(This is a translation from Telugu.)

From ancient times in Tamil Nadu numerous great people called Alvars were born, and they undertook the spreading of spiritual teachings in many ways. People recognised that Tamil Nadu in India was the native land of the spiritual treasure called the Alvars. However, due to bad luck, by the changing times, by adverse buddhis (bad sense or lack of discrimination) increasing, forgetting the eternal true Divinity, the people today spend their time only in worldly life.

In the individual transformation, we have to give up bad buddhis and bad thoughts. A few bad habits also have to be stopped. What are these bad habits? Drinking, meat-eating, smoking, gambling. Only when bad habits like these are given up, the transformations of the individual will progress. If one individual joins bad company, the whole society will go bad.

The second is social transformation. What is social transformation? Telling untruth, participating in misbehaviour, to steal, to take bribes and to give bribes - bad qualities like these are increasing in society. Therefore, only when we control these bad habits, the purity of society will increase to some extent.

Therefore, no matter how much austerity we may do, no matter how much meditation is done, no matter how many pujas are done, in seva all of these are contained.

Participate in actions that help others. Only when we offer all actions to please God, we will attain all peace and all happiness.

In Tamil Nadu, the Pandya Kingdom had a very reputed kingdom. In this Pandya Kingdom, King Pandya was a patron of all types of fine arts. He patronised things like painting, sculpture and music. King Pandya patronised fine arts like this. One day, he was sitting and thinking and resolved that, "In our kingdom, we should increase good horses for our army."

This king had near him all youths as his ministers. The resolve had arisen in him that, "Only when the ministers are youngsters, the country will be safe." All of them were under 30 years old. Out of them, he called one important prime minister and said, "Minister! You go about to some places, get horses with good health, strong horses, and come." The king also sent soldiers with him.

He had Darshan of Siva Yogi and that evening he also went to the program. This Siva Yogi taught about the spiritual transformation and spiritual wealth to the people. It appealed greatly to the minister. It was imprinted on his heart. Gradually, experiencing it, he forgot about the work that he had come for. He became one-pointed, and he stayed on at the ashram of Siva Yogi.

However, he joined with a few of his soldiers, and went to see different places that were nearby. There there was a dilapidated temple to Siva. God is the support of everything and he felt sad that this temple dedicated to God had been neglected. He resolved, "Ordinary men are building such big mansions, but they are not taking care of this temple to God. I should do something."

"No one can understand these things at all. Oh Lord! Lord of the Universe! I have to show the proper respect to a Lord like you. He said this and used all the wealth that he brought for the temple to Easwar. Someone conveyed this news to King Pandya. King Pandya became very angry, "When I sent him with wealth to get me horses, this minister, leaving the work that was ordered, is doing all things that were not told to him." Saying this, the king called for him.

The minister started off to the kingdom of Pandya along with a few soldiers. King Pandya was very angry. "Minister! What did I send you for? What is the work that you have done? Where is the money?" Then the minister said laughing, "Lord! I offered God's money to God. Who’s is all of this wealth? It is all God's. Therefore, God's money I have offered to God's temple. I did a good action. I built a sacred temple. I arranged Darshan of God that gives joy to many people. What is more sacred than that?"

Hearing this the king got even more angry. He said, "If it’s like that, God will protect you." He called the ministers and told them to put him in prison. When they took him to prison, he was greatly blissful! "I have got a good chance for praising God."

Time is the embodiment of God. The proper Dharma of man is to use time in a sacred way. Because of time, we have this body. Time should be sanctified with the body.

"Oh Easwar! How much Grace you have given me! I am very fortunate." He went and sat in the jail. He was always writing, writing, writing, and writing slokas. (Swami repeats slokas or verses, giving different names of Siva and repeating, "I surrender to Your Feet.") He began a book, but even the introduction went on and on. When he was writing like this, the king kept enquiring now and then how he was. However, this minister was always repeating the name of God, singing about God. Becoming a servant to God, he was doing like this.

At last the king called for him. "Minister, I was not able to understand your truth. I gave so much harm to you. Please forgive me for putting harm to you." Then the Minister offered all the slokas to King Pandya. He said that they should all be made available to the people and he went.

In Tamil language, the name of that book is Thiruvachakam. The one who wrote the Thiruvachakam is Manikyavachakar. The minister, Manikyavachakar propagated such a great quality of Divinity. All the words that he spoke were like gems. They were ones that gave a lot of help to the people. They showed the path to attaining happiness in this world and the next. They are ideal and beneficial in the physical, worldly and secular life also. Great poets like this were born in the state of Madras.

So many sacred slokas are there in the Thiruvachakam. He told in detail all the ways how one should act in daily life, from the time man is born until he dies. "Oh man! You have not been born for this worldly life. God has given you this body to contemplate on God. It is not only to waste time eating and sleeping. Even animals are eating these types of food and sleeping. Is eating most important to man? No it isn’t, it isn’t! Food is not important; head is important. Head and God. For these two, He gave the body."

Manikyavachakar propagated these things in the world. When you put these two, God and head, in your mind, you can do any number of good actions. There are so many Alvars who propagated sacred teachings like these in that state and gave Tamil Nadu such good fame.

He shaved his entire head nicely. He put the camphor on his head, and he gave Arati to God with his head. There were great souls like this, great ones who offered their bodies. There were so many like this who were born in the state of Madras.

Then there were many great souls who were women also. All of them were ones who propagated Divinity to the whole world. However, nowadays, where are great souls like these? People nowadays don't even contemplate God. They don’t even think about God. Where have the words of the great souls gone? All these slokas that were born and multiplied, they have only been thrown in the rivers. With so much trouble these pearls were attained!

In this way, they offered their lives and God manifested to them. Great women whose lives were sanctified were born like this also in Madras state. We should not forget this history at all. When will such a sacred history be had by you again?

That lazy boy went near to the weaver. He was sitting with his cloth. Poor thing! That boy came and asked, "What are these?" "Son, these are saris made by me." The boy took one sari and he asked, "How much is this?" Thiruvandalvar was supremely peaceful. With peace he answered, "Son, this is five rupees." The lazy boy tore it in half and asked, "How much is this?" Thiruvandalvar answered, "This is two and a half rupees." After the boy had continued tearing it into smaller pieces, Thiruvandalvar still didn’t have any anger at all. That boy became very surprised, "Will any ordinary man bear such a bad action as this? He has so much peace. How much patience! How much control! Someone like this must have received some Divine Grace." Coming to know this, the boy caught hold of his hands and said, "Why are you remaining so peaceful even when I am doing such bad things?"

Thiruvandalvar answered, "Peace is the strength of man’s heart. Peace is that which arises from man’s heart. ‘Hridaya’ means that with daya or compassion. The heart of every single man is that which is with compassion. That compassion gives me peace. This is all Eswara’s Grace" He was such a great experienced one. That Thiruvandalvar attained everything due to this peace.

Is this peace? If even the words are without the proper power, then where else will peace come from? Why? Because what they are saying symbolises three types of peace: in body (Adi Bhoutaka), in mind (Adi Daivika), and in spirit (Adi Adyatmika). Peace should be attained in all these three.

"Only when the body is peaceful, my mind will also be peaceful. When the mind is peaceful, the heart will also attain peace. So, first and foremost, grant me peace in body. Then, bless me with peace of mind. After, grant me spiritual peace." In these three sacred types of peace, he put to use three sacred watch-words.

Nowadays there is no peace in anything. A few people, while giving Arati and thinking Shanti, Shanti, interrupt themselves to call out saying, "Hey! Go see if that barber has come, to cut hair!" Even when they are doing pujas, how many worldly desires they are experiencing! This is not right.

You all know this to a large extent. In Bangalore also I saw three or four cases. Some people from Madur are here. When Bheeshma Ekaadasi comes, a day commemorating the demise of Bheeshma, they fast for three days. They will not even swallow saliva. On one hand they are fasting and on the other, they are grinding batter for dosas (pancakes) to eat on the fourth day. On that fourth day, they eat very well! For this reason only, Karnam said, They will eat 40 dosas after Ekaadasi! (Kannada poem) They eat 40 dosas it seems!

In this way, they are fasting while grinding the dosa batter! Then, all the sons are going around it seems. The father sits outside and does puja with sandal paste. They have to touch it here and say ‘Keshvaya Namaha.’ They have to say ‘Narayanaya Namah.’ In the middle of their puja, they interrupt to shout at their sons saying, "What is this! If you are sitting here, how will we get money? Hey! Go! Go earn some money and go!" He hits them like this.

Every single man nowadays, even ladies when they are doing work in the kitchen, they are always talking and hearing things against others. Even the ones who are studying, they are always criticising others, criticising others, criticising others. They look like supreme devotees. But, do they have devotion or not? We know only that they have plenty of bhukti (eating or enjoyment).

Truly, if they had devotion, it would not be possible for them to speak badly like this at all! One should not use bad language at all. However, nowadays people are using all bad words. To say that these types of people are devotees is a matter of shame. Therefore, good feelings and good behaviour should be developed well in our daily life.

God gave this body so that it can be put to use in all good ways. He did not give this body to each person for themselves only. He gave this body to you for others, to serve others. If this kerchief (handkerchief) is here, this kerchief is not here for itself. He gave this kerchief for it to be used by others. In that same way, this body was not given for the body. He gave this body to be of service to others.

Therefore, seva must be done. Therefore, the authority of action should be with us. We have to take part in action. We have to do service. We have to sanctify life. It doesn’t matter if we don't do japa. It doesn’t matter if we don't do tapas (austerity). It doesn’t matter if meditation is not done. Many people sit in meditation. It is like they are sitting there for a photo. They have sat for meditation but wherever is this monkey mind wandering off to? It is wandering wherever it wishes in the bazaar. Why should time be made impure with this type of meditation?

Because of your good luck, what a great good fortune such sacred meritorious beings, Alvars like these were born in Madras! We have to revive again the sacred story of those great beings.

God is the fundamental basis for everything. See, this is a plate. This is a cup. This is a box. These three are three different things. This is a box, this is a plate, this is a cup. Three forms and three names. However, what is the basis for all of these three? Silver. Without silver there would be no cup, no box, no plate. Forms and names are changing, but the basic basis is not that which changes.

There are numerous different types of ornaments. There are numerous jewels. However, gold is one. Have you seen? That is the fundamental basis. In that same way, men are different. They are different forms and names. But the fundamental basis is one, it is Divine Power. That is the quality of Brahma. That is the quality of Easwar. That is God. The fundamental basis for all of these are one.

However, one time the truth has to be told to you. In the world there are so many different types of organisations. If one enquires well into all of them, the sacred feelings that are in the Sai Organisation are in no other organisation. The sense of sacrifice of the ones who do seva in the Sai Organisation is not to be found in any other organisation. Even when there are troubles in different situations, they all have a sense of sacrifice and they are doing seva with their full heart.

Therefore, Tyagaraja said, "How many great ones there are, I pay obeisance to all of them." Therefore, there are so many great ones. However, in the ones that are here now, the people in Satya Sai Organisation - their energy, skills, sense of sacrifice and sacred seva - are not in any other Organisation.

Therefore, in the future the people in Sai Organisation should participate in this sacred sacrifice, enter into service, and you have to earn a sanctified name. Wherever we go, seeing our seva others will say, "This is the Sai Organisation." There should be no difference of religion.

In this sacred New Year, inspiring feelings should arise from within us. We have to develop ideal feelings. We should not publicise show and ego. Therefore, we should enter into this year with humility and obedience. Whoever it is, we have to do seva with a lot of love. Love is very important. If you do this work with love, there is no greater tapas (austerity) than that. What is the use in doing so much tapas? It is like pouring water in a vessel full of holes. All of it will go out. If the vessel is full of pure love, not even a drop will be wasted.

Those who are Sai devotees have to keep that sacred reputation. No matter where one goes, you have to keep in mind the reputation of being Sai devotees. You have to think of it and foster it. In your work, in your words, in your behaviour, in all of it, the quality of Sai love should be reflected. Therefore, that is the sacred seva that you have to do. Do this kind of Nama Smaranam (remembrance of the Name). When we participate in the seva of people, our life will continue on a sacred path.

Therefore, you have to run away from bad company in this New Year. Put far the company of bad people. We don't want relationship with bad people. With good people, give and attain everything. Therefore, you put far the relationship with bad people, develop relationship with good people, and enter onto the good path. You have to walk on the good path.