In plain words
How the parents who gave birth to these children must grieve, poor souls! They are sad that these children were born to them. Alas! There is the worry, ‘Our children are not able to walk along with others!’ They grieve greatly, ‘The wedding and its festivities have not yet come about! Who will look after them? What is to become of these, who lack limbs?’ In such a situation these children without limbs must serve their parents as befits them, without causing them the least trouble.
When you serve mother and father, it is as if you are serving God. So you must try, as far as you can, to keep the parents from grieving at all, and to make them happy and content with the right words or the right deeds. There are limbs. What use is it to have them? There are hands. With the hand one can do any number of tasks. One can do good deeds, and one can do bad deeds too. There are eyes. Those with eyes may see the good, and may see the bad too. Those with intelligence may think of good, and may think of bad too. So do not think that those with intelligence and limbs are people of great intellect. There are so many wicked people who, though they have great power of intellect, misuse it. I hope that you who lack limbs, rather than they, will do work of some use, think of God, and so give them the example they need.
Our Anantapur teachers keep doing work like this from time to time. Some of what we give keeps breaking down. Some are not quite right. We must have them set right and look after them as the need arises. We must not sit idle, thinking, ‘We have given them, haven't we?’ You must find out whether the things we gave are working or not, whether they are of use or not. This is your responsibility. I hope that you will keep this in view, go to them on Sundays and holidays, alert them to how the limbs given are working and whether they are conducting themselves well, and give them encouragement and cheer. Outsiders, more than the parents, are giving a great deal of help. The parents have not even the strength. They are without strength. Our students and our teachers must not stop at these children alone; they must give those parents encouragement and cheer too and bring them the joy they need. The children have no homes. Because they have no homes, they wander the bazaar begging, sell the things they were given, and are left with nothing. If the parents of any such children come, I am ready to help them in some measure and even have houses built for them. Even when things are given, those children may lack the strength to put them to good use. Our teachers must take on some of the responsibility. I will provide the cost of repairing them. You must watch well how they are coming up in the future, and act on it. Only when you watch over them in this way does service bear fruit; it is not enough merely to think, ‘We called them to Puttaparthi and gave them something.’ You must take responsibility for a whole lifetime. Ask after them: ‘My dear! How are the things you were given working? Do not misuse them,’ you must tell them, and so build up their enthusiasm and stand by them. I ask just that. In the world they do good to others and give in charity. They look on with kindness. But merely giving charity is not enough. Gifts and charity can serve for a time. You must hold a lasting compassion for a whole lifetime and go on helping those children grow.
My dear ones! Children who have had no schooling, study! That is good, Bangāru. You, more than those who have limbs, are the fortunate ones.