Krishna And Balarama As Students

29 May 1995, Summer Course 1995, Brindavan

Published English.

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Sadayam Hridayam, Yasya Bhashitam Sathya Bhooshitam, Kaya Para Hiteyasyam A heart full of compassion, Speech full of truth, A body dedicated to service, These three are essential for human life.

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A steady mind, truthful speech and a body dedicated to service - these are the three most important requisites for life. In , this is called - Purity of the three instruments. The define (man) to mean "one who trusts and can be trusted". Every person lives only on the basis of this trust or faith. From dawn to dusk, all our activities are made possible only by faith.

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’s hermitage After ’s death, and arranged for the schooling of and . Till then, the boys had not even learned the alphabet. Why? and were afraid that if they admitted into any , might send demons there and endanger the lives of many other children.

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In the interest of true education, it was the practice in ancient India to send children away from home to a where everyone, whether sons of emperors or ordinary people, stayed as equals in the ’s house. You heard ’s story. Although he was a prince, he stayed in the house of his , and . He did not stay at home like 'dayscholars' of today.

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So, and were sent to the hermitage of . ’s was neither in nor in . It was in the holy city of . Leaving and in , their parents lived fearlessly in . The students of those days excelled in physical prowess and intellectual acumen. Still, they were ever humble and obedient and tread the path of and under the ’s guidance.

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Although and had destroyed many demons in infancy and earned universal fame, they performed household chores in ’s house, lived their ’s commands and acquired true education. They would go into the forest daily and fetch firewood for the kitchen. Only by following the disciplines of the in humility, students of those days transformed themselves into ideal men and set glorious examples for posterity.

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had only one son, who died young. and his wife bore this burden of sorrow with great effort. In those days, there was a practice called . After completing their education, before departing to become householders, students would make a token offering of gratitude to their . This offering was . and also went to . Standing humbly with folded hands, they prayed, "! It is time for us to return home. Kindly tell us what we may offer to you as ."

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said, "My dear sons! It was my greatest good fortune to be to ideal students like you. Your prowess and divine attributes are known the world over. During your stay here, your behavior was exemplary, not requiring a single corrective remark from me. What can I ask of divine personages like you?" Thinking for awhile, said, ", ! You are all-knowing and all-powerful. Once you resolve upon a task, you achieve it under all circumstances. I have cherished a desire for long. My son died many years ago. I want you to resurrect him and bring him back to me."

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and set out. With their superhuman abilities, after much exertion, they were able to bring the boy back to life. In this manner, they exemplified how students should spend time in a , display humility and selfconfidence, honor the , and enhance the reputation of their parents.

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The establishment of Meanwhile, the King of , , along with his allies, attacked . was ’s father-in-law. He hated and wanted to avenge ’s death. attacked not once or twice but seventeen times! Hearing this news, and hurried to from ’s hermitage. The brothers thought, "Why have we taken ? To free the world from sinners, to strengthen the forces of good."

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By killing , his gargantuan armies would not be depleted. So they decided to eradicate his army and spare him. Whenever attacked, and annihilated his army and sent him back unharmed. would return with another army, go back defeated again and so on. Thus, he invited humiliation upon himself seventeen times. Finally, eliminated also.

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All the kings who professed friendship with formed a clique. Name a king, and he was a hater of . These kings began harassing . gave this matter much thought. He wanted to provide sanctuary to in a secure place. He summoned the architect of the heavens, , and told him to build a city in the middle of the sea. could construct any structure by mere willing. He obeyed and built . overnight, transported all to this miraculous city.

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The world still abounded in tyrants and demons, and and evolved strategies to destroy them. was the most beautiful city in the world. ’s beauty spoke of its heavenly origin, in contrast to man-made cities, which were plain. were able to lead secure and happy lives in . Students should recognize the difference between and .

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Humility and obedience thought, " is our relative, our friend." They related to with attachment based on pride. This wrong kind of attachment fed their ego constantly, bringing about their destruction many years later. But the were different. Instead of telling , "You are ours," they said, "We are Yours." This surrender earned them security and divine Love all their lives. Humility and obedience poured out of the and . Humility and obedience are very essential for everyone, especially for students.

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Wealth facilitates acts of .

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Grants Fulfillment Here and Hereafter.

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Expand your heart Students are meant to establish peace and security in the nation and the world. They should serve fellowmen and aspire for the welfare of all. This should be their chief aim. But sadly, they follow the opposite path. Modern students have no respect for , no love or respect for parents. Who else will they respect? What good is their schooling if such is their behavior? said, "Father! I have learnt the essence of all education." What is this essence? It is only the expansion of the heart, blossoming of discrimination.

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One who knows swimming () does not worry about the depth of the water. Similarly, one who knows is not worried about the unrest in the world. He just follows the divine command, lends peace to the society and crosses this ocean of birth and death.

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Therefore, we must practice God’s words in every situation. Not just practice, but derive bliss therefrom and share it with others. Instead of selfishness (), share your joy with others in the spirit of spirituality (). Only then can society become ideal.

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But there is one feeling higher than the feeling of brotherhood. That is the sense of unity on the basis of the One . Sometimes there is animosity even between brothers. So, the unity of the is better than brotherhood. It is not easy to develop, but do not give up, saying it is not possible.

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wants students to be ideal. With ideal students, will become an ideal nation. Mainly, students should not entertain differences of community, caste, religion, color, and nationality. All are children of God. "Brotherhood of Man. Fatherhood of God." People of all nations are humans. There is only the caste of humanity. All are brothers, brothers, brothers.

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Observe Limits Students are not at fault. Parents and teachers lead them astray. How? They consider worldly life to be permanent. Yes, we need worldly life. But there is something beyond. An example: Consider a game of football [soccer] with six players on each team. There are goal posts at either end. If the ball passes between the posts, a goal is scored. The two goal posts are worldly and spiritual knowledge. Our life is the ball. The six evil qualities (lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, attachment) are one team. , , , , , and (worldly responsibility) form the other team. The ball of life is kicked by both teams. The ball should pass between the two boundary posts to score a goal. Beyond the boundary posts, it is only "out," not a goal.

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Today, you are kicking the ball beyond the boundaries. Hence you are not succeeding. Act within limits, and you will be victorious. - Lasting happiness cannot be gained without limits and rules. Without limits, life is meaningless. For example. body temperature has a limit of 98.4°F. 99°F is considered a fever. Blood pressure is normal at 120/80. If it touches 90, it signals trouble.

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You will ruin your minds with unlimited desire. It is normal to have ambitions, but ensure that your ideals are pure. Note the difference between desires () and ideals (). It does not matter if desires are not realized, but take care that ideals are never violated. Students should be disciplined. Without discipline, life becomes an animal’s existence. Cultivate discipline in your daily lives and become ideal men and women.