Professor Anil Kumar's Oman Workshop

“Question and Answer Session”

October 23rd, 2010

OM…OM…OM…

Sai Ram

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of our beloved Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You have explained Education and Educare. Could you explain further about the difference between a teacher and a guru?

The query is about a teacher as opposed to a guru. A teacher deals with mundane, ephemeral, transient, momentary matters. A guru deals with spiritual, eternal matters. The word guru is made up of two words: gu and ru. Gu is darkness or ignorance. Ru is the light of awakening or enlightenment. The guru is the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance. The one who merely makes you knowledgeable is a teacher.

Sai Ram. You mentioned the four types of teacher: the teacher who avoids, the teacher who bypasses, the teacher who is confused, and the teacher who divides. What are the good qualities required by teachers to promote Educare? Can you please tell us what qualities a teacher should have?

Just to make you laugh, Sri Chandrashekar mentioned that Swami decided not to give talks anymore because nobody followed Him—just a joke, please!

When I was serving as the Principal in Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore, Swami used to ask me to speak every day because He must have found that I was useful only for that! (Laughter) In Brindavan He gives you a wide margin, you can joke and all that, but you should be careful. If you cross the line—capital punishment! (Laughter) So, one should be careful.

Finding Swami in a jovial mood one day, I said, “Swami, if you don't mind, just to entertain you...”

“Cheppu, cheppu...” (Tell, tell...)

“Swami, You should excuse.”

“Cheppu!” (Tell!) (Laughter)

Having got Divine licence and coverage, I made this statement: “Man succeeded; God failed!” I repeat, “Man succeeded; God failed!” Swami looked at me, “Yehpagalhai...” (Laughter) I was acting as if I had gone mad.

Then I said, “Why has man succeeded? Why has God failed? Oh God! You have taken more than ten chances Dasavataras (ten Avatars)—one after another to change humanity and, up till now, You have not succeeded. And You want to come again as Prema Sai! (Laughter)

So God has failed. We have succeeded in that we haven’t changed. (Laughter) He may take any number of Avatars; we will continue to be like this. (Laughter) (Applause) I tell this to illustrate that touch, those jovial, intimate, personal, humorous talks, the exchange between me and Swami. That's the point. Forget about it.

Your question was—if I have understood correctly—how should a teacher of Educare be?

Educare is the mission of life. It means: I don't care for the salary, I don't care for promotions, I don't care for emoluments, I am not bothered with the pay-packet, I am not concerned about the timings and the timetable; I am concerned with the boy. I am concerned with the child. I want to know how he’s doing. I want to know how he’s understood me. I want to be his intimate friend, dear and affectionate to him.

A simple example: there is one boy by the name of Viswas Shetty, a student of the Sathya Sai Mripuri College of Music. I talk to everybody—not only to the Bioscience boys! No, no, no, boys are boys!

Music boys are very young, you know, and that young fellow had a fracture. The boy was sitting by my side. Suddenly he got a phone call from his mother, “Sonny, you have a fracture, shall I come?” She was asking him, “Shall I come there? How are you doing?”

The boy said, “Mummy, you need not come. Anil Kumar Sir is with me. He is enquiring how I am. He is finding out how I’m doing. Anil Kumar Sir is enough. Mummy, don't worry about me.”

In that I find fulfilment in my life. I feel that I have succeeded as a teacher in playing the role of a parent. When I win the confidence of my student, when I win the love of my student, when I can share the inner secrets of his life, when I am one with him, that is Educare. The student should believe that I want him to come up in life, that I want him to be reputed in life, that I am waiting for a day when all will praise my students. That is the quality of a teacher of Educare. Thank you. (Applause)

Mr. Anil Kumarji, I want to ask two questions. The first one is: why is there spiritual bankruptcy among modern youth? And the second is—to use your own turn of phrase—people turn to spirituality when they are rheumatic; why not when they are romantic? (Laughter)

Is your wife anywhere around here? (Laughter) So, you are safe! (Laughter) Why is there spiritual bankruptcy among youth today? The answer is simple. There is spiritual bankruptcy among adults, among parents, and in families. Thus our children carry the heritage and the legacy of spiritual bankruptcy. If I am rich enough spiritually, in awakening and awareness, the children will be brilliant and equally enlightened. So if the youth are spiritually bankrupt, I blame the adults and the society. There is nothing wrong with the youth.

Second, I am rheumatic now, why can't I be romantic again? (Laughter) To answer your question, my friend, what does romance mean at this age? At that—younger—age, romance was sensual and exciting. Romance was appropriate to that stage.

But today it is spiritual romance. Paramahamsa Yogananda has written a book, Divine Romance. We are also in that process of Divine romance. What do I mean by this? When I’m one with my God, in constant thought of Him, being one with Him, this is Divine romance. At that earlier age, I am one with my beloved physically; that is physical romance.

Today being one with Him ideologically, intuitively, and psychologically is Divine romance. At that age, it was physical romance for physical satisfaction, to satisfy the biological urge. Today the Divine romance is not for satisfaction, nor for enjoyment or joy. The Divine romance takes me to a blissful state. Divine romance takes me to bliss, while physical romance takes me to joy and excitement.

Youngsters get excited when they think of some film stars, Madhuri Dixit (Laughter), Shilpa Shetty (Laughter), Aishwarya Rai. (Laughter) But at this age, the Divine romance is not about excitement; it is ecstatic. Ecstasy is different from excitement. Excitement is momentary—Aishwarya Rai excites me today, but tomorrow there may be another Rai who will excite me.

Some years back, Nargis caused excitement. Now, no more. Therefore, excitement keeps changing. Divine romance takes you to ecstasy, to a blissful state. So, we are equally romantic today, but in a different sense from before. Thank you! (Applause)

Uncle, we all know how today's formal education system is. How can we impart Educare through this system?

Education is imparted by teaching. Education is a process of dissemination of knowledge, sharing knowledge. Educare is by example and practice, not by precept. A simple example: Dr Abdul Kalam, after becoming the President of India, mentioned the names of the teachers who taught him when he was in elementary school.

Elementary school! The President of India with his doctorates, a leading scientist known in international circles, mentioning the name of his elementary school teacher! That is because this was not simply a teacher. When a teacher lights your life, enlightens your life, and delights your life—not just a particular period—that is Educare.

The post-lunch session may be heavy (Laughter) because in the morning classes the boys are active. In the afternoon classes, both of us are close to samadhi! (Laughter) The teacher and the taught!

What is the difference between desires and spiritual yearning?

Wah, wah, wah! Good! What is your name?

Nandini Balasubramaniam.

Desire is not a correct word in spiritual parlance. Desires pertain to the world. Desires are physical. Desires are psychological. Spiritually, we should say yearning, longing, or aspiring. It is ambition and aspiration. It is spiritual need as opposed to worldly desire.

So needs and desires are different from each other. If desires are not fulfilled, I can still live. If I want a big palace but don't have one, I can still live. Water is my need, if I don't have it—Hari Om Tat Sat. Without needs we cannot live. Spirituality is a need, whereas desires are worldly, and we can get along without them. Thank you.

I want to ask you, how can you bring about trust in youngsters' minds with the teachers that you mentioned and modern-day parenting. How can you bring about trust in youngsters these days?

Your good name?

Shanti.

You are also in prashanti. (Laughter)

Trust is a heavy word. Actually, there are three words: firstly belief, a little higher is faith, and topmost is trust. These three may appear to be synonyms, but they are not. They may sound equal, but they are not.

Beliefs are social. If I see a black cat in the morning, I think I will have an accident; if I do some work on the night of the dark moon, amavasya, something bad will happen—these are beliefs, social beliefs.

In our younger days, it was said that whosoever went abroad, crossing the sea, was chandala yoga. (Laughter) Chandala yoga, the worst of the destinies that could ever happen! (Laughter) Today, the fellow who does not go overseas is chandala yoga! (Laughter) (Applause) So these are beliefs, and social beliefs are subject to change.

The next stage is faith. I am faithful now, but may not be faithful later. I had a faithful servant who turned faithless and betrayed me. Sometimes servants pilfer things because they know where they are kept. So both faith and faithlessness are present. Faith is temporary; it is a rather broad-based thing. I have faith in my students and I have faith in friends. I may lose my faith, and they may lose their faith in me.

The highest stage is trust. Trust is to be used in relation to you and God, which is changeless. Trust in God. You cannot say, “I have no trust in Him. It’s gone!” You can say, “I have no faith in Him.” You can say, “I don't believe in Him,” but to say you don’t trust in Him would be a wrong usage. Trust is at a higher level, a spiritual level, a level of awareness, experience, and awakening. It is everlasting.

Now, coming to your question of why youngsters have no trust these days. What shall we do about it? Actually we are responsible. As parents we are responsible when we don't conduct ourselves in the way that is expected of us. We are responsible when we don't keep our promises. When I ask my son to tell somebody at the door that I am not at home, “Tell him that Daddy’s not at home.” (Laughter) Well… You can imagine what will happen tomorrow.

So parents are to be blamed for their children’s loss of faith. And also for not watching over the child’s life, for not watching over how the child's life is blossoming like a flower in the garden of the community. That watchfulness is lacking in parents. Therefore, we parents lose the children’s faith. They lose faith in us and we lose faith in them.

Children lose faith in their teachers for certain reasons. For example, when students think the teacher is a bluff-master, that he tells tall stories just to mesmerise, just to kill time, stories which lack stuff and substance, which lack potential and resourcefulness, they lose faith.

First, children lose faith in teachers because they lack knowledge of their subject. When the student thinks teachers don’t have knowledge of their subject, then he will not have any faith in the teacher. So subject-wise, we should be very strong.

“Anil Kumar?” “Yes, he teaches us well; he is the best teacher. If we study, we will get first class.”

Secondly, if I don't embody certain qualities that students expect from me in my personal life, my students will lose faith in me. Suppose my students find me clutching a bottle on the street? Suppose they find me at the gates of a movie theatre late at night? Or if they find me in a casino bar in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States?! Well, I will not enjoy their faith.

So, first reason, knowledge of a subject, and second reason, personal life. The third reason they lose faith is love. Once a student is sure that the teacher loves him, well, he will have all his or her faith in that teacher.

As parents, we should win our children’s love. As parents, we should enjoy their faith so much so that the child will never lose faith. Then comes the teacher and later, society. Am I clear? Thank you! (Applause)

Mind you, all these questions and answers will go on www.saiwisdom.com, the internet site. All this material will go into a book which I will be compiling this year. So you are all contributing to the knowledge which will come in the books in future, for the benefit of everybody. Thank you.

Mr. Anil Kumar, I have a question. We all know that we are living in a world of duality—good and bad, right and wrong—and we grow up with these beliefs: what is good, what is bad, etc. Is there anything wrong in looking at life as an experience as it comes, be it good or bad? Living in a world of duality, could you look at life as a total experience?

Arre! Wah! Why don't you clap, I say? What level of question it is! (Applause) Wonderful! God bless you, boy! You are, after all, a boy to me, as you also look quite young.

You didn't ask his name, Sir!

What's your name?

Sunil Gandhi.

Naturally! I am Anil and you are Sunil. (Laughter) My friends, life is a journey from the body to the spirit. Life is a journey from the outer into the interior. Life is like travelling from man to God. Life is an adventure, taking us from dualism to non-dualism. With these three observations, I will share a few thoughts on the subject, on the point raised so ably, so nicely, and so aptly by Sunil Gandhi. Thank you.

My friends, the answer is this: there are two aspects to life, and balance between them is most important. There are two views here, dualism and non-dualism. Both are there, like the two sides of a coin, the obverse and the reverse. Similarly, dualism and non-dualism are the two sides of one coin. Balance is the key.

A simple example: God is one. He is one in everyone. Be alike to everyone, this is non-dualism. But a teacher is a teacher, a student is a student, a boss is a boss, a clerk is a clerk. I cannot ask my boys to sit on my head because the same God is in them and in me! So we have dualism at the functional level, with non-dualism at the notional level. Otherwise put: non-dualism at the conceptual level and dualism at the practical level.

The best example of this is gold. Gold itself is non-dual. However, earrings, nose studs, bangles, and chains—all these are dual. You can't wear non-dual gold as an ornament, right? Be it a bangle or a chain, jewellery is dualism, while gold is non-dualism.

Essential, existential, experimental reality is non-dual. But ephemeral, functional, physical reality is dual.

Another example: a belt is made of leather and a shoe is made of leather; it’s all the same leather. Nevertheless, I cannot keep my shoe on my waist or the belt on my feet. So the leather is non-dual; but as a belt and shoes, it is dual. We have to have the common sense to know what to keep where. This is life, the totality of existential reality. (Applause)

Coming to good and bad, in the beginning, in a dual world, there is good and bad. In the non-dual world, there’s nothing like good and bad. After all, good and bad depend on time. Tonight food is good, but by tomorrow morning it is rotten, bad. So it's only a question of time between good and bad. Nothing is absolutely bad and nothing is totally good.

A woollen suit in winter—good, a perfect fit! Here in Muscat… (Laughter) A woollen suit in summer? Haha! Luxury of luxuries! (Laughter) Is there anything wrong with the suit? No! The wrong is with me, not knowing when to wear it. So a woollen suit is a suit, and as such, non-dual. To wear it in winter is comfortable. To wear it in summer is a punishment! Similarly, it's only a question of timing. Am I clear, Sir? Thank you! (Applause)

Perhaps children will be back at home and you have to go and receive them? The mind has gone there, right? (Laughter) I can understand! A staff meeting at the end of the day is boring—attending a talk after lunch may be like that, is it not so? (Laughter) But I am very happy seeing you and interacting with you.

Sai Ram, Sir.

Your name, first. I would like to know your beautiful name.

Anil Kumar.

Your name is Anil Kumar?

Yes, Sir. (Laughter) P.D. Anil Kumar.

Of course, paediatric—child; geriatric—old. Time difference!

As Swami says, the teacher is the first student to learn from the environment. Nature has given us food not only for the stomach, but also food for enlightening people. Could you give us some taxonomical examples by which an Educare teacher can learn lessons from nature?

Good, that's why you bear my name! (Laughter)

Incidentally, he’s a Parthi student.

Oh, I see, a gem of a boy! Well, the answer is quite simple. I look at it like this: thought processes, temperament, attitudes, parental training, family background, instincts, impulses, emotions—these are all factors that contribute to psychology, to psychological reaction.

Here is a simple example: a few workers were constructing a temple, working with bricks, mortar, cement, and so on.

A person came and said to one of the workers, “Who are you?” “Sir, I am from the neighbouring village.” “What are you doing?” “I am earning my daily bread. They pay me some money to come here to do some masonry work.”

That's one point. Then this man asked another fellow, “What are you doing?” “Sir, I am constructing, helping with the construction of a temple, of a church here.” Oh! A different temperament!

Then he asked a third fellow. He replied, “Sir, I am happy that this part of the temple is my contribution, which is everlasting. This part of the wall of the church is my life; it is my offering to my God.”

To the first fellow, it is a profession. To the second, a purposeful project. And to the third fellow, a dedicated prayer. So, it is individual temperament that is the decisive factor. The process may be one. Thank you. Am I clear? (Applause)

Swami has said, “Be in the world, but don't let the world be in you.” Can you please elaborate on that?

“Be in the world, let not the world be in you.” Good question! Where are you now? In the world or out of the world? (Laughter)

Here is a simple example, if I talk to you and I am hurt by your pungent, repulsive, derogatory, critical remarks and I react, retaliate, and retort, the world is in me.

If you hurt me, chaltahaiduniya, and it doesn't get to my heart, that is being out of the world. It is not necessary that all should praise me. No! One may praise or condemn; I am what I am. The world is in you if you take things to heart. If you don't take them to heart, you are out of the world.

Don’t let the world be in you. And don’t let the world be in me today when I am suffering from high blood pressure! “That Madam did not say good morning to me!” Or a man who had been married for fifty years, a man with grandchildren, says to his wife, “Your father did not treat me properly on our wedding day.” That was fifty years ago! This fellow has three sons-in-law now.

I am also of that type, of course… (Laughter) We go on blaming. “You did not wish me well last year, so I am waiting for a chance to finish you off!” (Laughter) The world is in you. “The fellow organised a strike against me, so I will cut off his tail!” The world is in me. If you are not affected, you are out of the world. If you are affected, the world is in you. Am I clear? (Applause)

The philosophy of seva, the concept of service, has to be understood here. It's not necessary that I should work with fifty people. It's not necessary that I should serve as a group or part of a team. What is service? To talk to a person who is depressed is service. To talk to a hospital patient is service. To say a few encouraging words to a person who is a failure is service, seva.

So service is of two types. One is individual, and the other is collective. If it’s not possible to work collectively, we can work individually. A simple example: there was a boy, I think an MBA boy, who had a long face. I don't want boys to be like that. After all, they are young fellows who are yet to be married; they are yet to settle in life—and there he was looking as if something had happened!

“Arre boy, what happened? What's wrong with you? If you are like this at this age, when you reach my age, you will be rolling about in the street. Do you understand?” (Laughter) “Why are you like this? Arre, what's your name?”

“Manish, Sir,” he said. Immediately I said, “Arre, Manisha Koirala.” (Laughter) He laughed like anything! Until I said “Manisha Koirala,” the fellow had an oily face. (Laughter) This fellow, after getting through his MBA, got a good job in Calcutta with one lakh salary per month. Now he has put on weight because of the rasagulla (Indian sweet) and all that! (Laughter)

He came and said, “Sai Ram, Sir.”

“Manish Koirala! Sai Ram!” I said. (Laughter)

To say a good word to a fellow who is depressed, who is a failure, who feels isolated, who feels lonely, is service. To make him smile is service. As individuals, we can do a lot of things.

In those days, they used to give some training to the seva dal community before they were recruited to the ashram. Today there is no training—anybody can be anybody! (Laughter) Because of that, nobody can answer your questions! (Laughter) That's why these problems come. (Laughter) They require training.

History has also recorded many such instances. You know in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and some parts of Andhra, the hotels are of the same type. When we want water, we take a glass and hit it on the table and a fellow comes and serves it. We don't call the waiter.

A fellow from our part of Andhra came to Prashanti Nilayam. He was beating the cup on the table as he wanted to be served water. A man came and served him some water and left.

Then I spoke to this man, “You know, the man who served you water just now was the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. It was Brigadier Bose.” Brigadier Bose just served water!

So there are people that serve. Krishna served Arjuna. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. Mother Teresa carried the lepers and the orphans in her arms. What is beyond positions, beyond gender, caste, and creed, is real service. That philosophy is more important than the quantum of the service, more important than the magnitude of the service. The spirit of service is more important. Thank you.

(Mrs. Vijayalaxmi Kamaraju) At the time when we started living permanently in Puttaparthi I would grumble to my husband daily saying, “We’ll go back! We’ll go back!” because I couldn't adjust to the atmosphere and the people in Parthi. For three years I did that continuously. One day I forgot to grumble about this. That day Swami asked me, “Why did you forget your Suprabhatam?” (Laughter) I couldn't understand what my Suprabhatam was! Then I realised that my Suprabhatam was this talk of going back to our native place. The Professor said, “Let not the world be in you.”

Then, I asked Swami, “Swami, I am not able to adjust to this atmosphere and these people around. What should I do?” Swami asked me one question, “Why did you come here?” “I came for Swami.” “So the whole concentration should be on Swami only, not the atmosphere around or the people.” (Applause)

Luckily Swami gave me the individual service so that I didn't have any interactions with other people, so that I didn't have any misunderstandings and all that. I was so lucky that Swami made me independent in doing service and seva, so I didn’t need to face any challenges around. Thank you. Sai Ram! (Applause)

Sai Ram, Sir. One of the most important challenges in student life is when you hear about God and various other spiritual topics. Somehow there is some confusion in the head on how to manage them. Could you help me understand this?

And one more question, my friend who is from a poor family asked me this, “Why is it that in Prashanti Nilayam the rich people wearing safari suits sit in the front, whereas some of the poorer ones sit back?” He asked me, “Is Swami not seeing this? Is He not aware of these facts?” Could you justify? (Laughter) (Applause)

I personally feel that the one who is sincere, the one who is faithful, the one who is spiritual, righteous, and truthful is Swami's student. Not merely those in His colleges and universities. (Applause) You cannot find a better student than Chitra Narayan, for that matter. Wow! (Applause) You cannot find a better student than Sainath Himself. So where there is dedication, where there is devotion, there is Sai Baba, and that one is His devotee.

Coming to the point of how to teach spirituality, I would take spirituality to a child in the form of story-telling and drama. To a secondary school student, I would teach him “Education in Human Values.” To a schoolchild, I would say, “Rama fought with Ravana.” To a high-school boy, “Truth is Rama, wickedness is Ravana, and enthusiasm is Anjaneya.” When he comes to the college level, teach him Educare, which is a higher level still.

These are the different levels of approach. I cannot speak of Advaita, Brahman, super-consciousness, Atmavidya, and Brahmavidya to college students. Stop it! To a college student, to an engineering student, to a professional, to a businessman, what is spirituality? Self-confidence is spirituality. Self-satisfaction is spirituality. Self-sacrifice is spirituality. Self-realisation is spirituality. Excellence at work is spirituality.

If you are successful as a businessman, as a professional, that is spirituality. To offer a simple example, Krishna did not teach Arjuna to sing bhajans in front of Him or to do puja to Him. What is spirituality to Arjuna? To fight! Not to do bhajan. No, no, no!

What is spirituality to youngsters? Hard work. To college students? Studies. To post-graduate students? Research, success, academic excellence, human excellence, dynamism, leadership, and courage. That is spirituality.

After the age of sixty, when the body does not co-operate so well, (Laughter) when the mind refuses to remember, and the eyes do not see clearly and mistake a man for a woman, (Laughter) or when the ears cannot hear properly, spirituality is namasmarana, (Laughter) spirituality is meditation.

So there are three levels, my dear boy. It is like the mango, which as a tender fruit is very bitter; but the same tender fruit, as a bigger mango, is rather astringent, fit for mango pickle. When the mango is fully ripe, however, it is so sweet. Bitter, astringent, sweet—that same mango has three levels.

It is the same with spirituality: at the child level, it is stories and dramas; at the youth level, it is leadership, excellence, and success. And spirituality at the level of adulthood is meditation—karma, bhakthi, jnana. Hari Om. Am I clear? (Applause)

OM…OM…OM…

Asato Maa Sad Gamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya

Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya

Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavantu

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti