In plain words
The government says this and that. I ask that, without concerning themselves with that, and without distinction of caste, religion, race or class, the Sathya Sai Organisations take up from this day programmes to raise up the countryside, go to every village and provide its people with educational and medical facilities. Dhyāna and tapas serve only oneself, but through tyāga the whole world fares well. That is why the Upaniṣads declared tyāga the cause of Mokṣa: “By tyāga some have attained immortality.” But I ask that from this day the members of the Sathya Sai Organisations show tyāga and provide the village people with what they need. Some measure of morality and honesty still remains in the villages. In the towns there is none. So I hope that all who have money will help these village people to prosper.
A festival does not mean taking down the old festoons and tying up fresh green ones. It does not mean taking off old clothes and putting on new ones. That much alone is not enough. Cast off the old ways of thinking and nurture new ones. The Ugādi pacchaḍi, mixing bitter and sweet, is a sign of equal-mindedness in hardship and in happiness. We must give children and students training from childhood to serve the villages. In our country today there are 255,000 children. Of them, forty per cent are begging. In such hard times it is not right for us to sit idle. Lay aside japa and such sādhanas, and with the feeling that service to man is itself service to Mādhava, lift these people up with tyāga and with toil. All of you, rising above differences of politics, caste and religion, with a pure heart and each as far as your strength allows: take up serving them as your vow for this new year. Every year has its welcome. Every year has its farewell. In sorrow and in joy, self-confidence alone is the safeguard. Without it, our humanity wastes away. If we serve in this spirit, our country will be an example to other countries. We call ourselves the people of Bhārata, but how are we nourishing the culture of Bhārata? For spiritual growth, self-confidence is what matters most. So, hoping that you will look on service to the villages as the service of God, I bless you.