Install Rama in your hearts

26 May 1985, Discourse to a mass gathering of village residents, Kammavaripalli village

Professor Kasturi's English.

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WHATEVER qualities a man may possess, he cannot make proper use of them if he lacks company of good people. Through the (company of good persons) one can develop good qualites, good thoughts, good feelings and do good deeds and thereby transform his human nature into divine nature. This, in fact, is the primary duty of every individual.

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Villagers should seek to share all the amenities available in the villages. They must learn a lesson from the behaviour of the crow. When a crow sees an edible, it cries, 'kaw, kaw', to attract other crows to the place. Likewise, when ant sees a piece of , it does not start eating it alone. It brings other ants to the place. Rows and rows of ants can be seen coming towards the lump of and eating from it. Look at the unity and cooperation among the ants and crows. Such unity is not present among men. Personal differences are ruining the life in the villages. Enormous progress can be made by the villagers if there is unity among them. There will then be no need for approaching the Government for help. If the villagers are united, there is nothing which they cannot accomplish.

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The mark of a true human being You must see that every action of yours is pure and sacred. It should be based on truth and should be intelligent and purposeful. The ancient used to pray, "" (I bow to the all-powerful ). We tend to waste our precious life in activities devoted to worldly matters and petty pleasures. No time is devoted to the achievement of the enduing and sacred bliss that is delved from the enjoyment of the Self. Time is not anyone's exclusive property. It is common to all whether he is a multi-millionaire or a destitute. All are subject to the dictates of Time.

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All must cultivate the spirit of equal-mindedness. This is the mark of a true human being. It is the spirit of serenity in which one looks upon praise or blame, honour or dishonour, pleasure or pain alike. We tend to shrivel up when somebody abuses us. The whole world looks gloomy. We swell with pride when anybody praises us. What we should cultivate is an attitude in which we remain unaffected in both the situations. (mental tranquillity) is necessary for experiencing the truth of the Self. There is no greater thing on earth than peace of mind. Every effort must be made to acquire .

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The idol of has been installed in your temple today. You must feel that has been installed in the hearts of everyone of you. When you have this feeling, you will begin to follow the path of righteousness. Righteousness protects those who act righteously. As farmers, you know the gains from sowing a bushel of seed to reap a harvest of a bag of grain. Likewise if you devote five minutes to prayer in a day, the Lord will give you fifty-five minutes worth of grace.

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You must cultivate unity, co-operation and mutual trust. Love is the basis of all other human qualities like Truth, Righteousness and Peace. If the four qualities of , , and are present in a person, he will manifest the divinity that is in him.

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Not many of you may know that I first visited this village nearly 35 years ago. I have looked upon and as my two eyes and that is why I decided to initiate the installation of the idol in the temple here. This village is at the periphery of and is very backward. I shall be prepared to help you and promote your welfare in every possible way.