Observance of Silence Develops Spiritual Energy

Students today are heroes in speech but zeros in action. Their life has become a burden due to ostentation. This is the plight of modern students.
(Telugu Poem)

Moderation In Talking Promotes Sacred Feelings

Students today are in a confused state of mind. They indulge in excessive talk. Those who talk too much cannot study well. Those who study well do not talk much. That is why I often tell them, “Talk less, study more.”

Excessive Talk Is Undesirable

Today human values seem to have disappeared from the heart of man, and his conduct does not befit his status as a human being. He thinks one thing, says something else and does something totally different. Moreover, he wastes his time in talking too much. Thereby, he is losing his divine energy and sacredness bestowed upon him by God. Not only that, he is losing his memory power, physical vitality and power of concentration also. One who talks too much is prone to abnormal hunger and therefore eats too much. Eating too much makes him lethargic, and because of lethargy, he becomes disinterested in doing work. Such a person can never participate in any activity of Seva or selfless service. The spirit of service is very essential for youth today. They should therefore observe moderation in eating. Too much eating is harmful to the intellect also. Moderate eating is highly beneficial. Vallabhbhai Patel also used to say, “Talk less, work more.” Because he followed this principle, he was able to perform his work with discipline and diligence. Everybody called him a practical man.

Our ancient Rishis knew that the power of silence was unparalleled. That is why they used to observe Mounam (silence), by the power of which they could attain divinity. Observance of Mounam develops spiritual energy. Excessive talking leads to nervous weakness, because of which man loses his sense of discrimination as to what he should talk and what he should not. The lesser you talk, the more you can participate in Seva activities. By participating in Seva activities, you can develop friendship with others. What does friendship mean? It does not mean saying, hello, hello to each other. True friendship lies in working with unity at all times, under all circumstances and in all fields. But such spirit of unity and friendship is not to be seen in the world today. Who is your true friend? God alone is your true friend in this world. There may be some element of selfishness in your close worldly relations also, such as father, mother, wife, husband, son, etc. It is only God who loves you without even an iota of selfishness and self-interest. He does not expect anything from you. He only gives and does not take anything from you. In order to attain God, you should cultivate good qualities, good habits and good conduct.

Where is God? If you enquire deeply, you yourself will be able to understand this truth clearly. If somebody asks the address of your friend, you tell the number of his house and the name of the road, or you say that he is staying in such and such hotel. But who is actually staying in that house or hotel? It is only his body. But, is he only the body? No, no. Then, where does he stay? He stays in the heart. Love is the other name of heart. Therefore, every man lives only in love and leads his life by the power of love. He performs all his day-to-day tasks by this power. Right from the time he wakes up in the morning till he goes to bed at night, he should sanctify his time with love. What is his true residence? It is love. When man realizes his true address, he can mould his life in an ideal manner by developing good qualities and good conduct. He can strengthen his character by good words, good thoughts and good conduct.

How Das Ganu Came To Stay At Shirdi

When Baba was at Shirdi, there was a devotee by name Das Ganu who worked in the police department. In Shirdi, Baba used to celebrate SriRamaNavami and Urus together. But there were some Hindus and Muslims who observed some differences. During one such celebration, Das Ganu came to Shirdi. One day, Baba spoke to Das Ganu, “Das Ganu! You are a good singer. Therefore, sing a song.” Das Ganu sang a song in his melodious voice. Baba was pleased and said, “Das Ganu! Why don’t you come and stay at Shirdi?” Das Ganu promised, “Certainly, I will come and stay here forever.” At the time of returning to his place of posting, Das Ganu offered his salutations to Baba and said, “Baba! I have been trying for my promotion for the last three years which has been causing great worry to me. I am not so much interested in money but I do want a respectable position in society.” Then Baba said to him, “Das Ganu! Your work lies in Shirdi and not in the police department or in the outside world. Therefore, you have to come to Shirdi sooner or later. Do not forget the promise that you have given to me.”

After a year or two, Das Ganu again came to Shirdi during SriRamaNavami and Urus celebrations. Baba asked him, “Das Ganu! Have you forgotten the promise that you gave to me?” Das Ganu said, “Swami! I have not forgotten my promise. But I have not yet got the promotion for which I am still waiting. Therefore, I have to work hard.”

After taking leave from Baba, when he went back and rejoined his duty, he was involved in a case of theft. When Das Ganu was asked about the missing cash, he replied that he had no knowledge about it. Then the enquiry officer asked him, “How can you say this when you are working in the police station from where the cash is missing?” Das Ganu could not give any explanation that he was not involved in the theft. A lot of investigations were made about Das Ganu’s involvement in the theft. Then Das Ganu realized, “Since I have gone back on the promise given to Baba, I am being subjected to all these allegations.” He therefore resigned his job and came to Shirdi. God protects man in every possible way. But man himself invites difficulties because he forgets the command of God. Happiness and sorrow are not given to you by others. Your own thoughts and conduct are responsible for your happiness and sorrow.

God does not exist in a foreign land. He is in you.
Sin is not elsewhere. It is there where a wrong action is committed.
(Telugu Poem)

Unable to realize this truth, man blames others for his difficulties and talks ill of them. His intellect is perverted because of his wicked actions and thereby he falls prey to many difficulties and sorrows.

Maintain Your Youth With Proper Food And Conduct

When Krishna went to the court of the Kauravas on His peace mission to avoid the Mahabharata war, Sahadeva, the youngest of the Pandavas, became very much concerned about His safety. Till the return of Krishna, he did not partake of any food and did not even drink water. When Krishna returned, he was very much relieved to see Krishna safe and sound. He caught hold of Krishna’s hands with great love and said:

When You were going to Hastinapura on Your peace mission, I wanted to express my feelings, but I kept quiet. I prayed that everything should turn out to be good for You even if Your peace mission failed. It is a matter of great satisfaction for me that You have returned safe from Hastinapura.
(Telugu Poem)

“I felt it was not safe to send my brother-in-law to Hastinapura. Though I could not open my mouth to say no, I kept on praying all the time that You should come back safe.” This is how an ardent devotee of the Lord thinks and conducts himself. Arjuna also did not like the idea of Krishna going to the Kauravas at all. He said, “Oh Krishna! Will the evil-minded Kauravas join hands with us? Why do You waste time in this futile pursuit? Let us tell them that we are ready for war. Giving any good counsel to the wicked Kauravas is like putting jasmine flowers into fire. Where is the need for talk of peace, oh Gopala? Enough of all this. Can the north pole and the south pole come together? Where is the need to waste time when war is inevitable?”

When the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas confronted each other in the battlefield of KuruKshetra, Arjuna asked Krishna to take his chariot in the centre of both the armies. When Arjuna looked at the Kaurava army, he found his elders and intimate relations in the Kaurava army. Arjuna, who at one point of time had declared that he was ready for the war with all courage, valour and seriousness, was now overcome by the feeling of despondency seeing so many of his nears and dears in the Kaurava army. “Oh Krishna! How can I kill my elders, my Guru and all my kith and kin? My head is reeling. I am not ready to fight”, he said. Before coming to the battlefield, was he not aware that he would be fighting with his own kith and kin? Where had his youthful exuberance disappeared?

Normally, the youth are hot-headed and get carried away by emotions. Youth is ephemeral; it comes for a short period between childhood and old age and disappears like passing clouds. Why should you feel proud of such a short-lived phase of your life? At the time of the Mahabharata war, Krishna was 76 years old and Arjuna was 74. In those days, the age of 70’s was considered as youth. Now the age of 18 or 20 is considered as the age of youth. People of Dwapar Yuga could maintain their youthful vigour even after crossing the age of 70. What was the reason? The reason was their proper food habits and ideal way of life. What was the age of Bhishma, who was the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army? He was 112 years old. But today man is becoming prematurely old because of his improper food habits and perverted way of life. Not only that, the youth today fill their minds with unnecessary and unwanted thoughts. They enter the portals of educational institutions to acquire education. But instead of becoming Vidyarthis (seekers of knowledge), they become Vishayarthis (seekers of worldly pleasures). Students should conduct themselves as students. They should not become seekers of worldly pleasures.

True Education Grants Illumination

The purpose of education will be lost if you run after worldly pleasures. What does Vidya (education) mean? The word Vidya is made of two syllables – Vid + ya. Vid means illumination. That which grants illumination is Vidya. Therefore, a student should acquire such education which brings about his illumination. He should not pursue anything that is contrary to it. But students today are wasting all their energy in excessive talk, with the result that they lose all the energy of their senses, bestowed upon them by God, even at such a tender age as 18 or 20 years. Students should protect and maintain the power of their senses. These days even small children are wearing spectacles and young persons are using hearing aids. What is the reason for all this? Is this the effect of Kali Yuga? You cannot attribute this to the effect of this age. Loss of energy due to the misuse of senses is the root cause of all this. Students today do not focus their mind on the subjects that are necessary for them. Instead, they fill their minds with unnecessary thoughts and become victims of unlimited worries. All their worries which cause suffering to them are totally baseless. What is the shape of worry? It is mentally created fear only. Other than this, worry has no existence.

Students!

With courage and conviction, you should develop virtues and good conduct and become ideal students. You should channelize the principle of love that is present in your heart towards the sacred path. That is the way to divinity. The evil thoughts that come into your mind have no value. All your evil thoughts like anger, jealousy, ego are like charcoal, whereas forbearance, peace and good intellect are like precious diamonds. Is he not a fool who exchanges precious diamonds for charcoal? I have spoken to you many times before also about the value of three P’s – Purity, Patience, Perseverance. Where there is purity, there is peace. Where there are purity and peace, there will be perseverance.

You should use your power of determination to do good to others and not to harm or cause suffering to anyone. Have determination to perform only those tasks which are beneficial to others and give happiness to them. Develop firm determination to attain divinity. It is necessary for you to enquire, where and how you should use your determination. When you enquire in this manner, you will be able to make proper use of your power of determination. But youth these days are carried away by emotions and act thoughtlessly in haste. No matter whether one is young or old, one should never act in haste. Perform all tasks with a calm and quiet mind. Before performing any task, you should enquire, “Is it good or bad? Is it right or wrong?” Perform only those tasks which your conscience certifies as right. Your conscience is your witness. You don’t need any other witness. There may be many names of conscience, like Chit (consciousness) and awareness. Names may be different but the principle is one and the same. It assumes various names depending upon the task it performs. When a Brahmin is engaged in the task of preparing food, he is called Vanta Brahmin. When he performs worship, he is called Pujari Brahmin, and when he reads an almanac, he is called Panchangam Brahmin. Brahmin is one but different names are attributed to him according to the work he does. Similarly, Chit, awareness and conscience are different names of the same principle. Chit is very significant. It is close to Sat. In fact, it is Chit which proves the existence of Sat. Without Chit, you cannot know the existence of Sat. This is a tumbler. How can you say this is a tumbler? It is sunlight that makes it visible to you. It can be seen only when there is sunlight. Sunlight proves the existence of the tumbler. But the tumbler does not make the sun shine. In the same way, Chit illumines Sat. Sat means being. It is eternal and changeless. However, it is Chit that proves that Sat is eternal and changeless. Hence, you should follow your conscience.

Develop Firm Determination

I have been telling you from time to time about the importance of 4 Fs.

Follow the Master
Face the devil
Fight to the end, and
Finish the game.

Who is your master? Your conscience is your master. Therefore, you should follow your conscience. In fact, conscience is your Guru and God. Face the devil with conscience as your master. Evil thoughts are the devil in you. You should face them with courage and drive them away. The last two lines are: fight to the end and finish the game. Whatever task you have undertaken, finish it with courage and determination. Come what may, do not give up till you accomplish the task you have undertaken.

Having resolved, what ought to be resolved, hold on to it till you have succeeded. Having desired what ought to be desired, hold on to it till your desire is fulfilled. Having asked what ought to be asked, do not leave the hold till you get it. Having thought what ought to be thought, hold on to it till you have succeeded. With heart mellowed, the Lord must yield to your wishes or forgetting yourself, you should ask Him with all your heart. Persevere, be tenacious, and never give up, for it is the quality of a devotee never to retreat, abandoning his resolve.
(Telugu Poem)

This should be the vow of a devotee. This is true determination. For what sort of tasks should you exercise your power of determination? You should use determination for performing sacred tasks for the welfare of others. Never use your power of determination for such tasks which are neither useful for you nor for others. Help Ever, Hurt Never. Students should have firm determination to uphold this principle. They should consider God as their only true friend. The Gita mentions the word Suhrut for friend. What does it really mean? It is only God who helps you in all situations without expecting anything from you. Wherever you are, God extends a helping hand to you at all times and under all circumstances. Therefore, you should always look for His help. Can any number of dogs equal a lion? No, no. Students of today use the power of determination for foolish pursuits. This is the evil effect of Kali Yuga.

Once all the deer in a forest organized a conference. Addressing the assembly of deer, the president of the conference said: “My dear fellow deer! In what way are we inferior to dogs? They cannot run as fast as we can. We are in no way inferior to dogs in strength and capability. They are no match for us in jumping also. We partake of Satwic food whereas they eat Tamasic food. They are inferior to us in matters of food and habits. We are the recipients of God’s love as we have a sacred and tender heart. Physically also we are very strong. Though our legs are small, if we kick a dog in the stomach, all its intestines will come out in a heap. Why should we be afraid of dogs when we have such powers and capabilities?” All of them unanimously passed the resolution that from that day onwards they would not be afraid of dogs. All the deer present in the conference supported the resolution saying, “Certainly, certainly.” Meanwhile, a dog in one part of the forest started barking loudly as it heard the sound of so many deer. As soon as they heard the barking of the dog, not even a single deer remained at the venue of the conference. All took to their heels. What sort of decision is it when it is not put into practice at all? People indulge in tall talk without practicing anything. Therefore, do not indulge in excessive talk. When it comes to eating, people are ever ready, but when it comes to work, they show a clean pair of heels. This is not proper. Rather, it should be the other way round. They should be much more ready to work than to eat.

Secure High Rank And Develop Good Character

Youth is a very sacred and divine stage of life. It is like a fruit with sweet juice. Do not waste this precious stage of youth by associating with bad company and indulging in wicked deeds. Attain divine grace by associating with good company and developing good thoughts, sacred feelings and noble behavior. Your parents will also be happy when you conduct yourself in this ideal manner. All parents desire that their children should earn a good name and pass their examination securing good marks and high rank.

Some students secure a high rank but in their conduct they are totally blank. On one side they have a high rank, on the other they are completely blank. Their ranks and their behavior are totally contrary to each other. They should avoid such contradiction. They should have a top rank not only in their exams but in their behavior also. They should avoid bad behavior and should prevent evil qualities from entering their mind. Where do the evil qualities come from? Excessive talk is one of the main causes of evil qualities. When you meet a friend, just say, “hello, hello, how are you?” and bid goodbye to him. That is all. There is no need to indulge in excessive talk. When you talk too much, you tend to say things which are unnecessary. You also lose your energy, with the result that you lack sufficient energy to perform any task properly. Therefore, observe moderation in talking, study well and secure good marks. Moderation in talking promotes sacred feelings. As a result, you can engage yourself in sacred actions. Excessive talking leads to unnecessary discussion. When you listen to unnecessary talk, you will develop the tendency to put it into practice also. Do not talk ill of others. “Adveshta Sarva Bhutanam (bear no hatred against anyone). Do not hate anyone.

Who is a Vidyarthi (student)? One who is the seeker of Vidya is a Vidyarthi. Students should earn a good name. They should respect their teachers and elders. They should love their parents. This is what students have to learn today. MatruDevoBhava, PitruDevoBhava, AcharyaDevoBhava (revere your mother, father, preceptor as God). You should treasure such sacred feelings in your heart. Only then will you assimilate the essence of education and realize the sanctity of this institution. Students should behave like students. Life is a four-storeyed mansion. The four storeys are: Brahmacharya (celibate stage), Grihastha (householder stage), Vanaprastha (recluse stage) and Sanyasa (renunciant stage). Brahmacharya is the foundation of this mansion. When this foundation is strong, the other three storeys will also be safe and secure. If the foundation is shaky, the entire building will crumble. If you want to have an ideal life of a householder, you should strengthen the foundation of student stage. Students should earn a good name at home and also outside.

Merely the birth of a son is not the occasion for celebration and distribution of sweets. 

The father does not feel the joy of having a son merely because the child is born. Only when people praise his son for his good deeds and achievements does the father feel joyful!
(Telugu Poem)

The real occasion for celebration is when your son earns a good name in society and in the world and everybody says, “Your son is a good boy.” Children should bring such happiness to their parents. Parents do not aspire to have children just for the satisfaction of having children. They want children so that they earn a good name and make them happy in their old age. No matter in what condition they are, parents always love their children. There may be wicked children but not wicked parents. Therefore, children should help and love their parents and become worthy sons and daughters.

Peace Of Mind Is The Source Of Great Energy

Moderation in speech is a source of great joy. That is how our ancient sages developed their divine energy by controlling their senses and observing silence. It is said, the sound of silence is God. People close their eyes and sit in meditation. How should you meditate? You should observe absolute silence. You can hear the sound of the footsteps of God only in the depth of silence. When you yourself are making noise, how can you hear the footsteps of God? The deeper is your silence, the louder can you hear the sound of the footsteps of God. That is why it is said, “Silence is God.” You can hear the voice of God only in silence. You can see it yourself – when you close your ears and become totally silent, then you can hear the sound of Om coming from within you. That is the sound of silence. This sound is Brahman. ShabdaBrahmamayi, Characharamayi, Jyotirmayi, Vangmayi, Nityanandamayi, Paratparamayi, Mayamayi and Sreemayi (God is the embodiment of sound, mobility and immobility, light, speech, eternal bliss, perfection, illusion and wealth). Sound is God. What is that sound? It is the sound of silence. In the absence of the sound of silence, your own sound becomes louder. Therefore, you should observe silence at least for one hour in a day. By observing silence, you can make up the loss of your energy. For example, you work hard throughout the day. When you sleep at night, all your senses are put to rest. Because of providing rest to your senses, you are able to perform all your tasks the next day with vigour and vitality. It means, rest to the senses is very essential. When you provide rest to the senses, the mind is also put to rest. Peace of mind is the source of great energy.

In the language of Vedanta, it is called the state of Amanaska, meaning a state beyond the mind. When does mind cease to exist? The mind becomes non-existent in deep sleep state. However, it does exist in dream state. In dream state, mind creates everything, including itself. Sushupti or deep sleep state is a state of no mind. That is why it is called Su-shupti, meaning deep and good sleep. Apart from waking, dream and deep sleep states, there is the fourth and the highest state, i.e., Turiya (state of super consciousness). This state of Turiya gives you eternal peace. But many students don’t have even proper sleep because their mind keeps on thinking of something or the other all the time. Some of them do not sleep at all during their examinations. They stay awake the whole night and read, say, 20 pages. But what is the use of reading 20 pages at night when they do not remember even one page as they get up in the morning? Good natural sleep is very essential for students. You cannot really make progress in your studies if you forego your sleep. Have good sleep at night and get up at 3 o’clock in the morning and then study with a fresh mind. There is no need for you to spoil your sleep. One can live without food for some time but not without sleep. Therefore, sleep is very essential. NidraSamadhiSthitih (sleep is like Samadhi, a state of super consciousness). Sleep is disturbed by worries and anxieties. Why? You keep on talking the whole day and the same comes to you at night as a resound. Everything comes back to you as reaction, reflection and resound.

Students!

Observe moderation in your talking. Talk only that much as is necessary. You can talk about the subjects of your study when you meet a friend. Do not indulge in unnecessary conversation. When you associate with bad company, you may not feel its evil effect in the beginning. But later you will not be able to get rid of it. It is easy to get into bad company but most difficult to get out of it. Therefore, do not join bad company. At the same time, do not develop enmity with anybody. After all, how long is your stay in the college? Three years or four years at the most. Why should you develop relationships for such a temporary phase?

Earn a good name and make your parents happy. How much suffering does it cause to your parents when you fail in the examination? How much money of your parents will you waste when you take four years instead of two to complete your studies? Not only would you waste money, but you would waste time and energy also. You would moreover cause great suffering to yourself and your parents. Time waste is life waste. Therefore, see to it that you do not waste even a single moment. You will be very happy when you talk less. You do not need to be afraid of anything in the world once you install God in the altar of your heart. Develop love for God and fear of sin. Do not indulge in sinful deeds.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Bhava Bhaya Harana…”)

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 27th June 1996