Moulding Of Character Must Start With Children

Educational institutions should teach students to adhere to truth and to discharge their duties as a sacred obligation. Students should not allow success or failure to raffle their minds unduly. Courage and self-confidence must be instilled in the students.

Bend the twig and bend the tree, says the proverb. The moulding of character must start with children at the earliest age. Begin developing human values from the primary school. Some are concerned about our living in a "secular state". Secularism really means equal respects for all faiths and beliefs. There should be no hatred towards any faith. Other creeds or beliefs should not be condemned or derided. Some time ago there was an absurd idea that Sathya Sai educational institutions were religious institutions. Sai educational institutions are based on equal respect for all religions. They are wedded to unity and harmony.

Whatever studies you may pursue, do not give up your faith in God. To give up God is to give up life itself. Life is God. Truth is God. All that you do as an offering to God will be an expression of human values.

The educationists and Vice-chancellors who have assembled here have come to some decisions as a result of their high-minded deliberations. They are firmly convinced that human values have to be promoted. Whatever their limitations, they should strive to the extent possible to implement their decisions. The Divine is installed in their hearts. It is enough if they follow the promptings of the Divine. They are bound to achieve their objectives. If faith in God is strengthened, all values will develop in due course. Sublimate your lives by remembering, worshiping and adoring God.

Valedictory discourse to the National Symposium on Value Orientation on. 26-9-198 7.

The Lord has endowed man with a body and that is why every limb and every sense is worthy of reverent attention. Each must be used for his glory. The ear must exult when it gets a chance to hear the wonderful talks on God. The tongue must exult when it can praise him. Otherwise the tongue of the man is ineffective as the tongues of the frogs which croak day and night sitting on the marshy bank.

BABA