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| What followed next was the ceremony where Swami blessed all the medals and certificates before they would be bestowed upon the students. Swami enquired into the details of the medals won by the different campuses and had it announced. After that, Swami presented the cups to different campuses. Swami kept stressing that all the prizes were being given the 'government' to honour all the prize winners. And so it was that representatives from the Prashanthi Nilayam, Brindavan, Anantapur and Muic colege came up the stage and received the cups from Swami. This time, there were two cups for each campus- one golden and one silver. For the Primary school, two kids came up along with the warden and the headmistress. It was a beautiful sight as Swami had the cups neatly rearranged and posed with them for pictures. And when everyone else seemed to have forgotten, Swami reminded that the Higher Secondary school had not received its trophies. Everyone applauded and smiles spread as the students went up and collected their cup. Thsi minor incident portrayed the greatest Truths of life. Only God will remain and never forget you. Everyone is lost in their own hurry and businesses. The Lord alone has time for all and He has come for all. From the time of the Pandavas, through the ages, thats why whenever anyone is in the deepest spot of bother, they remember God and none else. |
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| After the distribution, Swami asked for His mikes with a smile and
everyone rejoiced. The discourse that followed was beautiful and oozing with wisdom
as it always does. The entire transcript is available at:
CLICK HERE "...Bharat is the motherland of many noble souls who earned great name and fame in all the continents of the world. This is the land of valorous people who vanquished the foreign rulers in the battlefield and attained independence. This is the land that excelled in music, literature, and other fine arts. Having been born in this great land of Bharat, oh boys and girls! It is your sacred duty to protect its rich cultural heritage. (Telugu poem) Dear students! Be prepared to uphold the honour and glory of this country of Bharat! You are sure to come out victorious in this effort. Today, people are able to achieve great progress in secular and scientific fields, but they are unable to march forward in the field of spirituality. One has to progress in spirituality more than in other fields. People used to give great importance to progress in the spiritual arena in the ancient times. In fact, it used to be the goal of their life. However, there is a decline in the spiritual outlook of people in recent times. In these days a lot of effort is made to achieve progress in secular, physical, and worldly matters. Whatever achievements made in these areas are only temporary and transitory; they are not permanent. While people are able to make giant strides in secular areas all over the world, there is decline in the importance given to spiritual and moral progress. This tendency is in sharp contrast to the culture of Bharat in ancient times. This land of Bharat has given birth to many noble women like Savitri, who brought her dead husband back to life; Chandramati, who extinguished wild fire with the power of truth; Sita, who proved her chastity by coming out of blazing fire unscathed; and Damayanti, who reduced an evil-minded hunter to ashes with the power of her chastity. This land of piety and nobility attained plenty and prosperity and became the teacher of all the nations of the world because of such women of chastity..." READ MORE Swami sang Hari Bhajana Bina in conclusion. After that there were a couple of bhajans by the boys. Following that, the Institute Brass band struck up lively tunes and Swami sat listening to them. It was 11:30am when Swami received Aarthi and retired for the morning. Before that, it was announced that in the evening there would be a drama by the students of the Puttaparthi campus of the University. |
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