Establish Our Ancient Culture By Adherence To Truth And Morality

21 October 2001, Dasara, Prasanthi Nilayam, AP

Published English.

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The Lord alone is the truth of the universe Truth is she who forever resides in the lotus () Constant striving for the welfare of others is true effort There is no greater goal than truth.

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Truth is the wealth of Lord . He is the basis of all wealth and prosperity. There is nothing superior to truth in this world. Even the Lord of Death is afraid to enter the place where morality and integrity reign supreme. There is no power mightier than truth. Truth is latent in every human being. (truth is the spirit in all beings). Truth is God. Where is truth? It is here, there, and everywhere. There is no place in the world where truth does not exist. Truth is the source of all prosperity. Man is subjected to misery and hardships as he has forgotten this divine principle of truth. What is the reason for the agitations and disturbances prevailing in the world today? The reason is that man has forgotten truth. Truth and morality are like twins. Yesterday I spoke to you on the importance of (morality). It is (morality) that brings you (reputation). Not merely that. and (integrity) are the life-breaths of (human race). The sanctity of human life lies in the adherence to these two principles. A true human race is that which adheres to morality. Listen to this truth, Oh valorous son of !

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The foremost duty of man is to experience the manifestation of divinity in the form of truth. Such a person alone is a true human being. (there is no greater than adherence to truth). Emperor taught to the world the principle of truth in various ways. He said, there is no path greater than adherence to truth.

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(Telugu Poem) The modern man has totally forgotten truth, which is the very form of divine. One who has forgotten (truth) cannot attain (immortality) or (divinity). So, never neglect truth. In order to impart such eternal teaching, God incarnates in human form. In ancient times, kings ruled over their kingdoms strictly adhering to the path of truth. King considered truth as his very life-breath. He dedicated himself to the cause of truth so totally that he gave up his kingdom and even had to sell his wife and son in the process. He considered truth as his kingdom. He was of the opinion that one bereft of truth was not fit to be called a king.

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Truth cannot be attained by worldly means. The modern man craves worldly and physical things and forgets truth in the process. , , , , , and were mighty and powerful, but ruined themselves because they forsook truth. They were highly intelligent and educated, yet they lost everything as they did not uphold morality and integrity. One should not crave worldly possessions because they are transient. However, truth is always with you and it protects you. It is changeless and steady. Truth alone can confer plenty and prosperity, comforts, and conveniences. One should not be in the mad pursuit of worldly and ephemeral pleasures. One’s foremost duty is to protect and propagate the twin principles of morality and integrity. Today man is giving up and (truth and righteousness) for the sake of momentary pleasures. is where is. They are like inseparable friends. Having attained the sacred human birth, man should resolve to foster truth. Today man wants to enjoy various kinds of pleasures disregarding truth, righteousness, morality, and integrity. One devoid of truth cannot uphold morality and integrity.

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The youth today should be prepared to sacrifice even their lives for the sake of morality and integrity. If one forgets truth, one loses everything in life. One should safeguard truth. Having given up his kingdom, King was walking along the banks of the with his wife . He was wondering as to how to take his wife across the river. Then infused courage in him, saying, “We have dedicated ourselves to truth, we are treading along the path of truth. If we give up truth, we will certainly get drowned. However, if we strictly adhere to truth, we will be protected. So, we need not be afraid. Truth will take us across the river.” As both stuck to the path of truth and righteousness under all circumstances, even today people remember King as Sathya . One should never go back on one’s promise. This is the meaning of truth in the worldly sense.

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When Emperor promised to give three steps of land to , his preceptor dissuaded him from keeping up his promise. He warned him that was not an ordinary person, but Himself. He cautioned not to grant ’s request. Emperor smiled and asked, “Is it proper for a king to go back on his promise?” And he further said, “One must uphold truth under all circumstances to redeem oneself. So, I will never give up truth.” He was not prepared to stray away from the path of truth even if it meant disobeying his ’s command. He felt that there was no greater sin than going back on one’s promise.

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Among the , was truth personified. At no point in time, he transgressed the path of truth. When his wife was being humiliated by the wicked in the royal court, he pacified his brothers saying that they had to be subservient to the as they had lost the game of dice. Under such circumstances, it was not proper for a king to give vent to anger, greed, malice, or hatred, he added. Then told, “, it is the sacred quality of truth in you that has helped me to retain my peace and composure under these trying circumstances. Otherwise, I cannot imagine what would have been my fate. Your principle of truth will safeguard all of us. It was certainly a mistake on our part to have indulged in the game of dice with the wicked , knowing fully well their evil intentions. We have done something which kings are not supposed to do and are paying the price for it.” In those days, women were pious and noble-hearted and were instrumental in making their husbands tread the right path. It is because of such men and women of virtue that has been spreading the light of truth to the rest of the world since ancient times.

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When , who slayed the Pandava offsprings while they were asleep, was captured and brought before by , what was her reaction? Any ordinary woman would have hurled abuses at , but was one of compassion and forbearance. She fell at the feet of and said:

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"It is at the feet of your father, , that my husbands have learnt all that they know. Being the son of , was it proper for you to kill my children? How could you have the heart to kill them, who were unarmed, young, quietly asleep, were not having any grudge against you, and were not contemplating any harm to you?"

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(Telugu Poem) On hearing trying to reason with in this manner, the mighty exploded in anger. He felt that was too kind to and said that such a wicked person should not be forgiven. He wanted to smash ’s skull with his powerful fists. calmed him with her words of wisdom. She said it was a sin to kill who was their preceptor’s only son. Moreover, as she herself was already in grief after losing her children, she did not want to cause grief to another mother by killing her son. But had vowed to kill . told him,

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"Oh ! It is not righteous to kill a person who is afraid or has lost courage, who is asleep or intoxicated, who seeks refuge or is a female. You should not kill , for he is your preceptor’s son."

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(Telugu Poem) It is because of such a woman of virtue and chastity that our country is able to uphold truth and righteousness to this day. Even today there is no dearth of such noble women in the world.

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All worldly achievements are only temporary. Truth alone is eternal. Therefore, install truth in your hearts and dedicate your lives to foster truth. Even King , who strictly followed the path of truth, had to leave this world ultimately leaving behind his vast kingdom and riches. Emperor , who reigned over a vast kingdom, could not take with him anything when he passed away.

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Did King , who adorned the , carry any wealth with him when he left the earth? Even , who built the bridge across the ocean, is not to be seen on the earth today. Many kings have ruled over the earth, but none of them could carry even a fistful of dust with them. Oh noble one! Do you think you can carry the kingdom and its riches on your head when you leave the world?

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(Telugu Poem) In the past many kings ruled over many kingdoms, but could any of them carry with him even a at the time of departing from this world? No. Truth alone will follow you when you leave this world. Truth cannot be hidden nor be subjected to change. Truth shines eternally, but man is forgetting such an eternal principle for the sake of mean pleasures. Having been blessed with human birth and being endowed with the divine principle of , man is acting contrary to his divine nature. This is not expected of a man. Man’s chief goal is to practice and propagate the principle of truth. This was the ideal set by our ancients. Likewise, men and women of today should resolve to uphold our ancient culture by adhering to truth and fostering morality and integrity.

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One has to practice truth before preaching the same. Come what may, one should have the courage and conviction to tread along the path of truth. Even at the cost of food, raiment, and shelter, even at the cost of one’s own life, one should be prepared to practice truth and righteousness and revive the ancient culture of . declared in the ,

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" | Abhyutthanama-dharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham"

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(When there is a decline in and rise in , I incarnate Myself for the establishment of .)

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The commences with the ,

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" samaveta yuyutsavah | Mamakah pandavascvaiva kimakurvata "

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Here the blind king enquires of as to what the and the are doing at the battlefield of . Is it not foolishness on his part to put such a question? Having entered the battlefield what else would one do other than waging a battle? Would anyone enjoy a feast there? was blind in all respects. He considered the kingdom which belonged to someone else as his own. tells him,

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" | Tatra srir-vijayo bhutir-dhruva nitir-matir-"

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(It is my opinion that wherever , the Lord of and , the mighty archer come together, there lie wealth, victory, immense power, and morality)

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The first word in the first of the is and the last word in the last is . Together it becomes (one’s own ). Man’s foremost duty is to protect . This is the essence of the . Only when you safeguard will your mind become steady.

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Our ancient texts are replete with many ideals. Unfortunately, the modern students do not pay attention to them. They are acquiring various degrees, but they fail to understand the use of all these. That is why I often tell the teachers to conduct moral classes for the students and teach them the principles of morality and the importance of our ancient culture. In ancient times, the children were initiated into education with the sacred "" and "". It is because of such ideal education, the students became ideal citizens. Today children’s education starts with rhymes like "Ding dong bell, pussy is in the well…" and "Ba Ba black sheep…". It is because of such meaningless education that students are turning into black sheep! Your learning should start with God’s Name on your lips.

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I have high expectations that you will strive hard to revive and revitalize our sacred ancient culture. I do not expect even a from you. My only desire is to establish our ancient culture through you. You have the capacity and you are the right persons to do it. Culture is not something which can be acquired; it has to be manifested from within. Indian culture does not mean merely emulating the ideals set forth by the great epics, the and the . True culture lies in giving up bad qualities and bad habits and cultivating good habits and character. Here is a small example. Farmers separate paddy from straw and remove the husk from paddy. The rice thus obtained is boiled and cooked well before one would partake of it. Such refinement is called culture. Take another example. You have bought a two-meter cloth, but you don’t wear it as it is. You give it to a tailor, who makes it into a beautiful shirt. This entire process of cutting and stitching a cloth into a shirt is a cultural process. This is essential in every aspect of life. People have notions about the term culture. They think it is something archaic and outdated. It is foolishness to think so. That process which destroys animal tendencies, fosters humanness and makes you divine is true culture. You are born as a human being. What is it that you will have achieved when you die as a human being? What is the use of all your education? You should rise to the level of divinity before you give up the body. You should put your education to proper use and achieve a good reputation. Your education will find fulfillment only when it is used for the benefit of society. In spite of his education and intelligence, a foolish man will not know his true Self and a mean-minded person will not give up his wicked qualities. Modern education leads only to argumentation, not to total wisdom. What is the use of acquiring worldly education if it cannot lead you to immortality? Acquire the knowledge that will make you immortal.

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Since ancient times, the culture of has propagated sacred ideals. People of other countries may make fun of , saying it is foolishness on their part to worship stones, trees, earth, snakes, dogs, cows, etc. You should give such people a fitting reply. “My dear one, what we are doing is not out of foolishness, there is a noble intention behind our act. We don’t want to limit the God-given love principle to human beings alone. Our intention is to share it with birds and animals too. Our lives will find fulfillment only when we share our love with all.” You will experience inexplicable joy when you love all beings. You may argue that it is dangerous to feed a snake with milk as it may try to harm you, forgetting the good done to it. But if you foster a snake wholeheartedly, it will never cause harm to you. You should have such firm faith. The ancient spent their lives in dense forests amidst wild animals without any sense of fear. What is the reason? There was absolutely no trace of hatred in them. Consequently, even the wild animals were friendly with them. (as your feelings are, so will be the result). The animals will reciprocate your innermost feelings. The did not carry any weapons with them. They only had a (rosary) with them. However, the weapon of divine name was always with them. But today, one cannot be sure of one’s safety even if one carries with him a pistol, a gun, etc. One need not carry any weapon other than the weapon of divine name. When you have the weapon of divine name with you, no wicked person can come near you, no poisonous snake can harm you. They used to offer food grains to birds and rice flour to ants. Rice flour was used for in front of the house. The main purpose of this was to feed the ants.

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Without understanding the purpose behind this, today people are using lime powder for . The ancient had the firm faith that divinity is present in all beings, right from (ant) to . That is why sang, Oh , you are present in as well as . You are present in and also in . Divinity pervades all beings right from an ant to a lion and from a bird to an enlightened one. So, you should share your love with all. This is the teaching of Bharatheya culture. You have to understand this truth and share your knowledge with your friends. This is the greatest help that you can render to them. I am not asking you to give money and gold in charity to others. It is enough if you share your noble qualities with them. That is the sign of true wisdom. (perception of the One without a second is supreme knowledge). God has granted you love. Do not use it for your selfish purposes. Share it with all. This is called expansion love. But today we find only contraction love, which is equal to death. Cultivate broad-mindedness. Help ever, hurt never.

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King sanctified his life by practicing and propagating truth. He could get back his kingdom and even his wife and son due to his unflinching adherence to truth. Sage who was responsible for all the hardships that had to endure, himself asked for his forgiveness. He explained to that he had only subjected him to a test, which he had passed. He was ready to grant whatever would ask for. said, he did not need anything as his only aim in life was to uphold truth. I wish our students emulate the ideal of and earn a good name.

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You may acquire various degrees, do your jobs or go abroad, but never become stone-hearted. Today many people have become stone-hearted to such an extent that they disobey even God’s command. What is the use of leading such a life? One should make one’s heart soft like (butter). Only then will one’s life be cool and peaceful like (moonlight).

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concluded His Discourse with the ,

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