In plain words
The countries are different, the earth is one; the ornaments are different, the gold is one; the species of living beings are different, the jīva is one. Only when you recognise such oneness does divinity arise in you. First of all, recognise the truth that God is one. You may call Him Allah, you may call Him Jesus, you may call Him Zoroaster. Hindus have given God many names. You must grow the firm faith that, by however many names you call Him, God is one. You must not criticise other religions in the least. To each his own sādhana, to each his own Ānanda. First of all, sacrifice the evil qualities that are in you. This very thing is what the Veda too has said: “Na karmaṇā na prajayā dhanena tyāgenaike amṛtatva mānaśuḥ.” But in the man of today desires keep growing; the feeling of sacrifice does not arise at all. Forgetting love for the nation, people go on growing attachment to the body. Forgetting oneness, they experience diversity. Which is your body? The nation itself is your body. You must grow such a broad feeling.
The Sacrifice You Make Must Be Put to Good Use
You must sacrifice the wealth you earn. Only the sacrifice made in what concerns God is true sacrifice. The sacrifice you make must be put to good use, not misused. One man made a great sacrifice and built such a vast hall as this here. Only through the sacrifice he made has it stood today as a shelter for so many devotees and sādhakas. People of all countries, of all religions, of all languages gather in this hall in a feeling of oneness. There are so many rich people in the world. How many of them make such a sacrifice? Some do good works such as having rest-houses built, wells dug and schools put up, but in the sacrifice they make there is some selfish gain or other. A sacrifice bound up with selfishness and self-interest does not earn the name of sacrifice. You know: we have had a college of music built here. This too is something of use to the world! God loves song; He delights in song. It is to teach such song that we have founded the college of music here. When a man who lives in some country or other comes and has a college of music built in this Prasanthi Nilayam, how great is his good fortune!