Sathya and Dharma are Natural Attributes of Man

24 July 1996, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

1

2

(Telugu Poem) Attain God’s love by practicing and

3

Students are the inheritors of the legacy of and (truth and righteousness), and it is the responsibility of students to uphold them. They should undertake to establish peace and prosperity in society by promoting and . For this, students should have broad-mindedness. The value of education does not lie in acquiring merely bookish knowledge. Education, in fact, is the divine lamp that destroys the darkness of ignorance.

4

Practise and Truth is verily God. God is the embodiment of and . God is none other than and .

5

Many people think that they are making efforts to spread and . You can spread something at a place where it does not already exist, but how can you spread and when they are present everywhere? Hence, there is no need to promote and publicise and . What is needed is to practise them.

6

How is the word derived? It comes from the root ‘’, which means to uphold or sustain. (that which sustains is ). is therefore that which supports everything. The entire world is sustained by . binds the entire universe into a unified whole and rules it.

7

and are not related to merely one person, one period of time, or one country; they are related to all people, all periods of time, and all countries.

8

Lord declares in the : Oh ! Whenever there is a decline in and rise in , I incarnate on earth. , . (Sanskrit Verse)

9

can never be destroyed. If it is subject to destruction, then it cannot be called at all. At certain periods of time, it may seem to have disappeared due to the decline of its practice by man. When thick clouds cover the shining sun, people may not be able to see it for some time. But nothing can ever stop the sun from shining or stop its light forever. In the same way, the sun of and sunlight of can never be destroyed.

10

and are interrelated and interdependent, like God and Nature, matter and energy. Therefore, it is not possible to separate and . , in fact, is the foundation on which the mansion of stands. There can be no danger or hazard to the mansion of , which is built on the foundation of .

11

and are the natural attributes of human beings. By nourishing and practising and , one should oneself derive bliss and share it with the world. Some people say that vocation is the attribute of a (man). But in modern times, many women are also employed in various vocations. Then, can they be called men? Hence, it is not the vocation that is the real attribute of man. The real attributes are and . By merely wearing a safari suit or pants and a shirt can one become a ? No, no. The term ‘ signifies divine consciousness, which permeates the entire ‘’ (body) from top to toe.

12

and are verily God is the attribute of all human beings. However, from the worldly point of view, there are many divisions of , such as of (celibate stage), (householder stage), (recluse stage), and (renunciant stage). In this way, one divides according to various stages of one’s life. But all these are only worldly and empirical divisions of . These divisions relate to external forms of .

13

Those whose thoughts, words and deeds are in perfect harmony are noble ones; those who lack harmony of these are wicked .

14

What is the nature of the internal form of one’s ? This means that one should attain unity of thoughts, words, and deeds. This is the true of every human being. This does not relate to various empirical divisions of ; it relates to the life of all human beings.

15

However, the of birds and beasts is different. Similarly, the elements and objects have their own . For example, the of fire is to burn; that of water is to flow; and of sugar, sweetness. All objects have been endowed with their specific in this way from the time of creation itself. But this relates only to worldly and external . The internal is true and eternal and comes from the heart of man.

16

However, human beings have to perform certain other of a worldly nature also with regard to their heart, speech, hands, etc. What is it that endows beauty to your hands, throat, ears, etc.?

17

Charity is the true ornament of the hand, truth is the true necklace, and listening to sacred texts is the true ornament of the ears. (Sanskrit Verse)

18

19

One should work hard to develop and practise and and derive happiness therefrom. Since ancient times, the (Indians) have been protecting and , considering them like their two eyes.

20

How should you revere and ? Revere and as your mother and father. (revere your mother and father as God), says the . Hence, and are verily God.

21

Since ancient times, our elders have been instructing us to give importance to in every field of human endeavour. should be the guiding spirit in your vision, hearing, speech, and conduct. It has been said, (righteousness is the basis of the entire world). The entire (world) is sustained by .

22

What does the word signify? has no separate form. It is the assembly of human beings. The word ‘society’ has a name but no form. When many people come together and form a group, it is called society. Though it has no form, it does have attributes.

23

What are the main attributes of society? and are the main attributes of society. Society condemns that which is not accepted by it. We throw away the fruit that does not taste good. Similarly, society disapproves of actions that do not bring happiness to it.

24

As has already been said, true comes from the heart. If you put a seed in a pot and pour water over it, will it grow into a plant? No, no. It cannot grow into a plant. It has to be sown into soil. Only then can it become a plant. Similarly, does not develop merely by teaching and propagating. The plant of has to be grown in the soil of the heart. Then only can you derive the fruits of peace and prosperity from it.

25

People of different faiths propagate their faiths. What is it that holds value for you? How can you decide about it? You value something if it satisfies your conscience and your heart approves it. That only is truth that receives the approbation of your conscience. Your conscience is your master. Your teacher is not your master, and your who whispers a into your ears is also not your master. Your conscience is your master. Follow the master. The real comes from your heart.

26

The of cooperation Your heart is the (esoteric doctrine), your body is the (instrument), and the feelings of your heart are your (incantation). The of (That I am) emerges from the of your body, utilising the of your heart. Hence, you yourselves are , , and . What greater is there than this? How useful and valuable is this of the body!

27

28

29

30

The stomach symbolises God. God is called (Divinity that is present in each part of the body as essence). He is propitiated by reciting the “ (salutations to )” because God is the quintessence of everything in this world.

31

in this way teaches cooperation. Unfortunately, cooperation is not visible anywhere today. Wherever you look, you find division and non-cooperation. This noncooperation is the cause of lack of unity in the family, country, and world. This has led to increase in dissensions in society.

32

All should be one and all should be united. Great tasks can be achieved by unity. But people today lack and . Many people just pretend to perform deeds of and . They make a show of and , while actually it is a mere pretension.

33

Unity of thoughts, words, and deeds is real Who can awaken a person who just pretends to sleep by closing his eyes? A person who is really asleep can be awakened by tapping them once or twice, but no one can awaken a person who just pretends to sleep. It is mere pretence. In the same way, people today seem to make a pretence of teaching and promoting and .

34

35

Everyone should try to put and into practice in their life. The declare, (speak truth, practise righteousness). You just say “Sathyam vada” but do not speak truth. You just repeat “Dharmam chara” but do not adhere to in your day-to-day life. What you say, you do not do; what you do is different from what you say.

36

What the tongue speaks, the hands should perform. The mind should also be in harmony with speech. Unity of thinking, saying, and doing is real . There should be unity of thoughts, words, and deeds. Where there is unity, there is purity. Where there is purity, there is divinity.

37

Unfortunately, unity and purity are nowhere to be seen today. Wherever you look, you find enmity. Due to prevalence of enmity, the whole world today is in turmoil. If you cultivate and in your heart, there will be no scope for enmity in it.

38

39

If you firmly establish and in your heart, no evil tendencies will be able to find entry into it. On the other hand, if one moment you have and in your heart and the next moment, and (unrighteousness and untruth), then how can you call yourself a human being? What is the meaning of human quality? Human quality means unity of thoughts, words, and deeds. This is the real of the human being.

40

At the time of the marriage of with , King asked to take an oath that He would share , , and (righteousness, wealth, and desire) with . thought: “What does mean? Does it connote worldly or inner ? According to worldly , My happiness is her happiness, My wealth is her wealth, and My liking is her liking.” promised to and said, “I accept all the principles of worldly . But I do not accept to share with her My inner . That means, if she becomes an obstacle in the performance of My inner , I will prefer to adhere to My inner to her.” Hence, when a washerman of the kingdom expressed doubts about , who spent ten months in the captivity of in , immediately exiled from the kingdom. That means, left when He felt that she was an obstacle in the performance of His inner .

41

strictly adhered to the Vedic injunction “Sathyam vada” all His life. He not only adhered to the word given by Him but He also fulfilled the promise given by His father, , to . thought to Himself: “The promise given by My father is not different from My promise.” Hence, He followed the truth that the promise given by His father was His own promise. This is true . ( is personified).

42

(rule of ) is actually (rule of detachment). It establishes the principle of detachment. Help everybody and contemplate on the Name of God constantly. That is what is meant by contemplation on forever at all times. is everywhere. It is a mistake to think that is at one place and not at another.

43

Practise purity, patience, and perseverance In (India), there is hardly any village that does not have a temple. There is no one who is not aware of the Name of . Since ancient times, people of have been practising charity, adhering to and in their life and feeling closeness with . It is a common saying about , (One who pleases is ). The Name of delights everyone.

44

Never consider merely the son of . is present in every heart. People commonly say, “My knows this,” referring to as their . is the Name of . The same principle of is present in each heart. It is very necessary for you to know this truth and conduct yourself accordingly.

45

46

Sage wrote 18 (mythological texts). When each one of them is so big and voluminous, how can anybody study all the 18 even if one spends one’s whole lifetime? The lifespan of man in the (the age we are in) is very short. In the , it was much longer. At the time of the war, was 76 years old, was 74 years old, and , the commander-in-chief of the army, was 112 years old.

47

See! In the , a man of 70 years was considered a young boy. But today even a 17 year old boy is weak like an old man. What is the reason? In those days, the heart of the people was very sacred because they practised three P’s: Purity, Patience, and Perseverance. By practising these three P’s, they remained ever young. Therefore, instead of just teaching and propagating and , you should put them into practice in your life.

48

Many changes have occurred in . Many people enter into clashes with others in the name of constructing a temple for God. Why should there be any clash of opinions for constructing a temple of God? Instead of fighting with those who want to construct a temple of God, one should encourage them. Life becomes meaningful if one acts with patience and perseverance.

49

Therefore, students, treasure sacred thoughts in your heart. Besides contemplating on God, make efforts to put and into practice in your life. When you earn the love of God, you will have everything in life. How can you attain God’s love? You can attain it only by practising and .

50

God is not anybody else. Truth is God. The word God is not different from . is a Sanskrit word. People interpret it in many ways. The , (philosophical texts), (epics), and (mythological texts) use the word in its real sense. Some people call it righteousness or right action. But these are not its real meanings; they are only reflections of its real meaning. The real meaning of is that which suffuses your heart with bliss. It is said: ( is the attribute of man).

51

Here, the word does not refer only to men. It includes women also. Man and woman are only adjuncts to differentiate one form from the other; they do not differentiate one from the other. These days, even women wear pants and a shirt. Can we call them men only because they wear a male dress? No, no. That is not correct. Why? Dress is an outer covering. Life and death are also like that only. Death is the dress of life, said Jesus.

52

The body is like a dress. You do not die when the body dies. Do not give importance to (body); it is () that signifies your reality. Recognise this truth and attain total satisfaction in life.

53

Remove the restlessness prevalent in society and establish peace and goodness by practising (unity of thought, word, and deed). Wherever you look in this world, law and order is conspicuous by its absence. To revive and establish law and order in the world, practise and . Considering and as their two eyes, students should undertake to promote the welfare of society and nation. This is the main responsibility of students today.

54

( brought His Discourse to a close with the , “...”)