8 August 2026
Saturday
Remember you are the makers, the leaders and the guides of the India of tomorrow. Your shoulders have to be stronger than those of the present generation of leaders, for, as the years roll by, the burden is becoming heavier. Your hearts must become more expansive, your intelligence must become sharper and clearer, for you have great things to do, for your own selves and for humanity. Therefore, imbibe the ideals of duty, devotion and discipline. Devotion must be tested in the crucible of discipline. It must be directed along the lines of duty. Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Pandavas, was the very embodiment of devotion to Lord Krishna. But he had on both sides of him duty in the form of Arjuna and discipline in the form of Bheema. So, he was able to defeat his enemies and crown himself Emperor. Do not stuff your heads with the trivialities that fill the columns of periodicals, or absurd details of the personal lives of stars in any field. Don’t get excited with external events; or, depressed with events that appear like failures. Keep your head high over the flood waters; do not be carried away like stalks of straw.
From Swami’s discourse of 6 July 1975
Also on words from this discourse: Education as Sādhana, 6 August 2026
Remember you are the makers, the leaders and the guides of the India of tomorrow. Your shoulders have to be stronger than those of the present generation of leaders, for, as the years roll by, the burden is becoming heavier. Your hearts must become more expansive, your intelligence must become sharper and clearer, for you have great things to do, for your own selves and for humanity. Therefore, imbibe the ideals of duty, devotion and discipline. Devotion must be tested in the crucible of discipline. It must be directed along the lines of duty. Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Pandavas, was the very embodiment of devotion to Lord Krishna. But he had on both sides of him duty in the form of Arjuna and discipline in the form of Bheema. So, he was able to defeat his enemies and crown himself Emperor. Do not stuff your heads with the trivialities that fill the columns of periodicals, or absurd details of the personal lives of stars in any field. Don’t get excited with external events; or, depressed with events that appear like failures. Keep your head high over the flood waters; do not be carried away like stalks of straw.