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These are the foremost principles of Indian Culture.

Embodiments of Love!

Indian Culture is eternal and everlasting. It cannot be ravaged by time; nor can it be extinguished by history; neither can it be diminished by deluge. It is an eternal, everlasting culture. Neglecting and ignoring this culture has engulfed the students today into extreme trouble.

Indians, in the past shared their experiences, gains and benefits with others and contributed to the happiness of others. People of other countries recognised the excellence of Indian Culture and tried to propagate it, far and wide.

Abraham Lincoln was an American who enjoyed great name and fame. His parents were extremely poor and earned their living by hard work. His mother earned money by mending old clothes. His father was a carpenter who tried to make both ends meet with his meagre earnings. When Lincoln was going to school, poorly dressed, his fellow schoolmates looked down upon him and made fun of him by calling him names. They called him a dirty boy, who was shabbily dressed. One day, unable to bear this, Abraham Lincoln, after reaching home fell at the feet of his mother and wept bitterly. "Why are you so much pained? ", his mother asked him gently. Lincoln complained to his mother, "My friends treat me very rudely and make fun of me. They ridicule me as poor and unfortunate and do not want me in their company". His mother consoled him saying, "My son, do not feel so much troubled by this. We may be poor, but we are rich in one respect. We are rich in Self-confidence. We should enrich ourselves with Self-confidence. Riches and comforts are not permanent; they are but momentary. Have self-confidence in yourself. It will secure you eternal joy. Your Self is your wealth and your well-being". These words of his mother had a deep impact on Lincoln. He resolved to follow his mother's words. He attended the school practising his mother's advice. As there were no electric lamps at home, Lincoln was put to a lot of inconvenience. His mother asked him to make use of the light from streetlamps and study, and this, he followed diligently.

Lincoln faced many problems while he was studying. He faced all of these with courage and worked very hard. He made a mark for himself by excelling at academics. People began talking much about Lincoln and he became an eminent person. He rose to eminence by dint of his self-confidence. He believed in the supreme power of self- confidence. He considered Truth as God and tried to derive strength from this belief.

There were days when Lincoln had to go to bed without having dinner. She would tell him, "You require food only to sustain yourself". Lincoln passed the exams with distinction. His achievement astonished everybody. He declared, "My self confidence is the source of my success. My Self-Confidence is my wealth". Lincoln adhered to Truth at all times. He never resorted to falsehood under any circumstance. He said, "Truth is my life. Truth is God for the world."

Lincoln was appointed as a clerk in the beginning. He discharged his duties much to the satisfaction of his master. Pleased with Lincoln, his master promoted him to higher ranks. Lincoln earned name and fame by his goodness and sincerity. People thronged around him and wanted him to participate in the elections. "We will help you. A person like you, who is wedded to Truth should become the leader" they told Lincoln. Lincoln realised that his Self-confidence and adherence to Truth earned him success in life. People persuaded him to stand as a candidate in the elections. They told him, "The nation needs a person like you. We need Truth and Justice in politics, but unfortunately Truth stands far from us."

At this point, Lincoln lost his mother. Since there was no one to help him, Thomas Abraham, Lincoln's father married another lady. She was also a virtuous lady and helped Lincoln a lot. Lincoln was extremely grateful to this lady. He felt that he was very fortunate to get such a lady as his stepmother. Lincoln tried to make her happy as much as possible.

Lincoln had a friend who came to see him when he became the President of America. His friend was eager to know what factors helped him become the President. Lincoln replied, "Wealth and possessions are not of great use in this world. One should have confidence in one's Self. Only trust and confidence in the Self will help." Lincoln's friend began practising these words of Lincoln.

This friend of Lincoln had a humble beginning. He used to earn his living by polishing shoes, selling newspapers and washing dishes in hotels. He would also write addresses on postal covers for children. He treasured the words of Lincoln deep in his heart and tried to follow them. While returning the envelopes to the children after writing the addresses he would say 'God bless you'. The children while receiving the envelopes used to reciprocate it by saying 'God bless you! God bless you!'. Since the children told this with all purity of heart and innocence, their words worked wonders on him. Times may change, circumstances may change, but the purity and power of the heart does not change. It is by self-confidence that many people in America rose to positions of eminence.

There was no faith in the power of the self in America before Lincoln. It was Lincoln who taught the importance of self-confidence to the people of America. It is sufficient to have one person like Abraham Lincoln as a son.

Today man is becoming a victim of anger. Who is affected by anger? It is not others but you who are affected by it. It is said, "Anger is one's enemy, peace is the protective shield, compassion is the true relation, happiness is verily the heaven and misery is the hell." (Telugu Poem) Therefore, make efforts to control your anger. It is foolishness to consider yourself high and consider others low as every being is the embodiment of divinity.

All of you should become noble sons of India. You should transform yourselves before you try to change the conditions here. You should transform your heart first to make India a great country. Only then will there be any scope of transformation in everyone.

Students! When you expect people to respect you, you must respect them first. When we respect and revere others, they will certainly do the same. Hence we must cultivate the quality of respecting others. We must respect people irrespective of their caste and creed. The same Atma dwells in everyone. The self in you, the self in Me and the self in others is the same. Ekoham Bahusyam.

Indian culture upholds the principle of the presence of Atma in everyone. Indian culture has taught the principle of the unity of the self to the entire world. Since people have forgotten this principle, they are not able to earn the love of their own parents.

What is culture? Purification and refinement is culture. Paddy that grows on the fields is not fit to be eaten right away. Paddy has to be pounded, the husk has to be removed and the rice has to be boiled. It is only after refining the paddy through various processes and making it free from impurities that it becomes fit to be eaten. The food, which had previously undergone the process of refinement and purification, gives health and nourishment after it is partaken. The food, on digestion gives pushti (nourishment) and santhusti (satisfaction). A sound body is necessary for a sound mind. Many people consider mind to be separate from the body. Such an attitude is not right. It is from the heart alone that joy can emanate.

Manayeva Manushyanam Karanam Bandha Mokshayo (Mind is the cause of liberation as well as bondage) is the ancient adage. The mind is an important vesture worn by man. It should nourish noble thoughts. There is a close connection between the body and the mind; they are dependent on each other. Hence it is necessary to foster the well being of the mind as well as the body.

Today people go for higher education; they earn high degrees in the field of education. But these degrees do not confer Ananda (Bliss). Wealth confers only comfort but not Bliss. Students today should learn what bestows bliss on human beings. A man becomes perfect by fostering the purity of the body and the self. It is only the purity of the mind and the body that makes a complete man. He is only a man if his body is healthy but the mind is unhealthy. It is only the purity of the mind and the body that makes a perfect being.

Education is meant to make a man complete. It is only the purity of the mind and the body that achieves this. Many people entertain the false notion that if Dhana (wealth) is there, then everything is there. It is not dhana but guna (virtue) that lends Ananda (Bliss) and Arogya (health).

Every student today is trying to acquire kalimi(wealth), balimi(strength) and chelimi(friendship). Man is struggling hard to acquire these three to be happy. He has acquired these three, but he has not acquired guna (virtue). What is the use of wealth, strength and friendship without virtue? Health, strength and friendship are of no use without virtue. Hence we should not depend upon health, strength and friendship, we should depend upon virtue only.

Our ancestors made India a great nation by building it on the foundation of virtue. They made India an ideal nation by giving importance to the cultivation of virtue. So, cultivation of virtue must be our first priority.

India is a sacred country. How can a man be called an Indian if he has not cultivated virtue? You should all become noble sons and daughters by taking good care of your parents. Bharathiya samskruti (Indian culture) is precious and noble. The word samskruti signifies refinement and purification. Getting rid of our evil thoughts and feelings refines us. We should see that we do not indulge in evil actions and thoughts. We should keep our mind always pure. Our heart should be pure. Heart is inside, art is outside. So, whatever we do, we must do it heart fully, and not artfully. We should do everything whole-heartedly.

We should not say 'good morning', 'good afternoon' etc., in an artificial way. We say good morning mechanically but infact there is nothing like morning and night. We say good morning after the sun rises and good night after the sun sets. Infact, the sun neither rises nor sets. As the earth revolves round the sun, it seems to be rising and setting.

Rama went to Mithila at the command of sage Vishwamithra. But the moon of Sita's mind was under a heavy cloud. Her mind was not at peace, before Rama lifted the bow of Shiva. She wanted to tell about the moon of her mind to Rama after marriage. When she went to Ayodhya, Sita told Rama about the moon. Rama told Sita that the moon was clouded when He was born. The moon felt sad that he did not have the darshan of Rama as he had been clouded. Rama told that He would add Chandra (moon) to His name so that the moon would be satisfied. He further told Sita that in His next avatar, the moon would have the good fortune of having his first darshan. True to the words spoken by Lord Ramachandra, the moon had the good fortune of having the first darshan when Vasudeva carried him across the river Yamuna. The moon did namaskara (salutation) to Krishna when Vasudeva thus carried him.

There is great significance in doing namaskar. While doing namaskar, the ten fingers of both the hands should be brought together and the thumbs joined thus should touch the heart. (Bhagavan demonstrated on the stage how namaskara should be performed in the correct way by keeping His joined thumbs on His chest). The five fingers of one palm signify five karmendriyas (organs of action) and the five fingers of the other palm signify the five gnanendriyas (organs of sense perception). The namaskara is a spiritual act of surrendering the ten senses to Divinity. This is the way the sages of ancient India performed namaskara. They performed penance without any fear of the wild animals around them. They could do so because they had Atmaabhimaan (love of Self) and not Dehaahimaan (love of physical body). Armed with the arrow of Self-confidence, they lived in the forests.

The sages lived their lives courageously in the forests because they had self-confidence. Self-confidence is the source of courage. We should cultivate Self-confidence, first and foremost. We must have Self-reverence also. We must revere the Self in us. We must consider everyone to be our brothers and sisters. We say a lot about self-confidence without realising its true meaning. Young people of today ask where the Atma is. The Self is everywhere like the air that pervades the atmosphere. The air cannot be seen, nor can it be grasped though it is everywhere. As the air is everywhere, the self is also everywhere. Divinity embraces every atom of the universe. The whole universe is suffused with Divinity. The five elements namely earth, water, fire, air and ether are charged with Divinity. Atma is synonymous with Prana (life), and that is why they perform Prana-Prathishta (installing life principle) in temples.

The five sensations of sound, smell, touch, taste and form also belong to the realm of Divinity. This was the teaching of the Buddha also. Buddha read thoroughly all the spiritual books available at that time and found that they were not of any help. After thorough investigation, Buddha declared that Divinity is all pervading, embracing all the five elements. He realised this Truth and experienced Nirvana(liberation). The teaching of Buddha is, "One should understand the senses before one tries to understand God". Buddha was a great teacher who taught even at the time of Maha Nirvana (passing away). Seeing Aananda shedding tears at his deathbed, he told him, "Aananda, shed Dehaabhimaan and develop Atmaabhimaan. The body has to be left one day or the other. Have Atmaabhimaan. The body is bound to perish one day or the other, but the Indweller in the body is eternal."

We should foster the positive. We should not be carried away by the power of the senses. Infact, senses should lead to the cultivation of 'lavanya'(Beauty of the character) . As character grows, the splendour of one's personality increases. The person who cultivates character is ever youthful, blissful and beautiful. They will be full of Satyam (Truth), Sivam (goodness), Sundaram (beauty). This body (Swami points to his body) is 77 years old. I'm full of Lavanya due to the purity of My character. Avatars like Rama and Krishna were ever youthful. We never see Rama and Krishna with grey hair and wrinkled faces. It is their character that made them beautiful. But the youngsters of 17 years today look as though they are 70 years old. They look old because of the lack of character in them. You should be strong and virtuous. You should exercise restraint over senses. Each sense organ is a world by itself. We should give enough work to each of the senses so that they will not go astray. A person of Lavanya is ever smiling and happy.

We should not laugh loudly as it is bad manners to do so. There are some people who keep castor oil faces. Man has no reason to be sad. He is the embodiment of the eternal atma that is always blissful.

Students!

You should help the lowly and helpless. You should serve the poor, the discarded and the depressed. Today is the first day of the summer course. Resolve to spend these fifteen days usefully and cheerfully. You have wasted the vacations in frivolous pursuits. From now onwards, spend the time usefully. Your true nature is satyananada. It is only by cultivating Pushti(strength) and Santhusti(satisfaction) that you will develop Satyananda.

Man should always be blissful. When can he be blissful? When he sheds Dehabhimana and cultivates Atmabhimana, he will be blissful. We should cater to the welfare of the spirit. We should not pamper the body. We pamper the body with all kinds of food. The food that you partake should be Mita (Moderate) and Hita (Wholesome).

I've stopped eating meals since one month. I used to eat ragi. But, I stopped ragi also. Now I eat only one roti in the morning. That is all the food I take in a day, but I'm always healthy and blissful. You may think that I have become weak but I'm not actually weak. I'm full of energy and strength. I can walk long distances and even run also. My Lavanya is the source of my strength, energy and bliss. I am full of energy and beauty. I cannot be other than that. Hence, follow Me and imbibe My qualities. My life is My message. If you follow My message, you also will be strong and healthy. Lead a healthy life and dedicate yourself to the welfare of this country. You should cultivate the feeling that you are born to serve and not to boss over. You are born for Sevakathva (service).

Our ancients worshipped Nature. It is not a mistake at all to worship Nature. It is Nature that gives us food, raiment and shelter. Not merely that, it also gives us precious metals like gold and silver. So, what is wrong in worshipping Nature? All the modes of worship that our ancients practised are highly sacred. Bhumatha (mother earth),Gomatha (cow),Vedamatha(theVedas)and Dehamatha (physical mother) are to be revered. But first and foremost, man should worship God. As people have stopped worshipping God, we find chaos all over the world. Worship of God alone can safeguard the country. The country will be blessed with plenty and prosperity and people will lead a happy life once they start thinking of God. We repeat the Santhi Mantra thrice in our daily prayers. What does this mean? We should attain peace at all the three levels, i.e., physical, mental and spiritual. There is no peace in the external world; we find only pieces. Peace is within you. Make efforts to manifest your inner peace.

Students!

Do not waste time after the classes are over in the morning. Ruminate and reflect on all that was taught to you in the classes. Imprint in your hearts, the teachings of the elders given in the summer classes.

When Uddhava brought a message from Krishna to the gopikas, they told Uddhava that, they were interested in Krishna, and not in Uddhava's Philosophy. They told that the form of Krishna was imprinted in their hearts like a picture imprinted on paper. It was not possible to separate Krishna from their hearts. Hence, foster the feeling-I and GOD are ONE. Do not waste your time indulging in unnecessary gossip.

Talk less, work more and study more.