Into this tiny hamlet ringed round by 'pigmy hillocks,' there
has come from the far-off Himaalayan region, the governor of Uttar
Pradesh, Dr. Burgula Raamakrishna Rao, to lay the foundation-stone
of your school building! Really, this should make at least one
thing clear to you that if sincere Saadhana is done, even the most
difficult thing can be accomplished. I find the whole village of
Puttaparthi and even the surrounding villages are immersed in joy
today. I too am very happy, for it is not simply a building which
will rise up on this spot. It is a new era of prosperity and of
progress. He lays the foundation not merely for a Vidhyaalaya
(educational institution) but for Vidhya (education) as well. He
has not only sacrificed much for the freedom of his country and
earned the respect and affection of the leaders of the land, but
he is also a great scholar in many languages and he is an ardent
believer in Sanaathana Dharma (eternal religion). To have the
village school begun by him is indeed a very auspicious event.
You can be proud that Puttaparthi is a village that has become
famous from the Himaalayas to Kanyaakumari, as the governor said
now; but as he himself added, it is a great responsibility as
well. This function is, I consider, the crown and glory of this
years' birthday festival, for I see the faces of the ryots before
Me beaming with a new hope and a new joy. The elders of his
village have at last realised what they have missed all these
years due to their own defects.
Puttaparthi is revered with Gratitude by millions
To secure pearls, one has to go far out into the sea and dive
deep; simply wading in the shallows and declaring that the
pearl-story is a myth is a sign of foolishness. So too, the elders
here wondered so long at all stories of My Mahimaas (miracle
powers) and cold not make use of the splendid chances that lay at
their very doors. They saw only the light, but did not feel the
warmth. That itself proves that though they were physically so
near, they were very distant for all practical purposes. They
could see the splendour, the glory, the effulgence but they did
not come near and share the warmth of My heart.
Entangled in the false and the fleeting, men lose the golden
chance of grasping the true and the lasting. They refuse to
recognise the fruits that grow on the branches of the tree in
their own garden; they pluck it before it becomes ripe and they go
about decrying it as sour. Such is the fate of man; he has always
ignored God and pursued the paltry joys of pride and greed.
As a matter of fact, Puttaparthi is a name revered and
remembered with gratitude by millions today and it will be
treasured in history as an immortal name. No other village has
such fortune, but you have been slow to recognise this. For twenty
years now, efforts have been made to calm the waves of faction in
this village, years during which many other villages sought and
won My grace and blessings. There have been many occasions on
which Bhakthas (devotees) have pleaded with Me to move out of this
miasma and settle down in Bangalore or Madras or some such town,
or if I preferred, some other quiet rural spot. But let Me tell
you here and now; this tree has to grow at the very spot where it
sprouted; it will not be transplanted; I shall not give up this
place, no, not I. This place will be transformed into Thirupathi
and those who are little boys and girls today will surely see it
in all its magnificence.
Three Requisites essential for all Advancement
It is not only this village but every village is sick with
animosities and petty quarrels and vendettas. As the governor
said, many attempts have been made during the last fifteen years
to better the lot of the ryot but the result has been far below
expectations and expense. For there is an absence of three
requisites essential for all advancement: Dhairyam, Uthsaaham and
Aanandham (courage, enthusiasm and joy). The very nature around is
enough to instil awe and wonder, to impart courage, to inspire
enthusiasm and to fill you with joy! It is a type of false
Vairaagyam (non-attachment) to close the eye to all the beauty,
all the plenty, all the mercy that you receive from mother nature,
and to mope in sorrow, bewailing your lot.
You should be thankful to the Lord for the chance given to you
to serve others and yourselves, to observe His glory and His grace
and you should look upon all as brothers and sisters. If instead,
you poison your hearts with hate and revel in quarrels; well, what
is the great profit you have earned thereby? Have you at least
derived peace and content, following that course? You have reaped
only further hate and further waste.
The villages surrounding this place have gainfully made use of
the help given by government and advanced in some ways; but here,
you need not stretch your hands before government; you have a
Kalpavriksha (wish-fulfilling tree) ready to give you all that you
want! You have the Lord, who protects and promotes all. The
virtues of the people are the treasures of the state; the Smarana
(remembering) of the name of the Lord is the root of all virtues.
The royal Road to ensure Joy and Peace
Naaradha, who was afflicted with conceit that there was no
other who had dedicated his very breath to the recital of the
name, was once humiliated to find that a ryot, who managed to
repeat the name three times (!) in the course of his overwhelming
multitude of distressing preoccupations from cockcrow to dusk, was
judged a greater devotee! Joy is your birthright; peace is your
inmost nature. The Lord is your staff and support. Do not discard
it; do not be led away from the path of faith by stories invented
by malice and circulated by spite.
Take up the name of God, any of his innumerable ones, any that
appeals to you most and the form appropriate to that name and
start repeating it from now on; that is the royal road to ensure
joy and peace. That will train you in the feeling of brotherhood
and remove enmity towards fellowmen.
Many seeds are sown in the field by you; some are eaten away by
ants; some are washed off by rains; some are picked by the birds;
some are destroyed by pests; but some sprout strong and sturdy.
This little school will grow into a study high school, believe Me.
You, on your part, must do everything to uphold the honour and
reputation of this village.
When I went to Nainital, right in the midst of the Himaalayas,
thousands of miles from here, they welcomed Me with an address
written and printed in Hindi and therein they mentioned this
village of Puttaparthi which they called a Punyakshethra (sacred
place)! Well, when people actually come here from the various
quarters of the world, let them see a virtuous community of
God-fearing men and women, living in peace and content.