The following discourse has been translated into English from Bhagavan's Telugu speech as heard on this festival's ashram audiocassette. It is a complete, literal translation made with the objective of preserving Bhagavan's precious original poetic style as much as possible.
DISCOURSE BY SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
“The Scold”
July 3rd, 1996

CAN'T ONE REPLY WITH LOVE?
Then, what does sathwic mean? Having all (qualities) like being always peaceful, having patience, sympathy and truth is the path of truth. Sathwic doesn’t give scope for any type of desire, anger, greed, moha (attachment) or envy. Even when any hatred comes, it was transformed it into love. When the situation is such that it (anger) cannot be transformed into love, what use is it no matter what austerity one does?
One small example today: none of you should think anything (don’t be insulted). Swami always propagates the nature of Love. In every discourse also, He mentions Love, Love and Love. How many of you are experiencing and how many are practising this Love? If anyone comes and asks a question, can't one reply with love? The individual who replies with love cannot be seen. In the Mandir, in the Canteen, in the bookstore in the Accommodation (office), in the hospital, or anywhere else, no matter where one goes there is no word of love. (Applause) Then why should you listen to these discourses? Is there even one individual seen who replies with love?
If any new person comes and asks, “Sir, when is Swami’s Darshan?” (The answer is,) “Go, go, go! I don’t know, GO!” (Laughter) Can't the matter that is known be said well, softly and peacefully? Then if one goes to educated people and asks, they all say, “This is not my duty, GO!” Do you want a certain duty? What loss will it be to you if the answer that is known to the thing that is asked, is said softly and with love?
Whether women or men, they are living in the ashram 20 years, 30 years or 40 years but even one doesn’t have a heart full of love. They are doing sadhana, they are doing japa, they are doing tapa (austerity) and they are sitting in meditation. What for are you sitting (in meditation)? What happened to the Love in them? They are killing the love. They are only increasing hatred.
Truly, if it is resolved that one must listen well and wholeheartedly to Swami’s teaching, why not put it into practise? However, if one observes the residence is the ashram but the actions are wicked. Are they doing even one work with sraddha? Is truth being uttered anywhere? Are they offering even one word with love? I don’t see it anywhere and don’t hear it anywhere.
Say the answer with love. Someone may come to talk with you. They say, “What is the news, sir?” At a time like that, if you don’t like to talk, doing namaskaar say with love, “Please, I don’t want to speak. Swami doesn’t like us to talk excessively, so I am following Swami’s order.” What is the wrong (in saying that)?

(Tape cuts.)

I CANNOT SEE ANYONE WHO REPLIES WITH LOVE
Whether teachers, doctors, nurses or workers, I cannot see anyone who replies with love. So, why should you listen to these discourse? There should be an indication, shouldn’t there, that they were actually listened to? If a downpour of rain falls, the ground should be wet, shouldn’t it? However, they come and sit in a front seat for discourses and bhajans. If one observes in bhajan, all the ladies fight saying, “The front seat is mine! The front seat is mine!” Why should they have this ego? Can’t one be blissful thinking, ‘wherever it may be, why should I care? I am hearing the chanting of God's Name. That is enough.’
There is as much compassion as one wants and there is as much love as one wants, but you are not filling your hearts. A downpour of rain is falling. Even if lids are placed on the pots right in the middle of the rain, at least a bit of water will fill them. However, if those pots are placed upside-down, no matter how much the downpour of rain there is, not even a drop will remain in them. So all the people who listen to the discourses today are turning the pot of their heart upside-down. For that reason even a bit of love does not fall into your heart.
Why should you come here? Why should you live here? Is there no place anywhere else? What is the use of you coming? What have you achieved? What are you achieving? What are you experiencing? What happiness do you have? None at all. Time is only being wasted. Therefore, at least today recognize one truth: if anyone asks anything, give the reply with love.
There are all these public meetings and public connections, all of you know. There is the Accommodation office. There is the information office. There is the Canteen. There is the bookstall. And then there are so many more stalls. However, no matter where one goes, all of them are becoming like bulldogs and Alsatians dogs there but those who have a suitable and good heart are not seen. Why should we live this (kind of) life?
Then if one goes towards the hospital, we spent crores and crores (of rupees) and established it. Why shouldn’t you look after them (the patients) with love? There are some people and they look after them (the patients, with love). Yet when they come with so much suffering, if a good word and a sweet word is spoken once, their diseases will be cured. They beat them and drive them out just like one beats and drives others out in a war. They will say, “Now there is no time, go, go, GO!” (A.K. says, “There is no time, get out.” Swami says laughing,) It doesn’t matter if they say ‘get out’, but they say even worse than that! Such people are not doctors at all, such people are not individuals at all and people like this are not devotees at all! (Applause)
Truly, if they are people who come for Swami, love must be developed from at least today. Swami has only Love from the feet to the head. What I give is love. You are receiving it but it is not being used. No one speaks a reply peacefully and with love; there is none!
WELCOME THEM AND GIVE RESPECT
Therefore, Embodiments of Love!
(Swami says laughing,) Though you have no Love I call you ‘Embodiments of Love’! (Laughter) However, you don’t need to develop anything else at all. It is enough if you develop that one thing: Love. If you develop that Love, you will be ones who have achieved so much tapas shakti (power of austerity).
What did Vasishta say to Arundhati? “Ah-ha! The moon is shining so much! He has no fault and no spot. He is the sacred and pure moon. How is he like that? He is like that due to the tapas shakti of Viswamitra. Even though Viswamitra was not in front of him, Vasishta praised Viswamitra. Due to him listening (to Vasistha’s expression) of that Love, the mind of Viswamitra melted just due to hearing that.
When any new devotees enters into here, the ones who are (live) in the ashram, we should welcome them so much and give them so much respect just like an air hostess and like an ashram hostess. The same (should be done) in the Institute. When new children (students) enter, we should treat all of them like our brothers, by tapping their shoulders, patting their heads and welcoming them with so much love. We should also make them forget the suffering that their parents left them and went.
However, if one observes the new students that enter into outside colleges, they (the senior students) begin ragging them and they are (even) killing them. They are only demons. Truly, will they do it if they are their brothers? The children that newly enter there, should be made to lose fear and they should be given courage and joy. (Instead) these students are increasing fear and confusion. This is not vidya (education) at all; it is avidya (non-education). It is not viveka; it is aviveka. It is not compassion; it is cruelty. Therefore, we should look after the ones who newly come with so much love.
Similarly even the ones who enter into the hostel: if newcomers are seen, they (the senior students) should welcome them with so much love, and they should sit them by their side. It’s not like that, not like that! Reservations: here is a seat, there is a seat and that is a seat. They won't even let them sit by their side. This is not good. Each should mix and mingle together. That day (when you do that), you will be ones who understand the nature of Swami’s Love.
SPEAK WITH LOVE
Hence, no matter what word is spoken, speak it with love. If you don’t know, say (Swami uses a respectful and soft voice), “I don’t know. Please forgive me.” (Swami uses a mean and irritated voice,) “I don’t know, go, go, GO!” Saying that they drive them out like animals are driven out. That is not good. All of us are human beings. All should be respected. All should be loved. All should be believed. Then only you will be deserving of the love of God, who is in all living beings.
When one sees living beings he gives them suffering, and when one sees God he worships. What is this worship? However, the bull that works, works hard night and day. They take a whip and beat them. Seeing the stone Nandi (the vehicle of Siva, a bull, present as a stone image in all temples dedicated to Siva), they do namaskaar and pradakshina to it. This is raati bhakthi (devotion to a stone). This is stone bhakthi but it is not devotion of the heart. If there are hearts like this, how can they be devotees? Yet, at least from today purify the heart.
Everyone says, “Compassion, compassion, compassion.” Where is compassion? Always giving harm to others is there as a fashion. This is not good. You are in the ashram since so many days. A true ashram means a place without shram (strain, trouble). All are suffering (visitors). (Visitors say,) “Ayyo, Swami will not call us for interview! At least in the interview room one can be blissful for some time. Wherever we go outside, they drive us out. They drive us around like dogs.” The devotees suffer a lot.
How many will it be possible to give an interview to? It’s not possible to grant everyone an interview at once. See here, this is a big interview! I am giving everyone an interview equally. Develop Love, develop Love! (Applause) From tomorrow everyone should speak with Love and give replies with Love. That which is known should be said just like it is known. Or else, say it nicely, “I don’t know, please forgive me.” I said many times about this:

You cannot always oblige but you can speak always obligingly.

So, reduce words. Then only the animal qualities in you will become distant. Filling ourselves with these animal qualities, if we want to act like humans how will it be possible? First and foremost we have to drive them (the bad qualities) out. Love, Love, Love! Share Love with all. This is true sathwic (nature).
I AM A HUMAN BEING
Therefore, our entire life is rajasic, rajasic, rajasic. This rajasic (quality) is demonic. This is not good. We are human beings.

I am not animal, I am not devil. I am man, I am man, I am man!

Ask yourself this kind of question and it is only you who has to give the answer.” I am not an animal. I am not a demon. I am not any other kind of evil. I am a human being, I am a human being, I'm a human being!” So, man will transform into God. If that question is truly put, the answer will come from within yourself.
However, you are without compassion. There is no compassion or Love at all. No one even has the proper answers (no one is responding properly). So from tomorrow, give an answer well. Look after the patients who come with Love. Inquire well about their position and plight and give medicines.
Regarding that, what is it? It is the effect of the Kali Yuga: the educated ones have even more wickedness. What is the reason for this? They are changing into such an animal due to the ego of that education. The ones in the villages who are not educated have humility and obedience. Therefore, there is still some culture remaining in the villagers. There is no culture at all in the educated people today. They have conflict among them. So we should make things like that distant.
Bhakthi, bhakthi doesn’t mean to worship and do bhajans. We have to develop God's Love. If that Love enters into you, without fail your human nature will transform. Therefore, the royal path to obtain Swami’s compassion is to develop only this one thing: Love.

Bhagavan ended His Divine Discourse by chanting the bhajan, ‘Prema Muditha Mana Se Kaho…’

Checked by Prabha