In plain words
As it was drinking the milk, they struck the snake with a big stone. Then that snake laid a curse: ‘In this village neither cowherds nor cows will be able to live.’ For that very reason the cowherds who were in Puttaparthi left the village and built their houses in Gokulam, some distance away. Its very name is Gokulam. The stone thrown at that snake that day now receives worship in the temple as the image of Venugopalaswamy. In those days none of the cowherds would stay in Puttaparthi. By evening they would come away to Gokulam. They would not sleep in Puttaparthi. In this way, through certain curses and certain sins, things went on happening like this. I resolved to tell you, above all, the reason Sai Baba's fame has spread today and the reason the name Puttaparthi came about, and so I have told you all this. This Puttaparthi has this much history. It is not a name taken merely for fun. All the great ones have come here and gone. Many zamindars came and stayed. They lived in Puttaparthi and kept up the name and fame of Puttaparthi. The Maharaja of Mysore too came. The Maharaja's mother was very strict in observance. She would get out of her car near Karnataka Palli, have a cloth spread before her, and walk here setting her feet where no one else's feet had been set. In this way many great people and holy souls gathered in Puttaparthi. Worshipped, made fruitful and recognised by many elders: such is this Puttaparthi.
The Lord whose home is Śrī Puttaparthi will guard you always, full of compassion; He will take you by the hand and protect you, and, at no point forgetting you, Baba will rule over you.
No one can ever change this history. Puttaparthi has become very famous. Through the worship of mothers, through the prayers of mothers, through the devotion and surrender of mothers, the virtues of great souls kept growing. So we must not revile our parents in the least. We must never speak of our parents in jest. A mother's mighty power is there in that heart. We must keep honouring the mother. They need not have learning and schooling. Easwaramma, who had no such learning, brought about all these kinds of greatness for this Puttaparthi. Yet today some leave the place where they were born. They forget Easwaramma's name and praise Easwaramma's son highly. Without Easwaramma, where would this great power have come from? So we must always keep up the mother's good name. We must not belittle the mother in the least. The power of Sathya Sai has been at work in this way.
Embodiments of Prema!
You are truly blessed souls, very fortunate: playing, singing, sitting with Swami, you have spent your time in all of these. Sai with you, you with Sai: that is why I have kept saying, I and you are one.
You must never lose your faith in God. God is one of very great power. No one can describe the powers and capacities of God. So all of you, grow your faith in God.
Having come to this Puttaparthi and joined the college and learnt here, you must keep up the name and fame of Puttaparthi. Here is a small matter I am telling you. Many children come here. On the very second day after coming, they wilfully insist on going back. But the children who have come here to study do not go home even when holidays are given. What is the reason? All of them: ‘Swami! We must stay right here,’ they pray, and they try to stay right here.