Spritual Quiz, by Sathya Sai Centre of SS3
Spritual Quiz, by Sathya Sai Centre of SS3
Spritual Quiz, by Sathya Sai Centre of SS3
29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
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3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Recognise our divinity Recognise divinity in each other Message for youth Body for proper use Check on own devotion Ungratefulness Purpose of life Control of Mind Message for parents Importance of unity
Copyright @ Satya Sai Centre of SS3 29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
Q1: During a Divine Discourse given in 1998, Baba narrated a story to teach us how to recognize our own divinity It is not always easy to get the answers to spiritual questions. There is a story to illustrate this. Once there was a king in Kapila, who was putting questions to various scholars in his kingdom. He was not satisfied with their answers and so turned them away from his court. A shepherd, who heard about this, came to the king and said he was prepared to answer any question by the king. The king was surprised at his claim and said that if he failed to give a satisfactory answer he would be beheaded. The shepherd agreed to the condition. Then, he told the king that they should exchange places in keeping with the new situation, in which the king would be the learner and the shepherd would be the teacher. The king agreed and transferred his robe to the shepherd and sat at his feet, while the shepherd put on the king's robe and sat on the throne. He then asked the king to put forth his questions. The first question was, What does God do in this world? The shepherd answered, He makes a millionaire a pauper and a pauper a millionaire. Till now I was a poor man. Now I have been made a king with a seat on the throne. From being a king, you are now wearing a shepherd's clothing. This is what God has done. The king was fairly satisfied with the answer. His second question was: Whom does God favour? Who is the recipient of His Grace? The shepherd pointed to a light and said, The light from the lamp sends its rays in all directions. Likewise, God, who is Embodiment of all Effulgence, sees in all direction, and showers His Grace on all. He does not see in one direction alone. The king was pleased with the answer. Baba said: Today, very few people understand the difference between the positive and negative aspects of life. Whatever attracts the mind is negative. _________ are positive. A. Things that attract the body B. Desire less actions C. Signs of living within ones means D. Things that please the intelligence
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Spiritual Quiz
Correct Answer : B. Desireless actions Baba continued: "While the shepherd was wondering what the king's third question would be, the king addressed him as 'Baba!' and said: 'Where is God?' The shepherd brought a cup of milk and asked the king, 'Can you say in what part of the milk there is butter? In every molecule of the milk there is butter. Likewise, God is All-Pervading. What is it that you have to do to see the butter in the milk? You have to make curd out of it, churn it and then the butter will rise to the top. Likewise, God, who is everywhere, has to be enshrined in the heart, turned into curd by good deeds and churned by sadhana. Then there will be direct experience of the Divine.'
"The king was totally satisfied with the answers of the shepherd. He gave away half of his kingdom to the shepherd and declared that wisdom was to be found more among the common folk than among scholars. There is nothing great in mere scholarship as such. To give intelligent answers to questions out of wisdom gained from daily life is what matters.
"Today, very few people understand the difference between the 'positive' and 'negative' aspects of life. Whatever attracts the mind is 'negative'. Desireless actions are 'positive'.
"The discharge of duties in a spirit of detachment is the basic obligation of everyone from a student to a scholar. Thereby you can manifest the divinity within you. But, if you cannot recognize your humanness, how can you recognize your divinity? The first requisite is purity of heart and a mind free from all desires."
Click here: http://sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume31/sss31-04.pdf
Copyright @ Satya Sai Centre of SS3 29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
Q2 Baba narrated a story to teach us the importance of recognizing Divinity in each one: A great devotee, who was a very wealthy person, took a lot of gold and out of that gold he had prepared several fine items. He made a fine idol of Krishna, a seat for putting that idol, an umbrella and also a cow to go along with Krishna. Each one of the items weighed twenty tolas, the total being 100 tolas of gold. In this way, he was experiencing Divinity of God in the forms made of gold. With the passage of time, he was struck with misfortune and there was poverty in his house. A time had come when he did not have food to eat. He was driven to sell away the gold things, which he was worshipping. He went to a person who would buy these items, and wanted to get each one of them weighed and find out what price he would get for each item. The other wealthy person, who was to buy the items, weighed the idol of Krishna. After finding the weight of Krishna, he offered to pay Rs. 10,000 for it. After that, he weighed the pedestal and he said that he would pay Rs. 10,000 for that. Then he weighed the cow and he said that also will fetch Rs. 10,000. The devotee was in great pain. The devotee asked how it is that Krishna, the pedestal and the cow will each fetch the same Rs. 10,000? The person who was going to purchase them was obviously not going to pay more money because it was the figure of Krishna. He will merely pay the cost of the weight of gold in each one of the items and not value the idol of Krishna differently from the cow. The lesson Baba wants to impart here is: Mans value will depend on ___________ and not on his wealth or his appearance, or his material possessions. A. The merit acquired through charity and sacrifice B. The amount of penance he has been able to do C. The Divinity that is in him D. The amount of respect he has been able to gain from society Copyright @ Satya Sai Centre of SS3 29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
Correct Answer : C. The Divinity that is in him Baba reminds us: "So, also, in the case of an individual, his value will depend on the Divinity that is in the individual and not on his wealth or his appearance, or his material possessions. The cup, the cow, the pedestal and the figure of Krishna are only different in their forms and in their names. The man who is going to value them, will value them on the basis of the amount of gold contained in each of them; which is the same in all of them. "In the same manner, in this world many things appear to have different names and different forms and may create different impressions on different people. But what exists, as a common base in all these things is the aspect of Brahman. "It has become common to recognize each body and its form separately, and the common divine content is not seen by anyone. We are only looking at those different bodies and forms in an external way, but the real connection and comparison between one and another are through the Atma".
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Spiritual Quiz
Q3 During the 1977 Summer Showers discourses, Baba narrated a story especially for the youth: This is the appropriate age when you should surrender to God. When you grow older, you will then be able to achieve great things with Gods grace. Here is a small story. The husband and wife in a family were doing their daily household duties in the normal way and fulfilling their obligations in this world. The wife was a very good devotee. She used to get up early morning, pray to the Lord, do her puja and in many ways served her husband by attending to whatever was needed by him. The husband on the other hand was not given to such good habits. He used to get up late, take his coffee without washing and go to his office in a hurry, do his work and was always thinking that duty is God and that there was no need to do any puja. But the wife, during her prayer everyday, used to pray to the Lord, that somehow or other He should instil some devotion and faith in her husband and make him utter the name of the Lord, at least, occasionally. One day, when her husband was in a happy mood, she went to him and she said that life was a very sacred thing, but they were living like animals. She asked, shouldn't they think of God at least once a day. She further told her husband that human life was not necessary only for earning a living. The husband did not like all this and told his wife that she was an innocent woman. He said, You think I have no devotion? I have great devotion to God, but while I am in service, I am not able to spare the time for the thought of God. After I retire, after the children get married and settle down, I will begin to think of God. She thought that there was no use arguing with such a foolish person, so she prayed to the Lord and kept quiet. Baba stresses: Start early, drive slowly, reach safely On the contrary, if we start late and if we begin to move fast, ____________ A. There will be danger in the journey C. We will lose sight of the goal B. Nobody will respect us D. We will have the company of foolish pilgrims Copyright @ Satya Sai Centre of SS3 29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
Correct Answer : A. There will be danger in the journey Baba continued: "After one week, there was some dangerous disease that took hold of her husband. She was taking all pains to call a doctor and give some medicine and get him cured of that disease. "The disease became a little less virulent after a few days. On the third day, the doctor came and gave him a mixture and instructed that the medicine be given to him once in the night, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon as three different doses. "The lady thought that this is the proper occasion to teach him a lesson. In the morning, even after breakfast, the wife did not give the dose of mixture to her husband. It was lunchtime and even after lunch, the wife did not give the dose of medicine to him. Then the husband asked, 'What is this? Two occasions have passed and you have not given me any medicine at all.' "Then the wife said, 'Why worry about taking the medicine now? You can take all of it after you are cured of the disease.' Then he asked, 'Why should I take the medicine after being cured?' She then said, 'In the same manner, when this human body is with you, and when you are still well, and when you are suffering from the disease of the worldly attractions, you should take the medicine in the form of devotion and faith in God. What is the use of taking the medicine when you become old and decrepit?' "It is in this context, it has been said, 'Start early, drive slowly, reach safely.' Since this is the correct age, you should start from now and experience peace and happiness, and put into practice slowly and steadily. If we begin sufficiently early without any agitation, we can peacefully move the boat of our body in the river of our life. We can also reach the destination very safely. On the contrary, if we start late and if we begin to move fast, there will be a danger in the journey." Click here: http://sssbpt.info/summershowers/ss1977/ss1977-17.pdf Copyright @ Satya Sai Centre of SS3 29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
Q4 During a Divine Discourse given in 1967, Baba narrated a story to teach us how to put our body to proper use:
A celebrated sage once advised an aspirant that he could get God-realization, in thirty days, if he spent all the twenty-four hours in the contemplation of God. He went to his place, did as he was told and after thirty-six days (he continued for six more days!) he hurried to the sage, in great rage, for he was sadly disappointed.
The sage asked him for an account of his daily schedule of activity during the thirty-six days. The disciple said, Well, I rise from bed at four o'clock, wash and get ready for meditation by five, meditate until six, move about until eight, have something to eat, doze off for a few minutes, read a few pages, converse with friends for a while on the happenings in the world, bathe and drink something hot afterwards, etc., with chanting the Name of Rama now and then, in the intervals." The sage answered, Wonderful indeed! I did not anticipate you would behave so crudely. I directed you to use all the 24 hours in the contemplation of God, without wasting a single moment. I did not lay down any other schedule. Spend as much time as there is in thirty days, in the unalloyed contemplation of God; you will attain liberation." For us to ponder, Baba advises us: Life is a jungleone has to wear the boots of _________ if one has to pass through the jungle of life, without harming oneself.
A. Fortitude
B. Empathy
C. Meditation
D. Sense-regulation
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Correct Answer : D. Sense-regulation Explaining further on the meaning of unalloyed contemplation on God, Baba said: "The best method of carrying out the sage's direction is to believe that this body is the residence of God; that the food you take is the offering you make to Him; your act of bathing is the ceremonial bathing of Him who is in you; the ground you walk on is His domain; the joy you gain is His gift; the grief you experience is His lesson. Remember Him ever, in sun and rain, day and night, asleep and awake. That is the unalloyed contemplation he advised the pupil to do. "Life is a jungle where there is a great ideal of dry wood, which harbours worms and insects. No one cleans the floor of the forest, or cuts away the undergrowth of bush and bramble. To wade through the thorns and the leech-ridden floor of the jungle, one has to wear boots. So too, one has to wear the boots of sense-regulation if one has to pass through the jungle of life, without harming oneself. This is the lesson I want you to carry home with you today, for pondering over and for practice." Click here: http://sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume07/sss07-19.pdf
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Spiritual Quiz
Q5 . During a Divine Discourse given in 1974, Baba narrated a story for us to re-evaluate and do a check on our devotion: A clever villager used to enter the village temple in the early hours of the day, and sit on, with eyes closed, in the hope that people will honour him as a great devotee. Since he did not get up and go about his business until about mid-noon, the temple priest was hard put to close the doors and go home for his daily tasks there. So he struck upon a plan to stop the nuisance. He knew that the closed-eye session of dhyaana (meditation) was all pretence. He hid himself behind the idol of the Deity, and when the villager was well set in his pretence of deep meditation, and said, in an imposing sonorous voice, Listen! Excellent Devotee! I am mightily pleased by your asceticism and your steadfastness. Come. I shall merge you into Myself. At this, the fellow ran fast out from the temple, leaving no trace where he had gone to! According to Baba, The devotion and sense of surrender of men are similar to those of this impostorfaith is weak, discipline is absent; _________ is lacking.
A. Honesty
B. Earnestness
C. Humbleness
D. Constant remembrance
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Correct Answer : B. Earnestness
Baba wants to make us aware: "Fancy and fantasy rule the mind of man. You desire one thing in the morning; at noon, you change over to something else. That desire will not persist until evening. If your desire is fulfilled, you praise God and parade your devotion. But, if it does not prevail, you throw God overboard, and parade your unbelief! "The devotion and sense of surrender of men are similar to those of this impostor. Faith is weak, discipline is absent; earnestness is lacking. But, do not forget or ignore God; do not be misled into attachment for the world; do not dread death; be happy with whatever you have and hold. Live ever in the remembrance of the Name of God."
here: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume12/sss12-37.pdf
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Spiritual Quiz
Q6 During a Divine Discourse delivered in 1999, Swami narrated a story of how any ungrateful man can stoop down to low levels:
Once, in a forest, a hunter, on being chased by a tiger, felt tired and climbed up a tree. On the top of this was sitting a bear. As the tiger could not climb, it waited under the tree but when it saw the hunter it wanted to gobble him up as it was very hungry. It asked the bear to push the man down, so that it could kill him and appease itself. The bear refused to do so, saying that the hunter was its guest and it was its moral duty to extend hospitality to him. The Tiger however continued to wait under the tree.
After some time, the bear started to doze. Noticing this, the tiger addressed the hunter, O man, I am very hungry. It does not matter whether I eat you or the bear. I will go back once my hunger is satiated. The bear is tired. So, push it down without delay. I will eat it and spare you. Concluding with the lesson that each one has to face the consequences of his own actions, Swami narrated that the ungrateful man pushed the bear down, but fortunately it saved itself! What did the bear say then?
A. I will pray until the tiger finds some other prey! B. As long as I am safe, I dont care about the man! and went back to sleep! C. As soon as the man dozes off, I too will push him down! D. I will not harm him just because he tried to harm me.
Copyright @ Satya Sai Centre of SS3 29/12/2012
Spiritual Quiz
Correct Answer : D. Swami continued: "The man did not have the morality of even the bear. He thought he could escape from the clutches of the tiger by offering the bear as bait. So, he committed the ungrateful act of pushing the bear down. As luck would have it, the bear, as it was falling, caught hold of a branch, climbed up, and saved itself from the tiger. "The tiger said, 'O bear, you should never believe human beings. This hunter tried to harm you, though you were kind enough to give him shelter and protect him. So, without further delay, push the ungrateful wretch down, I shall devour him.' "But the bear said, 'I have done my duty. Each one has to face the consequences of one's own actions. I will not harm him just because he tried to harm me.'
Click here: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/ volume32/sss32p1-14.pdf
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Spiritual Quiz
Q7 Once, a businessman was traveling in a boat. There was no one else in the raft except himself and the boatman. Usually, people would like to engage themselves in conversation with somebody during travel in order to forget the tedium of the journey. Therefore, he started a dialogue with the boatman asking him, Do you have a newspaper? The boatman replied, Sir! I dont have a newspaper. I cannot read and write. To this, the businessman commented, Alas! If you cannot read and write, one quarter of your life is consigned to the waters of Ganga. The boatman felt sorry for his pitiable condition and kept quiet. After a few minutes, the businessman enquired again, My dear! Do you know the present prices of gold and silver in the Bombay market? The boatman replied, Sir! I do not have any experience in gold business; hence, I do not know the prices of these precious metals. Then the businessman commented, If you do not know about gold business, half of your life is consigned to the waters of Ganga. The conversation continued. Observing the wristwatch worn by the boatman, the businessman again said, My dear! What is the time now? Though the poor boatman had a watch on his wrist, he did not know how to read it. The merchant again asked, Why then did you wear a wrist watch? The boatman replied, Though one does not know how to read a watch, it is a fashion nowadays to wear this; that is why I have one. Then, the businessman commented, If you do not know even to tell the time from a wrist watch, then three-fourths of your life is consigned to the Ganga. Meanwhile, a gale started with great force raising high waves in the river. The boat started tossing up and down and became unsteady. The boatman then asked the businessman, Sir! By the way, do you know swimming? The businessman replied, Alas! I do not know swimming. Now it was the turn of the boatman to comment, Then, your entire life is about to be consigned to the waters of Ganga. According to Swami, what should we be aware of, to avoid our entire life to be consigned to the Ganga too?
A. Make sure our actions are not filled with vain pride and ego C. Make sure we are not too selfish
B. Make sure we dont forget the purpose of our life D. Make sure we are kind and compassionate
Spiritual Quiz
Correct Answer : B. Swami continued: "Today, we are all in the same situation and are tossed in the river of this world. But, unfortunately we are not making any effort to know why we are here, what have we to learn in this world, where do we have to go and by knowing what we could reach there, and so on. Thus, by being ignorant of these aspects, our entire life is being consigned to the Ganga. You are all forgetting the purpose for which you have come into this world. "Wherever you are, you must remember three things, namely, where did we come from? Where are we at present? And what is the purpose of our coming here? Suppose you are dropping an envelope or letter in a post box; it should have the 'From' address and 'To' address written thereon. If these two are missing, where will the mail go? It will land in the 'dead letter office'.
"Similarly, you are in the world now without these two addresses. You can very well imagine what will happen to such an individual. You must therefore find out yourself an answer at least for one of the three questions. Otherwise, your life itself will become a waste." Click here: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume37/sss37-21.pdf
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Spiritual Quiz
Q 8 During a Divine Discourse given in 1994, Swami advised us: The mind's speed is unparalleled. It is only because of lack of control of mind one gets into bad temper, which causes loss of discrimination and spells ultimate ruin. It is imperative that one should control oneself and avoid getting angry. Let me cite an incident from the life of Babu Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. Dr. Prasad had a very good servant by name Rathna who was exceptionally faithful and served him for a long time to the satisfaction of his master. One day he was asked to clean his room. Rajendra Prasad in one of his books had kept a pen given to him by Mahatma Gandhi. When the servant was cleaning the table the book fell down and the nib broke. He became nervous but told his master the truth begging his pardon for his mistake. On hearing this, Rajendra Prasad shouted at him in rage and asked him to get out and not to show his face again as the pen he had broken was a highly valuable gift from the Mahatma. Then the servant pleaded that he could not survive without him and sought his forgiveness. But Rajendra Prasad was in no mood to listen to him and went out bidding his servant to get out of his sight. Eventually, Rajendra Prasads asks his servant to serve him till the end of life! Why? A. Rajendras wife pleaded him to change his mind B. Rathna redeemed himself by choosing to work without pay C. Rajendra tried ten different servants but didnt get along with anyone D. Rajendra reflected and felt sorry
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Correct Answer : D. Swami said: "During the night, Rajendra Prasad could not sleep as the instance of him driving away his servant was haunting him. When he awoke next morning he missed his usual morning coffee, which Rathna would usually serve him. He reflected over his behaviour and felt sorry for having sent out such a faithful servant for no big fault. He realized that it was his own mistake to have kept the pen carelessly in a book instead of keeping it in a safe place. "He sent word to Rathna and took him back seeking his pardon saying: 'Rathna, you are a good boy. It was my mistake to have kept the pen in the book. Please excuse me for my rash action.' He asked him to continue to serve him till the end of his life. "Anger comes from temper inside and one who yields to this bout of emotion is bound to suffer. You should control yourself and avoid talking or acting while in an angry mood."
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Spiritual Quiz
Q9 . During a Divine Discourse given in1975, Swami implored to parents:
I must give the elders, the parents who are here in large numbers some advice. Do not set bad examples for children. If you are truthful, just be calm under provocation and full of love in all your dealings with others, the children too will grow up in sathya (truth), dharma (righteousness), shanthi (peace) and prema (love). When you are at home and someone calls on the telephone if you tell your son to reply that father is not at home, you are sowing a poisonous seed, which will become a huge tree. Let me tell you a story to illustrate the danger of such small beginnings. A mother carried her son on her shoulder, when she went to the market. As another woman with a basket of fruits passed by her, the child lifted a banana from that basket and started eating. The mother noticed it, and when she was told that he had cleverly lifted it from the basket of a passing fruit seller, she complimented the son on his smartness. This made the child indulge in petty thieving and picking pockets and as it grew into a boy into actual house breaking and stealing. Once during one such misadventure, he even committed a murder, and when he was caught and jailed, he expressed a wish to see his mother before being hanged. Through this narration, what lesson does Swami teach to the youth of today?
A. Even your parents cannot save you if you commit a crime! B. Purify yourselves and purify the world C. Children can teach parents good values too! D. You can learn to be good only from a Guru!
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Spiritual Quiz
Swami narrated further: "The wailing desperate mother was brought before him. She was sobbing at her son's fate. The son asked her to come closer to him; suddenly he tried to strangle her, and the guards separated them. The son said, 'She deserves the punishment; for, it was she who brought me to this doom. Had she reprimanded me when I stole a banana when I was a child of two years instead of complimenting me, I would not have fallen into this evil way.' "Parents set bad examples uttering falsehood, scandalizing others, gambling, drinking, behaving violently, inflicting injury, becoming addicted to night-clubs, pictures and drinking parties, and quarrelling after arriving at home past mid-night. How can children used to such low sights and sounds learn to become bright and fresh flagrant flowers of the Sanathana Garden of India? "Parents must correct themselves before they try to correct their children. Children! Learn the best teaching of all faiths and put them into practice. Chant the Name of God with your whole being. Imbibe the noble qualifies that those Names represent. Purify yourselves and purify the world. That is My blessing." Click here: http://sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume13/sss13-03.pdf
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Spiritual Quiz
During a Divine Discourse given in 2005, Swami narrates a story that teaches us the Importance of unity: The Vedas says Sahasra Seersha Purushah which means, All heads, all eyes, all feet are His. Once you understand the principle of oneness that is present in all, you can live in tune with the true spirit of brotherhood. Our hand has five fingers and each of them has a specific duty assigned to it. All the fingers work in unison and harmony while performing a task. Once an argument ensued among the five as to which finger among them was great. The thumb claimed, It is not possible to undertake any work without me. Hence, I am the great. Then the index finger smiled and said, Look here, Oh thumb! How can you perform any task without my support? Moreover, I am used as pointer to identify individuals. Hence, I am greater than you. The middle finger intervened and said, There is no point in what you say. I am the tallest among all. Two of you on one side and two on the other are serving me as aide de camps. Hence, I am the greatest. Then the ring finger said, I feel like laughing at your ignorance. Dont you know that people adorn me with gold rings studded with precious stones like diamond, emerald, topaz, etc.? Hence, I am your king. In the end, the little finger said, I always lead from the front when it comes to teaching a lesson to someone and punishing the guilty. Hence, I am your leader and you have to follow me. The lesson Swami teaches us here is: Be friendly with all and face the challenges of life with unity and _________.
A. Harmony
B. Discrimination
C. Selflessness
D. Love
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Correct Answer : A.
Swami continued: "As the fingers were arguing among themselves in this manner, the heart intervened and said, 'Oh ignorant ones! Each one of you is as important as the other. One cannot perform any task if there is no unity and harmony among you. In fact, you represent the five human values which are like five life-breaths of a human being.'
"Hearing these words of wisdom, the five fingers realized their mistake and bent their head in shame. A deep enquiry reveals that the heart is the greatest of all. Body, mind and intellect are mere instruments. Hence, one should follow the advice of the heart in all endeavours. "Understand that all are one and each one is equally important. Do not become egoistic thinking that you alone are very important. Do not waste your precious time in vain argumentation. Be friendly with all and face the challenges of life with unity and harmony." Click here: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume38/sss38-15.pdf
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