The gospel of work, love and sacrifice

13 February 1997, Chinese New Year, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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There is no penance superior to peace of mind. Every individual, every family, every society, every nation seeks peace in all possible ways. Every man should strive in every way to achieve peace as the most desirable objective. There is no greater happiness than (contentment). Man is perpetually in quest of happiness.

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Next, what is meant by ? Charity alone does not constitute (virtuous action). Charity is quite different from righteousness. A temporary, worldly act is equated with . in its true sense refers to something which is lasting. (the of the indwelling Spirit) transcends all worldly actions.

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Difference between and Religion Many people in the world consider religion as identical with . But is quite different from religion. Religion is like a river, is like the ocean. There is well- known saying:

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All rivers ultimately merge in the ocean. The essence of all religions, the goal of all scriptures, the objective of all aspirations is . It is totally wrong to equate the vast ocean of with the river of religion.

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Religions have come into existence for the purpose of regulating human life. What is common to all of them is the (principle of Divine love). Man is governed by morality. In all countries morality and integrity should be like the lifebreath. It is only when men adhere to morality that human ideals like fraternity, equality and liberty can become meaningful in daily life. It is because moral values have been given the go-by that you find today society bedevilled by disorder and unrest. The world will have respire from violence only when progress in science and technology is accompanied pari passu by development of ethical and spiritual values. In the economic sphere, when human desires are governed by righteousness, a divine impulse will arise in man. When the quest for wealth and the concern for sensuous pleasures are based on (righteousness), the mind will spontaneously turn towards God.

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Love alone can bind the whole of humanity into one unit. What do you see in this hall today? Here are people gathered from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries. What is it that has brought them together in this small village? It is only love and the sense of oneness with others. The bliss of life is embedded in this love. Pure bliss is derived from this love. When this love is shared with others you have the bliss of collective joy. When your life dances on the waves of this love it attains the fulfilment of humanness. Man today does nor recognise this sense of oneness. Man does not mean the body alone. Man has the mind, the intellect and the (the Spirit). It is the combination of all these that constitutes true humanness. When the balance among these four constituents is upset, man is plunged in troubles. When man maintains the balance among these four, the nation will prosper.

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The story of how was deeply moved when a hunter killed one of two birds who were a loving couple is well known. When one of the birds died, its mare followed suit, unable to bear the pangs of separation. Out of the intense sorrow and compassion of , the first emerged from his lips and that was the beginning of the great epic. When its mate dies, a bird will not seek another partner. It will starve itself to death. How many men care to follow the example of the birds in their devotion to monogamy? Many are ready to remarry after the loss of the first wife. The supreme virtue of monogamy is a quality man can learn from birds.

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"Your heart is your country" Today the Chinese devotees are observing their national New Year Day here. What is the origin of the word "China"? It is derived from the two words "" and "". '" means the human heart. "" refers to the country. The word "China" therefore means that "My heart is my country". This concept is applicable to all countries and all religions.

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For instance, . It is derived from, the two words - "" meaning "effulgence" and "" meaning "to rejoice". The heart is the source of effulgence. is one who rejoices in the effulgence emanating from the heart. Every man is attracted to the heart. God is not confined to any particular place. His mal abode is the heart.

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In also there is the dictum,

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"" (Raise the Self by the Self).

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From very ancient times, there have been close relations between China and . A short while ago a speaker mentioned how in the Chinese pantheon there are deities corresponding to the deities worshipped in like , , and others. Similarly a common saying current in China regarding government regulations is applicable also to the situation in . Comparing Government regulations to a net, the Chinese used to say that the very small fish escape through the holes in the net, while the very big break through it. Only the middle sized fish get caught in it. In also it is a fact that the lowest among the people are unaffected by Government regulations. The very rich and powerful drive a coach and force through them. It is only the middle class that suffers most from these regulations.

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Today there are millions of devotees all over the world. The world would be a much better place if all of them practised at least one good principle in their daily life. from Malaysia who had spoken earlier called upon the devotees participating in the Chinese National Day festival in to give up one bad habit and cultivate one good habit as a mark of their visit to . In respect of , it is enough if you observe one good precept, namely, "Help ever, hurt never." Indeed, you should cultivate the spirit of sacrifice. When you cultivate love with sacrifice, you will progress spiritually. When you plant a sapling you have to water it and manure it to make it grow. Likewise, for the plant of life, you have to provide the water of love and the manure of sacrifice to enable it to grow well.

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Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! The obsession with money is totally meaningless because you come with nothing in the world and leave it with nothing. Is it not more desirable to utilise the money on acts of charity? Many persons in deposit their ill-gotten wealth in Switzerland or some other country and leave the world empty-handed. The money you make in should be spent here for the people's welfare. Help the poor and the needy. Support educational and medical institutions. Money is given to you only for helping others. There is no meaning in hoarding it.

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Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! That is the supreme quality you have to cultivate. The have stridently proclaimed that immortality can be got only through sacrifice and not by any other means. Only through sacrifice can there be real enjoyment of what you acquire. What you earn with one hand, give away with the other. Without sacrifice life is a waste.

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Love all and Serve all and (Love and Sacrifice) are the two most important ideals in life. Love all, even those who hate you. That is the index of your devotion. In the name of devotion, people are flocking to at great expense. What is it you have accomplished by coming here? What have you learnt? Being a devotee, if you practise even one or two good qualities like morality and integrity the nation will benefit immensely. There is neither truth nor morality among most people. "A people without morality are worse than a monkey," goes the saying. A great monkey served the Divine and became the recipient of His grace. Men today talk about devotion, but have no regard for the Divine injunctions.

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Today people are steeped in desires ( in Telugu). How many live for the sake of ideals ( in Telugu)? People develop (attachment to the body), but do not care to develop (love for the country). Man's primary spiritual effort today should be in the direction of getting rid of selfishness, narrow-mindedness and attachment to the body, and developing love of God, a broad outlook and devotion to the nation. Develop confidence in the Self.

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A dog's example of Love and Loyalty Let me tell you a story from my early years. I was then staying in the old in . An English couple were living with Me at that time. They presented Me with a couple of puppies. They said that the presence of the puppies with would give them the feeling that they were with even when they were away. I accepted the puppies. They had been named Jack and Jill. How did they live with Me? At night when I went to bed, one would sleep near My head and the other at My feet. One day, the of came to . She was a very orthodox lady. She would not take her food if she heard the bark of a dog. She sent a message to that if there were any dogs in His premises, they should be kept confined in a room. In those days there was no direct approach road to . The kept her car in (on the other side of the ) and came walking to . There were no hotels at that time. The driver of the car had to come to 's place to take his food and get back. The said she was staying in that night. The driver took his food and was returning to the car at night. As the driver would not be able to find his way in the darkness I told one of the dogs: "Jack, you better go with the driver and come back in the morning." Jack led the way and the driver was following the dog. They reached . Then the driver slept in the car. Jack slept underneath the car. The driver got up in the morning. It was chilly outside. He was in a hurry to start the car and keep it ready for the . He reversed the car for short distance. One of the wheels ran over the sleeping Jack and its back-bone was broken.

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Students and scholars and all others should note how much devotion the poor dog had for . In great pain, the dog came dragging itself all the way to 's residence. It had to drag itself over the sands. It was profusely bleeding. At the gate of 's residence there was a watchman called . He rushed to and said - "! Our Jack's spine is broken. It is crying as it is dragging itself." came out and called out: "Jack!" The dog came crying, collapsed at my feet and passed away. See, what devotion in an animal! It dragged itself all the way to give up its life at the feet of . Before it passed away, it was gazing at . I got some milk to be brought and gave it to the dog. It placed two of its front paws on my palm and gave up its life. What an amount of devotion in an animal!

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After Jack's death, Jill gave up eating food. A few days later Jill died. Today, behind the old , there is a for the dogs. What loyalty and what devotion in a dog! How much better mankind would be if only people had a fraction of the love and loyalty displayed by that dog?

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Give up the bad and take the good Today people have no faith. They remember God in times of difficulty and forget Him when they are all right. How many follow the ideals of ? They only multiply their desires. What greater folly can there be than this? There is one thing to be learnt by all people whether they are from China, Japan, India or America.

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Leave all your bad qualities here and take back good thoughts and good habits. That alone will justify your coining here. Become good and improve the society When you go back to your country with good qualities, people will mark the change in you after your visit to . Treat as a spiritual workshop. No charges are levied here. Everything is free. I am ready. Make the best use of your stay here.