Thought of the Month
Excerpts from Bhagawan’s discourses on various occasions that remind us of what He envisioned for the Bal Vikas (Sai Spiritual Education) movement and what He expects from children and gurus.
According to our Indian culture it is said: mother is God and father is God. One’s parents are the manifestations of Divinity in a visible form. Our parents have given us this body, have cared for us by giving us food, and also given us the ideals with which we have to lead our lives. Hence we must consider showing our gratitude to them as our first and foremost duty.
If you are unable to give satisfaction to your parents who have given you this sacred body, how will you be able to do good to the country? How will you be able to transform the society? How will you be able to look after the security of your country? You can think for yourself. When we are not in a position to make our parents who live in the same house happy, how can we spread happiness across the country and the world? The boys and girls of Bal Vikas (SSE) should begin at their homes by showing respect for their parents, brothers, and sisters. This should be the first step. The second step is to respect those in the neighborhood. We should also respect those that come as guests to our homes. Gradually in this manner, we should be able to spread our care to the rest of the village, going on to the whole district, and eventually to the country as a whole.
Divine Discourse – 2 Mar 1974
You young children will soon grow up, and some of you will become mothers and some of you fathers. It is only when you learn to respect your parents when young [that] your children in turn will respect you and show regard to you when you become mothers and fathers.
Whatever seed is planted, that corresponding tree will sprout out of it. So also the kind of food that you take in will determine the nature of the belch…. Your life is like a seed. You must nurture this seed of life into a tree, and make efforts to relish the fruits of bliss and happiness that the tree bears. If the plant in its tender age were to become crooked and get a curved shape, then the whole tree, too, will be crooked.
So ensure that this period of life is spent in a fruitful and sacred manner. You can do this by acquiring sacred education through the study of all holy texts.
Bal Vikas Conference Divine Discourse – 22 Nov 1975
The close connection that should exist between the Bal Vikas students and gurus should be for the goal of controlling one’s own senses. The teachers should be good guides, and the students should be ideal recipients of such good ideas…. The students, who are lost in the sleep of ignorance, should be woken up by these gurus through the teaching of prajnana (spiritual wisdom). They should be exhorted to, ‘awaken, arise and strive toward the goal.’ Ignorance strengthens one’s ego. Ego is like a great sin. It has been said, “Death is sweeter than blindness of ignorance.”
Where there is the teacher, ignorance disappears, but if one has ignorance, one cannot find a teacher. So long as one has ego, it is not possible to find a real guru. Unfortunately, today in the world there are plenty of greedy teachers and lazy students. Today, there is a great need for students with sharp intellect and teachers who can sacrifice. It’s not great to give away objects, but it is indeed great to give away one’s own self. It is only when there is a close relationship and connection between the teacher and the student that whatever is taught will take the shape of spiritual knowledge.
Bal Vikas Conference Divine Discourse – 22 Nov 1975
There is one important advice I wish to communicate to the teachers. Anything about a religion or aspects of a religion should not be taught to the children in a manner that will create contradictions in their minds. We should not have hatred for any religion; all religions only teach how we can go closer to God. One should not take the attitude that one religion is better and another is smaller; one should not make such comparisons. It is the equality of all the religions and the acceptance of the main principles of all religions that is the essence of Sai’s ideas. This is something that you should recognize….
Divine Discourse – 2 Mar 1974
…The gurus who have satvik (pure) feelings can inspire such noble feelings in the students who learn under them. If we, therefore, want sacred ideas to be promoted in the students, first thing to do is to develop sacred thoughts in the minds of the teacher. The first step is that the teacher’s minds should be free of jealousy, differences, and all other bad qualities. Most importantly, teachers must keep away from all kinds of politics that are like injurious insects… All the gurus should regard themselves as brothers and sisters and promote the divine aspect of atma and regard themselves as the proponents of that one idea. Being humans, it is possible that unpleasant ideas may occur in the mind. But you have undertaken to be a Sathya Sai Bal Vikas guru. If such bad qualities occur in other teachers, there is not so much danger as would be in the case of Bal Vikas teachers.
Divine Discourse to Bal Vikas Gurus – 20 Nov 1979
We should have the faith and understanding that teachers are like the guiding light for the country. If one student takes to the wrong path, he or she alone would have taken the wrong path. But if the teacher takes to the wrong path, hundreds and thousands of young people will take the wrong path. The teachers should stand as a guidepost. He/she should have an unwavering mind in setting an example of an ideal to the young students. If the guidepost is not stationary and is constantly rotating, then it will show the wrong direction. Just as a guidepost stands firm and shows the direction clearly, so also the teachers should stand firm, should be selfless and should show the path to the students to follow. The teacher should also promote one’s own devotion and faith.
Divine Discourse to Bal Vikas Gurus – 20 Nov 1979
