Education should be used for promoting the welfare of the Nation

1.The power of the Divine Name is unparalleled. People often take it lightly. This is wrong. One should not mistake a diamond for a shining piece of glass. The real diamond is truly different. Incidentally, do you know the meaning of diamond? It is ‘Die mind’. God’s name is the real diamond. Keep it safe and secure. Do not ever be bothered by pain and suffering, losses and difficulties. They just come and pass. That is not your real nature. Your innate Self is strong, eternal and real (Sath). You should not follow the fleeting and unreal, forsaking your own true and eternal nature. Once you seek refuge in the lotus feet of God, you should never give up. Wherever you go, the Divine Feet will protect you. If you install the Divine Name firmly in your heart, your life will become sanctified. It is only for making people realise this truth that the Sadhana(spiritual exe rcise) of Akhanda Bhajan (continous singing) has been prescribed for devotees at least once in a year.

2.What you should offer to God through the fruit of your Sadhana(spiritual exercise) is the essence of good qualities, noble thoughts and love. The world itself will be benefited by an individual who has good conduct. If fire starts on one tree, it will not stop after burning that particular tree. It will spread and burn the entire wood. In the same manner, if there is one individual who has bad qualities, he will spoil the whole community in addition to ruining himself. On the other hand, if there is a plant which is full of fragrant flowers, it will fill the entire area with sweetness. In the same manner, even a single person with a noble code of conduct will not only improve himself but also will better the condition of the entire society around him through his noble deeds.

3.A person driving a car concentrates on the road for he is anxious to save himself and others from accident. Fear is what induces single-mindedness in this case. Love is a greater force for achieving concentration. If you have steady and resolute love, your concentration becomes intense and unshakeable. Faith develops into love and love results in concentration. Prayer begins to yield fruit under such conditions. Pray using the Name as a symbol of the Lord, by keeping all the waves of the mind still. Let the performance of a duty be the only justification for your coming into the world. Hold fast to the Lord. The bhaktha (devotee) should never retract. Never give way to doubt or despair.

4.‘Bhagavatha’ connotes three sections of knowledge: (1) The glory and majesty of the incarnations of God, (2) The names of those who are fully devoted to God and (3) The intimate relationship between God and the godly. Wherever and whenever these three are found together, there we have the Bhagavatha. All that is visible is not beyond or outside God. To put it succinctly, everything is Bhagavatha!

5.Every concrete manifestation of God is significant. There can be no higher or lower. The story of each one of them is elevating. Each is a complete manifestation. Listening to their stories may make you feel that one incarnation is grander and more sublime than another. It would appear as if you get more inspiration from one Avatar than another. But all are equally Divine and enigmatic. Every manifestation is suited to the time, the task, the circumstance and the need. Its form is in accordance with the purpose.

6.From time immemorial, women of Bharat, by their adherence to ideals have bestowed joy on this land and hence occupy an exalted position, which is higher than that of men. Women of such exalted character have set great ideals of womanhood in Bharat. Only if the women come up in society, will the whole world turn sacred. There is nothing in this world that women cannot achieve. Recognising the nature of such women, we must encourage them and give them equal opportunities in society. However, in today's world, there is no encouragement for women to cultivate high ideals. In modern times, the ways of life have become so perverted that only evil thoughts, feelings and behaviour rule the roost.

7.For the protection of the world, for upholding Dharma (righteousness), for fulfilling the yearnings of devotees, He wills and assumes a special Form and moves in the world. He confers joy on the devotees by His Divine acts, which convince them of His Advent. They are thus confirmed in their faith and prompted to dedicate their activities to God and thus save themselves, and liberate themselves. On certain occasions, for resolving certain urgent crisis, God has incarnated with Forms embodying only a part of His Divinity, with some Divine powers and potentialities.

8.The common man is drawn by external pomp and apparent motives. So he judges the leelas (Divine sport) as common and even low. The inner meaning and purpose are not easily patent to all. But the Lord can never engage Himself in purposeless and paltry activities. His advent is for the uplift of the world from the morass of wickedness and unrighteousness, for fulfilling the needs of those devoted to Him, for the reestablishment of righteousness and morality, and for the revival of the Vedas. He has to take into account the merit acquired by each in previous lives and shower His grace accordingly. His leelas or Divine activities are so shaped that they suit the time, the person, the aspiration and the compassion which cause each shower of grace!

9.Education should be used for promoting the welfare of the nation. Knowledge gained through education should be used selflessly for promoting the well-being of humanity. What we need today areUttama-purushulu (noble and ideal men and women). The nation will prosper only when there are such persons. And people like these will emerge in society only when there is purity of mind and morality in society. Only a society with a moral foundation can foster such noble persons. Spirituality is the only means for redemption.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba