From ancient days, this world has given infinite respect to teachers. Teachers! There are three types of teachers. In those days, the first type of teachers were sages who taught in an inspiring way. They were inspirational teachers. Each forgot their body and practiced their knowledge for the progress of the students, keeping in view the future of the country.

How did they spend their daily lives? First and foremost, they taught every child:

They started and ended their whole lives with Love. Therefore all their hearts were inspired.

Then the second type of teachers are the explaining teachers. They explain each subject in detail. Due to this explanation, each subject gets imprinted on the hearts of the children.

However, due to the influence of Kali Yuga, the third type, complaining teachers, has increased. What is the reason? They begin by wanting comfort. In the past, there were no comforts at all. The sages of ancient times brought the children together in their house, under a tree, in any boarding house, or in a temple, and they used to teach them there. There was no special place called a 'school'.

In this way, making comfort distant, these sages progressed joyfully. They kept the teaching in their heart and taught wholeheartedly, heart-to-heart, love-to-love. The sages of those days used to share Love from their own Love. Therefore, in those days, they didn’t call them 'teachers' or 'lecturers'. They were called ‘Acharya'.

Who is an Acharya? He practices and, in so doing, he transmits his practice to his students. Such a one is an Acharya. For example, if he went to the river for bath, he would take the students with him and also teach them knowledge along the way.

Adi Shankara gathered together his fourteen disciples and went to take bath in the Ganges River. One disciple was sitting under a tree and went on repeating, "Dukrun Karane, Dukrun Karane, Dukrun Karane." He was repeating a principle in Panani's Grammar.

To develop his intelligence and discrimination, and to teach him a lesson, Shankara came forward, walking directly up to the disciple, who was repeating "Dukrun Karane."

"Oh scholar! Why are you conveying this to memory?"

The disciple answered, "When I progress in this Grammar, I may become a great scholar. Due to the influence of this scholarship, I may be able to join the king’s court."

Then to this Shankara asked, "You may join there. What is the result of that?"

The disciple replied, "There the king will give me as much wealth as I want."

Shankara asked, "What is the use that comes from this wealth?"

The disciple answered, "My family and I will be comfortable and well off."

Then Shankara said, "Dear, you may be happy. Your family may be well off. But this is only selfish. How long can you experience this happiness?"

The disciple said, "I can experience it up until I die."

"After that, what will you experience?" Shankara asked him.

The disciple said, "I don't know."

Then Shankara sang, while patting his back, "Bhaja Govindam."

Therefore, first and foremost, pray to God and having that as your foundation, study all education.

To be happy in the next world, one needs spiritual education.

You are only hoping for worldly comfort, but you do not desire the spiritual comfort. Therefore today we and our family may be well-off, having that which can be attained by salary and wealth. However, this is selfish. The whole life is selfish, selfish, selfish. If one spends life like this only, when will one experience that which is beyond - namely, the spiritual aspect? You don't even have bliss with this worldly comfort.

First and foremost, you put into practice that education (spirituality and human values) which gives bliss to God. If God is pleased, the whole world will be happy. Accordingly, we can pray to God in our daily life. Thus we are to making good use of our time.

Hence, if you, who are teachers in the world, want the progress of girls and boys, first and foremost you begin with spiritual feelings. In that way, acquire moral values. Like that, you will live your daily life with the safety of peace. What you have taught to your students today will be learnt by your children tomorrow. If you teach children without good feelings, your children will also get those same feelings in the future.

Hence, you have to feel that all of these children that you teach are 'Prema Putrulu', 'children born out of love', dear to one, but not one’s own. There must be faith that your own begotten children are 'Kama Putrulu', 'children born out of passion'. So, 'Prema Putrulu' are dearer than 'Kama Putrulu'.

Dronacharya had numerous disciples all together. He used to teach them good things. However, he only took Arjuna close to him as his favorite. Why? As Arjuna was his 'Prema Putra', Drona taught all secrets of education to Arjuna, which he didn’t teach to his own son, Aswatthama, at all. What is the reason? It is deservedness.

The deservedness that Arjuna had Drona’s begotten son, Aswatthama, did not have. He taught all secrets to Arjuna. Therefore, Arjuna was 'Prema Putra'. But his own son was 'Kama Putra'. This 'Kama Putra' is related only to the world. 'Prema Putra' is heart-to-heart, love-to-love.

Therefore, you have to mould students of today into students like that, so that they become 'Prema Putra'. The teachers who are in the Sathya Sai Organization have to put the wishes of Sathya Sai into practice.

I said the other day, "All teachers are like water tanks and children are like the taps. Only when the tank is full of pure water, pure water will also come through the taps. Therefore, keep pure feelings in your heart. Fill them with Divine thoughts. To develop pure hearts, you have to sacrifice.

You will become an ideal teacher only when you develop sacrifice. In other Yugas, there were Acharyas. Yet, teachers! In this Kali Yuga, you should all be Acharyas, which means that you first practice and then teach the children. When you say to the children to speak the truth, you should also speak the truth. You do service to society and you also have to teach service to the children.

It is not possible to use all of the time for study. It has to be separated into sections. One should also participate in service to society. The comfort of the parents also has to be attended to. After your studies, foster an intimate relationship with society. Only then studying will be sanctified.

I said yesterday what education is. It is not only bookish knowledge. Study is useful for you alone. How long will this bookish knowledge last? The book goes and only knowledge remains. How long will it remain? It is there only for some time. Afterwards, gradually even this knowledge will be forgotten. Then allergy begins.

Hence, you don't have any use for allergy. With this allergy, you can't help anyone nor can you yourself experience bliss. You will also lose all your interests.

So, when Divinity is kept in the heart, only then it will change into energy. You should increase that energy. Don't waste food. Don't waste time. Don't waste money. Don't waste energy.

 The first thing that we have to protect is money. Don't waste money. Wasting your money amounts to misuse of money. Misuse of money is evil. We call on Goddess Lakshmi. But when this money is put to bad use, we will be the ones who misuse time.

Don't waste time. Time is the Embodiment of God. Therefore, in the Vedas it is declared:

Kalaya Namah (Salutations to time),

time - past, present and future.)

(Sanskrit sloka)

Everything is time. Time waste is life waste. Therefore, Time is God. Keep this in mind.

Don't waste food. Annam Brahma, Prana Brahman.

Food is God. Prana or the life force is God. (Sanskrit sloka)

Food is the form of Brahma. Numerous people are suffering due to lack of food. Eat as much as you need. But don't waste food. Food is God. As is the food, so is the head. As is the head, so is God. Therefore, don't waste food. If it is too much, share with someone else.

Next, don't waste energy. Talking too much is also wasting energy. Too much looking here and there is also a waste of time. How is it a waste of time? For example, we will turn on a radio. We have started the radio. That radio is talking. However, you should only have it on to a limited extent. If it is used too much, you will waste a lot of current. So many units of current will be wasted or consumed. Whose loss will it be? The one who uses it.

Therefore, in that same manner, your heart is a radio. Put it to some sacred use. Don't give any chance to unnecessary, mad or crazy contemplations. Doing all these unnecessary things, energy will also be wasted, and in a very short time, you will soon become old or aged. What is the reason? Too much energy is wasted.

Seeing is energy. Talking is energy. Doing is energy. Hearing is energy. Everything is energy. So, talk less. Do more work. Only when you develop this kind of energy, you will be very great people. You will have good strength and your intelligence power will also increase. Then children can be made to progress to any extent.

However, due to the effects of Kali Yuga, all children of today are wasting a lot of energy. They are putting all the Jnana Shakti, the power of wisdom that God has given to bad use. They are even putting their intelligence, which God has gifted, to bad use.

Accordingly, the Vedas calls this Jnana Shakti Prajnana Brahma - Wisdom is Brahma. This is also called Constant Integrated Awareness. So we have to strengthen our energy. It has to be used in a Divine way. Concentrate on directing all your energy towards God. Then you will attain concentration. However if you waste your energy in some other way, no matter how long you sit, the whole mind will be wandering in the marketplace.

It is not possible for the mind to be steady even for one moment. What is the reason for this? Due to your wasting energy, the whole body becomes weak. The whole mind becomes weak. The intelligence becomes weak. Due to all of these three becoming weak, what sadhana or spiritual practice will you be able to do? You can't do any sadhana at all.

Therefore, make your energy strong. You also have to teach this to the children. Then they will progress well. They will become ideal teachers. Therefore, first and foremost, you do.

You see good. You do good. You be good. That is what we have to do first and foremost. Teachers like that will progress very well.

When you hold such a right ideal in your further study, then you will also have a great job or be great teachers and professors. I will also make them give you a seat for a Doctorate degree. (Applause) I will give money. You can study to any extent. You should become teachers like that.

Now see our Institute. There are many doctorate degree holders (Ph.D.) here. You don't know that. I am only telling this today. I have never told this publicly about our Institute. Many students pass M.Sc. After passing M.Sc, they pass M.Tech. After passing M.Tech, they pass MBA. These three degrees are all postgraduate studies. Even after this MBA degree, they are going on to Ph.D.

If you see these students, they are very young people. They are completing three or four postgraduate courses. Afterwards we are keeping them as teachers in our Institute. So in that way, if anyone amongst you progress and have sraddha, sincere interest and steadfastness, I will give any amount of help that is needed. Therefore, you develop the right type of interest and steadiness. With this desire to be good teachers, you will give a good example. Get good certificates from your organization, wherever you are. If you call on Me, without fail I will give you higher studies. (Applause)

Therefore, as you have the right type of qualities, see that you remain like that, without giving any chance for any bad habits or bad practices. The end of character is education. The end of education is character. Keep that well in mind.

All of you who are here must have seen how our students behave when they come here to sit The ladies sit this side. But the students won't turn their looks or mind in that direction. Even when their mother comes, they will also bend their heads when talking to her. What is the reason? One can never say how the mind, the feelings, or the thoughts may change in any moment. Therefore one has to be always on guard.

Therefore, that type of good character has to be developed. It is a great virtue to be like this. There is no other quality greater than this. In the past, even Dronacharya taught so much. Only later he only became weak.

At last Bhishmacharya sacrificed his whole life for the happiness of his father. He passed his life without ever getting married. His whole life he remained celibate (Brahmachari). Therefore, the whole of India considers Bhishma as Acharya. They say that he only spoke that which was true wisdom.

Therefore, you should become Acharyas like that. Until then, you have to teach the children well in those subjects which have to be taught. We have to show gratitude to that institution which gave us this quality of good character. However these days there is no gratitude.

See, in Zambia Mr. and Mrs. Kanu developed their school so much. Earlier Kanu was a master. He was a pastor. In those days he was head of an ashram. I called and told them, "Kanu, don't waste time. You are not getting anything out of this. You go start a school."

Forty years ago blacks weren’t coming here. But both of them came to Me. Then I performed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Kanu forty years ago. She is also a Negro. From that day to this day, they are following with unwavering vision and steady mind.

Truly no scarcity will come to the one who has faith. No one knows so I am telling you today. Why? Because you are the ones who should become Acharyas. It was very difficult to start a school in Zambia. Neither the government nor the public gave any help. Both of Mr. and Mrs. Kanu fostered the school, going to a lot of trouble both physically and mentally.

Two years ago, Kanu came and said, "Swami, it is becoming very hard to run the school. We are unable to even construct buildings." I said, "Don't worry. Be happy. I will help you. I am seeing to it." (Applause)

At that time it was not possible to do anything from India. Why? Because Indian money couldn't be exchanged there. The rupee can't be used in those countries. Then I called him, "Kanu! Be courageous! Your courage, your faith and perseverance (sraddha) is the main reason for the school's progress."

So I made a phone call from here to the Sathya Sai Organization in America. As Indian money can't be exchanged in Africa, I made the American Sathya Sai Organization help. (Applause) Then Kanu was so happy. Not only on that day, but also on any other day, the word I say is Truth.

(Sanskrit sloka)

So Truth is Truth alone. Hence I also said to Kanu today, "Don't be at all troubled. Whatever the time, I will see to the school. So don't give it up. That school has to be developed."

There are many poor people, Negroes, there. There is not even food for them to eat. What a shame! Gather all the children together like that, educate them and make them progress in society. See that their families are well and protected. Therefore, Kanu has to continue to hold on to this work without leaving it. I am hoping for this. I will see. I will do. I will help you.

In that same way, Jumsai is also there today. He is not a small man. In front of you all, he may look like a small man. But he is a great eminent scientist. He is not only a scientist, he is also a great professor. Not only that, he is a Member of Parliament for that country. They also tried to make him a minister. But he said, "I don't want. I want service, service, service."

In that same way, he is determined that a Sathya Sai Institute should be started in every single place today. Now in Sri Lanka there is a lot of trouble. But he developed Lanka first and foremost. He is also taking an interest in East Africa. In numerous places, he is taking a lead to develop this. I am also wishing that this should be done without fail. I will help you.

No one can understand each devotee by seeing just his outer experience. At one time, bombs fell in Thailand. They were very afraid. Swami’s chair was there in Jumsai's house. His mother was also there. Everyone was there. They wondered anxiously, "What will be our fate?"

They closed all the doors to the house and they sat in Swami’s room. All the bombs were falling. Thailand became very disturbed. But only the house of Jumsai was safe. The main reason for this was his steady devotion and sincere faith (sraddha). From that day to this day also, he is very determined and accomplishing a lot in organizational matters. Therefore, I am hoping that this determination will not continue.

All your goodness will be supported by Bhagavan. Everything that is good will attract help. Why? Help will come automatically to those who do good things. Goodness itself will inspire the necessary help. In this way, numerous devotees in the world are supporting this organization.

For the purpose of developing these educational programs, Jumsai and Kanu have to first acquire a lot of steady faith (sraddha). If they both have this steadfastness, they will be like right and left. Kanu said, first and foremost, left, then right, right and left, right and left together. This will become marching together. Therefore, the whole life will be this marching. Without fail, I will continue to march beside you.

Therefore, make this educational program progress even more in the right way. Next year, bring a few more teachers. I will also help these teachers in their higher studies. Why? Because in a few houses, the family situation is very difficult. What a shame!

Don't worry at all about the problems in the house. I am your family. I am not separate. You are not separate. I and you are one. Firmly develop your faith in this Truth. Also, don't succumb at all to the fears of the world. So, this study will be very progressive. The country will also prosper.

The situation of these days is that wherever one looks there is agitation and absence of peace (Ashanti). Therefore, you should promptly pray for this country.

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

People from all countries, people of all places and all parts, should also be well.

Progress and take part in your activities. You have to show an ideal example. (Applause)