotes devilish thoughts. On the other hand, the full moon brings cool moonlight. It prompts poets to excel in their outpouring of poetic expressions. It prompts scholars to stretch their imagination. Children get into a joyful mood of play. The citizens and villagers gather and discuss issues of their areas of dwellings. Moonlight brings boundless joy to people. It fosters good thoughts. The moon is a provider of a peaceful atmosphere and good thoughts.

There is no life without the sun. The whole moving and non-moving world comes to a standstill when there is no sun. There won’t be any existence for man. Trees, crops, and all living beings are being protected by the sun. The entire living world is sustained by the sun.

The third one is Dharma. Right conduct is known as Dharma! Dharma lays down relationships and norms of behaviour between individuals, between individuals and society, and between societies.

You must try to understand humanism in the light of the above three aspects. “Chandrama manaso jatah; Chaksho Suryo ajayata moon is born out of his mind; the sun is born out of his eyes”, man’s mind is represented by the moon and intellect is represented by the sun! Dharma stands for human life! Therefore, the moon, sun, and Dharma stand for man’s ideal life!

Man is an embodiment and an integral form of the three qualities. The moon is in his mind. The sun is present in his vision, and Dharma lies in his actions. Therefore, the mind has to be developed into the level of a full moon. Then, we will be able to enjoy full happiness in life. Our mind should be wholesome like the full moon. Just as moonlight is filling the whole world, our mind should fill the world with happiness. It is said, “Manomoolam idam jagat”. There is no world without the mind. Peace prevails in an atmosphere of wholesome mind.

Next, what is the sun? It is our intellect. This intellect is able to see the world through the eyes. When there is no sun, there is no use of eyes. Intellect is an instrument that provides light. Therefore, our intellect should be engaged in proper discrimination, providing light to the path of progress. We should never entertain selfish thoughts. We must contemplate the relative permanency of things. This faculty of discrimination must be focused on a societal or even a greater scale. Self-centered discrimination gives only limited results, whereas integrated thoughts are like the sunlight that encompasses the whole world.

After realising the above two, we come to the next important aspect; that is Dharma. The entire human life is dependent on Dharma.

Purity, Patience And Perseverance

On the symbolic flag of your college is written, “Dharmo rakshati rakshitah”. Dharma protects us when we care for Dharma. When Dharma is derided by us, then Dharma gets distanced, leaving us on a calamitous path. Therefore, we must cultivate Dharma. It is a disciple’s Dharma to respect the Guru. It is a citizen’s Dharma to respect society. A soldier’s Dharma is to protect the country. A sibling’s Dharma is to respect parents. The Dharma of a wife is to respect the husband. So, the integral form of Dharma is the sum total of all such individual dharmas. This is how our scriptures have interpreted Dharma. To obey implicitly the command of God is the greatest of all Dharmas! Therefore, we call man an integrated form of three qualities because of this kind of mind, this kind of intellect, and this kind of Dharma. By pure character, we mean this integrated aspect of man only. Character involves good breeding, good culture, sacredness, and good behaviour. Our heart can be considered pure only when all these aspects are fulfilled—purity, patience, and perseverance. Purity is of two kinds. One is external purity, and the other is internal purity. The dress we wear must be clean; the books we use must be kept in neat condition; the place we live in and its surroundings must remain clean and hygienic. We must observe cleanliness towards all that we are associated with. The body remains healthy when we take baths regularly. We clean the teeth and the tongue early in the morning so that the mouth remains fresh always. The mouth is the entrance gate of the body. So, when the mouth is kept clean, the body remains healthy. When the body is in good condition, the mind remains healthy too. Mental health is dependent on physical health to a large extent.

What is meant by internal purity? Our thoughts, imaginations, and desires must be pure and sacred. Before committing to anything, you must weigh the pros and cons. We should never entertain thoughts that hurt others. Thoughts related to selfish needs must be curbed. Always think of ideal and noble deeds. Your thoughts should be worthy of emulation by others. The mind is a bundle of thoughts. So, when your thoughts are bad, your mind is considered bad. Take this kerchief as an example. This is a cloth. It is made of white threads. The whiteness of threads imparts whiteness to the cloth. On the other hand, if the threads are in red colour, the cloth becomes red. Therefore, when our thoughts are pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is filled with pure thoughts, all that we do turns sacred. If, on the other hand, the mind is maligned, we will be subjected to the onslaughts of desire, anger, lust, avarice, arrogance, and jealousy. When these evil aspects enter our mind, entire life becomes unbearable and unpalatable; therefore, both inner and external purities are necessary for a happy life.

The next quality is endurance or forbearance. At a time when someone makes fun of you or abuses you in harsh words, you should not lose your cool. You should remain peaceful. Instead of becoming angry, you must first search for whether there was any mistake on your side. As long as you are on the right path, why should you get agitated? But if you find some mistake in yourself, you must try to correct yourself instead of brooding over those harsh words. In any case, there is no need for worry or agitation. This kind of peaceful attitude takes you to great heights in life. If, on the contrary, you retaliate, it means that you are committing the same mistake as the other one did. Then you lose the right to point out other’s mistakes. When you decide upon succeeding in life, you must definitely cultivate the quality of patience and the attitude of peace, whereupon you will be able to bear the difficulties of life smilingly. Life is a challenge. Meet it, but don’t run away from it in fear.

Balance Of Attitude

A swimmer knows that as he pushes water back, he can move forward. In the same way, you should be able to push back difficulties and hurdles so as to proceed forward and achieve the goal.

When you resort to self-pity and remain static, you are likely to be drowned in the sea of the world. Therefore, the best way to remain afloat on this mundane sea of the world is to keep moving forward, throwing back all difficulties like an expert swimmer. You make use of certain aids like floats while learning to swim. To learn swimming in this sea of the mundane world, the recitation of God’s name is a great tool that helps you immensely. Do not resort to hasty decisions. Haste makes waste. Waste makes worry. So, do not hurry. This is what is called forbearance. Sacredness and forbearance must be accompanied by perseverance and determination. You should always remember that failure is a stepping stone to success, provided you have the element of determination in you. With these qualities, you may even realize your own reality, which is truth, conscience, and bliss. These attributes have no forms. Purity is Truth. Patience is Conscience. When you have these two, then happiness is experienced. As long as Sat (Truth) and Chit (Conscience) remain separated, happiness cannot be experienced. When purity and patience are combined (just as sugar is mixed with water to make a syrup), then the result is Bliss. Without these qualities, any amount of Bhajans, Japas, or meditations will not yield results.

A good life means a balanced life. Balance of attitude and balance of knowledge lead to a balanced life. When knowledge is burdened with arrogance, its balance is upset, leading to chaos. This kind of arrogant knowledge should be killed.

You must learn to use your knowledge skillfully and keep it in a balanced state at all times. It is deplorable that educational institutions are unable to maintain the balance of knowledge, leading to chaos and confusion. Selfish people are establishing educational institutions unmindful of societal responsibilities. But our institutions are exceptions in this regard. Proper education means balanced learning pertaining to worldly aspects and ethical aspects, pertaining to inner purity and external purity, and pertaining to individual welfare and the welfare of the country.

As students of this institution, you must realize how liberal this institute is toward your educational needs. Except for a fraction of your total hostel expenses, you are not at all charged by the institute, either for class fees, exam fees, special visiting lectures, or for anything else. The institute is incurring thousands of rupees on every student every year without burdening the students in the least. These expenses borne by the institute are several folds in the case of professional courses.

No other institution is running on this type of charitable lines. Wherever this kind of selfless service is present, know that divinity is present there. There is no special form for divinity. Selflessness is divinity. You do not find even a trace of selfishness in Me. Do not heed negative publicity or maligned provocations. Even your parents may have a little selfishness regarding your progress. But, I do not have even a trace of it. My only wish is you should become ideal citizens of the country irrespective of your place of dwelling. Girls are required to keep up the prestige of parents as well as the in-laws. They are like a bridge between the two families. When you succeed in this task, you may be called Suputrika – Good daughter. The moon lights up the night. The sun lights up the day. The mother enlightens the three worlds. A Suputrika enlightens the entire nation or community.

Have Implicit Faith In Swami

The sun’s effulgence is akin to the power of intellect. The Vedas have given prominence to intellect. It is said, “Buddhi grahyam atindriyam.” Intellect is beyond senses. That is why Gandhi prayed, “Sab ko sanmati de Bhagawan – Oh God, give good intellect to all.” Therefore, the intellect has to be directed on the right path. You must shed ignorance and develop gratitude. Darkness is a symbol of ignorance. The sun of intellect dispels the darkness of ignorance and melts the ice of sloth (sun is known as ‘Tamoghnaya, Himaghnaya,’ etc.) He is also known as Kratagnaya, meaning the destroyer of ingratitude or the ungrateful people. Ungrateful people are like blind people, those deserted by the sun. Your gratitude should be channelled as selfless service to society and as virtuous behaviour worthy of emulation. By maintaining purity, you acquire unity; along with it comes divinity. You must make your heart an abode of this trinity of Purity, Unity, and Divinity. It is a wrong notion to consider education as real knowledge, as it is bookish knowledge. Practical knowledge is real education. It is not enough if you have a liking for Swami. It is important that you should follow the directions of Swami. Whatever I tell or do is for your sake only, and it is for your good only. You should have implicit faith in Swami. It is not proper to apply your likes and dislikes in the path of true devotion. You may leave even those things you consider irrelevant to the will of Swami. For example, when I advise you to stop further studies and to get married, you will do well to understand the reason behind it. I may advise someone else to pursue studies rather than marrying, in her own interest.

Let me narrate an incident concerning Goldstein. Goldstein needs no introduction to you, as you all know him well. He made all preparations to go to the United States. He wanted to go to Bangalore after the college function that was to end by 11 a.m. He was traveling to Bangalore along with Me. I told him, “Goldstein, You don’t go to the States now.” Then he said, “Swami, if I cancel my trip at this stage, I will lose fifty thousand rupees.” I asked him, “Is fifty thousand important for you, or your life? Life is more valuable than money or wealth.”

“No Swami, I must proceed with my wife. I had already made arrangements with my sons,” he said. Then I told him, “This is the last trip.” He was surprised. He touched my feet and said, “I had fixed the engagement of my son. So, I must go.” I told him, “You will not be able to reach in time for the engagement.” Then, he prayed to Me and went away. So, I did not pursue it further. He went to Bombay and got into the flight. As soon as the flight took off, the plane was hijacked and taken to Pakistan. The hijackers had shot down 65 people in the plane. Goldstein, a hefty person, and his wife were sitting in the front row. They were not visible to the hijackers. Except for those two, people all around them were killed by the hijackers. The plane was detained in Pakistan for five days. He could not attend the engagement. He returned and met me. He said, “Swami, kindly excuse me for the mistake I committed. You heard my prayer and saved me. Otherwise, that would have been my last trip indeed.”

Devotees should learn to surrender themselves to the will of God. This must come from the heart. It must be shown through deeds. When you finish studies and get married, you must remember to consider your Mother-in-law as the mother-in-love. Wherever you go, Swami’s grace is always with you and at all places. You must cultivate introspection. It is more important for those who aspire to become teachers in the future. Before teaching others, you will do well to find your own faults first, and try to rectify them with sincere efforts. For example, before asking your students to keep silence, you must first learn to remain silent.

You should not forget the fact that children have the ability to pick up minute details from your behaviour. There are various kinds of teachers. But a good teacher is one who understands well the psychology of children. It is even more important to know the language of the heart of the child. Once you know this, then you are sure to become a good teacher, be at school, at home, or at any place.

Life is a game; play it. Life is a race; win it. Remember the dictum, ‘Slow and steady wins the race.’ For this, you must start early, drive slowly, and must reach safely. This kind of attitude holds good for games as well as studies. Your steadfastness determines your chances of success. I wish that all of you will move forward with the courage of ideal conviction.