God is Love
Question: Swami, You seem to be very upset and annoyed when anything goes wrong regarding discipline, educational standards, and personality development in general. Swami, You come down heavily on students when they don’t meet Your expectations and You openly reprimand the guilty in public. It is terrifying to be a witness to this sort of a thing. I get fear-stricken when I think of You, Swami, in that mood. How are we to reconcile ourselves to such a situation and take it positively?
Bhagavan: First of all, you should know that Swami is completely selfless. You should also note very clearly that Swami is never angry with anyone: “God is love, love is God.” I pretend to be angry and unhappy with you only to correct you. Even that apparent anger vanishes very soon like a shower of hail. You cannot call anyone a guru if he accepts and endorses all that you do and say. He is a guru in the true sense of the term if he corrects you, and turns you in the right direction as your well-wisher.
Suppose this [Prasanthi Nilayam] is a workshop, and all damaged and spoiled vehicles come here for repair. I must, if I am a mechanic, tighten the bolts, nuts, screws, etc. Similarly, I should correct your mistakes, make you free from your faults, see that you are rid of your weaknesses and defects, and finally, mould you into ideal citizens of this country.
Your mistake must be corrected immediately then and there itself, as and when it is committed. I should be harsh enough to correct you. You bend iron when it is hot, don’t you? But, when it is not hot, no man even with all the strength of his muscles will be able to bend it. So, you should be corrected and admonished immediately when you go wrong. If your mistakes are pointed out in public, you won’t repeat them.
Let Me give you small example here. Suppose, you are sweeping your room with a broom while wearing a lungi (a South Indian dress that comes down to the feet); suddenly, your friend drops in to see you. What do you do? You will put the broom aside, change your dress, and make yourself presentable to your friend.
Why do you do that? Cleaning your room is a perfectly normal act. It is just that you don’t want to be seen in your informal dress. You want to be dressed neatly before you meet him because you care for him. Don’t you? So also when I point out your mistakes in public, you will be able to correct them forthwith, and you will be careful not to repeat such mistakes in the future.
In fact, I don’t lose anything if you are spoiled. I don’t gain anything if you are good. I don’t expect anything from you. I want you to be good and get a good name for your parents, your institution, and your country. This is not for me, but for your ultimate good.
Source: Satyopanisad, Vol. I
