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The
sun shines serene and gentle. The brief daylight is softly wafting
the cool wind. The fields are ripe with golden crops. Marigold
flowers are blossoming like garlands of pearls on the banks of
rivers. The farmers are rejoicing and singing. The ripened
chillies are colouring fields with vestments of bright red. The
sweet festival of Sankranti has come, filling our homes with the
freshly harvested grains of cereals and pulses.
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| (Telugu
Poem) |
Of all the festivals, the imminent Sankranti is the most important. It is
the day on which the farmers bring home the harvested crop, feed the poor
and rejoice. On this day, the Vedic scholars get up during the sacred
Brahmamuhurtha time and chant the Vedic Mantras, purifying the hearts of
one and all. This festival has a special significance even for the
householders. They invite their newly married sons-in-law to their house,
present them with new clothes and the entire house abounds with joy. In
this context, there is a folk song in Telugu:
As Sankranti is the festival of festivals,
Oh newly married bridegroom, visit your in-laws’ house,
Come spend your time in fun and frolic with your brothers-in-law and
sisters-in-law,
The entire household and the neighbourhood will honour you with love and
affection.
It is also an occasion when the bullocks are decorated elaborately and
taken to various houses in the village. The bullocks are worshipped and
fed sumptuously as an expression of gratitude for all the hard work they
do in the fields. Even the bovine members of the household are feted, a
symbolic marriage is performed between a pair of bull and cow, naming them
as Rama and Sita. They are taken along the streets and made to dance to
the delight of everyone. In this manner, the festival of Sankranti bestows
great joy and auspiciousness on farmers, householders, priests and
children. Not only the human beings, even the birds and animals rejoice
with the arrival of the sacred Sankranti festival. At sunset, it is a
wonderful sight to see the birds flying back to their nests chatting
merrily loudly in their own language filling the air with a joyous hum. It
is an equally delightful sight to see the cows rushing back from the
grazing fields to feed their young ones and the young ones craving for the
caresses of their mothers, mooing loudly to their mothers. Sankranti
festival is so sweet and endearing to one and all. Cool winds, mellifluous
bird songs and the sweet sugarcane crops herald the arrival of Sankranti.
People celebrate this festival by distributing sweets and rice puddings.
This festival drives away all disappointments and despair and fills our
hearts with hope and enthusiasm. People get up early in the morning, have
a sacred bath and worship their chosen deities such as Ganapati,
Subrahmanya and Lord Easwara. The divine form of Lord Siva is described
thus:
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The
Lord of Kailasa has manifested his Divine form with the crescent
moon adorning his head, the cool water of the Ganga flowing
between the matted locks, with his radiant eye in the middle of
the forehead and the purple neck gleaming like the sheen of a
blackberry. He wears serpent bracelets and a snake belt, his
entire body is smeared with Vibhuti, his forehead is adorned with
a kumkum dot, his ruddy lips glow with the juice of the betel,
diamond-studded gold earrings dangle from his ears and his whole
swarthy body glows with divine effulgence.
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| (Telugu
Poem) |
However, nowadays
people are not celebrating Sankranti in its true spirit. Their celebration
is confined to mere performance of rituals. They lack purity and sanctity.
They are unable to enjoy the bliss of Sankranti because of hatred,
jealousy and conflicts.
On this auspicious occasion of Sankranti, children aged 5 years are
initiated into the process of learning with the chanting of sacred Vedic
Mantras. Our ancient sages declared, Vedahametham Purusham Mahantham
Adityavarnam Thamasah Parasthath (I have visualised the Supreme Being who
shines with the effulgence of a billion suns and who is beyond Thamas -
the darkness of ignorance). The Vedas have extolled the Supreme Being in
manifold ways. The Rig Veda contains Mantras extolling God and His
blissful form which attracts one and all.
People address their bullocks with names such as Ramudu, Bhimudu, etc.
Similarly, cows are named after Sita, Gowri, Lakshmi, etc. The inner
meaning of this is that even animals are treated with the same concern and
care as human beings. They decorate the cows and bullocks with Saris and
Dhotis and take them out in a procession.
These days even birds and animals lead their lives in accordance with
their natural qualities. So, they are able to enjoy happiness. On the
other hand, man has forgotten his true nature and is behaving like an
animal. Consequently, he is leading a miserable life. Birds and animals
are better than men in the sense they live in unity and harmony. But due
to the impact of modern education, man has degenerated to the level of a
beast. He has lost the virtues of honesty and integrity. Birds and animals
have a reason and a season, but man has no reason or season. In every
house and in every human endeavour, money is given utmost priority. People
are ready to stoop down to any level for the sake of money. Animals are
satisfied once their hunger is satiated, but man has no sense of
satisfaction. The more he earns, the greedier he becomes.
When a dog is sick, it does not eat food. If you have a pet dog, you might
have observed this. Even if you pour milk into its mouth by force, it
refuses to drink. It likes to remain on empty stomach. But man observes no
such restraint with regard to diet when he is sick. He wants to take
complete rest even if there is mild rise in his temperature. He covers
himself from head to foot and lies down on his bed. However, he gives no
rest to his stomach nor does he observe proper diet restrictions even when
he runs high temperature. He likes to eat sweets like Mysorepak, Burfi,
Gulab Jamoon, etc., which will only aggravate his sickness. Man is
behaving like an animal and animals are behaving like humans! When a
person misbehaves, the elders reprimand him saying, “Why do you behave
like an animal?” Due to the impact of modern education, man has lost
morality and integrity and has become worse than an animal. He is
acquiring high academic qualifications like B.A. and M.A. But what is the
use? He is adding the letter ‘D’ (dirty qualities) to his
qualification and becoming ‘BAD’ and ‘MAD’. This type of perverted
behaviour is unbecoming of a human being. Man should develop good
thoughts, good qualities and good character. On the contrary, he is taking
to wrong ways to earn money. Money comes and goes, morality comes and
grows. But man is selling morality in the market for the sake of money.
Embodiments
of Love!
At least from this Sankranti day, make efforts to cultivate
good qualities. Let there be a change in your behaviour for the better.
The festivals of Bharatiyas are meant to impart sacred teachings and
transform human behaviour. They are not meant to merely eat, drink and
make merry. First of all, there should be transformation at the individual
level. There should be unity in the family. In olden days, people used to
live in joint families. The young couples would live with their parents,
in-laws and other elders of the family in harmony. Whenever there was any
difference of opinion between the couple, the elders in the family would
give proper guidance and pacify them. The daughters-in-law would
implicitly follow the advice of their in-laws. As a result, there never
used to be any scope for conflicts in the family. But the modern trend is
such that the daughter-in-law does not want to live in the house of her
in-laws. She wants the family to be divided. Because of such divisive
mentality, conflicts in the family are on the rise. Consequently, Kali
Yuga has become Kalaha Yuga (age of conflicts) and Kalmasha Yuga (age of
pollution). People in those days talked always in a pleasing manner. They
would welcome the guests wholeheartedly by exchanging pleasant feelings
like “How are you? Please have your food with us, etc.” More than the
food, it was the warmth and affection of the host that appeased the hunger
of the guest. But nowadays, even on a festival day, people do not like to
entertain guests. When they find a guest entering their house, they greet
him with the remark, “Please come, hope you have already had your lunch;
please be seated.” Man has become so narrow-minded that he does not want
to offer even a morsel of food to the guests. Such being the sorry state
of affairs, how can you expect the children to be ideal citizens? Due to
the influence of parents, even children are becoming narrow-minded.
Parents want them to acquire modern education and earn a lot of money. In
order to get the children educated in expensive prestigious schools, even
the mother has to take up a job. The children are left to the care of Ayas
(female attendants). Consequently, the children are unable to experience
the love of the mother. They shed tears when the Aya dies, but not when
the mother passes away. The children should be brought up under the loving
care of the mother. They should listen to her sacred teachings. Otherwise,
how can they come up in life? Modern education cannot redeem man’s life.
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One
may have acquired high academic qualifications such as B.A. and
M.A. and attained name and fame,
One may have all the wealth and one may do acts of charity and
earn merit and good reputation,
One may have all the physical strength and lead a long and healthy
life,
One may be a Vipra (Brahmin) who teaches the Vedas and performs
spiritual practices such as penance and meditation,
But none of them can be equal to the devotee of the Lord.
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| (Telugu
Poem) |
What is this
education? It is only leading to agitation. People are only acquiring
degrees, but are not broadening their mind. True education is that which
brings about transformation of the heart. There should be expansion of
love. But, the present-day education system is leading to
narrow-mindedness. People are highly egoistic of their academic
qualifications. They have given up morality and integrity, the very
essence of Indian culture. Without the virtue of honesty, how can one
attain Ananda (bliss)? How can education bereft of morality redeem your
life? Today the students are going to countries like America, Japan,
Germany, etc., as soon as they complete their studies. When the parents go
all the way to spend their time with their children, they are asked to
have their food in restaurants. Modern educated people are not so
fortunate as to serve food to their parents with their own hands. They do
not show gratitude to their parents who have brought them up with love and
care. This is the worst sin. You should look after your parents well. You
should take care of their needs in their advanced age and protect them
with love and concern. Today, when parents become old, the children demand
a share of their property. They are interested in property but not in
developing a proper mind. They do not hesitate to go even to the Supreme
Court to settle their property disputes. Instead, one should strive to
attain the Supreme State by cultivating virtues. The more one is educated,
the more virtuous one should become.
Dear Students!
Just now you have seen Me calling an American boy. This boy is studying in
our Institution. Simultaneously, he is also learning Veda. In whichever
portion of the Veda you question him, he will be able to chant the
concerned Mantra beautifully. In fact, it is the good fortune of the
parents to have such children. It is only because of such parents,
children are able to cultivate good qualities. This boy’s parents are
living in America, yet they have admitted him in our Institute which is
far away from their native place to enable him to learn good qualities and
good behaviour. In fact, they have all the facilities available in America
to educate their son there itself. But, they did not want to educate their
son in America. They love our country and the noble qualities that the
children imbibe here. Here the children learn education coupled with love.
The children prostrate before their parents with respect and reverence.
Such noble qualities have impressed these parents and therefore they have
brought their son to pursue his education in our Institution.
Here is a small example. Once upon a time, there lived a Hindi Pandit who
was reputed for his literary skills. His two sons were studying in
Allahabad, while he and his wife lived in a small town. One day he and his
wife had to go by train on a visit to another town and they had to pass
through Allahabad. He wrote to his sons to come and meet them at the
station on that particular date.
The train halted at the station and the parents stood at the door of the
carriage. They saw their sons hurrying towards them. The elder one touched
the feet of both the parents before talking to them, while the younger son
did not show such respect and reverence. The parents enquired about their
health and studies. The elder son said, “We are fine here. Please take
care of your health. Your happiness is our happiness.” On the other
hand, the younger son did not enquire about their health at all. He asked
for more money. As the train was about to start, once again the elder one
bent and touched the feet of his parents while the younger one just waved
his hand. As the train was leaving the platform, the parents were watching
their sons through the window. The elder one was offering his Namaskar
till the end, whereas the younger son was keeping his hands in the pocket
and looking somewhere with a callous attitude.
The mother became worried seeing the behaviour of the younger son. She
blamed her husband for the reckless behaviour of the younger son. She
said, “You have kept him away from us for the sake of his education. He
is behaving like an animal as there is no one to guide him properly.”
The father pacified her saying, “After all, he is young, he will learn
and improve in course of time.” But, the mother could not come to a
compromise and said, “He is already doing his degree course, if not now
when will he learn?” Unable to control her feelings, she shed tears.
The mother’s words proved to be true. In course of time the elder son,
by virtue of his diligence and good behaviour, attained a high position in
society. He was very much respected for his manners and sense of courtesy.
He prostrated before his parents and said, “It is because of your
blessings that I have come up in life.” The parents shed tears of joy
and blessed him profusely, “Son, it is because of your virtues that you
have attained an exalted position in life.” What happened to the younger
son? He could not fare well in the examinations and ultimately had to be
contented with a clerical job. While the elder one received salutations
from everyone, the younger son had to salute everyone. How can one who
does not respect his parents be respected by others? Yad Bhavam Tad
Bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result). Our future depends upon our
present behaviour. In Western countries today, they give respect and take
respect. But this quality is becoming extinct in our country. When you do
not respect your own parents, even dogs would not care to look at you.
Therefore, wherever you go, you should never forget to respect your
parents. The Vedas in our country have also exhorted, Matru Devo Bhava,
Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava, Atithi Devo Bhava (revere your
mother, father, preceptor and guest as God). Thus, they promoted noble
qualities by their exhortation. Whoever respects his parents and obeys
their commands will certainly reach high positions in life. In fact, the
festival of Sankranti exhorts us to cultivate such noble qualities.
‘Kranti’ means transformation. Therefore, Sankranti is supposed to
bring about a transformation in our lives. But, how are we reacting to
this? Are we able to achieve transformation in our life? No. The purpose
of our education is to remove the bad qualities and cultivate good
qualities and good behaviour. This is what the festivals in India are
meant for. But nobody realises the inner meanings of these festivals.
Embodiments of Love! Students!
Your parents are struggling hard to feed you, educate you and bring you up
in life. Even if they have to starve, they would somehow try to feed you
and look after your welfare. They always struggle to keep you in good mood
and good condition. They give you good food, good clothing and good
education. If you do not respect such parents, how do you expect to be
respected by society?
You all know about Abraham Lincoln. He used to go to school in the company
of wealthy boys, in his childhood. Those boys were wearing costly clothes
and ornaments. Lincoln, however, had to go to school with worn-out clothes
that were mended by his mother. One day, his friends made fun of his poor
dress. He could not control himself. He went straight to his mother crying
and told her, “Mother! I will not attend school hereafter. My classmates
are making fun of me. They are looking down upon me as a poor boy unable
to wear decent dress.” Then, the mother took him into her arms lovingly
and consoled him saying, “My dear son! You need not have to feel sorry
for such a trivial issue. All this is going to help you in your future
life. You must keep our family condition in view. Do not give attention to
what others say. Lead a life of self-confidence and self-respect. Respect
every individual and be respected by every individual.” From that day
onwards, Lincoln put his mother’s advice into practice and started
respecting everybody. Gradually, Abraham Lincoln could command respect
from all people by his good behaviour. He earned a very good name for
himself. After sometime, elections were held in America. He was persuaded
by his friends and well-wishers to contest the elections. At last, he
bowed to the wishes of his friends and well-wishers and contested the
elections. He won the elections with a thumping margin and was elected
President of the United States of America in due course of time. He
attained such an exalted position because he implicitly followed the
advice of his mother and respected everybody. Truly speaking, he did not
have much money, but he had the wealth of virtues. He was happy at the
prosperity of others. He was contented with what he had and did not crave
for money and material possessions. Because of such noble qualities, he
rose to become the President of America. During his tenure, he passed a
decree for abolishing slavery of black Africans in America thereby putting
an end to their inhuman suffering.
It is self-respect
that protects man and takes him to an exalted position. You may be poor
financially, but if you uphold your self-respect, you will be respected by
all. Do not look down upon the poor. Respect them and treat them with
love. That is the true human nature. Lincoln’s mother inculcated such
noble qualities in her son. That is why Lincoln considered his mother as
God and revered her. Whoever inculcates sacred qualities in you is your
God. He is not to be sought after somewhere else. When you develop
self-respect, He will manifest right in front of you.
Dear Students!
You must respect your parents, whoever they may be and in whatever
condition they may be. You must respect their words and obey their
commands, without any reservation. Then only you will be able to command
respect from society. All the great people in yesteryears did obey and
respect their parents and set an example to the world. Do you know the
underlying meaning of the ancient customs and traditions of Bharat? For
example, they used to build big mansions with small doors. Do you know
why? We think that these small doors were to prevent thieves from entering
the houses and escaping with ease. No, that was not the reason. These
doors were purposely kept low to enable the visitors to observe the custom
of entering the houses with their heads bent in reverence to the inmates.
Thus, every custom and tradition of Bharat were meant to promote mutual
respect and goodwill among people. It was established with great care and
wisdom. But, even the Bharatiyas have forgotten such noble traditions.
Nowadays you will not find even a ‘gadapa’ (threshold) to the door
frame of the main entrance to the house. They think that the threshold is
an unnecessary hindrance to enter the house. No, it is not a hindrance at
all! The ancient traditions and customs of Bharat are meant to promote
humility, respect and reverence among people.
Dear Students!
You must learn and observe such great traditions and command the respect
of people. You must bring joy to your parents, by your behaviour. The
parents must feel happy that their children are obeying them. It is enough
if you earn such a good name. God’s grace cannot be obtained by
performing mere rituals like worship. However highly qualified you are, it
will only promote ego, but not humility and respect towards parents and
elders. Therefore, you must cultivate the qualities of humility, respect
and reverence. Then only you will become good citizens of the country. It
is not necessary that you should become great. It is enough if you become
good citizens. Name and fame come today, but may be lost tomorrow. But,
the good name acquired will last forever. Therefore, earn a good name. We
must earn the ‘grace’ of God. But, contrary to this, people are
craving for the ‘grass’ of worldly desires. Grass is something that is
consumed by the cattle. You should not become cattle by developing a taste
for grass. You must strive to earn God’s grace and thus become good
individuals.
Dear
Students!
These are the sacred days of the festival of Sankranti. On this occasion,
we must cultivate the quality of giving respect to others and taking
respect. I am giving you a small example here. (Swami called the American
boy, a student of Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, and said),
“This boy is securing first class not only in studies but also in the
study of Vedas. He has given immense joy to his parents with his good
behaviour. His father is very happy that his son has earned a very good
name and is appreciated by one and all.” (Swami called his father to the
dais and showered His blessings on him.) This boy’s mother is working in
our Primary School and spending her time blissfully. The boy’s parents
have earned the love and respect of all because of his exemplary
behaviour. In this manner, every one of you should strive to bring good
name to your parents. Only then will your parents experience the real joy
of begetting you as their son. You may earn a lot of money and build big
mansions, but they cannot bring you good name. They are temporary. Once
you earn good reputation, it will remain with you forever. Bring good name
to the institution in which you have studied. Observing your noble
qualities, people should be able to recognise you as Sathya Sai students.
You are aware that we are not charging even a paisa from our students.
Further, I am also providing books and other facilities for the needy and
deserving students. The students have immense love for Swami and Swami
also showers His love and grace on them. Even while leaving their parents
and coming here, they do not shed tears. But when I go to Brindavan and
return to Puttaparthi, the students in Brindavan start shedding tears
unable to bear the separation from Me. How did they acquire such intense
love? It is Swami’s love that is responsible for this. It is only the
love that I disseminate to all. My property does not comprise mansions and
palatial buildings. Love is My biggest property. I am giving My love and
receiving your love in return. I often tell the students, “Give Me your
love, I will give you whatever you want.” That is why the students have
such intense love for Me. Develop love more and more. Love your parents.
Obey their command. Your lives will certainly be sanctified.
Think of God always. Wherever you are, in the forest or in the sky, in the
village or in the city, on the hilltop or in the middle of the deep sea,
love alone can come to your rescue. It is always with you, in you, around
you, above you and below you.
Chaala Santhosham (very happy).
(Bhagavan concluded His
Discourse with the Bhajan, “Hari Bhajan Bina Sukha Santhi Nahin …”)
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