Money Comes And Goes; Morality Comes And Grows

14 January 2009, Sankranthi, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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(India) is the motherland of many noble souls who earned great name and fame in all the continents of the world. This is the land of valorous people who vanquished the foreign rulers in the battlefield and attained independence. This is the land that excelled in music, literature, and other fine arts. Having been born in this great land of , oh, boys and girls, it is your sacred duty to protect its rich cultural heritage. (Telugu poem)

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Be prepared to uphold the honour and glory of this country of (India)! You are sure to come out victorious in this effort. Today, people are able to achieve great progress in secular and scientific fields, but they are unable to march forward in the field of spirituality. One has to progress in spirituality more than in other fields. People used to give great importance to progress in the spiritual arena in ancient times. In fact, it used to be the goal of their life. However, there is a decline in the spiritual outlook of people in recent times. In these days a lot of effort is made to achieve progress in secular, physical, and worldly matters. Whatever achievements made in these areas are only temporary and transitory; they are not permanent. While people are able to make giant strides in secular areas all over the world, there is decline in the importance given to spiritual and moral progress. This tendency is in sharp contrast to the culture of in ancient times.

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This land of (India) has given birth to many noble women like , who brought her dead husband back to life; , who extinguished wild fire with the power of truth; , who proved her chastity by coming out of blazing fire unscathed; and , who reduced an evil-minded hunter to ashes with the power of her chastity. This land of piety and nobility attained plenty and prosperity and Became the teacher of all the nations of the world because of such women of chastity. (Telugu poem)

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Signs of Age , a great woman of chastity brought her deceased husband back to life by the power of her chastity. Such women brought great name and fame to the country of (India). Can you find parallels to her anywhere in this world? No doubt, whoever is born must die. But is there a woman in any country in the world who could bring her dead husband back to life except in ? The whole world is falling to abysmal depth due to transgression of the righteous path, lack of character and bad behaviour. Once, was narrating to King a few strange incidents he observed while going on a tour of the kingdom. A farmer reported to , “! Yesterday I left the implements in the field itself after ploughing, since it was getting dark. Today when I went to the field to pick up those implements, they are not to be found there.” On another occasion he noticed some ladies putting locks to their houses and going out. On enquiry they informed him, “! We wanted to go out on some work and unless we lock our houses, we will not be able to keep our belongings safe.” This was stunning news to , since no house in the kingdom used to be locked in those days, unlike in present times, and people were able to move very freely without any worry. Later, when King himself went on a stroll, he observed a lady talking to a man in public standing in the middle of the road. Such type of behaviour went against the custom prevailing in the country. was taken aback at these developments and felt that the age of (the age we are now in) had begun. He therefore decided that it was time for the to leave for their heavenly abode. Ladies and gents engaging themselves in conversation in full view of the public was a taboo in those days.

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Peace emanates from one’s heart is a land where noble thoughts and feelings are cultivated right from childhood. In fact, (India is the spiritual teacher for the entire world. Even now, you will find (Indians) do not go astray in their behaviour, as is happening in some other countries in the world. They are decent and courteous in their behaviour at least in public. Even an aged son dare not talk to his mother standing in front of her. In the earlier days of , the of used to visit . He used to bring the heir apparent and his other son along with him. Before their departure, the sons took the blessings of their mother, who used to sit behind a screen and stretch her legs for her sons to offer their obeisance to her. Such were their noble feelings and exemplary character. Today, you will find boys and girls moving together even in public places. If someone makes enquiries, they reply that so and so was their classmate. Such acts in the old days were considered highly improper. In fact, the term ‘classmate’ itself is a wrong expression. Do not use the word ‘classmate’. You should say ‘a fellow student in the class’. The rules of conduct in the earlier times were very strict. The situation has changed now. Boys and girls visit each other’s houses without any inhibition and even dine together. This is highly improper. Before doing such things, one has to ask oneself. “Am I a human being or an animal or a beast?” Animals have animal qualities. But you are a human being. Hence, you should possess human qualities. You say you are a human being. Therefore, you have to ask yourself, “Do I possess human qualities?” What are those human qualities? Never hurt anyone. Do not speak harsh words against any individual. Have compassion and a charitable disposition. Only such a person can be said to be a human being. Truth (), righteousness (), peace (), love (), and nonviolence () are the five qualities a human being should possess. Giving a go-bye to truth and righteousness, people pray for peace. Is it possible? Can anyone get peace outside? Peace is a state of mind that is very much inside one’s own self. It emanates from one’s heart. People are now searching for peace in the outside world.

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God is attributeless, unsullied, the final abode, eternal, pure, enlightened, free, and the embodiment of sacredness (God is ).

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“One attains merit by serving others and commits sin by hurting them ().”

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“Whoever you salute, it reaches God ().”

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“Whoever you criticise, it reaches God ().”

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Today’s education is information-oriented. It is bookish knowledge. It is not real education. It is not the type of education that you should pursue. You have to pursue ‘’. manifests in one’s own heart. Education relates to gathering information by reading several books and storing them in your brain. Whatever you remember out of that knowledge, you will reproduce in your examinations and acquire degrees. You call that education. That is not real education. You have to follow your inner voice. That is real education. In the recent sports day, you played many games; you displayed beautiful gymnastic skills; you sang several songs. These are all activities relating to the body, which is the result of your past actions (). However, do not repose absolute confidence in the physical body. The body is given to you for discharging your duty as a human being. Do not misuse your body. It is the responsibility of teachers, headmistresses, principals, vice chancellors, and chancellors to teach the students the value and purpose of human birth.

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Treat your parents with love and respect Your duty is to follow your conscience. Your conscience helps you manifest noble qualities. But you do not pay heed to the voice of your conscience and go against the human values. Hence, you should never ignore your conscience. Your conscience is your most valuable property. You do not have to repeat the name of the Lord, mediate, do , etc. You will achieve a lot of progress in your spiritual exercises if you only listen to your inner voice. Whatever comes from the depth of your heart will do good for you. Whatever goes against the dictates of your conscience is worldly, whereas inner voice or conscience is spiritual.

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“Those are the noble ones whose thoughts, words, and deeds are in perfect harmony ().”

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It is only in this world who helps even those who try to harm Him, ignoring their faults. I never mind the harm done to Me by others. We must always be calm, serene, and peaceful under all circumstances. If only you maintain the quality of peace, you can achieve anything in life. Wherever you see in the outside world, it is only pieces and pieces! Do not hurt the feelings of others, come what may. Always treat your parents with love and respect.

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Money is not important; your mind is important In fact, your parents are your first teachers. Respect them. Any amount of your good work by inconveniencing your parents is of no avail. That cannot be considered good work at all. Though it may appear to be yielding some benefits temporarily, the end result of all this work will turn out to be very bad. Hence, you must ensure that you do not cause any inconvenience or suffering to your parents. The more you inconvenience them the more you will suffer. With regard to charity, the more you give in charity to others, the more benefit you will receive later. Therefore, try to help others, always. Do any kind of selfless service which you are capable of. When you thus go on doing help to others, you will be progressing in the path of truth. As you travel in the path of truth, righteousness () will automatically follow. Where truth () and righteousness go together, peace () will reign there. Then love () will follow. Where there is love, there cannot be hatred. You will not have enemies then. It is only when the spring of love gets dried up in your heart that you will try to cause suffering to others. Hence, develop love for all. Truth, righteousness, peace, love, and nonviolence () are human qualities. Today, there is rampant violence everywhere in the world. People are afraid to stay alone even in their houses. Several changes are taking place all over the world. Earlier, the United States of America was considered to be a super power and a wealthy country. But now all that glory is gone. As a result, people who were going to their workplaces in cars earlier are now walking. We think money and wealth can do anything, but money is not important; your mind is important. If only you can control your mind, everything will turn out to be good for you.

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“Do all actions to please God ().”

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“Any action resulting in the good of others is noble and should be followed ().”

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You all have done well in your studies, getting good marks and securing ranks. You brought good name to the Institution in the fields of education, sports, and cultural activities. Yesterday, you witnessed a play on . He did not feel bad, in spite of criticism and belittling from his brother-in-law, , also a great poet. Since was a great devotee of and surrendered himself totally to the Lord, Himself composed the great epic on his behalf. always believed that his poetry, his life, and even his very existence were all the gift of Lord . He was a true devotee. When was suffering from acute poverty and finding it very difficult to make both ends meet, his brother-in-law advised him to dedicate his works to the king and make a comfortable living with the money and jewelry gifted by the king. refused to do so, saying that he would take refuge only in Lord . Instead, he decided to live by cultivating his small piece of land. One day, while was going by the side of the fields in a palanquin, he saw his brother-in-law working in his field. He derisively passed a comment on addressing him as “!” meaning, ‘Oh farmer! Are you OK?’ gave an apt reply saying, ‘What does it matter if I am a farmer? I feel it is better and nobler to make a living by farming than dedicating my poetry to earthly kings and living upon their charity. That gives me great satisfaction!’ The earth is the basis for all the objects and all activities in the world. Whoever reposes his faith in the land will never undergo any difficulties. Hence, I advise students to develop faith in their motherland and pursue their vocations in this great land of (India) itself, instead of dreaming to go to other countries like America and earn and of . Earn name and fame in your motherland itself. Earning money is not something great. Even a beggar can earn a lot of money.

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