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
For Educare Students
November 20th, 2002

Shanti Antarinche, Sathyambu Karuvayye
Ayudhamula Bheeti Adhikamaiye
Unna Mata Telupuchunna Mata.

Peace has disappeared. Truth has reduced.
Fear of weapons has increased.
The word (Truth) that is, is the word that is being conveyed.
(Telugu poem)

WORLDLY EDUCATION AND SPIRITUAL EDUCATION
Embodiments of Love!
Education is progressing day by day but the prabhava (impact or influence) of that education in behaviour is not seen anywhere. Education means, what kind of education should we study? Today the prabhava of education has decreased and education’s specialities have increased.
Male Students and Female Students!
Today the education that you (P) study is only worldly education. You (P) should integrate the nature of spirituality in it also. We have to develop the nature of Love. We should take hold of the path of Truth. Only the education that has Truth and Love is true education. Without the path of Truth, there is no value to the prabhava of Love.
Worldly education is only arranged to eke out a living. Spiritual education is arranged for Divine life. Therefore, it is the important duty of students today to recognize the essence of both and act accordingly. The prabhava of both is seen in the world today.
EDUCATION AND EDUCARE

Male Students and Female Students!
The entire world is (many people in the world are) teaching the nature of spirituality. People recognized that the nature of spirituality is not new; it is ancient. It attained a high position in teaching and propagating, but in practise it slipped down. Today it is enough if at least one is practiced wholeheartedly. Therefore, education that is put into practise is most essential. Today all of the education that isn't practised is the root cause for ashanthi.
Today’s modern vidyas are called education. However, only when it is spiritual vidya with wholehearted prabhava, and propagated and taught, it is called Educare. Educare means drawing out what is inside and it has to be demonstrated to the world as an ideal.
Today education is only to teach from books. Educare is not related to books. It teaches the book of the heart. Therefore, such an education is also essential. In education of today people are studying very advanced knowledge. This is only physical, worldly and secular education.
However, spiritual education teaches wholehearted qualities like Love, Truth, Dharma and Peace, with the prabhava of the heart. Such education that brings together the two is an ideal to the world today.
One is inner prabhava. The second is teaching of the outer (external world). The teaching of the outer is physical. This is ideal to the physical world. This is related to negative. However, the inner teaching is related to positive.
Love: what form are people able to determine for Love? Its meaning is giving love, receiving Love and to be happy through love. It has no form. Such inner teachings are essential today.

UNITY IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED
That which brings about a mutual relationship between man and man and between object and object is Educare. So, today no one knows what is present between human beings. In the mind there is one and in the word still another. That is not proper education. Real education is:

The proper study of mankind is man.

The feeling born in the heart should reach the mouth. The utterance from the mouth should be practised in action and demonstrated to the world as an ideal. There isn't the unity of these three today. In the word one, in action another and in the mind still another. Therefore, due to them being different:

Manasyanyath, Vachasyanyath,
Karmanyanyath, Duratmanam.
Manasekam, Vachasekam,
Karmanyekan, Mahatmanam.

A wicked one has thought, word and deed at variance.
A Great One has unity in thought, word and deed.
(Sanskrit sloka)

Man of today is not becoming a Great One. He is becoming a wicked man.
Regarding the education of today, the ones who are educated are becoming big criminals more than the ignorant ones who have no education. Today in the world it is only the educated people who do great harm to the country. The villagers who have no education at all are spending life with so much courtesy and are demonstrating an ideal. Therefore, though one may have education, to some extent one should teach the nature of jnana and develop the feeling of Atma.

THE ONES LIVING IN TOWNS AND THE ONES LIVING IN VILLAGES
You (P) can think of one small illustration. Ones who have the reputation of being educated people with great intelligence are living in towns. The people who feel they are without education, foolish and ignorant are living in villages. However, the ignorant ones living in villages are spending their life more happily than the ones who have education and are living in towns.
Today there are so many universities in the towns. There are so many colleges. There are so many high schools. Yet it is there only that unprecedented disturbances are going on. There are no kinds of turmoil among all those who are educated in the villages that don’t have any universities, colleges and high schools. What is the reason? The prabhava in this education has become so weak.
Go to a village once and you (P) investigate. “Brother, where do you (P) come from? What country do you (P) come from?” They will speak with respect. They will talk with respect and courtesy. But the ones who live in towns, whether mother and son, father and son or elder brother and younger brother, won't even question each other when they come home, “How are you? What’s happening?” Mutual and close relationships have decreased. The reason? This education only is the reason.

The end of education is character.

Due to losing that character, respect and courtesy have reduced. Even the parents are giving the suitable kind of enthusiasm and encouragement regarding this. They are attempting to send the children in the villages, to towns. They want them to study great and high education. Their motive is good. However, their (the children’s) behaviour is going on the bad path.
When they are in the villages, they lived with so much humility, so much obedience, so much fear (of elders), so much respect and so much courtesy.
Today humility and obedience have been lost. They are forgetting sacredness. As soon as the father comes they hold a cigarette and call him. Instead of bad habits becoming distant, bad habits are increasing.
However, when the ones who live in villages see their parents and elders, they show respect and courtesy to some extent. This type of respect and courtesy are drowned in education.
When the parents are at home, “Cha (Tsk)! This activity should not be done! Though being born as a human being, have you entered into low actions?” Saying that, the parents will scold him.
However, in the towns, there is no one to scold. People who encourage bad habits are more. Going to a cinema, if he smokes a cigarette, he will say, “Take it,” and give to another. Ones who encourage these types of bad habits are increasing but people who discourage bad habits are reducing a lot. Hence, the root cause for these bad habits is the education of today.

I CAN SMOKE MY CIGARETTE
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(The following was present in the official Ashram version in the booklet and on Srisathyasai.org but was deleted from the audiocassette.)
They have no respect for elders, parents and society. When someone points out their mistakes, they begin to argue saying, “Why should I fear? It is my will. I can smoke my cigarette.”
A small example: once an Indian and a foreigner were travelling together in a railway compartment. The Indian was a chain-smoker. Not only that, he was puffing the smoke on the face of the foreigner.
The foreigner tolerated it for sometime and when he could not bear it any more, he told the Indian, “My dear son! I am not feeing well. I cannot bear cigarette smoking. If you want to smoke, please go to the toilet.”
The Indian who was brought up with modern education replied, “If you cannot tolerate my smoking a cigarette, you may go to the toilet. I have bought the cigarette and I will smoke freely. I am at liberty to smoke and puff the smoke as I please.” Thus, he began quarrelling with the foreigner. The foreigner was helpless.
After sometime, he went to the toilet and returned. In the meanwhile, the Indian student threw out the shoes of the foreigner from the compartment. The foreigner saw this but thought that it was not wise to argue with this arrogant boy. He, therefore, went up to the upper berth and stretched himself out.
Now it was the turn of the Indian boy. He went to the toilet. Before he returned, the foreigner threw away the coat of the Indian boy, to teach him a lesson. The boy returned from the toilet and inquired where his coat was. The foreigner replied that it has gone in search of his shoes, which were thrown out of the compartment by the boy. Then the boy realised his mistake.
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There is reaction, resound and reflection in every single thing in this age of Kali. When we use good and sacred words, we will receive only sacred words. If you use a type of rude word, you will receive the same types of rude words. Hence, people of any country and people of any time should use sweet and soft conversation. Regardless of how educated or regardless of how illiterate, words should be the same.

WHAT IS EDUCATION?

Education will confer humility.
Humility brings deservedness.
Deservedness gives money.
Money gives Dharma.
_____ ________ _______ _____
(Telugu poem)

So, what is education?

Good qualities, good buddhi (intellect),
adherence to Truth, bhakthi (devotion),
discipline and duty:
this is education which is studied and
this is what students should study.
(Swami sings a Telugu poem)

We should develop such sacred qualities: good qualities, good intellect, adherence to Truth, devotion, discipline and duty.
Where is your duty? Man is behaving as if he has no duty. So, we have to fulfil our duty. They say that this only is discipline. What is the use of education without discipline? (cut in tape.)
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(The following was present in the official Ashram version in the booklet and on Srisathyasai.org but was deleted from the audiocassette.)
Education without knowledge is useless and knowledge without education is foolishness. Therefore, no purpose is served by pursuing such foolish and useless education. One must cultivate good behaviour also with high education. But what we find today is high academics and degenerate behaviour.
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When one is highly educated, there should be great behaviour.
One time Gandhi held a book and was shedding tears. In the room he was reading the book. He was shedding tears, saying that that book was not proper. At that time a British man came (and said), “What Gandhiji, why are you crying?” He said, “I have sorrow, because the hardness (heart) of education is character.”
“Today’s education is all hardness. Due to such education coming, my country might be very spoiled. There should be soft and sweet words.” Instead of such words, people speak words of hardness. These hard words are not the characteristic of students. Soft and sweet words are the characteristic of students. Hence, we should make ready soft and sweet words.
In this way, changes that came about in the world between ancient times and the modern age are observed very much by you (P). So, if we see if we are acting suitably to the modern time, you (P) are not free to do so. Only the modern time is modern. But your behaviour should be ancient behaviour. Therefore, only when we behave in a way appropriate to the ancients, our education will gain respect.

ONE SHOULD HAVE RESPECT
Seeing ones own mother, one should have respect. If any elders come to the house, they should be shown respect and welcomed. One should speak sweetly. If an individual comes and says, “Where is your father, dear?” He (the son) will say, “Go and search where he has gone!” That is not the answer that we should give. One should speak nicely and sweetly, “Sir, my father is in the drawing room. I will call him, please wait.”
When one speaks sweetly in this way, the individual who came will recognize, “He has a suitable son.” The son should protect the respect and esteem of the father. How should it be protected? The behaviour of the father should be demonstrated in our words. Or else, the individual who came (will think), “Ayyo, his farther is a very good man, such a bad son has been born! He is not a proper son.”
A good son has adherence to Truth, discipline and duty. What teaches this is education. Hence, though in the modern age and though learning education related to modern times, what we should learn today is to demonstrate the ancient humility.
Today they don’t say it like that. He brings an old bottle. He says, “Sir, this is a new bottle.” If he says, “Dear one, this is an old bottle, isn't it?” He will say, “It is an old bottle but the cap is new.” He keeps an old bottle and only puts on a new cap to the bottle. What is the use? Hence, when the bottle is new, the cap also has to be new.
All the students of today, not everyone but only a few people… (cut)

WHAT IS A STUDENT?
We use ancient words (but) we are entering into modern actions. That is not the true characteristic of a student. Student: what is student? The one who has humility and obeisance, the one who studies knowledge and the one who teaches humility, is a student. The one who does not have discipline and humility, he’s not student (cut). (From official version: “He’s not a student, but a stupid.”)
A peaceful atmosphere should be developed in the place where there are students. Today if any elders have to go where there are students, they get afraid. What is the reason? It is the fear that they may cause turmoil. In the past if there were students, there was no fear at all. What was the reason? Due to their education and discrimination, they showed humility.
So the atmosphere of then has completely changed today. The root cause for this is modern education. What are they teaching in modern education? Morality and honesty is nil. Devotion and surrender is nil. How to describe such education?
When beginning it, they begin it in that way itself. In the past if the son was to begin learning alphabets, they would bring the slate and pencil (chalk) and they used to begin with a sacred prayer to God: “Om Nama Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya.” That day all the elders were invited and they (the parents) made them (the elders) sprinkle akshintulu (auspicious rice grains, on the head of the aspiring student). They (the parents) used to ask that they (the elders) bless the child to learn education well.
Today elders should not come. Only youngers should start off. What are they doing to begin study of alphabets? “Bah, bah black sheep.” If something like this is taught, they will become black sheep. There is no prayer to God there at all. Due to something like this, students are becoming very bad. We should be very careful regarding something like this.
Students!
All of you (P) are growing in a sacred atmosphere. You (P) are immersed in spiritual behaviour. You should practise and develop this.
Science has become a very modern science. If one observes this science, it is very great. Science may be great but senses are very low. The senses should also be on that level. Hence, today we are keeping the senses on a low level and we are living on a high level. It should not be like this.
What is this education? Education: what does education mean? The pure feelings that are within should be drawn out. This only is Educare. That should first be looked after with care. “Whatever words I speak, do they belong to education or Educare?” That should be watched. So, no one is watching like this.

WATCH
I keep saying to many children: the spelling of watch is W-A-T-C-H. W-A-T-C-H. First and foremost it should be taught to children:

What is this? This is watch.
First word is W:
Watch your word.

Am I starting to use sacred words? Or am I starting to use bad words? That should be watched.
‘A’ is the second one. What is that? Action.

Watch your action.

The third word (letter) is ‘T’.

Watch your thought.

‘C’ is the fourth one. ‘C’ means:

Watch your character.
‘H’: watch your heart.

This is the true watch. (Applause) Watch means, people look at their wristwatch. That is not the watch. This wristwatch gets spoiled. However, this word of ‘watch’ will never get spoiled. It always gives sacredness. How great are all of these words! Therefore, such words are ideal words that we should take within.
The education of ancient times taught the people so much in this way and made them into ideal people. Such ideals today have been subdued. Hence, even education should be very clean (or pure). It should be sacred. What dues sacredness and purity mean? The nature of spirituality is purity.

Cleanliness is Godliness.

So be very clean. Studying this kind of education, one should live with respect and give happiness to fellow human beings also. More than this modern age, the modern age (ancient times) is very great. While studing the ancient education, the education of this modern age also may be practised.

A FULL CIRCLE
Today it is all science, science and science: that is modern education. The study of science is also necessary. There should be science but how should it be? In science today people are only taking wrong meanings.
It starts from here (Swami demonstrates writing a big ‘C’ in the air). This ‘C’ represents science. C: it starts at one place and it ends at another place. This is not a full circle. However, spiritual education is a full circle. It goes again to where it began and stops there. That only is:

Purnam Adah, Purnam Idam,
Purnat Purnam Udacyate,
Purnasya Purnam Adaya,
Purnam Evavasisyate.

This is Fullness. That is Fullness.
When Fullness is taken from Fullness,
Only Fullness will remain.
(Sanskrit sloka)

That is full. It is completely full. That is sacred. There isn't that completeness here. Science, ‘C’ starts at one point and ends at another point. ‘C’ is science. In the middle there is a big gap. That wide gap is a big pit; you will fall into that!

MORE INTEREST IN WHAT IS FAR
Science: what is science? It asks:

What is this? What is this? What is this?

However, the completeness, spiritual science, says:

What is that? What is that?

‘What is this?’ is close. ‘What is that’ is distant. Though it is far, it asks for ‘this’. ‘This’ means that which is close. Far means that which is distant. That which is far from your senses is spirituality. That which is close to senses is your worldliness. Hence, it is near to your senses. However, it is not dear. That which is distant is dear.
You (P) yourselves (P) can see one small example: now, all of you (P) have come wanting to see Sai Baba. Zambia, East Africa, West Africa, just tell how far they are! Due to them (your own countries) being distant, your (P) Love also has developed so much. There is the eagerness of ‘we must come, must come, must come.’ If you (P) have to go to neighbouring villages, there isn't this eagerness. One doesn’t like what is near at all. There is more interest in what is far.
So, what is that? ‘That’ means beyond senses. Beyond senses only is the true science. All that is below senses is only dirty. So we should not go below the senses. We should go beyond the senses. Then only we will lead a sacred life.
All the students of today are below the senses. They are near the senses. They are becoming slaves of the senses. They are being controlled by the senses. This is not proper education. He should be the master of the senses. Master of senses: that is true culture.
Today there is no need to go beyond the senses. It is a great science not to think about the senses. Today the whole life, from getting up in the early morning till lying down at night, is senses, senses, senses. Therefore, that is very dirty. We should not be controlled by the senses. The senses are our servants. You should not be a slave to the senses. You should be a master and make the senses your servants.

YOU SHOULD MASTER THE MIND
Many of you (P) know: in the Ramayana, Kaika was a great queen. She was the daughter of the king of Kashmir. She had great titles. She was expert in all forms of education. She was the queen. A servant came with her. Her name was Manthara, Manthara, Manthara, Manthara.
This Manthara came as a servant. Meaning, she came as a servant. Kaika made this servant as her master. Finally she (Kaika) only became a servant to her servant. Finally what happened? When she became a servant to her servant, finally what fate did she fall to? She fell to a very deplorable state. She lost her husband. She received the wrath of her son. She sent the sacred Rama into the forest. She made Sita of pure character to cry a lot. What happened finally to her fate, which was such a horrible fate? Her fate also became one of harm.
Therefore, servants should be kept as servants and masters should remain as masters. Hence, all of your qualities are not the master; they are servants. You (P) are the master of them.

Master the mind, be a mastermind.

(Applause)
You should master the mind. That is the true characteristic of students. Then only we can teach others high education also.
Yet, if there were more time, this matter of education could be taught to you (P) to any extent. All of My education is a very simple life, higher study (simple living, high thinking). I never went beyond the third class. Is education important for this (culture)? Culture is important. (Applause) If there is culture, one may become pure to any extent.
Culture means: that which makes one sacred is culture. Education means, taking a pure and ancient thing and putting it on the loathsome path. Therefore, we should not enter onto the bad path. Saying that I said the simple life, we should not enter onto a few types of loathsome paths.

EACH ONE SHOULD DO THEIR OWN WORK
Today, all the training given (says that) each one should do their own work. You (P) should wash your (P) own plates. You (P) should wash your (P) own clothes. You (P) should keep your (P) own clothes clean. This only is the true duty of students. Don’t give your (P) clothes to someone else to wash. Only when it is like this, if one looks after their own work, what greater education do you need?
You should not throw your duty on another. Therefore, we should do our duty. Hence, we should live a simple life in this way, without giving suffering to another. Simple life, higher study.
You (P) should live such a life, therefore in those (education in human values) schools each one must do their own work. The place where they are living, the area where they are, the clean place where the books are kept, all should be clean. No other special servant should come. Your (P) parents went to so much trouble, experienced many difficulties, sent you (P) money and are educating you (P). Not only this, must a servant also be sent to you (P)? That is not good.

MISUSE OF MONEY IS EVIL
Now and then I say jokingly:

The vegetables are bought for 2 annas.
The coolie (to have them carry it for us) is 25 paisa.
(Telugu poem)

Will you spend more on the coolie than on the vegetable that is bought? We should not waste like that.

Misuse of money is evil.

You should use the money in a sacred way.
The parents are shedding their blood and are earning. Each bit of money should be considered as a drop of blood. In this way, spend less money and study higher education.
Today if a class is passed (degree is acquired), one wants to go to foreign (abroad). How much money needs to be spent to go to foreign (abroad)! Spending so much and going there, what is it that is done? They don’t study there at all. After going there, there is no one to observe if any small work is done. If the money is spent, they wash plates, and they thus earn money.
No! Instead of going there and washing plates, wash the plates in your own country and in your own house! Wash the plates in your own house! (People think,) ‘We should not do it in our own house.’ We go outside and clean their plates. Don’t think that it is low; we should do work in our own house.
We should sweep at our home. The suitable type of help should be given to the parents. When the mother is in a state where she cannot bend, she still cleans the house. In a situation like that, if you do it saying, “Mother, you sit. I will sweep,” how happy the mother will be! She will be so happy thinking, “Ayyo (Oh)! A son like this has been born to me, hasn’t he?” Therefore, the suitable kind of bliss should be given to the parents in the house.
The teachers in the school should be given the suitable type of enthusiasm. You should be a helper to them. Then it will be possible to learn your education well.

DON’T ENTER INTO SUCH VIOLENCE
Embodiments of Love!
You should recognize well that education means the one that has humility. Only when it is like this, we will become ideal students and it will be possible to protect the country to any extent.
Wherever violence is going on, don’t enter into there. If you (P) go there, you (P) may also get injuries. Don’t enter into such violence. If any such violence comes, as far as possible, try to control it. Without entering into such turmoil and disturbances, make the suitable efforts to conduct yourself (P) peacefully and develop peace.

FRIENDSHIP, WEALTH AND STRENGTH
Students!
You are so virtuous. You have such strength. However, if there aren’t the suitable qualities for that, what use is it? Develop the suitable character for it.
Students of today are looking to foster the three, friendship, wealth and strength. What is the use in having these three? All of these are useless without virtues.
There should be money. However, there should be friendship. It should not be a friendship that ruins you (makes you become bad). Strength: the strength to foster that should also be earned.
Hence, progress in that way, you (P) have to become ideal students, teach well Sathya Sai Education to the world and achieve ideal respect.

(Bhagavan ended His Divine Discourse)