What Is the Purpose of Life? 

The boys were pleading with Swami to come to the hostel.

Swami: (To the elders in the Portico) Good boys, good voice! Very good music. It sounds like a Qawwali, does it not? (To students) Daily same song. Why do you not change it? It is so hurting to the ears. (To a boy) What is the purpose of life?

Student: Swami, to love all and serve all.

Swami: No! The only way to reach God is to love all and serve all. What is the purpose of life?

Student: Swami, help always.

Swami: Just help ever. You must help ever, hurt never. Even in the Bible, compassion is stressed upon a lot. Many a time we hurt others by our thought, word, and deed. Controlling the three and abstaining from the misuse of them is the real purpose of life—also called trikaranashuddhi. Our thought, word, and deed must all be equally pure. In the Sri Sathya Sai Organization they have a program called EHV—Education in Human Values. But it must be 3HV—education in human values of the head, heart, and hand. This is called as—The proper study of mankind is man. Man is the one who has complete mastery over his head, heart, and hand, i.e., he speaks what he thinks and does what he says, hence achieving a unity of thought, word, and deed. This is unity in diversity.

Beings are many, breath is one.
Jewels are many, gold is one.
Nations are many, earth is one.
Stars are many, sky is one.

(To a Primary School boy) How many brothers?

Student: All are brothers, Swami.

Swami: (To the Primary School boy) Good! Difference is in bodies only, but the atma is one—unity in diversity. How many sisters?

Student: Swami all are sisters.

Swami: (Turning to the Institute boys) See! Compare this boy’s answers with our big boys’ answers. In the Primary school, all these small boys are pure. At the Higher Secondary school, the balance is slightly upset. By the time they come to Institute the balance is completely gone. You see each of these boys gives correct answers but not our big boys!

Swami: (To the Primary School boy) What do you want? Why did you come here? Where are the other boys? Why special for you?

Student: Swami, I came because I want Your darshan [to see] and to talk to You.

Swami: What do you want?

Student: Swami, I want You.

Swami: Come on! Take Me! I am ready.

(At once the boy jumped up much to the amazement of everyone and bent down to take padanamaskar [touching the Lord’s feet].)

Swami: (Looking at the Institute boys) See, that is how you must be. (To the Primary School boy) What is your father doing?

Student: Swami, you are my mother and father

Swami: Good boy. What is your father doing?

Student: Swami, he is a neurosurgeon. He wants to come here and serve at Your hospital.

Swami: It is OUR hospital. I do not need any hospitals for Myself. I never fall sick. What is your mother doing?

Student: She is a retired scientist, Swami.

Swami: Retired so soon?

Student: Swami, after marriage, she retired.

Swami: (Laughed and said) Then it means she has stopped after marriage. You must not say retired. Retired is after 28 years of service. Our boys must learn to use the correct words. They do not even know what words to use when writing letters also. (To an Institute boy) How many marks?

Student: Swami, I got an A grade.

Swami: Why not O grade? Our boys must get O grades.

Student: Swami, I will try this time.

Swami: Don’t try. Try and try then it will become dry. You must do it! Will you do it?

Swami: (To the Institute students) Boys must all study well. Studying is the duty of all students. You must do your duty. Duty is God. Work is worship. Study well, respect your elders and listen to what your parents say. That is your duty. Today students want to be fed by their parents, clothed by them, and want their money. But they do not want to respect them. Our students must not be like that. What you do now to your parents, tomorrow your children will do to you. We must live in the present, the omnipresent. The fruits of the past are in the present. The seeds of the future are also in the present. We must learn to live in this omnipresence. (To a visiting company Managing Director) How are our MBA boys?

M.D: Swami, they are very good.

Swami: Compared to outside boys, they are much better. But still, this age is like that. Sometimes, they do get bad thoughts. Yet, they are good. Outside boys cannot be compared to our boys. If holidays come, for example, our boys cry not to go home. They want to stay with Swami. But outside boys in other hostels keep counting how many days are left to go home. My boys are all happy here. (To the boys) Not just here! You must be happy everywhere. Good boys!

~September 21, 1991
Source: Students with Sai: Conversations (1991-2000)