New horizons for the Sai Institute

4 March 1993, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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Aim at cultivation of good qualities Selflessness, humility, unostentatiousness are qualities that underlie the human personality. Along with academic excellence, a student should aim at the cultivation of good qualities. Education enables you to score marks, but you also need elevation of your personality. Qualities contribute to elevation. Education and elevation combine to develop the human personality. Unfortunately, people today are only concerned about academic education and ignore the cultivation of good qualities. Today the progress of scientific and technological education has virtually destroyed the sacredness of the human personality. Even the great war leader and Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill, once declared: "Man has conquered everything, but has not conquered himself." reproved his father, , by telling him that though he had conquered the three worlds, he had not learnt to conquer his senses. Without being able to control the senses, what is the use of learning every kind of knowledge? All knowledge is useless, if one has not acquired Self-knowledge. Such a person may be regarded as intellectually clever, but cannot be called intelligent. The first step, therefore, is to know one's Self. Spirituality is the means to acquire knowledge of yourself. Hence, as much importance should be assigned to the promotion of good qualities in the educational process as is given to academic studies.

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should be combined with It is essential that the development of science should be accompanied by a corresponding development - of the power of (discrimination). (Science) is doubtless, necessary. But it should be combined with (divine wisdom). is the essential principle in man. This 'Integrated Awareness' in Vedanthik parlance, has been equated with (the Supreme Absolute). When science is combined with , discrimination follows as a corollary. By forgetting and pursuing (science), man is making a mockery of his existence. It is not enough to make a mere man out of a person through education. Education should aim at making him a "full man".

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"" (Give up all association with the evil-minded), "" (Pray for the company of the good), "" (Engage yourself in meritorious deeds day and night), and "" (Remember what is permanent and what is transient).

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You should run away from bad company. A bad company can spoil even a good man. A renunciant may be turned into a covetous man. This is the effect of bad company. The ancient sages considered association with the evil-minded as companionship with a poisonous snake. It was to escape from the danger of such association that they resorted to the solitude of forests. A snake may bite a person once in a way but a bad man infects others with poison all the time. A bad man is one who is filled with bad thoughts, speaks bad words and does bad deeds. The offers four examples of. bad men called . The first one is ('s maternal uncle). was all the time filled with (bad thoughts). He is a total stranger to good ideas. He was always plotting something bad for someone or other. was having as his adviser was engaged in (bad deeds). They were comrades in evil. Then came (brother of ). In association with and , became notorious for his (bad behaviour). When these three evil-minded men came together, "even stars, started " falling during daytime," as the saying goes. The whole cosmos rebels against such evil-minded men. , out of a false sense of (bad attachment), joined this trio. Gratitude is doubtless a good quality. But because came to his rescue on a critical occasion, developed a wrongful attachment to . was a good-natured person. He was noble-minded. But because he was associated with evil-minded men he also became a bad person. Despite his valour, physical prowess and intellectual abilities, met with disaster., because he had made himself remote from God. What was the defect in ? (misguided attachment).

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Four kinds of evil persons Evil thoughts, evil deeds, evil conduct, and attachment to the evil-minded - these are (the four evil persons). Hence, students should, at the outset, give up the company of bad persons. Once you have achieved maturity in moral stature, you can associate with anyone. At this stage, when your hearts are tender and your minds are not developed, you should not move freely with all and sundry. When you are spiritually immature, you should not associate with one and all equally. These four rules should be the guiding-posts in your life. If you adhere to these four rules, you will be able to acquire all knowledge, by the grace of the Divine. This is illustrated by the story of , who acquired spiritual knowledge from purely by his devoted service to the preceptor, without any attention to scriptural studies. Service to the preceptor was the (meritorious deed) which he performed all the time. This sanctified his life. While bringing the clothes of his from the other bank of the , the river was in spate and rose to the level of his neck. He prayed to Lord to enable him to serve his preceptor. He could reach the other bank by walking over lotus shaped slabs which appeared on the swollen river. He got the name and received all spiritual knowledge from by sheer grace.

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Service to sanctifies one's life Let me relate the story of , who secured the (diadem) by the grace of his preceptor for his devoted service to the . The which wore on his head, saved him from being beheaded by , who had taken a vow to cut off 's head for his crime of slaughtering the (infant children of the brothers). Though was keen on carrying out his vow and took before , she, out of the largeness of her heart and from the inspiration of , found a formula to punish without cutting off his head. She said that if a was kept captive in a house and sent out as free man, it was equivalent to beheading him. She also told that it was not to kill a who carried on his head the precious jewel given to him by his .

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The unique Chancellor and Vice-chancellor In today's programme, we regard two items as important: one, a send-off and the other, a welcome. That is not so. Both are welcome. There is no such thing as a "send-off" with . will not stand in the way of those who wish to leave. But I will not ask anyone to go. However, during the past two years, Prof. moved among the staff and the students as among the members of the family. The teachers, the students and others lived as members of the same family. In other educational institutions, the Vice-Chancellor puts in his appearance once a year Chancellors are hardly to be seen at all. But in our Institute, even more than the Vice- Chancellor, the Chancellor is ever present. The most amazing fact is that the Chancellor spends all twenty four hours with the students. How should they answer their examination papers? How should they face their examinations? Speaking to the students even about these simple matters, gives them joy. In the same manner, the Vice-Chancellor also, from the morning prayer, till late in the evening, discusses their problems with the students. Prof. is a devotee. He did not come here seeking an office. To lead a sacred life in close proximity to was the sole desire of the couple Mr. and Mrs. . Coming here, he carried on his duties, to the limit of his capacity, without any deficiencies on his part. This is his home, not mine. So everyone carried on his respective duties. It is not merely to praise him that I say all this. He performed his duties well. That is enough.

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Need for research in harnessing solar energy Do not consider that from this day he is relinquishing his post. Spending the rest of his life with , giving to the students the benefit of all his knowledge, he should contribute to the growth of our Institute in a unique way. He has specialized in electronics. In addition, he is interested in the harnessing of solar energy. revere the sun. The sun is an immense ball of hydrogen and helium. There is immense scope for harnessing a small fraction of the energy coming to the earth from the sun. My desire is that "Our " should remain here and make use of his knowledge to utilise solar power. The sun is the embodiment of effulgence. Wherefrom does this light come? How does it come? No scientist has yet found how this light reaches us. It comes from a Divine power. The Divine is fully effulgent. He has the splendour of a billion suns. Today you are not able to make use of the energy from a single sun. How can you measure the power of One who has the splendour, of a billion suns? The solar system is like a candle to the effulgence of the Divine. For harnessing the solar energy, with the realisation of its divine source, special efforts should be made in our Institute to develop research in electronics and solar energy. I desire that Prof. should ascertain what arrangement should be made for this purpose and carry on his work here in the years ahead.

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should be enacted in the Institute The new Vice-Chancellor, Dr. , has been a devotee of for the past 25 years. When the College was started in , he used to come all the way from the city and hold classes in Commerce for our students. Nor is that all. He has been closely associated with our educational institutions from their inception. At that time our college in was affiliated to the University. From those days he has been rendering service in various ways. He is an ardent devotee. Both the outgoing and the incoming Vice- Chancellors should work in perfect harmony, make our Institute an ideal institution and do pioneering work in new fields for the progress of our students. They should be like and . Our Institute should be like . When you have these three, , and , our students will develop like and . The should be reenacted this form and presented to the world. What is the inner significance of the ?

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"" Speak the Truth and follow Righteousness.

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Prof. honoured Prof. could have continued for some more time. But official regulations have prescribed an age-limit, which has to be complied with. Therefore, he had to retire. But this is only in conformity with external regulations. He will not depart from 's heart. For the signal service rendered by him during the past two years, he has to be appropriately honoured. We are binding him closer to ourselves. The bonds we are placing on him are that he should impart all the knowledge he has acquired to our students and offer to the nation the new discoveries by our institutions in . I, therefore, fasten two gold (bangles) on the wrists of Prof. . ! we are going to bind both your hands. Hence, you will be a bondman, engaging yourself to the full measure of your capacity in 's work, and rejoicing in the service you render.