(Bhagavan began His discourse with recitation of this sloka).

In ancient days the sages, who were doing Tapas and finally had a vision of the Reality, declared that they had realized the Divine, Whose effulgence was that of the sun, beyond the darkness of ignorance. They also taught that God is the embodiment of Truth and had to be experienced as such. They declared that one who does not see this Truth is akin to an animal. That is why there is the saying that one who is reveling in untruth is only an animal.

Truth issues from love (Prema). In this world there is nothing greater than love (Prema). The more you love, the more blissful you become. Divinity is the embodiment of love. Love shines as the eternal truth in every one's heart. However, it will be dormant in the heart of the selfish. Love (Prema) shines only in the heart of the person who is selfless. Love cannot co-exist with ego and pomp. Love is the royal path that can take you to the highest state of the Divine:

This love has to be experienced and shared with all. When love is directed towards the ephemeral world it is "Anuraaga" or attachment. When it is directed towards God it is true love. Worldly experiences confer only temporary happiness. Love towards the Paramaathma (the Supreme Self, who is eternal and changeless, will confer eternal bliss. Every individual should know the difference between Prema and Anuraaga. Many people profess that they love God. But, in reality, not even one in a million loves God in the true sense of the term. They may love God for securing some selfish material benefits. This is not true devotion at all.

What is devotion? It is not merely offering several types of worship or going on pilgrimage. Unalloyed and true love for love's sake alone constitutes devotion. True devotion is the love flowing from a pure heart unpolluted by selfish motives. Love is the intimate bond of relationship between the devotee and the Lord. There are nine types of devotion. But they are not equal to Prema (Pure Love).

All the 18 yogas mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, such as Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Vibhuthi Yoga etc., are contained in Bhakthi yoga. There is nothing beyond this. Do you want to realize God? Do you want to tread the spiritual path and redeem your life? Then, it is enough if you pursue the path of pure love (Prema Marga).

There is no power greater than love (Prema) in this world because it is selfless and pure. Though several yogas are available for practice, each and every yoga contains an element of selfishness. But 'Prema' is free from selfishness. It is only because of the absence of such selfless love that chaos, conflicts and confusion are prevalent in the world. One who is interested in the welfare of humanity should practice this principle of true love. The life of an individual bereft of love is a sheer waste.

Sages spent their time in the forests amidst wild animals. They lived amicably side by side with them. The animals did not harm these sages. What is the reason? The sages had no weapons at all. They had the sole weapon of love. With this weapon they were able to tame the wild animals. But, in these days, while calling themselves human beings, men are behaving worse than animals. The reason is rank selfishness. Whatever they think, say or do, selfishness is the basic motive. The result is they are not able to enjoy peace.

How is peace to be got? When you plant the seed of Truth in the heart and make faith take deep root, with the rain of chanting God's name, peace blossoms, yielding the fruit of Liberation. Therefore, every human being should sow the seed of 'Truth in his heart. The deeper the root of faith goes down, the stronger will be the tree of life. You must provide water for the flourishing growth of the tree by means of singing the glory of God (Bhajana and Daiva Chintana). Only then the flower of Santhi (peace) will bloom and from this the fruit of liberation will be attained.

Human life has four stages. It can be described as a four-storeyed mansion. Any structure can be safe and sound only when the foundation is strong. Celibacy (Brahmacharya) is the foundation for the structure of life. The first floor is the stage of Grihastha (householder leading a married life). The second floor is Vaanaprastha (preparatory to Sanyaasa) and the third floor is Sanyaasa (Renunciant).

This year is called 'Yuva' (Youth). Youth should develop strongly the foundation of celibacy so that when they reach the other stages they can be ideal persons. They should develop 'Love' (Prema) towards God. This is the only way to build their strength.

People think that the world is separate from them. The entire universe is in the heart of each individual. "Viswarn Vishnuswarupam". The Universe is but a manifestation of the Divine, which is within the heart of every individual. Vishnu is the cause and the universe is the effect.

There are three states of consciousness in man - the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep state. All the three states are in every individual. The three governing powers in these states are Viswa, Thejasa and prajna respectively. The Gayathri manthra OM Bhur Bhuvas-Suvah is related to these three. We think that Bhuloka is the world that we live in, Bhuvarloka is swarga and Suvarloka is beyond that. This is not correct. All the three worlds are in our heart only. The outside world we see is the material world formed of inert matter. You may ask how this can be called inert when there is a lot of movement. The world that you see is "Bhu" and the power that causes the movement is "Bhuvah" or Praanasakthi (Life Force) which can be termed as "Vibration". It is the force of vibration that activates all the limbs of the body. When air is pumped into a tire we see this force in play which causes the tire to bloat. The Life Force or 'Praana' is Bhuvah. Because of the 'Prajnana', which is inside, the Life Force is able to cause the vibration and activate the limbs. The source of 'Prajna' is Suvaha, or Radiation. When you analyze in this manner, it will be seen that "Bhur-Bhuvas-Suvah" represent the forces of Radiation, Vibration and materialization.

It is the existence of these potencies in man that makes human birth very precious. But its value is now being ruined by people getting immersed in fleeting sensual pleasures. Humanness is entirely forgotten. It cannot be acquired by learning from a teacher or studying textbooks. It is born with the human being. It is there in everyone. People are not able to understand this truth today.

The Vedas are infinite and human life is limited. How to master the infinite within the short span of one's life? Keeping this problem in view, Sage Vyaasa codified the Vedas into four major divisions and named them RIG, YAJUR, SAAMA and ATHARVA Vedas. Rig Veda is Manthra-swaroopa (consisting of Manthras). The Yajur Veda is a compilation of rituals or Yajus and the Saama Veda is a compilation of riks set to music. In order to maintain the health of the individual and ensure the protection of the country, the 'Atharva Veda' was compiled. Sage Vyasa, who codified these four Vedas and wrote 18 puranas, finally gave one stanza as the essence of all the puranas, namely, "It is meritorious to render help to others, it is sinful to cause harm to them." "Paropakaara punyaaya, paapaaya parapeedanam". The inner meaning of the declaration by Vyasa should be understood by everyone. 'Para' means Brahma, 'Upa' means nearness and 'Kara' means 'go'. So this term 'Paropakaara' means "travel towards the Atma and go nearer the PARAMATMA". Chanting the name of God or doing other forms of worship will not help you to go near God, though they are good deeds. It is only by selfless service you can get nearer to God. This is real 'Punya'. "Paapaaya Parapeedanam". According to worldly interpretation, this means that it is a sin to hurt others. But there is an inner meaning for this. 'Para' means "Atma". 'Peedanam' means 'Hurting'. The same principle of Atma is in everyone. You should not hurt the Atma. What is meant by this is that you should realize the oneness of the Atma in all. If you do not realize this and act contrary to the principle, it is 'Hurting'. You are considering the bodies, which are different in form as different from you. To do so is 'sin'. You must only see the 'Atma' in all. There are many bulbs of different shapes and sizes here in this hall. But the electric current that makes them shine is only one. The "Atrnathathva", the principle of Atma, is the one current that activates all the bodies, which are like bulbs of different hues and shapes. "To see diversity is "sin" says Vyasa. He taught the world to see the one in the many. You should follow this principle and develop 'Prema', the principle of love, towards all. When there is Prema there is no grief.

You need not waste time in trying to study all the sacred texts, as they are innumerable and your life-span is very short. All that is needed is to cultivate the "Premathathva" (Love principle). There is no greater power than this in the world. It is the supreme among all virtues.

Real love is beyond the three categories of time, past, present and future. Love towards God, the permanent changeless entity, alone is fit to be called Prema.

In the Gayathri Manthra, the unity of body, mind and soul is depicted in the first line as "Bhur-Bhuvah-Suvaha". The next line "Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi" means: "Throw away the darkness." "Dheeyo nah Prachodayaath" means "!et the effulgence of the Divine dispel the darkness of ignorance." Gayathri is pervading everywhere. It consists of three deities, Gayathri, Savithri and Saraswathi. Of these, the first one is master of the senses. The second is the teacher of truth and the third is the master of speech (Vaak). Hence it is a Trinity of the senses, the mind and speech. Gayathri is hailed as "Chandasaam maathah", the Mother of all Vedas. Gayathri has five faces and is the embodiment of all deities. (Sarvadevathaa Swaroopam). Description of the glory (stothra) of Dhyana (Meditation) and prayer (praarthana) are all contained in the Gayathri Manthra. When does a prayer become meaningful? It is only when you stabilize your mind and turn it towards God. The basis for this is to meditate, pray and experience. It is essential to achieve harmony in thought, word and deed. Gayathri is teaching this great lesson.

Prahlada said that a father can be proud of his son not at the time of the son's birth but only when the son attains fame as a good man. It is only then that his birthday can be celebrated: Those of you who have had this sacred teaching of Gayathri today are very lucky. On this very auspicious day, you have all taken a second birth. You must forget the past. The present is very important. From today onwards you must develop love of God and get a good name. Though God is the creator of all beings, you must understand that while God created mud and water, it is the potter that is responsible for creating a pot by mixing the mud and water. Similarly God has created 'chaithanya' (consciousness) and 'jada' (matter). Your father and mother have together given you your body and brought you up. It is, therefore, your duty to make your parents happy. If you don't please them, or if you ignore them, you cannot be happy. You must develop love for your parents, study well, imbibe the sacred culture of Bharat and lead noble lives as ideal sons of your parents. Gayathri will protect your body, make your intellect shine and improve your power of speech. That is why Gayathri is considered to be very important for this second stage of your life, which you are entering today. How should you live? You should live in accordance with the upanishadic prayer: "Sahaanavavathu Sahanou Bhunakthu Sahaveeryam Karauaavahai". ("Let us grow together, live together and develop love together.") From such living, you get divinity. Unity leads to purity and purity to divinity. Where there is no unity, you get enmity and hatred.

Today is Eswaramma day, the day of the Mathrudevatha (Mother Goddess). All mothers are goddesses. That is why in Bharat, people follow the maxim: Esteem the mother, the father, the teacher and the guests as God.

Once when Sita was teaching how to worship God, Rama intervened and said: "Oh simple minded one who is greater in the world than the mother and the father? They know our difficulties and needs. They are able to understand our feelings. They are able to fulfill all our wants. Having such known entities who take interest in your welfare, why should you go after unknown entities?" At all times, the parents are there looking after you. You have to worship them. The mother can be compared to the earth and the father to the seed. Unless the seed is sown in the earth the plant will not sprout. You cannot ignore the father and mother who are responsible for your birth and growth.

Even if you become the Prime Minister you must remember you owe your birth in tile world to your mother. You must develop humility and discrimination as a mark of education. You should not discard love of God at any time. If you forget God, you are not human but demonic. Money, beauty and youth will not last long.

Nowadays, people are not getting rid of attachment and arrogance even in old age. I composed a drama when I was young under the title, "CHEPPINATLU CHESTHAARAA?" ("Do you do as you say?"). Now I have to ask: "Cheppinatlu Chesinaara?" ("Have you done as I told you?"). If you go on concentrating on your family alone till death, what is it you derive finally? None of these people will come with you on your final journey. It is the love of God that will come with you even after death. Develop love and sanctify your life with that Prema principle. Chant the Gayathri morning, noon and evening. You do so many things. Why don't you chant this Gayathri? I bless all of you that you may sanctify your life in this way, making it useful and meaningful.

(Bhagavan. concluded His discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema Muditha Manase kaho: Ramal Ramal Ram")