Talk Given by Anil Kumar to Teachers in Bangalore on "Educare"

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Articles

Talk Given by Anil Kumar to Teachers in Bangalore
“EDUCARE”

January 4th, 2003

OM… OM… OM…

Sai Ram

Distinguished Members on the Dais,
Esteemed Participants,
Dear Fellow Devotees and Guests:

“THEY WANT YOU”

I am extremely grateful to Bhagavan for giving me this opportunity to participate in this conference. It is indeed very kind of the organisers, Mrs. Kamala Padmanabhan, Mrs. Sucharita and all their associates for thinking of me and giving me the privilege of being associated with the seminar.

Bhagavan said, “They want you. They want you to come and talk.”

That’s what He said - but it was unclear. Did Bhagavan want me to go, or not?

Bhagavan tells me, “They want you.”

How dare I ask, “Do You want me to go?”

“To be or not to be” is a question in a Shakespearean play, and that was the question for my life on that day. Well, I could not answer it.

So I said, “Swami, what are the dates?”

Bhagavan said, “The 28th and 29th.”

Then I prayerfully thought, “This is the best opportunity to get permission for my other personal work, because Swami-kaaryamu, swakaaryamu, (deeds for Swami, deeds for self) could be both done at the same time.”

I said, “Bhagavan, I have a marriage function at Guntur on the 27th, which I must attend because my absence would lead to misunderstanding and displeasure.”

Then Bhagavan immediately said, “All right, all right. It is up to you, Bangaru (Golden One – a term of endearment). Nee convenience choochuko. Nee anukoolamu chuchuko. Danidemundi. Idi the 28th - 29th.”

This happens to be the 28th and 29th. Was He indirectly suggesting that since the wedding function was on the 27th, what would I be doing on the 28th and 29th? Well, that’s how I took it.

Then I said, “Swami, as the wedding is at night on the 27th, I won’t be able to reach the conference on time on the 28th. So I will leave there (Guntur) on the 28th, and attend the function on the second day.”

“Manchidi, manchidi, nuvvu chuchuko.”

The next day, Bhagavan told the organisers about my commitment on the 27th, but that I would attend the conference.

This is how the Will of Bhagavan brought me here and blessed me with the opportunity to be in your midst. What greater joy can I expect? Could there ever be more in one’s own lifetime?

THE TOPIC IS: “VISION OF SRI SATHYA SAI EDUCARE”

I have been given the topic “Vision of Sri Sathya Sai Educare”, about which much has been written. I will limit myself to the topic proper. Having been a teacher for four decades, I cannot afford to digress, divert or stray away from the topic given to me.

I would, however, like to divide my talk into three parts. The first part is the organisational aspect. The second part shows the difference between education and Educare. And the third part is about the task ahead of us, and how to go about it. These are the three components in my talk this morning.

THE EDUCATION WING IS THE FRUITION OF THE SERVICE AND SPIRITUAL WINGS

First, let me talk to you about the organisational aspect. My friends, all of you know that there are three wings in Sathya Sai Seva Organisation. The first wing is the service wing. The service wing is where we render service with the body. “Bend the body.” Unless we serve humanity, we can never learn to be humble; we can never experience Divinity. So, the first wing of this organisation is the service wing, which is service-oriented, service-centred, and service-based. We call this karma yoga (the path of activity, which strengthens and purifies devotion to God).

The service wing takes us to the next wing of the organisation, which we call the spiritual wing. It comprises bhajan mandali (spiritual congregations), nagarsankirtan (group singing of spiritual songs along the streets early morning), and all other spiritual activities. They all come under the spiritual wing, which represents bhakthi yoga (the devotional path of Love for God).

Karma takes you to bhakthi. Bhakthi is meaningless without karma. Karma is aimless without bhakthi. Karma and Bhakthi are the obverse and reverse of the same coin. They go together. If one does service without bhakthi, it is useless, mechanical, routine, monotonous, laborious, boring. If there is only spirituality without the service wing, it is like a platform lecture, only words, jargon; it is bogus, exhibitionism.

So the spiritual wing will have its foundation in the service wing. The service wing will have its fulfilment in the spiritual wing. These two will take us to the third wing of the Sai Organisation, which we call the education wing. This is jnana yoga, the path of wisdom to God.

Jnana yoga is the fruit and essence of the Sathya Sai Organisation. This education wing is the brilliance, the radiance, the light and the delight of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation. This wing is the very life breath of the Sathya Sai Organisation, without which the other two are lifeless, futile exercises.

WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO BE TEACHERS

We are all lucky to have been involved in the education wing of the Sathya Sai Organisation. We, the teachers, are privileged to be teachers. First of all, we should feel proud of our profession. Why? It is because our greatness, our richness, and our property are not counted in terms of coins and money. Our property is counted in terms of the appreciation, the adoration, the dedication, the commitment, and the compliments that we receive from our students that are recorded in the passbook of our heart, in the bank of our life.

After all, every income has an income tax, but the income of a teacher cannot be taxed because it is infinite, Amrutasya Puthrah (child of Immortality). It is akshaya (inexhaustible).

Given the chance, I want to be born again as a teacher. I tell you this because I became a teacher by choice, not by force. By preference! I became a teacher because I have joy while teaching. What a thrill we have when we are teachers. We forget all our family problems.

That’s the reason why people of other professions might become old when they retire; but a teacher is an evergreen hero throughout his lifetime. (Applause) This is because he moves in the company of youngsters. A teacher moves in the garden of flowers that blossom with smiles, the smiles of bubbling faces of students committed to his care.

TEACHERS ARE THE NATION’S BUILDERS

We are very lucky. We should be very grateful to God. We are the nation’s builders.

I can give you an illustration -- that of King Charles IV of England. He made a royal visit to a high school in London, England. The name of the headmaster was Busbee. He was teaching a lesson based on a poem written by William Wordsworth, “The Cloud”. So beautiful! Wordsworth is speaking of nature. He takes you to a state of ecstasy!

While he was teaching the students, the king passed by on the veranda. The headmaster did not get up nor lift his cap as a mark of respect to the royal king. He didn’t do that because he was engrossed, immersed in a total state of forgetfulness, in total identification with the teaching.

After the bell rang, a few teachers came by and said, “You are going to lose your job.”

He said, “Why?”

“You did not salute the royal king, His Majesty! How is it you kept on teaching?”

And the headmaster said, “One king passed by the corridor. There are forty kings in my classroom. I cannot ignore them.” (Applause)

NO COUNTRY CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT A TEACHER

Never underestimate the profession we belong to. Never underestimate your role. No country can survive without a teacher. Impossible! A teacher sees the future. A teacher is a man of vision.

Michelangelo was a teacher. He looked at a boulder, a shapeless rock, and said, “I see an angel in that.”

Similarly, a teacher is a ‘Michelangelo’! A teacher is a sculptor who chisels a rock, his student, into a beautiful idol. A teacher is a cloud showering the rain of happiness, giving the cool breeze of bliss to his students.

THE ROLE OF A TEACHER

Our students speak of us at home. They tell their father and mother how the teacher dresses, and how the teacher addresses. I believe every teacher should know how to dress and how to address. We cannot be ill dressed. We should be well dressed. A well-dressed teacher will prepare well and his presentation will be given equally well. We should be presentable to students. The students should be happy to see us. We can’t afford to be unappealing. No. We’ve got to be the latest.

I remember as a student how I used to note down the colour of the suits of my teacher, including the colour of the socks he wore. How he inspired me!

I met him again yesterday. He is 88 and my suspicions were that I might not see him again. He is almost on his deathbed! I touched his feet and said, “Dr. Thomas, before I get on to the dais, I pray to God, then I think of you and then I start speaking. I must have addressed thousands and thousands of meetings, but you left an indelible mark on the sands of time in my memory. You inspired me.” That is the role of a teacher.

Well, if I speak more, members of other professions may feel slighted. I don’t want to annoy anyone or be a cause for anger. But it shouldn’t matter, as everyone is also the product of their teachers.

THE EDUCATION WING HAS TWO PARTS

The education wing is an important part of the Sai organisation, where we teachers have an important role.

There are two components in the education wing.

The Study Circle
Balvikas (Sai Spiritual Education for young children), Education in Human Values, and Educare.

Having been in the Sathya Sai Organisation for a quarter of a century in various capacities of the State Organisation, I am familiar with the organisational hierarchy. Therefore, I am trying to give you a picture or some idea of the organisation, as well.

THE FIRST PART OF THE EDUCATION WING IS THE STUDY CIRCLE

The education wing has these two components: the Study Circle, and Balvikas, Education in Human Values, and Educare.

First, what is a Study Circle?

Today there is no study. There is only a circle, that’s all, a circle. So we have to realise that we cannot afford to have men and women of this country with a circle or a zero in their minds. No! They should not be empty-headed or dull-headed.

The Study Circle: We sit in a circle and study together. We evolve and progress together. We investigate together. We explore together. That togetherness is a circle. Study is learning in-depth.

Study and learning are different. Learning is formal. It is institutional and rather bookish. Learning is time-bound. Learning is, all in all, a process of reception or receiving some material. But, study is observation. Study is reflection and reaction. Study is exploration and enquiry. We study to be steady. Therefore, my friends, the first part of the education wing is the Study Circle. We have to study well.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Every teacher must necessarily study. If a teacher is to be respected, the teacher must have adequate material about his subject matter. That’s the reason why the famous maxim says, “Knowledge is power.” Knowledge is power. It is more powerful than an atom bomb, more powerful than a nitrogen bomb. Knowledge is power. That is the knowledge one should have, adequate knowledge, knowledge-in-depth.

TEACHERS NEED SWADHYAYA AND PRAVACHANA

So, the Study Circle is the acquisition of knowledge. We call this in Sanskrit, swadhyaya. Swadhyay - study. After the study, you implement -- Balvikas, Education in Human Values and Educare, and that is the pravachana. Pravachana - teaching. Swadhyaya – study.

So, every teacher has two eyes: Swadhyaya, pravachana. Two ears: Swadhyaya, pravachana. Two hands: Swadhyaya, pravachana. If a teacher wants to have swadhyaya without pravachana, he is handicapped or one-sided. If he has swadhyaya and no pravachana, his classes will be empty. No students will come.

So teachers should be equally empowered by swadhyaya and pravachana - like the two rails of a railway track running parallel to each other.

I will not say anything more about swadhyaya, the Study Circle, because that is a little removed from the topic given to me.

GRANDPARENTS ARE BALVIKAS GURUS

Now, let me think of these three: Balvikas, Education in Human Values, and Educare.

Am I clear, please? You can ask me to repeat because I am notorious for speaking very fast.

It is Bhagavan who has cut down my speed to a great extent. He says, “Slow, slow,” and then He will increase His speed, double, multiple, making me a laughing stock for the audience. Sometimes He lets me fumble and commit a mistake, to stand corrected very often - much to the amusement of people, because Bhagavan’s discourses are enlightenment, and my mistakes are entertainment. That makes it comprehensive and total!

But anyway, I will say a few words about Balvikas. Balvikas consists of children who love to hear stories. Balvikas does not require Balvikas teachers. Every grandmother is a Balvikas guru! Every grandfather is a Balvikas guru! They are better gurus than all of us put together.

We don’t forget the stories told us by our grandparents. The picture of Bheema (an Army General of ancient times) was given to us by our grandmother. The idea of Krishna, Rama, Parasurama, Balarama, (Avatars and Krishna’s brother) -- all these roles were given to us by our grandparents.

FIVE POINTS ABOUT BALVIKAS

Point one is that Balvikas are full of stories.

Two, the stories help children to think of the body and the personality behind the story. They start picturing characters such as Bheema. They don’t visualise Bheema as a thin patient suffering from tuberculosis. No, Bheema is as big as ten of us joined together, at least. When you speak of Balarama, they expect personality. When you speak of Krishna, they expect a peacock feather and a flute, a smile and a little mischief. Yamadharmaraja (the god of death), who is He? A dark fellow with a moustache, sitting on the buffalo, ummmm, that’s it.

These are all the things identified with the picture in their mind. So Balvikas is based on stories, and in these stories the children try to visualise the different characters. The children picture the personality by listening to our stories.

Then three, it is conscious -- being conscious of the body. I am conscious of my dress and hairstyle. I am conscious of my qualification. I am conscious of my seniority. I am conscious of my height, weight and chest measurement.

And the fourth point, there is “the one you think you are” - the body, the personality.

The fifth point, the children listen to our story in rapt attention. Suppose you jump from the Ramayana to the Mahabharatha. The child will tell you to come back to Hanuman (a renowned monkey devotee of Rama).

If you stop the story at one stage on the previous day, the next day the child will be able to remember exactly what happened. “Start from here; don’t repeat it again, because I get bored,” he tells me. This is because children have the power or faculty of 100% concentration.

Therefore, my friends, I will give you these points once again, because teachers are guilty of repetition. But their guilt is their strength. Yes, it is not a weakness. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Teacher of teachers, Lord Krishna Himself, repeats every point in every chapter a hundred thousand times. So the ‘Head of the Department’, Lord Krishna, the Teacher of teachers Himself, for our own benefit, wants us to repeat so that we won’t forget or be negligent.

These are the five points concerning Balvikas: The first point is story telling. The second point is body and personality development. The third thing is the feeling of being conscious (of the body, status, etc.) The fourth point is being aware of ‘the one you think you are’, the personality, the body. The fifth point is that children listen to us in full concentration.

BALVIKAS TAKES YOU TO EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES

Balvikas takes us to a higher level. From the primary school, it takes us to the secondary school. We go a little higher. Here it is “Education in Human Values - EHV”. EHV is advancement, a gradual transition from the lower to the higher.

But one is complementary to the other, a sequential or corollary. Neither is contradictory. Please understand this. They are not contradictory; they are complementary. They don’t compete with each other. There is nothing complex here, no perplexity or doubt. The process is evolutionary; you evolve. That’s all. Simply, Balvikas takes you to a higher level, to ‘Education in Human Values.’

EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES IN THE STUDY OF VALUES

What is this all about? At this level, a boy is in high school. You don’t need to describe Rama in full. You don’t have to tell a boy from the 10th or 12th class that Hanuman has a tail because the child has this already identified by now.

So this is what happens at the EHV level: No more stories. We now teach values. Rama means Truth. Rama means Dharma (Right Conduct). Krishna means Prema (Love), Shanti (Peace), Harischandra, an emperor who could have avoided terrible disasters by lying but refused to, means Truth, Sathya. So they learn to value things not by the personality, not by the role, not by the body, but by the values each character represents.

So, Education in Human Values corresponds to the butter in curds and whey. If the curd is Balvikas, the butter is Education in Human Values. I think I am clear.

Then, they study the values a lot. And now, they begin to feel the values in themselves. Rama stands for Truth. OK. ‘Do I speak truth?’ That is the question. They begin to find the values within, and the extent to which they are present.

EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES IS AT THE LEVEL OF THE MIND

This stage is called ‘conscience.’ ‘To what extent is my conscience speaking? To what extent does my conscience follow the dictates of the stories narrated earlier? To what extent is my conscience satisfied with the value you have spoken about, with the values that are true until now?’

So, this is becoming aware of the conscience. It is at the level of the mind, not the level of the body, as thinking is immediate. If you say, “Rama”, that is enough. They think of the difficulties He had. They go on thinking of the values He possessed and the challenges He faced. That is mental or psychological, in the mind.

CONCENTRATION IS BALVIKAS,
CONTEMPLATION IS EDUCATION iN HUMAN VALUES

Then comes the second stage. Once we teach them, they think of the story, and they think of the value. ‘You taught me about Rama; so do you speak truthfully? I heard about Rama, is there Truth in me? Is there Truth in you? How untruthful you are! How bogus he is!’ They begin to evaluate. They begin to ruminate and to reflect. They begin to ponder over those values given to them. This is contemplation.

Concentration is Balvikas.

Contemplation is Education in Human Values.

The body is Balvikas; the mind is Human Values.

Consciousness is Balvikas; the conscience is Human Values.

Stories are the course content of Balvikas.

Values are the theme in Education in Human Values.

Concentration is Balvikas’ effective implement for learning.

Contemplation is the objective in Education in Human Values.

So, that’s how you go beyond meditating on the stories to the values. Try to contemplate or reflect upon the conscience. This then takes you to a higher level, to the next stage, Educare, which is ‘university education’.

Primary school education – Balvikas

High school education - Education in Human Values

Collegiate career - Educare

EDUCARE DEALS WITH THE SPIRIT

What is Educare all about? It has nothing to do with the body, as in Balvikas. It has nothing to do with the mind, as in the Education in Human Values. It deals with the spirit or Atma or soul.

The body is Balvikas.

The mind is Education in Human Values.

The spirit or Atma is Educare.

In Balvikas, we speak of Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Bhagavatha, all religious stories. In Education in Human Values we speak of the values or philosophy. So, religion is Balvikas, philosophy is Education in Human Values, and spirituality is Educare.

There is a difference between religion, philosophy and spirituality. They are three levels of comprehension, three levels of experience and practice. Religion (Balvikas) takes you to philosophy; philosophy (Education in Human Values) takes you to spirituality (Educare).

So, Educare deals with the spirit, soul or Atma. It has nothing to do with the Balvikas’ body ‘conscious’, or the ‘conscience’ of Education in Human Values. Educare deals with ‘consciousness’. Therefore, we go to the third level - spirituality.

CONSCIENCE IS LIMITED, CONSCIOUSNESS IS UNIVERSAL

What is the difference between conscience and consciousness? Conscience is limited; consciousness is universal. Air in a balloon is conscience; air around it is consciousness, both being the same. The air in the tyre and the air around it are different only because of the name and form given by the tyre; the air around the tyre is beyond name and form, though the same air. So, collectively speaking, universally speaking, from a cosmic point of view, it is ‘consciousness’. When speaking from an individual point of view, it is called ‘conscience’.

So, Balvikas is conscious; Education in Human Values is conscience; and Educare is consciousness. Am I clear, please?

EDUCARE REQUIRES MEDITATION

Educare also takes you to another level of approaching God. It is quite logical to fly by plane across the sky. I cannot imagine flying on my bicycle. No, I require a plane! But then I cannot expect to fly in an aeroplane on the ocean; I need a ship there.

So, Educare requires the third level, meditation. Meditation is not time-bound, where a person sits straight, bolting the door from inside, and not allowing anybody in between 5.00 AM and 6.00 AM, considering himself ‘religious’. Meditation is not limited to space and time. Meditation is not sitting straight. You had better do that for a straight spinal column. If you are not straightforward, at least your spinal column will be straight! Meditation is not a physical exercise.

MEDITATION IS ANNIHILATION OF THE MIND

So, my friends, what is the meaning of meditation? There is only one definition. I am never too tired, my friends, to repeat any number of times on different platforms, at different places, to varied groups of audiences, the beautiful definitions of Baba. No man could ever give these definitions, at any period of time.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the ‘latest’ Avatar (Incarnation of God), believe me or not. He gives you the technological, scientific, radical, human, logical, rational approach to present-day problems that go straight to your heart.

What does He say about meditation? Meditation is withdrawal of the mind, a thoughtless state. Withdrawal of the mind, annihilation of the mind, or absence of the mind is meditation.

So if I say, “I meditate every day”, nonsense! It is anything but meditation. “My meditation times are at 4AM and 5PM.” This means he has no knowledge of the definition of meditation, as meditation is beyond time and space. It is the withdrawal of the mind, the annihilation of the mind, manolaya or manonaashana, a thoughtless state, sankalpa shoonya.

Sathya Sankalpamulachetha Sadhuvu Agunu
Sakala Sankalpa Shoonyude Shanthinondu
Sathyamaina Maata Sai Maata
Dushta Sankalpamulachetha Dukhithudu Agunu
Sakala Sankalpa Shoonyude.

The thoughtless state is Divinity because it is the thought that makes “a heaven out of hell and hell out of heaven”, as Milton said.

Mana Eva Mokshanaam Kaaranam Bandha Mokshayoh.

THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE MIND IS THE ONLY WAY TO EXPERIENCE CONSCIOUSNESS

When you are above the mind, there is neither good nor bad. There is neither success nor failure. There is neither profit nor loss. You are neither a woman nor a man. You are beingness. That’s all.

Therefore, when we go to the level of meditation, when we transcend all these limitations, when we withdraw our mind, you will feel Atma, Parabrahman, spirit, soul, or consciousness.

Once you experience consciousness, you are not different from others; you are not separate from others. You are not a VIP, no. Who is a VIP in spirituality? Can there be a VIP in front of God? Impossible! Can there be a smaller wave and greater wave, a smaller bubble and larger bubble in the ocean? After all, they are all H2O, water, only. Therefore my friends, understanding that meditation is the withdrawal of the mind is the only way to experience consciousness.

EXAMPLES OF BHAGAVAN’S LOVE AND COMPASSION

We must establish a relationship with everybody. If I cannot effectively communicate with everybody, if I cannot learn how to be happy with everybody, if I cannot smile with everybody, if I cannot share joy with everybody, what is the purpose of human life? It is not worth the salt. We should be able to mingle with everybody, even more so in a spiritual organisation. After all, we all belong to one world.

Let us look at the way Bhagavan speaks of the two dogs, Jack and Jill, and of His classmates, Suresh and Ramesh, from long ago. Or, the way He says “Thank you!” to a buffalo in Madanapalle that fetched water every day. Thank you to a buffalo! Most fellows don’t do that.

See the way He loves flowers: When I was standing close to Him for a personal photograph, He said, “Just go a little behind. Let the flowers also appear in the photograph. They are more beautiful than you!”

Look at the way He loves the plants and the trees. When an innocent child starts picking and pinching the leaves, He chides him. He warns the child’s father, “Don’t let your son do that!”

“Why, Bhagavan?”

He tells him, “Leaves have consciousness. Trees have consciousness.”

A few years ago, the Brindavan boys staged an item for the Sports Meet where they had a display of stunts on the backs of horses. These horses were running very fast. It all looked very nice. Suddenly Bhagavan said, “Stop it!” Why? He saw the horses were sweating heavily. “How can you do that sort of thing? Letting those horses sweat like that? Stop it!”

That is consciousness. Being with the leaf, being with the flower, being with a bee, being with a horse, being with a buffalo, finding kinship is consciousness. That is consciousness. Some people say, “I cannot mingle with just anybody; I go with my group.” They are just in a circus, in a cage. No, no. I should be able to be friendly with everybody.

EDUCARE IS BEING LOVE ON TWO FEET

Friendliness and loveliness are features of the Divine. After all, you may have one friend or two friends or three friends, but you can be friendly with everybody. Friendliness is Educare. You can love one or two. You can be a lover to one or two. But also Love is yourself, for you are verily Love. You are the embodiment of Love. You are the personification of Love. You are Love on two feet. That is Educare. Educare is not being a lover, but being Love itself.

Educare is the study of the spirit. This means the acquisition of awareness of consciousness, acquired through meditation. It is consciousness that is beyond the body, the mind, space and time. That’s who you really are.

BHAGAVAN’S DIVINE PLAN

Balvikas is ‘the one you think you are’. Education in Human Values is ‘the one others think you are’, while Educare is ‘the one you really are’.

Conscious – Balvikas.

Contemplation – Education in Human Values.

Meditation – Educare.

Body – Balvikas.

Mind – Education in Human Values.

The spirit or soul – Educare.

Conscious, contemplation, meditation is Educare. Stories, values, your true Self, the Atma, and identification with that, is Educare. Educare - what a wonderful plan! Bhagavan’s Divine Plan!

THE EDUCATION WING HAS NO TIME OR SPACE LIMITATIONS

He wants you to grow from one level to another: From conscious to conscience to consciousness; from the body to the mind to the spirit; from concentration to contemplation to meditation. What a wonderful Divine guidance it is! (Applause) This shows an evolutionary process, a continuous journey to eternity. It is not a time-bound plan.

So, the education wing has no retirement. The education wing has no limitation. It has no limitation of strength, space, classes, bell or anything whatsoever. Classroom teaching requires a bell. Balvikas can be anywhere, be it on a platform or at the airport, on the road or under the tree, down the valley, up a hill or in the deep sea.

The education wing has swadhyaya, the Study Circle, which requires self-study. Then it takes you to pravachana, the teaching. Balvikas. Education in Human Values, and Educare - all come under the education wing of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation.

THE THREE STAGES OF EDUCATION WING

Balvikas introduces religion through stories, and thinking of the body of which we are conscious. What is the first state? ‘The one you think you are’. Balvikas takes you to religion. There are different physical bodies in religion. Rama was very tall. Yama Dharmaraja (the god of death) was very fat, and most disturbing, even in a dream. Krishna stands for beauty, mischief, and for being a great statesman, oftentimes the politician. So the body, Krishna’s smiling face, and so forth, is nothing but being ‘conscious’.

Ajaanubahum Aravindadalaayathaksham.

That is the body. That is nothing but the conscious state, ‘the one you think you are’. That takes you to different stories and that requires concentration.

The second stage is Education in Human Values. Education in Human Values does not speak of religion. It speaks of the philosophy of religion. It makes you think of the mind and not of the body. It is not at the physical level. Nor is it at the material or mundane level. It is the psychological domain, the psychic domain. So it is the mind.

That takes you to understanding the conscience and the individual soul through values. What values do you have? Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love -- Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema. You ruminate, ponder and think over these values. This is what we call contemplation.

Educare is not about religion; religion is Balvikas. Educare is not philosophy; that is Education in Human Values. Educare is spirituality. Educare is the underlying current. What is it all about?

It is all about Atma, not about the body, as in Balvikas; not about the mind, as in Education in Human Values. It is Atma, your real core, which is nothing but consciousness, which you experience through the process of meditation.

Atma, at the individual level, is the conscience. Atma, at the universal level, is consciousness. The air in the balloon is conscience; the air around it is consciousness. The Kolar gold mine is consciousness; the gold earring is conscience. Am I clear? That’s it.

Therefore, the Educare that speaks of the Atma at the individual level is conscience; at the universal, cosmic level, it is consciousness. This can be experienced and felt through the process of meditation.

Having concentrated fully at the Balvikas level, we try to contemplate on the values at the Education in Human Values level. Then, by the process of meditation, we know what Educare is. This finally represents the ‘one you really are.’

The one you think you are – Balvikas.

The one others think you are – Education in Human Values.

The one you really are – Educare.

That’s it. That is the first part of the talk. With your permission, I move on to the second part.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDUCARE AND EDUCATION

The second part is the difference between Educare and education. This is very necessary to know because of the way Educare has been understood up to now. The way Educare has been transmitted is not to my satisfaction in any way.

God simplifies, while man complicates! When God puts it in such simple terms, we are capable of manipulating it and making it so complicated that it makes the other person disgusted, vexed, and indifferent. So that’s not my job now. Our job is to know how simple it is.

EDUCATION HAS PERPETRATED CRIME

Recently, Bhagavan gave a talk to teachers from Zambia and Thailand. The theme of His talk happened to be Educare. A few points that I am going to share with you are based on the Divine talk given to the teachers.

Before taking leave of Him, I showed Him these slides enthusiastically, and said, “Chaala bagundayya.”

“Swami, naaku siggesthondi. Meeru aa maata annoddu. Yenduku bavundadu? Ivanni mee matalu. Naa maatalu antha bavundavani naaku thelusu. Ivanni meevi mathrame, Swami.”

“Yemantha thelikaga cheppasthunnave.”

“Meerantha thelikaga chepparu kanuka.”

So this is what it is.

Chaduvulanniyu chaduva tharka vaadambe kaani poorna gyaanamu yepudu ponda ledu.

Education will help you to argue and to put across your viewpoint with the needed skill to convince the other man. It is an excellent art of manipulation, to make the other man forget his own question.

What is it that education has done today? To quote Bhagavan, “Where there are a number of educational institutes, there are numbers of courts, a number of advocates, a number of prisons, a number of thefts, a number of bank robberies, kidnappings, and what not! So, that is the outcome of education.”

TECHNOLOGY MEANS “TAKE KNOWLEDGE”

Some time back, Bhagavan granted an interview to a group of people and asked them, “What is that you are doing?”

“Swami, we are students of M.Tech.”

“What does that mean?”

They said, “Master of Technology”. Oho!

“Who is a Master?” They had no answer. He asked the professor himself, “Who is a Master?”

He said, “Whoever mastered the subject.”

Bhagavan said, “Certainly not!”

Then Bhagavan said, “A Master is not the Master of the subject. A Master is not the one who has gone deep into the content of the course. A Master is the one who is the Master of his senses.”

Everybody was taken by surprise, with their mouths wide open, because no one had thought of it that way.

Then He came to the second part of it. “What is technology?”

One student said, “Swami, applied science is technology.”

Then Swami said, “If it is applied science, why should there be a word like ‘technology’?” Finished!

He asked another professor, “What is technology?”

He said, “Science in application is technology.”

“You are totally wrong.”

Then, what is technology? Each one started giving his interpretation and definition.

Bhagavan said, “No, no, no, no. Having been educated, having learned all knowledge, having taken possession of the skills and talents, you should go to society and tell everybody, ‘Take knowledge, take knowledge’. That is ‘tech-nology’!”

“Or else, it is ‘trick knowledge’, to learn more tricks. Life is full of tricks. So, it is not ‘trick knowledge’. It is ‘take knowledge’. ‘Take my knowledge.’”

“Your knowledge should be beneficial to your fellow men. Having been born in society, having grown and been brought up in society, having acquired your knowledge in society, you have to express your gratitude by appearing in front of society and telling them, ‘Take knowledge.’ That is the true technology,” He said.

EDUCATION IS FROM THE TEACHER - EDUCARE IS FROM GOD

So my friends, if we question ourselves about today’s education, we will be convinced why Bhagavan wants Educare today. Now we have Educare to care for ourselves, and Educare to care for society. We have Educare to know our real identity, true nature and knowledge of the Self. Educare is care of the Self; the Supreme Self is Educare.

So, knowledge is what is given to you by your teacher. A teacher is a transmitter. Who is a teacher? A teacher is a transmitter of information from one generation to another generation. He is only a carrier, a transmitter. That’s all.

Education is obtained with the help of a teacher, but Educare is not like that, Educare requires a Master. Who is the Master? God is the only Master. Why? He has mastered all the senses.

We are only ‘misters’. We are Mr. So-and-So, Mr. So-and-So. The Master is God. Sage Dakshinamurthy. Yes. Adi Sankara. They are Divine Masters.

That is the reason why my good friend, Mr. Narasimha Murthy, is very careful to address Bhagavan as ‘Divine Master’. In every talk he says “Divine Master” because the Divine is the only Master. The Master is the Divine.

So, while education is received from a teacher, Educare is from the Master.

EDUCATION GIVES KNOWLEDGE, EDUCARE GIVES WISDOM

Secondly, education gives you knowledge. Knowledge of what? It gives you facts and figures, but knowledge of what? It gives you knowledge of everything that is happening and has happened. It gives knowledge of facts and figures, whereas Educare gives you wisdom.

Educare gives you wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom are different. A knowledgeable man differs from a wise man. A knowledgeable man has a lot of information – a fund of information, information gathered from books, from all the book shelves available.

TEACHER IS MADE BUT MASTER IS BORN

But what has Baba said? “A person who is surrounded by books is comparable to a man surrounded by bottles of tablets and capsules.” If a man is surrounded by bottles of capsules, syrup, liquids and tablets, he is a patient. Similarly, the man surrounded by books is a confused man. If you ask him one question, he will give ten answers, none of which will satisfy you.

So, teachers are qualified to confuse you, but a Master is not ‘qualified’ at all. A Master is born with mastery. A Master is born a Master. A teacher is made. Talents are born. A singer is born. A painter is born. A sculptor is born. A poet is born. A Master is born. But a teacher is made. He becomes a teacher once he has attained a B.Ed. With a M.Ed., he becomes a teacher in the college of education. With a Ph.D., he can teach in a university. A teacher is made.

EDUCATION GIVES INFORMATION, EDUCARE BRINGS TRANSFORMATION

During education, we receive information - information about all fields of knowledge: physical sciences, science and technology, the humanities, medicine, and engineering. That is education - a fund of information.

Educare is not merely information. Educare is information leading to transformation. Educare brings about transformation, while education only gives you information.

In education, you get all the information through the senses - all that I see, all that I hear, all that I touch. These senses are the windows of knowledge, the gateways of knowledge, in that they receive information -- all that is seen, all that is heard, all that is touched. The senses are the gateways of knowledge. This is education.

But Educare is not this sort of knowledge. It is the wisdom you are born with. You are born with Prajnanam Brahma. You are born with the awareness, Prajnanam Brahma. Tat Twam Asi - That thou art. You are not ‘going to become’. If you are ‘going to become’, you may lose it later; if you are ‘going to become’, then you ‘are not’ now.

So, this Educare is not concerned with past or future. Educare is right here and now. Educare is here and now. It is not of the past. Knowledge is of the past. Knowledge is about debt because it is of the past. Knowledge is borrowed, whereas wisdom is not borrowed. It is one’s own intuition.

You receive education via the senses. You receive wisdom via intuition. Intuition is wisdom, while the senses merely transfer knowledge.

What is intuition? We all have intuition. We are all intuitive. Some people call intuition the ‘inner voice’. Some people call it ‘conscience’.

DISCOVERIES MADE THROUGH INTUITION

Tuition is education. Intuition is Educare. And what is this intuition? Here is a simple example. A person walking by saw an apple falling onto the ground. Because his intuition awakened, he just postulated a discovery. He formulated the theory of gravitational force. The law of gravitational force was not a discovery made in the laboratory. It was not anything to do with equipment such as a burette, a pipette, scales, a thermometer or a barometer, a telescope or a stethoscope. No scope whatsoever was involved. Intuition alone was responsible for the law of gravitational force. The law came from within.

A boy went to offer his prayers in a synagogue. He knelt and started praying. Suddenly he heard a sound trrr…trrrrr. He opened his eyes and saw a lamp swinging from side to side. He started counting how many times it moved to this end, and how many times it moved to that end. That led to the discovery of watches, clocks. That boy was Galileo. His intuition led to the creation of time pieces. So watches and clocks were not discovered in any laboratory, factory, national defence lab, or international lab. Intuition alone was responsible.

A person was taking a bath in a tub. Suddenly he noticed that some water spilled out of the tub. He came up with the law of density. This was Archimedes.

On his way to church, a pastor noticed a number of plants of the same variety with flowers of different colours. The plants were the same, but the colours were different. Some were white; some were bright. Some were blue; some were pink. Different colours, but they were all the same type of plant. They were all garden peas, but they were of different colours. The pastor was none other than John Mendon, who formulated the theory of inheritance. This is another instance of a discovery not taking place in the laboratory. It was the result of the awakening of intuition.

Suppose you are trying to make a decision as to whether to go or not to go to Puttaparthi. The inner voice tells you, “Go now!” That is intuition.

INTUITION GOES AFTER CONVICTION, MIND GOES AFTER CONVENIENCE

Some people ask me the question: “Sir, how to know the difference between the directives or the dictates of the mind, as opposed to the dictates of intuition or conscience. How to distinguish and differentiate between the two? Is it the mind that dictates to me or is it the intuition that wants me to do that. How to differentiate?”

My answer is this. It is very simple. Mind tells you that which you find to be convenient. ‘Let me go to Holiday Inn this evening, or why not go to some theatre, or why not watch some interesting TV serial, this being Sunday?’ That is the prompting of the mind. That is psychological.

‘Nothing doing. You go to do service.’ That is intuition. Intuition goes after conviction, mind goes after convenience.

Mind speaks of those things that constitute unfulfilled desires. The mind goes on dreaming about some desires which are not fulfilled. The mind goes on reminding you about them. ‘What was lost to you earlier, have now. You missed that picture then, now it is released. Why don’t you go?’

WHILE MIND IS HUMAN, INTUITION IS DIVINE

So, mind is something like a computer. It is something like a tape recorder. You can rewind or go fast forward. But intuition has got nothing to do with rewinding or going fast forward. It is directive, commanding, demanding, challenging and uncompromising.

Commanding, demanding, uncompromising are the terms of the inner voice. While mind is human, the intuition is Divine. While mind is physical, worldly, mundane, intuition is spiritual. Intuition is totally spiritual and Divine.

Therefore, education speaks of the mind. It is the mind that registers all the classroom lectures. It is the mind that registers all the quotations from famous books. Mind makes me a scholar. Mind makes me a goonda.

Mind has got both positive and negative aspects. At its best, it will make you a scholar. But intuition makes you a wise man or a man of wisdom.

Who is a wise man? A wise man is one who knows the eternal, not just this moment.

Chaduvulanniyu chaduva ksheenudu avagunambu maana ledu.

A mean man would not be able to give up his mean habits in spite of the acquisition of knowledge.

Chaduvulanniyu chaduvi chavanga netiki? Chavu leni chaduvu chaduvavalayu

Earn the knowledge to be immortal or deathless. That is Educare.

EDUCATION IS EXPLANATION, EDUCARE IS EXCLAMATION

Education is a matter of questioning. Why this? Why not that? Why? How? What? These are the questions one asks while undertaking education. Education is a question. Question leads to investigation. Investigation leads to observation. Observation leads to formulation. Formulation ends up in a theory. That is education.

But, Educare is not a question. It is a quest. Educare is a quest, while education is a question. Quest is different from question. Quest is a search. Quest is an enquiry. Quest involves turning inward. Quest requires one to go beyond the senses. Quest aims to take you to your reality; to make you know your true identity.

One poses a question only to find an answer, suitable or unsuitable. I think I am clear. And education is a question that is solved. Every question has got a solution. So, question solved is education.

But Educare is a quest which is not solved; rather it is a quest wherein you are dissolved. Why and how? You can no more say what you are. You are dissolved. You have become a drop in the ocean. A river that has merged into the ocean has no claim or identity whatsoever. An ornament melted into gold loses its name and form. That is the meaning of quest. The individual gets dissolved.

Education is full of explanation. The more and more you explain, the more and more educated you are. Education is explanation, but Educare is exclamation. When you see the Taj Mahal, you are filled with awe and wonder. You are filled with wonder, awe, inspiration, admiration and adoration. That is the exclamation one experiences through Educare.

Framing your ideas is explanation. So, education is explanation, while Educare is exclamation. In education, there is argument and counter-argument; thesis and anti-thesis; Darwinism and Neo-Darwinism; Lamarckism and Neo-Lamarckism; Bernoulli’s hypothesis; and Avogadro’s hypothesis. Dalton’s atomic theory provided further contradiction; thesis and antithesis; argument and counter-argument.

SYNTHESIS IS THE QUINTESSENCE OF EDUCARE

So, thesis, anti-thesis is just a game in education. But, synthesis is the quintessence of Educare. Synthesis, togetherness, grouping, unity, harmony is Educare. Disharmony, specialisation, diversification is education. Centralisation is Educare. To centre is Educare, while to remain on the periphery is education. I think I am clear.

Centre is one; periphery is everywhere. We are studying about that centre in Educare. Education has taken us to specialisation and super-specialisation.

I’ll give you a small anecdote. One gentleman in Bombay had some tooth problem. His age was about 40.

Yes. This gentleman had some tooth problem on the right side of the upper jaw. He went to a dentist and said, “Doctor saab, this is my problem.”

The doctor said, “Sorry sir, I am a specialist in the lower jaw. Better you go to another doctor.”

So he went to another doctor and said, “Sir, I understand you are a specialist in the upper jaw. My problem is on the right side.”

The doctor said, “I am an expert of the left side. Better you go to some other man.”

So he went to another doctor, “Sir, are you a specialist for the left side? Please let me know.”

This doctor said, “There are different types of teeth - canines, molars and incisors. Which type of tooth is the problem? I don’t know because I am a specialist. Go next door.”

In the end, the fellow lost his teeth due to lack of care.

Educare makes you complacent, gratified, satisfied, contented, happy, and blissful. No more bonds or desires because you are at the very centre of your life. You are at the very centre of life. You are not dancing around the periphery. You are not galloping near the periphery. You are at the very centre. That is Educare.

BECOMING IS EDUCATION, BEING IS EDUCARE

So, education, with its super-specialisation, leads to confusion, whereas Educare leads to gratification. Education leads to more and more desire. Desirelessness is the result of Educare. Education makes us selfish. Selflessness is the result of Educare.

My friends, if I want to become a doctor, an engineer or a pilot I must undergo the required education. Education is for becoming (something). Becoming is education. You need education in order to become something.

But Educare is not about becoming. It leads to being. Being is Educare. Becoming is education. Syntheses is Educare. Its anti-thesis is education. Transformation is Educare. Information is education. Mind is education. Heart is Educare. Knowledge is education. Wisdom is Educare. Education is given by a teacher. Educare is transmitted by a Master.

You receive education by observation of the outer world. Yes, you have to observe. You observe any scientist. He observes his own recordings. He performs an experiment and makes his own recordings. Education is external, taking place in the laboratory or in the classroom; whereas Educare is within you. Education is pravritti, while Educare is nivritti. Pravritti is external knowledge, outward knowledge. Nivritti is inward wisdom.

So, nivritti is beyond the senses while pravritti is below the senses. And then, pravritti speaks of ‘this’. This is an auditorium. This is a screen. This is a mike. This is an atom. This is a molecule. This is an electron. So, education speaks of ‘this’, while Educare speaks of ‘that’. Twam – education - this. Tat – Educare -that

So there’s a wide gulf of difference between Educare and education. Balvikas is one shore of the river and Educare is the other shore. The bridge between the two shores is EHV.

BALVIKAS, EHV AND EDUCARE ARE ALL IMPORTANT

From Iha to Para, from padartha to parartha, from grantha to gandha, saugandha -- This is essence. Educare is about essence. Balavikas is about existence. One is about existence, while the other is about essence. The bridge of EHV takes you from one shore to the other.

“Sir, I want to be on this shore.”

“Alright.”

“I want to stay there on the bridge.”

“Useless. You should go across to the other shore.”

All three are important. One is a corollary to the other.

Balvikas is the sugarcane; EHV is the juice; and Educare is the sugar. You can’t expect to have the sugar without the juice. There’s no juice without the sugarcane. All the three are required.

What a beautiful example Bhagavan gave to those boys, the teachers from Zambia!

He said, “A-B-C are necessary. Twenty-six letters are in the English alphabet. There are fifty-two letters in the Telugu language. The letters are few, but thousands and thousands of pages of volumes have been written with these few letters.”

So, letters are the balvikas, words are EHV, and sentences are Educare. A-B-C-D are letters. Love and God are words. ‘God is Love,’ ‘Love is God,’ and ‘Live in Love,’ are sentences. Would you say, “I don’t want words” or “I want to stay with words only?” Can you say, “I want only sentences?” All the three are necessary.

THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS ESSENTIALLY DIVINE

Educare begins right from birth. You are born with Educare. Education speaks of the outer world, pravritti, outer marga, while Educare speaks of nivritti, inward marga. Education is a question solved, while Educare is a quest, an enquiry through which you are dissolved. Education is explanation, while Educare is exclamation. Education speaks of this twam, while Educare speaks of that -- tat.

Education is about life manifest. Electricity manifests as heat, as light, as sound. The mike, the generator, a bulb, a heater and a fridge are all gadgets or instruments through which the inner electricity manifests. Am I clear?

So, life manifests. Why do I say that life manifests? Because Sarvam Vishnu Mayam Jagat. The whole universe is essentially Divine. Divinity manifested in many forms. As sister Kamala Padmanabhan was explaining a couple of minutes ago, this is Vishwa Virat Swarupa.

So the point is that all this external phenomena is cosmic form. Someone asked Swami, “I want your Vishwa Virat Swarupa.”

Arey, auditorium, Vishwa virat swarupam. Meerantha ade!

Isa vasyamidam sarvam
Yat kincha jagatyam jagat
Tena tyaktena bhunjitha
Ma grdhah kasya sviddhanam.

Vasudeva sarvamithi. Life is creation as manifest form. Educare is the underlying electricity which is neither heat, nor cold, nor anything else. It is nirguna - attributeless, formless - nirakara, blemishless - anindya.

So, nirakara, nirguna, anindya, amartya, immortal. That principle of life unmanifest or the creator is Educare. Life manifesting is education. Thesis and anti-thesis are education. Synthesis, unity, and harmony are Educare.

EDUCATION IS KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED THROUGH THE SENSES

As I said earlier, the senses are the gateways. The senses represent the conscious mind. Through the senses, you get information. That information is stored in the form of knowledge, all bookish knowledge, all superficial knowledge, that you acquired by making some effort -- six years of schooling, three years of graduate studies, and two years of post-graduate studies. Strenuous, laborious effort is required to acquire knowledge through books and teachers. Effort is required to become a doctor or engineer.

After that, what happens to you? Pride, ego, pomp arise. You feel you can no longer mix with everybody.

A SPIRITUAL PERSON IS THE BEST COMMUNICATOR

My friends, a spiritual man is the best communicator. He is able to mix with everybody, no matter whether the other person is educated or not. Here is Bhagavan who talks to a gardener, a lorry driver, or a primary school boy in the same manner as to Dr. Gokak and Kaamavadhani. That is the quality of a spiritual man.

The best communicator is a religious man. The best communicator is a spiritual Master. The best communicator is the Divine Master Himself. Education only makes us full of pride, ego and pomp.

“Do you know I am a Ph.D.?”

“Why should I know that you are a Ph.D.?”

“Do you know I am so-and-so?”

This identity is full of pride and ego. The senses receive information, which boils down to knowledge. Through effort we become something, and end up in pride and pomp. That’s the process.

EDUCARE IS TRANSCENDENTAL, EXPERIENTIAL WISDOM

In Educare, it is different. It is transcendental. It is beyond the senses because it deals with the inner world. The inner world is infinite. The inner world is reality. The inner world is your very being. The inner world is your true Self. Educare deals with the consciousness, the awareness, the awakeness, the experiential, experimental, existential wisdom that is your very being. It is experiential, existential awareness. Educare is transcendental, being beyond the senses.

Through Educare, you don’t get any information. You get yourself transformed. You come to know that the other fellow is not the ‘other’. ‘Other’ is non-existent in Educare. There is no ‘other’. You are everything, everyone.

Ekoham Bahushyam.

You manifested into me. There is no other. This is transformation. To feel that you and I are here is information. To feel that you and I are one, that there is no other, is transformation.

Ekamevaat Dwitiyam Brahma.

Only one -- not two. That is transformation. With this insight, what do you get? Wisdom. With wisdom, what do you get? Transformation. Practical knowledge is unlike bookish knowledge. It is unlike superficial knowledge. At best you can call this discriminating, practical knowledge as wisdom.

EDUCARE IS REALISATION WHICH IS ALREADY THERE

Information requires effort. You have to study day and night. You have to go to teachers, and do experiments in the laboratory until late in the night. Acquisition of information requires effort.

Educare involves the realisation of that which is already there. To know that there is a pen here, I don’t need to make an effort. I don’t need to go to Chikpet or Majestic Circle. I don’t need any communication. Not necessary. It is already there.

Tat Twam Asi – “You are That. You are That.”

So, some fellow will come and say, “Arey, there is pen there.”

“Oh, I see…”

The fellow who comes and tells you that there is a pen there is the Master. The one who knows that the pen is already there is one of Educare.

Educare is realisation of that which is already in existence. That’s what I mean by realisation. Education is becoming, while Educare is being.

While pride, ego and pomp are off-shoots of education, humility and awareness develop with Educare. While education is given by a teacher, Educare is given by a Master.

EDUCATION IS VIA COMMUNICATION, EDUCARE IS SILENT

Oral, verbal communication is necessary in education. But Educare is silent. Educare is inspiration from within. Educare is inspiration, illumination, radiation, expressionless expression, effortless effort, soundless sound.

Mouna vyakhya prakatitha Brahma,
Mouna vyakhya prakatitha Brahma.

Soundless sound.

Somebody asked Ramana Maharishi, “Swami, what shall I do to attain nirvana?”

He said, “Don’t do. Don’t do anything.”

It is not that easy not to do anything. The mind goes on thinking about everybody and everything. I think I am locked up in my room engrossed in meditation. I think I am alone. No, no, no, no. You are not alone. You are in a crowd because you think of your college; you think of the mandir; you think of Majestic Circle, the bus stand and Rajajinagar. Though you are alone, in fact, you are in a crowd. I think I am clear.

You are alone physically, but you are in a crowd mentally. It is useless. On the other hand, you may be in a crowd, but yet all alone, by yourself. You can be in a crowd, but yet, all alone. You can be left to yourself. You can be alone; but aloneness is different from loneliness.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDUCARE AND EDUCATION

Yama Dharmaraja told Nachiketha, “I will give you all education.”

The boy said, “Nothing doing, my lord. Teach me Educare.”

“No, no. I will give you all the property of this world.”

“Nothing doing, my lord. Please teach me Educare.”

Yama Dharmaraja was prepared to give education, but Nachiketha wanted Educare, which came in the form of Nachikethopakhyana of Upanishadic literature.

Adi Sankara had one disciple, Padmapaada. While Adi Sankara was teaching everything to his disciples, Padmapaada did not receive any formal, verbal information from his teacher.

When he was drying all the clothes, all of a sudden clouds appeared, followed by a terrific rain. The clothes were driven out by the raging waves, the frowning clouds, and the thunder. Immediately Padmapaada started leaping around in order to collect all the clothes. Wherever he jumped, there appeared a lotus flower so that he would not drown in the torrent. Guru Sankara taught Padmapaada everything in this way via silent communion.

While the rest of the disciples had communication, Padmapaada received information through communion, by He who is the co-composer of Bhaja Govindam with Adi Sankara.

That is, in brief my friends, the differences between Educare and education. I must have taken more time than necessary. I am always guilty of that, but my audience has been very good to bear with me. I want to make a final comment on, “The future plan of action”.

GIVE UP COMPARISON AND COMPETITION

Firstly, I spoke about an organisation topography; secondly, about the difference between education and Educare. Now, thirdly, here is a plan of action. With no malice, with no hatred, I just make certain statements out of my three decades of association with the Sai Organisation and its institutions, for the collective benefit.

First point I want to make is -- give up comparison and competition in order to be better off in life. Comparison and competition are like cancer and kidney failure. That is enough to transport us to the other planet! Let us not compare ourselves with others. Let us not compete with each other. The tendency to compare and compete is just the opposite of spirituality. This is the first point that I wish to make.

ORGANISATION TOPOLOGY

The second point is -- let us all work together.

Mata Pita Guru Daivamu Mari Anthayu Nene.

He is our Father. He tells devotees from other states that they are brothers and sisters. We are one family.

How to go about Educare? Point 1: I want one person to be in-charge at the district level to monitor Educare, in order to oversee how it is going on.

Then there should be one person at the state level, to collect the data pertaining to all the details of what is going on everywhere. He should be able to tell every person what is happening in the neighbouring district. He should be able to be the contact person between the state president, state mahila convenor, and the rest of the people. Without designation, he discharges his duty.

TO BE ORDINARY IS EXTRAORDINARINESS

People without designation do a lot. My friends, bear in mind, the most precious things in this world are ordinary. The most precious things in the world are ordinary, yet we want to be extraordinary. That is the tragedy. There is nothing extraordinary in being extraordinary. To be ordinary is extraordinary. To be ordinary constitutes extraordinariness.

Clouds are ordinary. Rain is ordinary. Sunlight is ordinary. Moonlight is ordinary. Mountain tops are ordinary. Greenery, the slopes, the forests, the harvests are ordinary. Yet a simple human being, whose life is so short, wants to be extraordinary. An impossible quest!

Somebody asked Abdul Kalam, “What are your views? What is your message on this day, your birthday?”

Kalam’s reply was, “In the light years, in the infinity of time, what am I, after all, with this short life? That is my message to you.”

It is a paradox if, in the name of spirituality, we want to become extraordinary, something special. It constitutes a life of paradox. It is a life of polarities, opposites. This life of paradoxical opposites is diabolical. The polarities will never come together. So let’s be ordinary.

EACH ONE, TEACH ONE

So, let there be a man in each state to know about all that is happening, with the aim to utilise this information to improve, rather than to compete; to know, not to compare. I know in the state of Maharashtra, there is fantastic work going on. I know, in Delhi, in the international building that Swami inaugurated, wonderful work is going on.

Each one of us should teach one. We grow together. We learn together. Man is not isolated. Man lives in society. He has to grow along with the society. The Sathya Sai family is one society. We grow together. We learn from each other. (Applause) That is the secret of success. Let’s know what is happening in other states.

LET US ALL WORK TOGETHER

Many distinguished personalities visit Prashanti Nilayam. One of them is Jhum Sai. Some of you could arrange an appointment with him and learn from him. There are some great people who come to Prashanti Nilayam. People from Karnataka, even if in Prashanti Nilayam as a sevadal, should seek an appointment with such people.

Don’t say you don’t belong to EHV. This hand belongs to me; this leg belongs to me; this eye belongs to me. All belong to me. If I say this leg is Subba Rao, this hand is Venkateshwara Rao, you will think that I am from a lunatic asylum.

We have no authority to say that Balvikas has nothing to do with the youth wing, and that the youth wing has nothing to do with the elders’ wing. What is youth? And what is old? We are immortal. We are ageless and timeless. So differentiation and distinction is a tragedy and a curse to any developing, growing organisation.

Let us know what is happening internationally. Let’s keep the doors of our mind wide open so that the breeze of knowledge will flow freely among us. And then, let us assess and evaluate at each moment how near are we to the goal. How near are we to the target? What additional steps do we need to take? Let there be a quarterly review of our progress.

CONCLUSION

These are the thoughts that are uppermost in my mind, and that I wanted to share with you. If you feel that it’s an extra indulgence, if you fell that I spoke from a place of arrogance, I stand guilty. I beg to be excused. Since I feel that I am a member of the Sai family, interested in the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, and, having given my life to the organisation, I feel that I have got every right to speak about it. (Applause) It is in this context that I dare to touch upon these ideas.

My sincere thanks to Kamala Padmanabhan and Madam Sucharitha for their kindness in inviting me to this place, and Mr. Vinayak who made all transport arrangements and who has taken care of me from breakfast until I depart. He is a good man. He is a role model from whom we can learn much. I also thank my good friend, Sri Narasimha Murthy. I am also so glad to see some of the old faces here with whom I mingled for six years when I was on this campus.

I conclude, praying that Bhagavan’s choicest blessings be showered on each and every one of you in this happy new year of 2003.

Anil Kumar concluded his talk by singing the bhajan, “Bhajamana Narayana Narayana Narayana”.

JAI BOLO BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA JI KI!!

JAI

JAI BOLO BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA JI KI!!