Sacrifice Leads to Immortality

What is the use of acquiring high education if one is found wanting in virtues? What is the value of such education? What is the use of ten acres of barren land? Instead, a small piece of fertile land is good enough.
(Telugu Poem)

Sacrifice Means Giving to Others What You Like Most

Students today are interested only in worldly and secular education. They do not make any effort to acquire the knowledge which promotes the purity of mind and heart.

Just as there is brilliance of lightning behind dark clouds in the sky, there should be light of knowledge in the education that you acquire.
(Telugu Poem)

Put Your Education and Money to Good Use

Education today is influenced by worldly desires and promotes narrow considerations of caste, religion, and region. Efforts of the students today are limited only to acquisition of bookish knowledge. They acquire education just for the sake of earning money and not to develop virtues. As a result, they have forgotten the very essence of education and have lost their humanness. In itself, neither wealth nor education is bad. The qualities of a person make them good or bad. A person whose heart is filled with good thoughts and noble intentions will put education and money to good use. On the other hand, a person whose heart is filled with evil thoughts, bad qualities, and wicked feelings will put both education and money to evil use. It is only the mind of man which is the primary cause of good or bad use of education and wealth.

Here is an example to illustrate this. If you put water in a red-color bottle, the color of water will appear to be red. If you put it in a blue-color bottle, it will appear to be blue. In the same way, whatever is the quality of the human heart, education and money will assume that quality only. If a man is filled with rajoguna (quality of passion), the education and wealth he acquires will assume rajoguna. If a man is filled with satwaguna (quality of serenity), the education and money acquired by him will also have the similar quality. The qualities of man are responsible for making education and money either good or bad. A man may have many types of powers, but if he lacks the power of virtues, his education and money will be absolutely useless.

Importance of Moral and Ethical Values

Shivaji was endowed with many sterling virtues, though he was not highly educated. He was valorous and full of vigor and courage. He was a repository of ethical and moral values. He followed the path of dharma and wanted to establish dharma and sacredness in the country and society at large. When the situation demanded, he was even prepared to wage war to achieve this goal. When he vanquished his enemies in war, he never looked at their women. Instead, he provided total protection to them and handed them over to their relatives. His son Shambhaji was also brave and valorous, but he lacked the high moral qualities of his father. That is why he could not earn such great name and fame as his father earned.

When Draupadi was being humiliated in the Kaurava court in the presence of such eminent persons like Bhishma, Dronacharya, and Kripacharya, she asked this question: "Respected elders! Did Dharmaraja lose himself before betting on me or bet on me before losing himself? He had no right to bet on me when he had already lost himself. Not only that. I am the wife of five husbands. Is it justified for one husband to bet on me when the other four are against it? Is it not necessary that all the five husbands should agree to bet on me"? In the entire court, there was none who could answer this question of Draupadi. Distressed at the silence of elders, Vidura expressed his anguish, saying, "It is better to live in the forest instead of remaining in Hastinapur". Since ancient times, our country Bharat has given utmost importance to moral and ethical values. Vidura also earned a great name because of his virtues. He never tolerated injustice, unrighteousness, and impropriety. He advised Dhritarashtra in a number of ways to follow dharma.

Dhritarashtra had hundred sons, but what was his ultimate fate? Did Suka undergo any suffering because he did not have a son?
(Telugu Poem)

What happiness did Dhritarashtra experience on account of having hundred sons? Did the virtuous Suka who had no son have a bad destiny? What is the use of having a number of sons who become the cause of the destruction of the entire clan? Death of such wicked sons is much more preferable than their life. It is enough to have only one son who brings glory to the clan.

When Kaikeyi sent Rama to the forest for fourteen years, Lakshmana also followed Him. It was only Rama who was exiled to the forest. There was no such compulsion for Lakshmana to go with Rama to the forest. But Lakshmana went with Rama because of his deep devotion and love for Him. When Rama tried to dissuade Lakshmana, he fell at Rama’s feet and pleaded with Him.

I have surrendered my wealth, family, and everything to You.
I have nothing to call my own. Kindly protect me.
(Sanskrit Verse)

He said to Rama, "Oh Rama! I totally surrender to You. As You know, I am Adisesha and You are Lord Narayana who always reclines on Adisesha. In this birth also, I am Your servant. I will be glad to serve You. You are everything for me". Men of such sterling character like Lakshmana, Vidura, and Shivaji demonstrated great ideals and shone like brilliant diamonds in the land of Bharat. They dedicated their entire life for the service of society.

God’s Command Has Supreme Importance

Mother, father, and preceptor are to be revered in this world. But if they come in the way of God, then it is not imperative to obey them. When Bharata returned from the house of his maternal grandfather and found out what Kaikeyi had done, he was very much upset and questioned her, "Was it proper for you to send Sri Rama to the forest, who is pure, sacred, noble, selfless and ideal to one and all? Ramo Vigrahavan Dharma (Rama is dharma personified). Rama is the very form of dharma. How cruel it was on your part to send such an embodiment of dharma to the forest without showing any compassion to Him? What was the fault of Rama? No fault at all. I do not want to look at the face of such a mother who has sent Rama to the forest for no fault of His and without any reason". In this manner, Bharata opposed the command of his mother and was prepared to go to the forest to bring Rama back to Ayodhya. He did not do this act of sacrifice for any worldly gain or for any selfish reason. He did it only for God.

Similarly, Prahlada did not obey the command of his father when he asked him not to chant the name of Hari (God). He told his father, "I am prepared to give up anything, but not the name of Hari. I can even give up my life, but I can never forget the name of Hari". Unable to bear the agony of her son being put to so many ordeals, Prahlada’s mother caught hold of his hands and pleaded with him not to disobey the command of his father.

Oh dear son, why are you so adamant on chanting the name of Hari? Who has taught you to repeat His name? Tell me who has taught you?
(Telugu Poem)

But Prahlada continued chanting the name of Hari, saying, “I can even leave my mother and father, but I cannot leave Hari”. He faced all troubles, sorrows, and dangers that he was put to, kept on contemplating on Hari and continued repeating His name. Under no circumstances did he obey the command of his father. What was the reason? Prahlada loved God while his father hated God. That is why Prahlada gave up even his father.

Likewise, Emperor Bali disobeyed the command of his preceptor Sukracharya for his love for God. When Vamana came to Bali, Sukracharya cautioned him, saying, “Oh king! The one who has come to you is not an ordinary person. He is only three feet tall but he can control all the three worlds. Therefore, do not consider him an ordinary Brahmin. He is Vishnu Himself who has come in this form. Do not become so much elated just because he has stretched his hand before you to beg alms. Do not submit yourself to his wishes, forgetting your position”. But Bali did not pay heed to the advice of his preceptor. On the other hand, he was overjoyed and exclaimed, “What a great fortune it is for me that Lord Narayana Himself has come to me and is stretching His hand for alms! Can there be any greater blessedness than this? The one who has stretched His hand before me is God Himself, who has the entire brahmanda (cosmos) in His hand. What a great blessing it is”!

Is it possible to limit the One to a temple who pervades the entire cosmos? How can one hold a lamp to the One who shines with the brilliance of a billion suns? How can one give a bath to the One who is present in all rivers? How can one give a name to the One who is present in all beings? How can one offer food to the One who has the entire cosmos in His belly?
(Telugu Poem)

Bali thought, “One who gives, his hand is always up and one who receives, his hand is always down. Now that God Himself has come to beg alms from me, what greater blessedness can be there for me than this? I am prepared to give whatever He asks; even if He asks for my life, I would gladly give.” He transgressed the command of his Guru and offered himself to the Lord.

What for did Bharata, Prahlada, and Bali act in this manner? Not for their self-interest and selfish ends, but for the sake of God. Bharata acted against the wishes of his mother only for Rama, who was God in human form, the incarnation of Lord Narayana. Similarly, Prahlada also disobeyed the command of his father not for his own sake; he did that only because he yearned for God and nothing else. Emperor Bali also dedicated his life to God. People perform many acts of sacrifice and give land, gold, food grains, clothes, etc., in charity. But Emperor Bali sacrificed himself. Many such men of sacrifice and righteousness have been setting great ideals in Bharat since ancient times.

Difference Between Charity and Sacrifice

There is a lot of difference between charity and sacrifice. Some people, however, do not observe any difference between them. This is a great mistake. People may give a little bit in charity of what they have, keeping almost their entire wealth intact to fulfill their selfish ends. There is selfishness and self-interest in this act of charity. But there is not even an iota of selfishness in an act of sacrifice. Sacrifice lies in giving to others what you like most and love dearly. What is it that is dearest to man? That is his life. Nothing else is dearer to man than his life. What then is the real meaning of sacrifice? It means to give even one’s own life for the sake of others. Many people boast that they have performed a great act of sacrifice by giving their land in charity to others. But actually, they may have done it for the sake of name and fame. It is not sacrifice in the true sense. Na Karmana Na Prajaya Dhanena Thyagenaike Amrutatwamanasu (immortality is not attained through action, progeny or wealth; it is attained only by sacrifice).

This is one of the most important teachings of Indian culture. True sacrifice is changeless and matchless. It makes a man immortal. As declared in the Upanishads, Srunvantu Viswe Amrutasya Putrah (Oh the children of immortality! Listen), man is the son of immortality. Body is unreal and mortal. It is bound to perish and disintegrate. But atma is imperishable, eternal, changeless, and immortal. One can have the experience of the immortal atma only through sacrifice. Right from ancient times till today, there have been many such men of sacrifice in the land of Bharat. That is why God incarnates in this holy land from time to time and also sends many noble souls to show the path of spirituality to mankind.

Not only Emperor Bali, but many others like Sage Dadheechi and Emperor Sibi performed great acts of sacrifice. Once a pigeon came to Emperor Sibi and sought his refuge as it was being chased by a hawk. It fell into the lap of Sibi and pleaded, “Oh king! Save me! Save me”! Sibi assured it of his protection. Meanwhile, the hawk came there and said to Sibi, “Oh king! How can you keep this bird with you which is my prey? I have been chasing it and therefore this bird belongs to me. You are a king. You should follow royal dharma”. Emperor Sibi said, “I know my dharma. My dharma is to protect anyone who comes to seek my refuge. I am not concerned to whom this bird belongs and whose prey it is. I only know that it has come to me for protection and I will protect it at any cost. I cannot go back on my word. But if you want, I can give you my own flesh equal to the weight of the pigeon”. Accordingly, a balance was brought. The pigeon was put in one of the pans and Sibi cut his own flesh and put it in the other pan. Though Sibi cut flesh from all parts of his body and put it in the pan, it could not match the weight of the bird. He performed this supreme sacrifice just to protect a small bird. Ultimately, when he was about to cut his head, Indra manifested before him. Extolling the spirit of sacrifice of Sibi, Indra said, “Oh Sibi! All this was a drama played by me to test your spirit of sacrifice. Neither there is a pigeon nor a hawk. In fact, I myself assumed the form of hawk to enact this drama. I am highly pleased with your act of sacrifice. Is there a greater sacrifice than sacrificing one’s own life? It is only by sacrifice that one can attain immortality”. Indra was pleased with Sibi because he was ready to sacrifice his own life for the sake of a small bird. Sibi was the example of highest human values.

Similarly, Emperor Bali also set the highest example of sacrifice. Vamana came to Bali and asked for three steps of land. Bali granted his request. Then Vamana measured the entire earth in one step and the sky in the other. There was no place for the third step. He asked Bali, “You promised to give three steps of land. Now you show me the place for the third step”. Offering his head before Vamana, Bali said, “My head is the place for you to place your third step”. All those who were present there became fear-stricken. They exclaimed, “Alas! How harshly has Narayana treated him”? In the same way, many people think that the Lord meted out harsh punishment to some others.

Kamsa was killed by Krishna though he was His own maternal uncle. Similarly, Rama killed Tataki though she was a woman. Vamana pushed Bali to Patala (nether world) though he granted His wish. All these acts of God appear to show that He lacks compassion. (Telugu Poem)

But this is not correct. As in the case of Bali, the acts of God are meant to test the devotion of His devotees. There may be some suffering in these tests. But ultimately whatever God does is for the good of His devotees. For example, when a person suffers from severe stomachache due to appendicitis, the doctor operates upon him and removes the appendicitis. Can we say, the doctor is cruel when he cuts the stomach of a patient? No, no. He cuts his stomach out of his compassion for the patient. Unless he cuts the stomach, appendicitis pain cannot be cured. Therefore, pain inside the body has to be cured by causing pain to the body from outside. Similarly, the tests given by God are only to help man to bear the consequences of his actions.

Everything that God does is for the good of man and not to harm him. What is the reason? God is absolutely selfless. It is not merely to say that God is without selfishness and self-interest; He actually does not know what selfishness and self-interest are. But some people attribute selfishness and self-interest to the acts of God. It is only their imagination. This imagination is the cause of their delusion. As long as your heart is filled with bhrama (delusion), you cannot experience Brahma (God). You cannot have the thoughts of Brahma unless you drive away bhrama from your heart. Man’s heart has only a single chair in it. It is neither a double-seated sofa nor a musical chair. When you remove bhrama from your heart, Brahma will occupy it. It is not possible to make bhrama and Brahma sit on the same chair in your heart. But due to the impact of Kali Yuga, people are trying to make both of them sit on the same chair. They may make any amount of effort, but Brahma does not enter their heart as long as bhrama is there. When the chair of your heart is already occupied by bhrama, Brahma says, “How can I sit on a chair which is already occupied? I can sit on it only when it is vacated”. Removal of bhrama is absolutely necessary to experience Brahma Gnyana (knowledge of Brahma). God takes this fact into consideration before granting Brahma Gnyana to anyone.

Sacrifice is Verily God

It does not matter if you are not highly educated. What is most important is that you should have virtues. What is the use of ten acres of land which is barren? Even ten meters of land is enough if it is fertile. Similarly, it is enough if you have one good quality. What is that good quality? The quality that pleases God is a good quality. If God is pleased, the entire world will be pleased with you. People will extol you as the embodiment of God and repository of godly qualities. If you obey the command of God, chant His name incessantly, and help everyone with noble feelings, people will consider you equal to God. Therefore, take to the path of sacrifice. Sacrifice is verily God. What type of sacrifice? It should be totally selfless. Students should develop such a spirit of sacrifice. They should be prepared for any type of sacrifice for the welfare of society. What is the use of your education which cannot be utilized for the well-being of society? Ravana was highly educated. In fact, he had mastered 64 branches of knowledge. But he could not attain eternal peace and happiness because he did not put his knowledge into practice. In fact, too much learning became only a burden for him. On the other hand, Rama put his entire knowledge into practice. As a result, He could attain all types of wealth as well as name and fame. He led an ideal life. He dedicated all His capabilities for the welfare of society, whereas Ravana utilized all his capabilities for his selfish ends. Rama adhered to the path of parartha (welfare of others) and Ravana took to the path of swartha (selfishness). Parartha leads to redemption, whereas swartha to ruination. Ravana’s education became the cause of his destruction, whereas Rama attained the highest state of nobility by his education. That is why even today Rama’s glory continues to be resplendent as it was before. Even after the passage of thousands of years, the Ramayana continues to be a source of inspiration for generation after generation. One can therefore estimate how sacred the Ramayana is. It is not only sacred but it also makes sacred the heart of all those who read it. What is true history? His story is true history. That is the story of Rama.

Understand the Real Meaning of Devotion

Educated people should utilize their knowledge for the progress of society and lead others on the right path. People should imbibe the three main qualities of Rama – Sarve Loka Hithe Ratah (one engaged in the welfare of all), Sarve Gnyanopasampannah (one who is endowed with all wisdom), Sarve Samudhitha Gunaihi (one who is receptacle of all praiseworthy virtues). These three qualities are most important in the life of man. If your education does not endow you with these qualities, what is its use? You should utilize education for the benefit of others. The education you pursue should give you true knowledge. It should develop virtues in you. No doubt, education is required for earning one’s livelihood. At the same time, it should be put to use for the benefit of others. But people today are selling their education just to earn money. They use their education as business. Education is not meant to be sold or used for begging jobs. It is meant to be shared. It grows when it is shared. What is the use of having high education bereft of virtues? What is the value of such education? Character is more important than education.

Students!

There is nothing wrong in acquiring a job after the completion of your education. But at the same time, you should see to it that your education is put to use for the benefit of society. You should always keep in view the welfare of society. Take part in the service of society. What does service to society really mean? Do not consider it below your dignity to render seva (service), thinking that you are highly educated. At the same time, it is not necessary for you to sweep the roads in the name of seva. Whatever is your job, if you perform it to the satisfaction of your conscience, that itself is seva. Suppose you are doing business, do not resort to unjust and unrighteous means just to earn money. Rather, you should utilize your earning in performing sacred tasks.

Not only this. I want to draw your attention to something very important. What is the root cause that our country Bharat has come to such a sorry state today? The reason is that people do not perform their duty properly. What is the use if such people talk of bhakti (devotion)? What does devotion really mean? For example, for a doctor or a nurse, it is most important to perform their duty with dedication towards their patients. If the patients are suffering and the doctors run to the Mandir to participate in the arati of Swami, what type of devotion is this? It is no devotion at all. It is sheer madness and foolishness. Look after the patients under your charge with sincerity and earnestness so that they do not undergo any suffering at all. This is your seva, this is your duty, this is your bhakti. People who neglect their duty can never develop devotion. What is the use of pouring payasam (sweet pudding) into a vessel that has ten holes? The vessel will always remain empty as much as payasam you pour into it. Likewise, if your heart has the holes of selfishness and self-interest, what is the use of stuffing it with devotion? Therefore, what is important is that you should perform your duty properly and sincerely.

Your Work Should Justify the Salary You Receive

There is another important point I want to mention. You should justify the salary you take by performing work accordingly. Only then can you truly serve the country. If you take a high salary and do a little work, it amounts to betraying the country. Do not crave for high salaries. Enquire whether you are doing the work commensurate with the salary you get? If you do that, that itself is a great service. You should develop this noble quality and serve the country. Had everybody performed his duty according to the salary he got, the country would not have come to this sorry state. Because of the expenditure on high salaries, the government is forced to borrow money from other countries. For whose sake is the government forced to take loans? It is for your sake only. If you perform your duty as per your salary, will the country be put to loss due to this wastage? People take salary of thousands of rupees and do not perform work worth a naya paisa. Is it justified? It is neither justice nor dharma (righteousness). Hence, the work that you perform should justify the salary that you receive. You should work to the satisfaction of your conscience. Only then can you have peace. Otherwise, how can you have peace? You repeat the word shanti (peace) three times after bhajan. What does it mean? It means peace at the physical, mental, and Atmic levels. That is how our ancient culture and sacred texts have been teaching these great truths which have a profound inner meaning. The sacredness of the culture of Bharat cannot be found in any other part of the world. The divinity of this culture is unparalleled and unique. In the prayer recited by the students, they have stated this great teaching of the Vedas:

Saha Navavatu,
Saha Nau Bhunaktu,
Saha Veeryam Karavavahai,
Tejaswinavadheetamastu,
Mam Vidvishavahai.
(Sanskrit Verse)

(May the Lord protect and nourish us!
May we grow in intelligence and valour working together!
May we live in friendship without any conflict!)

It means that all should live together in harmony like children of one family. You should work together with total cooperation. It is not the work like that of shareholders of a business enterprise. Not only all have equal share in this, all share their joys and sorrows equally. This is one of the foremost teachings of the Vedas. But the Vedic scholars today interpret the teachings of the Vedas in their own way, in which the true meaning is not revealed. This is not their fault. Poor fellows! They themselves do not know the meaning. They merely chant the Vedic mantras, but they do not understand the meaning of what they chant.

Recitation of Vedic mantras without knowing their meaning is useless. What is the use of mere chanting if one does not know the meaning of the words? There was a great singer in Madras (Chennai). She was known as Gana Kokila (nightingale of melody). She is no more now. Her voice was sweet like that of a cuckoo bird. She was very fond of singing Thyagaraja Kritis. All the compositions of Thyagaraja are in Telugu. But she had no knowledge of the Telugu language. Once she sang this Thyagaraja song, “Ne Pogadakunte Neekemi Koduva Rama” (Oh Rama! What do You lose if I don’t praise You?) in her sweet and melodious voice. But since she did not understand the words, she sang, “Ne Pakoda Tinte Neekemi Koduva Rama” (If I eat Pakodas, what do You lose, Oh Rama!). You yourself can see how much the meaning became distorted when she sang, “Pakoda Tinte” instead of “Pogadakunte”. In Tamil language, no difference is observed in the sounds of the letters ‘ga’ and ‘ka’. They write ‘Kandhi’ instead of ‘Gandhi’. Therefore, when they say 'Pogadakunte', it sounds like 'Pakoda Tinte'. Their singing of Thyagaraja Kirtans is pleasing to the ears but pronunciation of words leaves much to be desired.

In the same manner, you may chant Vedic mantras in perfect rhythm and proper intonation; but if you do not know their meaning, it will only be pleasing to the ears; it will not fill your heart with bliss. You will experience bliss when you understand the meaning of words and imbibe the sacredness contained in them. Students are the future redeemers of the nation. Therefore, they should take to the path of spirituality, make efforts to understand the teachings of the Vedas and act accordingly.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Govinda Hare Gopala Hare, Hey Gopi Gopa Bala…”)

– From Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 28th June 1996.