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Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas - The Pathway to Excellence

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Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas :The Pathway to Excellence - 2

The Balvikas Alumni Meetat Prasanthi Nilayam

on January 12th & 13th, 2013

PublisherSri Sathya Sai Publications Society®

‘Sudhama House’, Chickpet, Bangalore- 560053 Karnataka


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Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas: The Pathway to Excellence – 2 Articles by Alumni of Balvikas, Published by Sri Sathya Sai Publications Soci-ety ®, ‘Sudhama House’, Chickpet, Bangalore 560053, India, ISOB5, Pages viii + 90 ; First impression: January 2013.

©2013Sri Sathya Sai Publications Society®Bangalore560 053, India

January,2013Pages: 98

Cover design: ‘Canvas’ Bangalore 560 052; Ph: 2671-0421Printed at: M/s Omkar Offset Printers Bangalore 560070, Ph: 2670 8186 / 2670 9026 Email: [email protected] Web: www.omkaroffset.com


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Dedicated to Our Beloved Swami*****************************************

Pyaare Sai

Shanthi Ka Dhaam Hai Jinka NivaasJeevan Ke Saathi, Sab Se Khaas

Sharanagat Vatsal Karunakar AntaryamiShiva Shakthi Swaroopa Hruday Ke Swami

Maa, Baap, Bhai, BandhuBhoomikaayen Anek Par Ek Hi Karunasindhu

Tujhi mein Ayodhya, Tujhi Mein Kaaba,Pranaam Sweekar Karo Brahmaaanda nayaka Baba

Saanidya Jinka AnandadayiTumhi Aadi , Tumhi Ananth Mere Pyaare Sai

*****************************************

- Shruthi Santhanam Karnataka


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Let different faiths exist. Let them flourish and let theglory of God be sung in all the languages in a variety

of tunes. That should be the ideal. Respect the differencesbetween the faiths and recognise them as valid

as far as they do not extinguish the flame of unity.

- Sri Sathya Sai Baba


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Contents

Dedication…‘Pyaare Sai’ Ms. Shruthi Santhanam IV

Foreword Smt. Nimmi Kanwar VII

1. Balvikas Days – Holy Days Ms. Vyjayanthi Ramkumar 1 Andra Pradesh

2. Balvikas Inculcates Self Dicipline Dr. Rajan Anand 4 Andra Pradesh

3. Balvikas – Answer to Ms. Anuja Pathak 7 an Identity Crisis Assam

4. Balvikas – An Escort in Life Ms. Meenakshi B. 14 Bihar & Jarkhand

5. Balvikas – A Precious Gift by Swami Ms. Akshada U. Pawaskar 18 Goa

6. Influence of Balvikas in My Life Ms. Tanvi Walwalkar 22 Goa

7. Balvikas Ensured Ms. Anjana Laksmi 26 Priceless Human Values Gujarat

8. Balvikas Steered Me Dr. Aditya Desai 29 Through Challenges Gujarat

9. Balvikas Period! – A Golden Period Mr. Bhardwaj 34 Haryana

10. Balvikas Filled Me with Love Ms. Bhanu Priya 36 Haryana

11. Balvikas Spurred Me to Ms. Aparna Gautham 38 Attain Excellence Himachal Pradesh

12. Balvikas Movement Blossom Mr. Santosh P. 42 Children as leaders of Tomorrow Himachal Pradesh


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13. Balvikas Helped Me to Blossom Ms. Ringzing 47 Jammu & Kashmir

14. Balvikas Made Me Mr. Prajeet C. P. 49 a Holistic Individual Karnataka

15. Balvikas Made Me A Good Citizen Mr. Sabareesh R. 54 Karnataka

16. Balvikas – A Guiding Lamp Mr. Rakesh V. 57 Kerala

17. Balvikas is a Way of Life Mr. Shreyas PanditMP 60 Madya Pradesh

18. Balvikas Initiates Tranformation Ms. Radhika Mathur 62 Maharashtra

19. Every Success in Life is in His Hand Mr. Salam Bikramjeet Singh 65 Manipur

20. Balvikas – Mr. Sanjeev Hingorani 67 A Unique Learning Experience New Delhi

21. Balvikas - A Powerful Weapon Dr. J.P.Dash 71 to Transform the World Odisha

22. Balvikas Blossoms Mr. Puneet Gupta 74 Human Excellence Punjab

23. Balvikas Leads to Lokvikas Dr. Disha Gupta 77 Rajasthan

24. Balvikas Promotes Excellence Ms. Soundariya Preetha 82 Tamilnadu

25. Balvikas is Foundation for Mr. Sanjay Kumar 85 Spirituality Utter Pradesh

26. Balvikas is the Beacon of Light Mr. Balasai Lahiri 87 West Bengal


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Foreword

My dear Children,

Loving Sai Ram!

We are all eternally grateful to our beloved Bhagawan Baba for His immense love and grace for having brought us up as His loving children. He has been our true mother, father, friend, guide, protector, and Sadguru.

Through His Balvikas programme Bhagawan has inspired, instructed and in-grained in each one of us the precious wisdom of living by Human Values in our thoughts, words and deeds to sanctify every moment of our lives.

Bhagawan has often reminded us that “Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara” the clarion call of the Upanishads, must be adhered to fully by human beings to re-alize and experience God within and around in the entire creation. He has also given us another extremely powerful Manthra for Kali Yuga, for ushering in peace and harmony in the individual, family, community, nation and the world at large. You are all fully aware of this divine mantra. It is the mantra of pure unconditional love and selfless service for one and all.

Love all, serve all

Help ever, hurt never

Every teaching becomes meaningful and beneficial only when we put it into practice in our daily lives. Without living to the teachings, the transformation that Swami wants in each one of us will be insignificant. Our most compassion-ate Lord has therefore given us all a beautiful platform in the Organization itself to start offering selfless loving service in whatever humble measure we can.


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Offering our seva in His Organization through which we have received so much from Bhagawan, is a very humble way of expressing our deepest gratitude to our Beloved Swami for the precious treasure of His eternal love for all.

Those of you, who have just completed the Balvikas Course, will have opportuni-ties as Pre Seva Dal members for offering seva at His lotus feet. After the age of 18 when you are ready to become a Youth Seva Dal member of the Organization, you have several areas in which you can offer seva in one or more of the three wings of the organization.

There will always be a lot of demand on your time for your higher studies or from your employers if you are working. But if you keep Swami’s above Mantra in mind, you will be able to maintain a good balance in your studies, job and seva activities. This equilibrium between the material and the spiritual domains of our life liberates us from fear, anxiety, depression and a host of other maladies. It bestows true and lasting peace, harmony and inner bliss.

Begin every day with a strong yearning for selfless service and an intense prayer to Swami to give you the opportunity for any humble seva wherever you may be. Through this sadhana, seva will become your swabhava and you will, with His grace, attain great success in all fields including your spiritual evolution.

The Balvikas Alumini meet in Prashanthi Nilayam is an opportune and aus-picious time for all of you to discuss amongst yourselves the areas of seva in which you would like to participate and to strengthen your resolve through your prayers at the Maha Samadhi.

I wish you all a joyful meet saturated with His inspirational love.

I thank Sri Sathya Sai Publications Society®, Bangalore for bringing out this souvenir. Many Thanks to Sri Rajaram of Canvas, Bangalore for designing the cover page and to M/s Omkar Offset Printers, Bangalore for printing the book nicely at short notice.

With Sai’s Love and Blessings

Nimmi Kanwar Joint National Co-Ordinator, Education

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Balvikas Days – Holy Days

Ms. G. Vyjayanthi Ramkumar Andhra Pradesh

There is only one religion, the religion of Love; There is only one language, the language of the Heart; There is only one God, He is Omnipresent ----Sri Sathya Sai Baba

My introduction to Balvikas:

My heartfelt gratitude and thanks to my beloved Balvikas guru who instilled in me… this invaluable principle of life “Omnipresence of god” at a very initial stage in my life. To realize this omnipresence of God and within one’s own self, one has to be very much in connecting with the voice of God within.

I was fortunate to realize this truth and experience the glory of our Living Divinity in the form of Sri Satya Sai through my Balvikas classes. Living every moment feeling the Divinity within is indeed “pathway to excellence” in one’s life.

To tread on this path of excellence one has to have unity in thought, word and deed as a habit. This value has to be practiced right from childhood. Vikas means blossoming of the flower. Balvikas means the blooming of a child’s personality with human values and enhance the overall personality.

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It is the holistic learning experience of self-management focusing on attitude, the inner working of the mind and heart.

Just as a game needs rules and regulations to achieve a target or goal to emerge as a winner, in this game called life the inner working of the human personality requires “values” to succeed and achieve excellence.

I was fortunate enough to get the rules and regulations to be followed in life … in the form of values I learnt in my Balvikas.

As mentioned by our beloved guru, Education has two aspects:

• The first is related to external and worldly education, which is nothing but acquiring bookish knowledge. Balvikas helped me to understand my bookish knowledge of schools with right amount of purpose. It helped me shape the profession I have chosen to lead my life.

• The second aspect is “Education in Human Values” which was given to me by my Balvikas gurus to bring out Human values that are latent within and translate them into action.

Balvikas helped me to step forward and tread in this path of excellence.

Impact of Balvikas on my behaviour:

• My father being an officer working for Indian Navy had to be on frequent transfers. I had to change cities often and be in different schools, houses, colonies very often. Finding a close friend was always a big problem for me. But BABA being my best friend I could easily win love and affection of my new friends in every new posting. I owe it to the value “Love all –Serve all” I learnt in my Balvikas. I am in touch with many of my friends who were Balvikas students themselves.

• I tell my prayers before every meal as learnt in my Balvikas. Being vegetarian was out of my own volition, decision, and understanding. The love for plants and animals which I learnt in Balvikas- I still remember the exercise we did on love to plants. There was a fern potted plant which was dry and



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dead in the truck during a transfer from Visakhapatnam to Goa for almost a month, which included a truckers strike. We prayed and spoke lovingly to the plant and kept pouring Vibhuti water to it everyday. And one day we did see signs of life in it, in the form of green dots…..and later the entire plant was reborn and rejuvenated. I saw and experienced the power of love to plants.

• While all the festivals in school were celebrated as holidays, I could understand the importance of these days as HOLY-DAYS based on the lessons learnt from my Balvikas. Many times I had an opportunity to speak about these festivals in my school assemblies and won applause too for the same. Thanks to our beloved guru SAI who told us the essence of all festivals in such simple words.

• Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava was learnt in my Balvikas stories.

I revere my father for his selfless service to our motherland Bharat and my mother who is also my Balvikas guru for instilling these values in my DNA.

I accompany my mother in taking Balvikas classes. Now being a student of Architecture I humbly pray Bhagwan Baba who is my friend, philosopher and guide to make me tread the path of selfless service through my profession also.

I aspire to be an instrument in Sai Mission and a blooming flower in the garden of Sai love.

Baba says practicing Unity in thought, word and deed makes a human to be divine.

This is the sadhana which I do every day in my life as taught in my Balvikas classes to hear the voice of Sai within.

I humbly pray to Bhagawan to be with me guarding and guiding me always to be a perfect instrument in HIS hands to do selfless servicealways. This indeed is my Pathway to Excellence. Jai Sai Ram



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Balvikas Inculcates Self Discipline

Mr. Santosh Andhra Pradesh

The Sanskrit phrase, Balvikas, means “Blossoming of the Child”. Balvikas has always been instrumental in guiding me throughout my life time and will always remain as an integral part of my life.

The aim of Balvikas is to foster character development and spiritual transformation and to inculcate habits of discipline and self-discipline so that students learn to be masters of the mind and not slaves of the senses and have absolute control over the senses.

The effect of Balvikas classes is immensely strong and inculcates values which help an individual to be distinguished among the crowd.

To talk about something personal, I was fortunate and blessed to be a part of such a magnificent educare movement. Right from childhood, I have been attending classes and I thank Swami for giving me this opportunity to pen down my experiences.

I personally have enjoyed classes as the lectures delivered were so rich and pure in content. I cherish my good old childhood days when I used to be taken to Balvikas classes on weekends by my mother accompanied with group of friends. Just to put few activities into perspective, the games, slokas, listening to great


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epic stories, enacting plays were simply amazing and did not have space for boredom.

All the learning in fact was fruitful later in life when I actually grew up and had lot of challenges to face. May be my education career, choosing the right college for higher education, commencement of professional career; Swami has always been with me and helped me in taking crucial decisions.

Just after passing out of my school, I pursued Software Engineering, which I think Swami decided for me. Truly speaking, the imbalance caused by modern education system was always balanced by the skill of human values and thus imbalance was corrected and balance was restored. I know I was a bit worried at the early stages of engineering but at the same time never lost trust and faith on Baba. The trust and faith paid me back as I was awarded with the gold medal for securing First Class Honors in Engineering and I would register it as the greatest achievement in my education career.

Self less service is one of the prominent teachings of Baba which I have tried to practice right through my life. It has always influenced me to help people during their need, being kind and loving mankind. Baba emphasized that all human beings are inherently divine. Like lost children, we have forgotten the art of living in harmony with our true nature. Moreover, we must realize that we have a birth right to regain this heritage.

Considering the fact that the world is progressing at a rapid pace, most of the people aim high of having a great and a very lucrative career. How about having intelligence along with spiritual knowledge? The combination enables one to progress at a much faster pace, take accurate decisions, and be an excellent team member which I am sure everyone would desire. To all youngsters… what do they aspire today? a good career, decent job, stability in life…..All these can be achieved by the guidance of Swami. It’s not that simply attending Balvikas would fetch you so many things, but in fact it enables you to stay focused and follow the right path till you achieve your goals. Modern education system only teaches you to aspire high but Balvikas teaches you to aspire high with values intact. It facilitates you to earn self respect, do self less service. This is the beauty of Balvikas and its divine knowledge.



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I am currently working for an IT firm based in Hyderabad. I cannot restrict myself by stating that the decision of joining this firm was also taken by Swami as I had couple of offers to choose from and I dedicate this achievement to our beloved “Swami”. Talking about my experiences, there are very few people in the corporate world who believe in following the right conduct. I come across numerous situations every day where I feel the difference of being a Balvikas Student. People are tangled in the materialistic world and do not even realize it. Balancing your professional and personal life does not seem to be an easy task for most of them but, I never feel so.

Another interesting aspect of Balvikas is that it creates a distinct spirit and the confidence required in life to make a difference. You just need to put all your teachings into action which reflect your qualities and goodness. I try to inculcate the virtue of setting examples rather than impressing the younger generations with my mere preaching’s.

Balvikas has a tremendous impact on my life. Practically speaking there is nothing to lose in Balvikas but in fact a lot to gain. So why not be a part of this movement which has so many valuable things to offer at no cost. I feel privileged to take this opportunity to thank Baba for making me a part of his wonderful educare system and I dedicate all my achievements at the Lotus feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I would urge and request all the parents that every child born must be blessed with Sri Sathya Sai Educare.

Jai Sai Ram!


The end of education is character ‘The end of knowledge is Love



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Balvikas - Answer to an Identity’ Crisis

Ms. Anuja Pathak Assam

Balvikas is like studying alchemy to become an alchemist. Just that here we are taught that the alchemist and the gold are one and the same. I, the alchemist, am slowly learning that I am bangaroo, Swami’s bangaroo. For now, I say ‘for now’ because the learning is not yet over, till I become aware that finally there is no more bangaroo separate from Swami. I truly wonder, is it a mere coincidence that Swami would address us as bangaroo? Or is there an underlying message that the Master Alchemist is subtly trying to put across that I am the one who is conducting the process of transforming the base metal to gold and at the same time am the gold itself, getting burnt, hammered and shaped so that my light shines through and I glitter. And herein, in this paragraph itself lies the entire teaching and goal of Balvikas - to do away with the idea of duality, of the alchemist being separate from the gold.

Balvikas is a pet project of Swami’s. A huge fishing net through which He knew He could catch a whole lot of lost fishes – little lost Nemos. It is like a big ‘Finding Nemos Program’, so that all the little lost Nemos can be helped and guided back into the great ocean! (For those who are not aware, ‘Finding Nemo’ is a movie about a little lost fish called Nemo.) Balvikas is an extension of Swami’s Educare program. It is exactly what Mr. Sanjay Sahni, Principal, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Brindavan, had once mentioned, the distance learning programme of Sri Sathya Sai’s University of Abundant Love.


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It is a learning program which produces Change Catalysts’. And once ready, these change catalysts go out to transform their home, their surroundings and the world. The alchemy begins.

Material education is outward focusing and information oriented. But Educare is turning inward and transformation oriented. From that itself we can gather that Balvikas trains us to look within ourselves. Look within ourselves? Why? What for?

The answer to these questions is another question. It is a question which Swami exhorted us to ask repeatedly. It is a question which infact many great Masters exhorted us to ask, like the Buddha and Shri Ramana Maharshi. The question is - Who am I?

Oh Oh! Yes. I know the answer to that one. I am Anuja. I am a woman. I am an Indian. I am a Hindu.

Is that all?

Let us go back in time a little. If someone asks me, “Anuja, do you remember who you were when you were 1 year old or 6 months old?” my answer would be, “Absolutely nothing and it is not a valid question, and how can a baby remember that? I mean a baby cannot do anything.” So how did I know I am Anuja, that I am an Indian and a Hindu? Obviously, I picked up that information from my parents. I picked up that identity from my parents or the grown-ups around me. My parents in turn picked up their identity from their parents.

And slowly I begin to grow up and start learning things. Someone remarks, “You are so gorgeous!” that gets added into my identity. Someone exclaims, “you constantly fail”, or “you are hopeless” and that gets added into my identity. Opinions keep coming my way and my identity grows by bits and pieces. What is happening here is I do not know who I am, and so I try to identify myself with and through other people’s opinions. Being a human I am obviously a thinking animal and so I think. Then I identify myself with the thoughts. One thought leads to another through association, and soon I begin to follow the trail of thoughts like a dog follows a smell on a trail. I then begin to think I am synonymous with



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my thoughts. This then leads to the dance of what Swami calls the “monkey mind”. Swami says,

“You belong to mankind and have nothing to do with monkey mind.”

I then keep dancing to the tunes of my mind. Unfortunately, more often than not, the music of the mind is not always melodious! Infact, people will agree that it is more often chaotic. Then one can surely imagine the resulting dance! Thoughts automatically lead to emotions and emotions can be felt at a bodily level. Now, since I keep seeing the physical body I conveniently identify myself with the physical body, its emotions and think that I am that.

This adds all the more to the confusion and the already present spiritual amnesia. The identity crisis that I already suffer from. I mean, I am my body, my thoughts and my feelings. Am I all that? On a lighter vein, if I am so many things I should not ever have doubts that the same God can be present everywhere in so many forms! Now, based on the years and years of the kind of emotions I have practiced and gotten used to, I develop a personality which is now, finally my identity, my label! I am now satisfied, or think I am. I am a chairman or in my case a chairwoman, or a housewife, or a teacher or a father, a daughter. Also, sometimes I am angry, or happy or sad, or depressed. Can I ask here if I am anger, or happiness, or depression? Are they my identities? More confusion! I wonder when we have a pain why do we not say I am pain. Anything where ‘I am’ is not present becomes ‘I have’, ‘my’ or ‘mine’! If I am terminated from my chairman’s post, I lose my identity and go into depression. If I lose ‘my’ husband, I go into depression. Why? My identity is lost! I am hanging on to an external identity for my existence. But in this case, if that identity is lost I should cease to exist, however, I do not.

What we do not realize is that it is all role-playing. I am a daughter to someone, a mother to someone, a sister to someone, a manager to someone in the office, a friend to someone, yet I am just one. A single person playing different roles. We are all playing parts in an illusory drama, in an illusory world and we identify ourselves with all these roles. So then who is the real me? Who am I?



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The point I am trying to make is, we come to this illusory world from an origin which we do not remember, and we do not know who we are? Ironically, we are given an identity in this world, which we readily accept, by people who themselves do not know who they are. The thoughts that we have taught ourselves to think are nothing but cultivated habits or mental conditioning. We often end up thinking we are our thoughts but we are not.

The mind is only a tool. We are identifying ourselves with it and its thoughts because we unconsciously are constantly searching for our true identities. ‘Who am I?’ So we easily clutch on to anything that can give us an identity like, ‘I’ am a chairman, this is ‘my’ husband, this is ‘my’ child, ‘I’ am highly successful, and so on. Perhaps in all the “I am ‘this’ and ‘that’” statements only half the statement is true- I Am.

It is amazing how we program ourselves since childhood to become one with the body and the external world all in the search of an identity. Baba repeatedly exhorted us not to identify ourselves with the physical body, more forcefully before He cast off His own physical body. I think He did so, so that we realize that our true identity is not this body with the label, but that we are each one of us Him, or what He stands for. We are the Being, Awareness and Bliss that His form mirrored. We are the air contained in balloons which can be pricked anytime. And, once pricked the air inside does not disappear but goes out and mingles with the air outside.

We are not human beings. We are Being who is currently undergoing a human experience. And yes, that is an intentional grammatical error. I did say ‘’we ‘are’ Being who ‘is’ “. The One Being, Awareness, Bliss – Sat, Chit, Ananda that has a multitude of forms.

This truth was also stated beautifully by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in the Sai Kulwant hall during the Guru Poornima celebrations in Prasanthi Nilayam on 2nd July 2012. He said, “There are no many Gods, the way many people tend to think Hindus worship numerous Gods. There is no one God. This one God is also a problem. Everyone fights for this one God. So, there are not many Gods, and there is no one God. There is Only God!” So everywhere we look - in us, around us it is only Him. Swami says,



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“I am always with you, in you, around you, above you, below you”

That is why Swami kept saying and I quote from Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 16:

“From this day, keep ever in your memory what I am about to tell you:

I am God; I am not different from God, be conscious of this always. Keep it ever in mind I am God; I am God. I am not different from God. Be reminding yourself of this. Pray that you may not fail in this spiritual exercise.

I am the Indivisible the Supreme Absolute.

I am Sath-Chith-Anandha (Being, Awareness, Bliss)

Grief and anxiety can never affect me”

This is exactly what Balvikas aims to teach us right at the outset - how to prevent ourselves from identifying ourselves with the external world and not rest till we find the answer to the question ‘who am I?’ And that is what is meant by looking within ourselves.

Balvikas teaches us to disassociate from our thoughts and be present fully in the ‘now’. When we think, we usually think anxious thoughts about the future or alternately dwell in some moment in the past. And that becomes a habit and soon a personality and then a false identity. The problem begins when we start identifying ourselves with our thoughts.

A friend gave a beautiful example one day. A married couple goes out for shopping and the wife happens to see a diamond necklace which is around 3 lakhs. Slowly a thought filters into her mind which says, “Your husband’s life insurance is `3 lakhs.” This sounds shocking, but actually, the mind is quite innocent here. It saw the label of `3 lakhs and associated it with the life insurance of the same amount, `3 lakhs. That is its job- to associate. The mind always associates for its survival. Like when I ask ‘A for’? Apple comes to mind immediately. The next step that the wife takes will determine whether she dances according to her monkey mind or she is able to stand apart and observe the thought as a witness. The wife may immediately berate herself saying “what a horrible wife I am.”



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In this case, the wife has already begun to move because the moment she thinks that she has started to identify herself with the thought and follow its trail much like a dog. Instead, if she calmly observes the thought and says to the mind “Thank you, that was a creative idea, but I don’t think I’m going to act on it,” then she has not identified herself with the thought. She is just an observer...a witness.

When I become aware of each thought and realize that I am not the thoughts, then I stop judging the thoughts.

Thoughts, thought repetitively are habits formed over time. I am not a habit. I can observe it and let it pass.

When I do that dis-association from my thoughts, I can easily live moment to moment, present fully in the now.

Because, if there is no monkey mind, there is no anxiety for the future which does not exist in the first place, and as for the past, it is already gone. Swami says,

“Past is past, forget the past, future is uncertain, live in the present, it is the gift of God. That is why it is referred to as a “present.”

The word time ‘itself suggests limitation’. Because when we speak of ‘time’, there is a ‘start’ and a ‘stop’. So ‘time’ is limitation. But in reality, there is no limitation, because there is no future. God has no limitations. There is no beginning to Him and no end. He is eternity. So in reality, there is no ‘ time’.

It simply does not exist.

There is only ‘ ‘now’ and everything is happening now...there is only this one ‘instant’ and it is right now... and this ‘right now’ is eternity... enveloping us on all sides... like a circle, unlike the time in our minds which is linear.

And it is in this state that God is posing a question to me, to all of us, asking, “Do you want to know who you are?” And we all keep saying, “No thank you...not just yet...”


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So ‘time’ is nothing but this constant ‘no’ we keep saying to God’s invitation and in the meantime’ we further confuse up our illusory world all the more by creating more garbled thoughts.

I remember my student days of Balvikas very clearly because of the stories that we were told from our favourite Chinna Kathas. And this is the main story that Balvikas tries to teach us through all those Chinna Kathas - the storyline of everyone in the world - the journey from ‘no’ to ‘yes’.

Since God is the ‘yes’, He is ‘this moment’, ‘this instant’, and ‘the right now’, He out of His infinite mercy took the beloved form of Sathya Sai and many other Masters, to actually enter our dream world of ‘time’ and wake us up. Swami says,

“There is no guru other than the One Divine. As long as you consider yourself a mere human being, you may regard yourself as a disciple. But when you realise that you are the embodiment of the Atma you become your own Guru. “- (p208, Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 24)

As Balvikas Alumni let us not forget the main lesson He came to teach and pass it on to our children in turn, that He is just the wake-up call to the Gods we all actually are.


The strength of human ‘will’ cannot be described easily. With will power, one can even circumvent death.

The first spiritual discipline is to search for the faults and weaknesses with in your self and strive to correct them and become perfect.


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Balvikas – An Escort in Life

Ms. B. Meenakshi Bihar & Jarkhand

My humble pranams at the Divine lotus Feet of Sarva Devataateeta Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Fineness, brilliance, superiority, distinction, merit etc are all synonymous to excellence. This is what the dictionary reflects-the literal meaning. But if we introspect seriously, is this what excellence means in real practical terms? Is only being fine, brilliant, superior, distinct and meritorious ensure and guarantee excellence in life? Certainly not. Apart from possessing the above traits and attributes one has to be a good human being first in order to excel in life. To make one’s life meaningful by serving the society and nation at large is attaining excellence in life in the true sense.

Sri Satya Sai Balvikas, a precious gift of our beloved Sai, which started in 1969, caters to this significant facet of life. Through it Baba intends to resuscitate and regenerate the moral and spiritual glory of Bharath to make the nation and the world, and make Bharath once again the spiritual beacon light for all the nations of the world. By providing educare and not mere education, at three levels, viz. Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and finally the Pre-Sevadal, it undrapes that part of an individual with mere bookish knowledge, catering only to mental and intellectual development cannot. No book would provide us with know how on how to practice truthfulness and loyalty. Syllabi of no institution would contain the 5

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D’s of duty, devotion, discipline, determination and discrimination which are in a way indispensable requisites for excellence. There is no other class wherein it is taught to become a master of mind and subdue our ego. . It is only and only in Balvikas that we learn and practice implementing these theologies blended with the motherly compassion of the gurus. Balvikas helps the child to imbibe higher and philanthropic values bit by bit thus gradually building a purposeful and utilitarian life, and ultimately helping him to attain excellence in life.

Alexander Pope once said,

“It is education that forms the common mind,

Just as the twig is bent, the trees inclined.”

At a tender age of four, when a child first attends a group 1 Balvikas class, he is taught morals and ethics through short and interesting stories, prayers etc. It is taught that prayers should be made an essential part of one’s life as it helps to keep ones soul clean alike the soap and water that keeps the body clean. Through shlokas the very concept of existence of God is taught to the children at such a tender age. It has a deep, ever lasting impact on the raw minds of pupil because they are like the clay which gets moulded according to the shape given by the potter. Later on, these values help them confront difficult situations of life

In group 2, the first thing imbibed through Suprabhatham is the very concept that God is within us and all our words, thoughts and actions should be dedicated to HIM. Early in the morning chanting Suprabhatam serves as a constant reminder of the presence of a super natural power. Thus in a way, from a young age itself, the child is in a habit of doing good actions and developing good thoughts, which helps him to excel later in life. Ideals like Sarva Dharma Samanvaya teach the preaching of various religions and inculcate a feeling of brotherhood, unity and equality in students. Thus a child learns not only to respect ones culture and heritage but also develops reverence for the other religions. By introducing the students to five elements of nature, they are made to realise about our origin and our ultimate destiny that we have risen from the five elements and will merge back into them. Thus students are taught not to crave for worldly materialistic belongings. This at a later stage proves helpful in leading a contented life.

Balvikas – An Escort In Life

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Moreover values play a significant role to guide us in life. The values inherent in one self, decide the course of action, and good deeds will make one self emerge as a good human being and ultimately the person would taste excellence in life. They are the need of the hour. Balvikas teaches the human values of our life; the values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. Honesty, right conduct, brotherhood and non violence are values that influence one’s decision making. Practices like silent sitting and jyoti meditation increase mental strength and help in careful choices when caught in a conflict of duties, there by guiding towards the pathway of excellence.

Further group 3 and pre sevadal are the last stage to achieve the aim of making children to grow into men and women of ideal character. Bhaja Govindam, a ballad composed by Sri Adi Shankarachrya, teaches us about the fallacy and futility of our worldly life, dispelling our ignorance and showing us where the remedy for all our misery lies. It relates to the practical situations of life that a student may have to confront in his near future. Study of teachings of great personalities like Ram Krishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, and Sri Ramana Maharshi serves as a source of inspiration and practical learning to young minds. It is taught, zeroes have no value, but they gain in value when linked to a number prior to them. God is the number one and all worldly things are zeroes. Independent of God, they are mere ciphers, but when associated with HIM they gain importance. We are also taught the immense significance of what Geeta teaches us. Each chapter of Geeta means a pathway to perfection. It is a universal scripture, with a message for everyone, catering to the moral, intellectual, and spiritual needs of every one.

Every Balvikas student is a flower in the garden of Sai and it is to signify the blossoming of these flowers in excellence is the role of Balvikas. It helps in development of a good self – concept in a relationship of student to the world (things that make up the student’s existence). Its purpose is to try to get children in touch with their conscience and inner voice. It is not about information but transformation. If God can be in rock, then why not He be in man? Balvikas helps us realise this. Swami once said,

“Students should practice the discipline of seeing no evil, hearing no evil, thinking no evil. Only when children are taught these good disciplines in the


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formative stage, they will grow as good persons.”

Thus Balvikas creates good persons who excel in life.

Very truly it’s said,

“Balvikas mandir mein hum bante saccha manav,

Hame sikhaya jata hai har prani mein madhav,

Sai naam ki naav chali hai sai hai khevatiya,

Sai saathi hai to kar lo paar jeevan naiyya.”

In a nutshell, if life is a journey to achieve excellence, Balvikas being an escort, then with ideals of Sai in the heart, every milestone of this journey becomes blissful....


Education must be regarded as a sacred process and a preparation for selfless service to society.

Education is not for a mere living; it is for life, a fuller life, a more meaningful life, a more worth while life. Education is not for developing the faculty of argument, criticism, or winning a polemic victory over your opponents or exhibiting your mastery over language or logic.


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Balvikas – A Precious Gift by Swami

Dr. Akshada U. Pawaskar Goa

Sai, my best friend, present in every breath of mine, accept my Namaskara with gratitude for everything you gave me in life and making me yours forever.

I, hail from a middle class family from the city of Sholapur, Maharashtra and was living a normal life when suddenly at the age of three, I met with an accident and got injured. Since then, I started getting fever and the growth of my right leg stopped. I slowly started limping and was not able to walk on my feet any more.

One day, when my mother had gone for bhajans, one of the devotees placed Swami’s photo in her hands and said that she should start Balvikas classes. Sai in the form of the devotee inspired and guided my mother to start Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas classes.

My parents consulted many doctors relating to my leg problem. I took different treatments for my leg, but all the doctors said was that I should be operated and only then will I able to stand on my feet in life. A girl child with this condition was a sight of misery for my family. But Sai’s Grace fell and He showered his love on all of us.

My uncle was a Sai devotee in Goa and he took my parents to Puttaparthi. Here, my parents prayed fervently, “Sai, make this child fit so that she runs towards you calling Baba…Baba…!” Sai blessed them. When my parents returned home, they met a homoeopathic doctor for my treatment and with Sai’s grace; I was

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running with in two years. This was the turn in my parents’ life and along with them, in my life when I was barely four years old. My parent’s depth of devotion towards Sai went on increasing.

When I was in 4th std., I performed a dance in front of Sai for Ashadi Ekadashi from my Balvikas class. In the dance, we had to run towards Sai calling out His name. My parents’ prayers accepted by my beloved Sai. The journey to Sai had begun. At every stage of my life, Sai was with me always, closer than anyone else in this world.

My mother who was also my Balvikas guru taught me about the values of life. I wondered many times! My mama looks different at normal times and when she sits as a Guru in the Balvikas class, she has a different glow as if Swami is teaching us, through her.

Once I asked her very innocently- “Mom, in the Balvikas class, you look so different!” She merely smiled and replied, “When we surrender to Sai, He is the One who does the work and not we!” This was the faith Sai instilled in me through the Balvikas class. Since then, I started talking to Sai as we talk to our best friend, everything good, bad, everything - all my feelings, and He guided me at every step of my life.

My school days passed! People came to me bringing all their complaints for solutions and I with Sai’s help gave them comfort and solace. I was quite different from the other children, not interested in many things as normal teenagers are of today. I still remember my classmates called me “Mother Teresa”.

I am a very simple person and my very close friends used to tell me that the people of the world will take advantage of my simplicity but I merely replied, “Sai, has made me like this naturally and I know that He will take care of me.”

Attending Balvikas classes has cultivated in me the power to face any situation. The stories narrated to us in the classes showed us the ways to behave with people and more over for me, my depth of devotion kept on increasing. I got Sai’s blessings always in every form. I used to talk to Sai about the simple day to day problems, about my studies, my school and my teachers. I also discussed everything with my mother and she answered my questions as a veritable Balvikas Guru. Her answers brought about a transformation in my thought process. I developed a very strong positive approach towards life.


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Then came my college days and with Sai’s grace I got admission in a Medical college ,staying in a hostel 500 km. away from home was very difficult but my Sai was always there besides me in the form of my Balvikas guru. What ever happened in college days I shared with Sai.

Balvikas prayers became an integral part of my being. I used to pray in the hostel and many of the hostel students joined me in my prayers which were from 7 pm to 7.15p.m. Many girls came to my room on regular basis and learned the Ashtotara. Whenever they felt depressed they came to my room. They said that they could feel some kind of energy in my room. This all happened because of Sai.

I was not a very bright student in school days but with Sai’s grace and faith in Him, I topped my class in medical college and that was also the reason people respected me. I was very much down to earth person due to Sai’s teachings which I got through attending Balvikas classes.

I remember one more incident when I just got carried away by worldly matters. One day, my friend and I planned to go for shopping and suddenly her other friend decided to take her out and so, our plans got cancelled. That day, I started talking and complaining to Sai that, “See, Swami, her friend takes her out and you never take me anywhere.” Very innocently, I was fighting with my Swami and suddenly my Papa called me after some time and asked me,“Do you want to go for Parti seva?”

I was surprised, no reservations- no plans and it was already 2 p.m. We were to leave by 5 p.m. I was staying in hostel and my parents in Goa. I called one of the Sai Samiti members in Sholapur and asked her whether she was going to Parthi and she invited me to go along with them. Thus, Sai took me on a 12 day outing. That is Mother’s love; Sai takes care of even such simple and innocent complaints and proves that he is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent.

Thus, I experienced His blessings always. Each and every day is a new experience which is only possible due to faith in Sai which I cultivated from attending Balvikas. Still the journey of transformation continues. Sai is helping me always. I went for Higher education to Pune and I stayed in hostel again, There, Sai made me do seva through the Medical Van, as the Mobile Medical Van Co-ordinator used to call me for camps and even if I forgot, he used to remind me.


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Sai through Balvikas taught us that teaching is the noblest of professions. For, it involves the cultivation of selfless love and the showering and sharing of that love. The teacher moulds the rising generation into self-confident, self-reliant, Atma-conscious persons. The teacher is the architect of happy homes, prosperous communities and peaceful nations. The teacher has not only to equip himself with knowledge and skills to inform and instruct, but also equip himself with the vision and insight, to inspire and transform. This made me think of being an instructor for life supporting skills and instructing many people.

Baba says, “Service to man is Service to God”.

Hence, till our last breathe and till our limbs are active, we must render Seva! Does this mean that we have to sacrifice our office, studies and do seva. Swami does not ask us to distinguish between our personal life, professional life and spiritual life. Baba says:

“Fill your professional life with spirituality and fill your spiritual life with professionalism! This is full time devotion!”

Sai has given us all these boons of life through Balvikas and he himself guides us in the form of Balvikas guru. Imagine if we enter a shop full of lanterns. Is there any use if there is no light within it? Similarly, our lives are like the lanterns and Swami has lit the light of ‘Akhand Jyothi’ within us. Sai’s jyothi is the light of love and human values; we need to keep it burning eternally and keep spreading this light! We can make this jyothi akhand only by ensuring and involving as many people as possible in the the Balvikas movement and continuing to be a part of the Divine Mission. Balvikas is a journey from Bhagawan, with Bhagawan, to Bhagawan!


The stamp of bhakti makes the prayer reaches its destination, God.


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Influence of Balvikas in My Life

Ms. Tanvi Walawalkar Goa

‘Get up, get ready, or else we will be late.’ These words of my mother would regularly echo in my ears on every Sunday morning. Oh, how I would love to sleep and how she would force me out of bed –just for a Balvikas class! Is this class or anything in this world more important than lazing in the bed on a Sunday Morning? These were my feelings when I joined the Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas in the year 1991 at the age of six. But how this class gradually changed my life, is still a mystery till today. Though Balvikas classes are held just once a week, but it has laid a strong foundation in my life.

We were a small group of friends attending Balvikas on a regular basis. My mother herself was our guru. But this did not mean that I was pampered. In fact she treated all of us as her own. Perhaps that was the first lesson of equality. During those years, we had lots of opportunities of interacting with other Balvikas children –from cities as well as villages. Together, we used to perform cultural programs, indulge in seva activities and also travel to Parthi as one group. All these moments transformed me socially. I felt all were my family regardless of their caste and creed. Moreover, I used to enjoy being in their company. Though these feelings were restricted to a small group previously, today it has helped me to view the society in a broader spectrum.

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In school days, there were lots of opportunities to attend personality development courses. But I never felt the need for it, as Balvikas also aims at developing the all round personality of a child. As a child, I was a very timid person, shy by nature and a little afraid of performing on stage. In Balvikas, we were given chance to lead bhajans individually, tell stories, act out role plays etc. Since it was a small group, I was more comfortable in displaying my talents. I used to sweat a lot when I had to speak in public. I would just dread the idea of going on stage and facing people. Balvikas not only gave me the opportunity but also the courage. Purely by Swami’s Grace, this, once upon a time timid girl, went on to be the General secretary of her college and is today facing large audiences as a singer. In fact, I have seen many children who have overcome their fear and lack of confidence through Balvikas.

‘Daiva preeti, Paap bheeti, Sangh neeti.’ These are the basic teachings around which the nine year course of Balvikas revolves. These along with other teachings have slowly but systematically influenced my life. The techniques of dhyana and japa taught in the class were of great help to me in my studies. I was an average student in school. During the preliminary exams in tenth standard, though I scored fairly good marks, I lacked confidence and was very nervous. Then until the Board exams, my mother set up a routine which included regular japa and dhyana.

Here I am reminded of an incident. As our house is very close to the beach, we would meditate on the beach in the evening. My mother used to guide me in meditation. This was my daily relaxation after studies. One day as I opened my eyes after dhyana, I saw that water had covered a large area of sand all around and only the patch where we were sitting was dry. I asked my mother as to what had happened. She then told me that while I was lost in meditation, a huge wave came rushing towards the shore. The people around us fled. My mother was in a dilemma whether to disturb me or not. Even as she was thinking, there was hardly any time to react. But as if the waves understood, they did not disrupt my peace at all. In the results of the board examination, I passed with unexpectedly excellent marks. These incidents strengthened my faith in Balvikas.

It is said that since birth, our body is a storehouse of divine qualities. And through Balvikas, our beloved Swami has taken up the responsibility of fostering


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and nurturing them. Here is an example. I was in class six. The whole class had assembled on the playground for exercise. Our teacher warned us that if anybody was caught talking we would have to run around the whole ground twice. Suddenly, one of the girls from my line had stepped outside it. As my duty, I told my friend in the front to correct her. But unfortunately while my friend was communicating to the girl, our teacher caught her talking red handed. The teacher ordered her to run around the ground. Unable to see her plight, I went up to the teacher and explained to her that I was responsible for all this. Both of us were given the punishment. Though I was running in the hot sun, deep inside there was a feeling of happiness and satisfaction. My teacher also appreciated my behavior. This is how Swami guides his children through Balvikas. Even today, when I go through difficult times in day to day life, I feel He is there to guide me. We cannot deny the fact, that Swami is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent - always watching us, always knowing what we are going through and always lovingly assuage our sufferings.

In Balvikas we used to start with the chanting of Omkara. We were told that chanting Omkara is like making a phone call to God and inviting Him to the class. As a child, I instilled faith in those words. I confined the presence of Swami only to that one hour. But as the teachings got advanced, unknowingly He made me experience, His Omnipresence in many ways, even in petty decisions made in life, I could feel His constant support and love. These decisions were sometimes as silly as deciding on which dress to wear to as important as choosing my life partner. Swami is always there.

As I was expecting the arrival of my first child, like a doting mother, Swami showered His infinite love and care on me. Due to few complications, I was advised complete bed rest for sometime. Everyone sympathized with me but I felt it was the best opportunity I could get to read books on moral stories and mythology. I also read Balvikas magazines and write ups used for Balvikas. I loved hearing bhajans as well as the soothing chants of Omkara and Vedas. The love for listening to good stories and music, which was cultivated in me as a Balvikas student, has borne its fruits today. Swami has once again made me realize how fortunate I am.

In spite of my mother’s requests of starting a class of my own, I feared


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commitment. But my two year old son prompted me to start it and believe me, everything happened so fast and sudden. Swami’s plans are very surprising but at the same time, very sweet and pleasant. Today, I am conducting Balvikas class at my residence, a place which was unaware of Swami and His works. But by His Grace, I am receiving immense support as well as appreciation from my husband and my in-laws. Balvikas may be a nine year course but the process of learning will continue till the last breath. Being a Guru has made me a student again, giving me opportunities of exploring my creativity and talents further. In fact, this wonderful experience is taking me to a whole new level of satisfaction and excellence.

Unity of thought, word and deed is the highest aim set for us. And to achieve it, our Supreme Guru is constantly exhorting us, so that we shine as diamonds in society. We, the children of Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas are like patients kept in an Intensive Care Unit. These patients go through numerous sufferings but the best care is administered to them. Although, we too go through various ups and downs in life, extra sensitive care, love and hope is provided to us by our Divine doctor. The process of recovery might be slow and steady, but being in the ICU of Swami’s grace, we are bound to recover victorious and confident.

I sincerely thank Swami for giving me shelter under His Divine love.


The best Guru is the Divine in you: yearn for hearing His voice, His upadesh. If you seek worldly gurus you will have to run from one to another like a rat caught inside a drum which flees to the right when the drummer beats on the left and to left when he beats on the right.


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Balvikas Ensured Priceless Human Values

Ms. G. Anjana Lakshmi Gujarat

The very first time when my mother attended a Parental Orientation organized by the Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas to familiarise parents in general about the aims of Balvikas, she was told her children would remain protected all their life, if they attended the classes and imbibed the lessons taught there. At the end of the session, she was convinced and decided that Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas was the answer to today’s troubled times.

Balvikas is the result of Swami’s immense love for us children. Though as a kid, I initially attended the classes more as a welcome diversion from studies. I soon realized how Swami was working from within, expecting me to follow His ideals and correcting me, in the subtlest of ways, the numerous times ,I faltered. Swami is extremely particular about our dress code, the way we spend our leisure time, the kind of talk we indulge in. In today’s times when glamour, materialism, irreverence for our culture and general indiscipline rule many of the youngsters of our society. Balvikas focuses on what is actually progressive for us. It takes us back to our roots, enabling us to inculcate the cherished ideals of Sathya ,Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. This is how Balvikas shapes youngsters, guiding them towards excellence.

To my parents, the efforts of Balvikas became evident when I won by Swami’s Grace the Best Student Award in my school year after year. As I now pen my

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thoughts down, I am fully aware of the guiding force of Swami gently nudging me to write what He wants to be read by so many of you- my dear sisters and brothers.

So where does this pursuit for excellence start? Swami has always maintained that inculcation of value systems must start early. There is no use trying to make a tree to take in a particular way. But a sapling yields to modifications early and so grows as desired.

I remember, I was barely five years old, when my Mother first led me to the Balvikas class and handed me over to a smiling, sweet lady whom I later learnt was my Guru. Swami’s photos and bhajans were not new to me. My home environment had ensured that. But it was at the Balvikas class that my friends and I discovered the joy of listening to innumerable ‘Chinna Kathas’, celebrating every major festival in the calendar with enthusiasm and understanding, singing new bhajans, chanting ‘slokas’ and also making new and wonderful friends.

Thus, Swami, through my guru had already laid the foundations for inculcating moral and spiritual values: the hallmarks of excellence in any individual.

As I grew, so did my interest in Balvikas grew and multiplied. Along with the usual activities, our Guru gradually involved us- students, in regular Narayan Seva and other service projects. I have thoroughly enjoyed the spiritual outings organized by the Balvikas groups of the city, the visits to temples and ashrams, the Easwaramma week celebrations, the Bhajan sessions and several other service activities. My Sai sisters and brothers, in the pursuit for excellence every activity that the Balvikas involved me assumed importance.

The lamp that Swami lights for each Balvikas student when he/she joins it is gently led to glow brighter and brighter and soon the steady, warm glow is ready to lead the world and light many other lamps… with love!

I am now fifteen years old and have many mile stones to achieve; I know that the challenges will not be few; the striving for excellence that the Balvikas classes so patiently and lovingly instilled in me will be put to test often; but I also know that the efforts of Swami through my Gurus will be crowned with sweetness and


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success. To all my Sai brothers and sisters who have attended the Balvikas classes and thereby received the Blessings of Bhagawan. I say with conviction that we are all protected by the Divine, wherever we are and it is our moral obligation to spread the love and care that we have so generously received, among our fellow citizens. Let us all walk in the path of excellence – live the cherished ideals of beloved Swami and remain true to our Alma Mater.

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu!!!

Jai Sai Ram


The Balvikas is the primary basis of the great movement to restore dharma in the world. The elders are far gone in their ways, and it is difficult to expect change in their habits and attitudes. Children have to be led into good ways of living, into simplicity, humility and discipline. The parents have to persuade lovingly, through the example of bright, cheerful, cooperating children from the Balvikas classes, to send their children also to these classes. As you know you cannot draw children to your side if you had a stick in your hand; you will have to hold some sweets instead. So the teachers have to be embodiments of love and patience.


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Balvikas – Steered Me Through Challenges

Dr. Aditya Desai Gujarat

“Children are the crops growing in the fields, to yield the harvest on which the nation has to sustain itself. They are the pillars on which the foundation of the nation’s future is built. They are the roots of the national tree, which has to give the fruits of work, worship and wisdom to the next generation.” (Divine Discourse, 10-7-1974)

Sai Ram!

The term “education” in the current age merely translates into “making a good career”. The efforts towards a supplementary paradigm in value education incorporating contemporary as well as deep rooted content is very essential, especially with the rise of globalisation and availability and spread of information technology. Sri Satya Sai Balvikas programme directly addresses these issues by focusing on the young children throughout the world through a self-development programme. Based on the five universal human values - Truth, Love, Peace, Right Conduct and Non-violence Balvikas aims to develop the five aspects of a child’s personality, thereby achieving a complete, and all round personality. The movement started by Swami himself is now responsible for nurturing a child’s growth through Brahma vidya (Divine education), rather than Bahya vidya (academic education). This spiritual program is based on the teachings of Shri Satya Sai Baba - Daiva Preeti (love for God), Papa Bheeti (fear of wrong doing), Sangha Neeti (morality in society).

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It is increasingly recognised that some teaching of social and emotional skills should ideally begin in pre-school years. The early school years are most crucial as the emotional growth is intricately linked with other developments, which include cognition and biological maturation. Thus, the child’s development in these years will have tremendous influence in later life. The aim of the Balvikas programme is to bring out the inherent goodness in each child and help to sustain it by regular practice through the difficult period of emotional growth.

Balvikas aims to foster character development and spiritual transformation by teaching various important qualities. I have observed that the Balvikas students have a much clear conscience and habits of self-discipline compared to their contemporaries. If they retain this as they grow up into “adults”, they can be the masters of the mind. It has been an important part of my growing up years as a young kid and still continues to be one as a young adult. I would like to touch some of the efficient features of this course briefly, which steered me through challenges.

I was fortunate to get familiarized to the invaluable teachings of Bhaja Govindam and Shrimad Bhagvad Gita in a very lucid manner through Balvikas. In the current age, people prefer to care about such things in their “retired” life, because they are “so busy” or find it unnecessary, or both. On the contrary, these teachings are imbibed into a child’s mind at a young age through techniques such as ceiling on desires in Balvikas. Here, the advantage is that you start applying these teachings in various challenges, faced during growing up, begin to realize their power and worthiness. Once this is understood, I can guarantee that there won’t be any requirement to attend workshops on managing things or developing a personality in one’s life. Without even trying you will start discriminating between right and wrong, truth and falsehood and make better judgments and decisions. Such is the power of Balvikas training developed by Swami!

Phenomenal but difficult-to-practice lessons such as “nishkam karma” are being taught in Balvikas by making the students participate in simple activities like Narayanseva. It was the feeling of inner-satisfaction and bliss resulting from this activity that developed my interest in participating in various service activities led by Swami. Also, through Balvikas children became aware of the unity underlying


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all faiths- Sarvadharma samanvaya bhavana. The teachings of various religions and lessons from the lives of great personalities, serve to guide the children to develop purity and harmony in thought, word and deed.

Truly, Balvikas gives priority to the development of character, self-confidence and self-sufficiency. These aims truly put Swami’s teaching- “End of education is character” into practice. All this is conveyed through the understanding and practice of the five inherent human values of truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence.

I feel that these five inherent values which form the basis of Balvikas are set by Swami as a “fool-proof plan” for self-improvement and lead to excellence. This is because they are intertwined and following one leads to the other. The core value in the Balvikas programme is LOVE. The development of empathy and love are taught through caring, friendship, generosity, kindness and sharing. Swami asserts that education must lead to a “broadening of heart”; this term encompasses an expansion of love and compassion. When love in this broad sense is combined with the capacity of judgement, it is referred to as TRUTH. When truth comes from within oneself (inner self) and is put into action, it becomes the RIGHT CONDUCT. PEACE refers to an awareness and skilful handling of emotions. When all four values are practiced, NON-VIOLENCE emerges as the culmination of all values.

The ultimate purpose of Balvikas is to let the children realize that Divinity dwells within them. A child is ignorant about this at a tender age, but what you sow, you shall reap. It is here that the teaching techniques assume importance in order to start an early training in an efficient manner. The skill, maturity, intelligence and commitment of Guru gently encourage the goodness to emerge from within the child by adopting certain teaching methods and helping the children master their minds to become master minds.

This task is accomplished by synchronizing the five very efficient teaching techniques of prayer, silent sitting and meditation, group singing, storytelling and group activities. Personally, these activities not only assisted me comprehend the teachings of Balvikas, but also led to develop an interest in aspects such as public


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speaking, music, acting, and working in a team. These have not only helped me to develop good hobbies, but also guided in my academic and professional lives by providing confidence and ideas. This was possible because of my Balvikas Gurus who followed the principle of “Be Do and Tell”. Swami has laid a lot of stress on the training and desirable qualities of a Balvikas Guru.

“I direct that Balvikas teacher should hereafter be known by the vastly more appropriate name of Guru, so that you may be conscious always of the spiritual role which you have taken on, and its responsibilities and value. You are the lamps from which their tender hearts must receive Light and Love. By your adherence to Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Love, you have to inspire these qualities in the children that come to you and the homes from where they come.” (Divine Discourse, 3-1-1974)

Through each age group, from the very young to the teen-age youth, my Balvikas Guru assumes a specific role linked to psychological development. For Group 1, it was that of a mother: discipline established and good behaviour is positively rewarded. In Group 2, the Guru took on the formal teacher’s role and the children develop a sense of order and respect for rules. Finally, in Group 3, the teacher was a friend helping the teenager to develop firm principles and become actively aware of their conscience. For me that was my Guru in action.

As a Balvikas Alumnus, it is gratifying to get a chance through such communications, to think about how this programme has helped me in personal, educational and spiritual aspects of life, and this makes me appreciate this programme even more. Swami has always said that it is the youth that are the builders of a nation, and on whom the progress of all humanity depends. His plan is to shape the youth through Balvikas into ideal individuals who, by their way of life, speech and action can promote goodness, wisdom and a spirit of dedication in the world. His message is to give up the bad qualities and to develop clear and pure vision, besides sacred and constructive emotions.

Indeed, Balvikas sows the seeds of teachings and advice of Swami to the children,


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with manure of faith and courage, and water of love. This results into the tree of knowledge and fruits of wisdom. This process ultimately shapes them into excellent individuals which become optimal instruments for Swami’s mission- “Love all, serve all”.


Your parents endow you with the material Body (Deha); the Guru points out to you the Dweller (Dehi) with in that body. He does this through the process of Shravanam (Listening); Mananam (Ruminating) and Nidhidhyasa (Meditation); so the Guru is entitled to be honoured as God says the Veda, Acharya Devo Bhava.

The first Guru is the mother; her example, her advice, her admonition affects deepest and longest. The second is the father, who is admired by the child for his strength and knowledge and feared for the punishments he inflicts. Next is the teacher who leads him and guides him into the maze of knowledge.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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Balvikas Period – A Golden Period

Mr. Rishi Bhardwaj Haryana & Chandigarh

Sai Ram

When a child is born, parents start to think and plan for best education and career. But they hardly realize that true education means more than pursue of a certain course of study, in a school / college. It has a broader scope, a higher aim.

I was born in a Sai Family, where a day begins with Gayatri Mantra and ends with evening Bhajan .My visible Gods, My Parents are my first Balvikas Guru who always taught me the principles of ethics, morality and spirituality by setting their own examples and through practical experiences. Under the shade of Sai Balvikas I have learned to practice Love and Spirituality as a way of living. Those days are the Golden period of my Childhood. The words of the Parents and Guru are the real treasure. Its worthless talking about achievements, failures and rewards, as these are just small events/learning experiences and are like passing clouds.

Love, the basis of creation and of redemption, is the basis of true education. Balvikas, the Sai concept of education is based on the same fundamental principle. The five values, Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non- Violence) are the core of Sai education. Balvikas Education involves the deep understanding of the knowledge that springs from within and thus enlightens the Mind, Body and Soul .It strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly

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ambition. It fortifies the mind against evil. Being an artist I can’t resist depicting these thoughts through art. If we compare this life building education to a tree, then Love serve as the roots, Balvikas Education is the trunk .To yield real fruit of success; we need to water the roots.

I have read a book about Power of Love a few days back .It has a great message for all youth who are running behind money throughout their Lives.

‘’ If you are always thinking of money and passion to earn more, you will certainly have more money. But money does not guarantee Happiness. Real happiness comes from within, by practicing Love.”

I am still a student of Sai Balvikas and will always be. Balvikas is not a certificate course, but its vision that guides and enlightens the Life.

Balvikas Period – A Golden Period

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Balvikas Filled Me with Love

Ms. Bhanu Priya, Balvikas Guru Haryana & Chandigarh

“The body will shine if the character is fine. Service of man and worship of God will preserve its charm.”

“The end of education is character”

But, the present education system has no software to build the character of the student. Swami defines character as the unity in thought, word and deed that is head, heart and hand (The 3H). This can be achieved only when worldly education is blended with the spiritual education. Our Beloved Lord gave this programme to us in the form of Balvikas Programme.

Sri Satya Sai Balvikas aims at blossoming of the child at all levels i.e; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual faculties through the five teaching techniques of prayer, silent-sitting, storytelling, group singing and group activities. Thus, through a span of nine years, Balvikas aims at inculcating in the child, good habits so that when the child steps out into the external world, he is not carried away by the lure of pressure but has within him, the power of 5D’s: duty, devotion, discipline, discrimination and determination which help him to face all trials and tribulations and emerge as a shining star.

Just like a flower bud blossoming in the warmth of sunshine, I also grew up

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with the spiritual and moral support from my mother and gurus. They filled me with the mixture of love, affection, patience, tolerance and service to humanity which are the basis for life. I am very thankful to my guru for offering me such an opportunity to share my experiences.

I joined Balvikas when I was at four years of age and with Swami’s grace completed the nine year course. The very important thing Balvikas teaches every student is to respect our parents. Education in human values is one of the more important aspects of Balvikas. Imbibing human values at that young age moulded us from an early age.

First thing my parents noticed in me by going to Balvikas was: I was more tolerable. I listened to them and I became more and more active in my education. Every class I attended in Balvikas was a priceless gift. During the third group classes, guru taught us Bhaja Govindam. It was such a wonderful feeling to understand what is important in life through those shlokas. Wisdom was directly poured into our hearts. Whenever Balvikas class started, gurus would say, “You must truly believe that Swami is going to be here once you say OM three times.” And we did believe the same. Once when I passed third group and was assigned to take Balvikas class. I too told the students that Swami will be here as we say OM for three times. Suddenly, as the class started, the flowers fell from the Swami’s photo and the students noticed this and said, “Didi, Swami blessed us.”

It is very hard to understand the plans of Bhagawan for the betterment of our lives. Once we surrender to Him, He takes care of everything. Only then the benefits of our actions will be in His hands.

Balvikas Filled Me with Love

Good ideas, good conduct, and adherence to truth should result from our education. That which promotes these aspects indeed is true education. Only those who acquire these qualities can be called truly educated people.


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Balvikas Spurred Me to Attain Excellence

Ms. Aparna Gautam Shimla, Himachal pradesh

Aum Sri Sai Ram.

My humble salutations at the feet of the Cosmic Mother- my Mother Sai.

The name Balvikas, itself, is the most befitting description for the constant process of transformation and evolution that it stands for since its launch in the year 1969. As has been rightly said, it is not just Balvikas but Educare for Loka Vikas. A token of Her infinite unfathomable love for all Her children that has laid strong moral foundations for millions of children all over the world. Balvikas is our most precious “Dharohar” which has immeasurably blessed and provided succour to innumerable children who yearned for the Divine and the purest form of love.

‘Asatoma sadhgamaya, Tamasoma jyotirgamaya , Mrutyorma amritangamaya’

Little did I realize while reciting this mantra in my Balvikas classes during child hood that it would be my guiding light to the path of excellence. That it was Swami’s divine indication exhorting us, to take to the path of excellence and in the life of a “vidyarthi” the most important way of attaining excellence is education.

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Swami advocated education that is holistic not superficial and Balvikas befittingly incorporates EDUCATION FOR LIFE. It has helped inculcate in us values that would go a long way in making us citizens of credibility and impeccable honesty.

Balvikas has taught us how to inculcate the 5 D’s–duty, discipline, devotion, discrimination and determination in our life.

A small incident comes to my mind at this juncture. It was the festive time of Swami’s birthday celebrations and but we Balvikas children were going through the best time of the life of a student- the exam time. All elders were away for Swami’s birthday bhajan but we all were not taken along so that we devote time to study. They did not understand the agony of our little hearts at not being able to be a part of the birthday celebrations of Swami. But we, little mischief mongers, had plans of our own and it was decided that as soon as the elders would leave, we all would have an exclusive Balvikas birthday celebration, we arranged for all the paraphernalia and began the bhajan. The bhajan ended with the birthday song. Everything was impeccable but our timing, the moment the bhajan ended we were welcomed by the cold glances from the elders, who in the mean time had come back home, all of us quietly left and started studying for the exam, praying to Swami to save us from the imminent danger of receiving a scolding of our lives . Days passed and the results came- Swami had answered to the distressed calls. His gift to us was that all of us scored the maximum in the exam we took after the birthday bhajan, emphasizing that our earnest prayers coupled with the most sincere efforts are bound to lead to excellence.

Whenever in need of the divine master’s guidance, the number I dialed was a sincere aum chant thrice and it happened to rescue me every single time, the only number that never gives a not reachable or busy tone.

I would like to share another incident with you all. Once I was interacting with small kids in my neighborhood and asked them, how, Swami and Balvikas had helped them in their lives. A small child of 5-6 years of age stood up and said, “didi there is a ferocious dog in our neighborhood who barks a lot and even bites people. I was really scared of that dog but last time you told us to dial Swami’s number whenever in distress or scared. The very next day I had to cross the lane and that dog stood in between, I was frightened but I remembered to call


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Baba. I chanted Om three times in my heart and started walking. The dog did not bark at all. Since then I do not fear that dog.” This is the kind of confidence and fearlessness that Balvikas has imbued us with.

The various activities that are taught in the Balvikas spurred us to attain excellence in all that we did, be it studies, cultural activities, bhajan singing or mantra chanting. The seeds for the pursuit of this ever illusive goal of excellence were laid during this time. At that time we vied with each other to be the best Balvikas student but without the slightest tinge of jealousy or vice. We still continue to follow those ideals in our lives, striving with renewed energies each day to get a little closer to being Swami’s ideal student. It is these values that continue to guide me through even now. I took up social service projects during college days, keeping Swami’s doctrine of seva in mind and by His grace also won awards for the same.

And now, having completed my engineering degree, I was a witness to how Swami guides His children to excellence. It is said, “When your plans fail, it is understood, that the divine plan is at work”. I got placed in a software company, was ready to take up a job and later procure a management degree but then Swami was ready with His own plan. My joining got postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Divine will prevailed. My “waiting period” finally came to an end and how!! Being at the cross roads I yearned for a divine signal and this was the message I received from an e- mail by a friend:

No doubt you must use the power of your will to think and plan. But once you have finished outlining your goal, you must offer to me your plan and then patiently make way for the Supreme Will to unfold to you My Master Plan. And even if you are unable to see my very next step you must be graceful that all the burdens that laid upon your shoulder, now rests upon the lap of God. Your job is to think, plan and surrender ….My job is to carry it out in complete perfection... – Sai Darshan.

Before I could gauge what the Divine Planner had in store, the next task at hand given to me was preparing for the elites Indian Administrative Services!! Having learnt the twin ideals of total acceptance and surrender at Balvikas, I pray to Him to lead me and all His children on the golden pathway to excellence so


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that we create a formidable force of Sai students and be His instruments in the completion of the divine mission.

Thus Balvikas is not only an institution but a way of life. It is evocative of Swami’s words that life finds its final fulfillment with self realization. It stands like a beacon in today’s world, upholding the highest ideals of morality and integrity that would help us tread the pathway to excellence. The mission that Balvikas stands to fulfill is summarized beautifully in the following excerpt from a letter written by Swami to his students and it serves as a message for all of us:

“The Boys and girls of today must be the doctors, the engineers, the administrators, the farmers, the traders of tomorrow developing and defending this vast country and bringing joy to millions of homes. India and the world have huge material resources but your hands and heart have to supply the will and skill to use those resources for the good of the people. Prepare yourself and get ready for the role.”


Education without wisdom and wisdom without humility are husks without grain.

There is one Guru. He is God and that Guru is within you. Goal is greater than Guru. Hold to your goal, Guru will come on his own.


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Balvikas Movement Blossom Children as Leaders of Tomorrow

Dr. Rajan Anand Himachal Pradesh

Ma, mother is the first word that every child utters, transcending the barrier of language, race and country. When in pain, the first person we think of and call spontaneously is ma and listening to this call of a child no mother can wait, her heart melts, setting aside everything else, she rushes to help and shower love. Forty three years ago the divine mother’s heart melted to the cries of her many children. Yes, Bhagavan Sri SatyaSai Baba, whose love is more than that of a million mothers, responded to the prayers of her children.In 1969, Swami launched the BalVikasmovement to blossom today’s children into citizens and leaders of tomorrow.Swami invested something more powerful than money - pure and selfless love.It is His love that has blossomed millions of children into youth of character, over the years. There are thousands of teachers, known as BalVikas gurus guiding these young aspiring minds for a better tomorrow following the divine teachings and guidelines of Bhagavan.

I was fortunate to have my mother as my BalVikas Guru. She made sure that not only during the class, but each and every second, we follow Swami’s teachings and surrender all our thoughts, words and deeds to Him.It was in the BalVikas class that I learned the sloka in the Bhagvada Gita:

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ananyāścintayantomām yejanāhparyupāsate

tesāmnityābhiyuktānām yoga-ksemamvahāmyaham

Here the Lord declares that, “Those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form — to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.” This sloka became the magic- mantra of my life.

From getting admission in school in the middle of academic session, and in medical college and finally hitting the jackpot with opportunity to serve in His Holy institution, I always felt the unseen hand of our dear Lord. I am grateful to Swami for blessing me with my physical mother, who persistently taught me to do my best and surrender to the Lord. And with confidence I can say that Swami has always responded in some way or the other.

Swami started the Sri SathyaSai Super Speciality Hospital when I was in eighth class. One day while returning from bhajan with mymother, she said that,“I pray to Bhagavan to bless someone from our family to become a doctor and serve Him inHis hospital”.At that moment itself, I promised myself that I would make every effort to fulfill this wish.

As years rolled by and the time finally came, I was not able to qualify the medical entrance examination. I felt lonely and lost.My father told me to start preparing for engineering entrance as well, to be on safeside. I was totally confused and was not able to concentrate on studies. My mother understood my plight and told me to pray sincerely for guidance.Ice also takes some time to melt, but our Divine mother’s heart melted in no time to my prayers.

In a dream one night, I was crying andpouring out my woes to Bhagavan. He huggedand assured me that he would take care of everything. He directed me to start preparing for medical entrance wholeheartedly and not for engineering.He also instructed me to keep the math book on mystudy table,to satisfy my father.On the night of my medical entrance examination for IGMC – Shimla,to silence my skeptical mind, .Swami reassured me in the dream that I would pass with merit in the H.P. medical entrance examination


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When I joined MBBS in IGMC - Shimla, I was going to be away from my mother for the first time and she was wondering, who would help me at times of despair? Who would guide me what is the correct path? What if I fall into bad company? She prayed to Swami to be with me. She also reminded me that when in a fix, just surrender to Swami and then He will definitely guide and guard you. Fortunately, the Divine mother has been my constant guide and companion, nurturing me into a beautiful flower in His garden.

Swami constantly guided me through His dreams and gave me some clear-cut instructions, some of which I would like to share:

• Do not engage yourself in unnecessary conversations with your colleagues.

• Avoid bad company.

• Do not go from room to room in the hostel, until necessary.

• Constantly chant the Gayatri mantra.

• Watch your thoughts, words and actions.

• Do not hurt anyone.

Swami is a hard task master and whenever I faltered, He would remind and help me to implement them in my day to day activities. Now it has become my way of life and Swami has always blessed me, constantly reminding me of his Omnipresence, Omniscience and Omnipotence.

My sister’s wedding ceremonywas fixed when I was in my 2nd year MBBS. I was overjoyedbut worried at the same time as my final exams were scheduled immediately after the wedding. With the wedding excitement all over the house, it was impossible for me to prepare for my exams until after the wedding. With just few days left for the exam, I started revising the mammoth texts, knowing very well I would never be able to complete the syllabus. Thursday came, and with just 3 days for the exam, something prompted me to go for bhajan that


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evening.

My friends, who were drenched in books, discouraged me but I knew that only bhajan would help my disturbed mind. I went for bhajan and prayed with all my might, “Dear Lord, I have wasted 3 precious hours attending your bhajan. I am neither asking you to write my exam, nor dictate the questions & answers to me, but O’ dear creator of the universe, please create little time, so that I may complete my syllabus”.

When I got back to the hostel, I was amazed to find all my friends playing cricket. They welcomed me with the exciting words that, “Rajan, your Swami has postponed the exams by a month!” I then realized, 3 hours had not been wasted but invested with an interest rate of 10 days/ hr. Needless to say I passed with flying colors.

Years in medical college flew by and then came the struggle for thepostgraduate degree seat. I prayed Swami to bless me with any PG seat in His super specialty hospital. My beloved lord again came to my rescue in a dream and He said that, “Your stars are very bad, you are not going to be selected anywhere this year, but Swami can do anything. You are 100% selected for My hospital.” The almighty will prevailed and I got selected in the Sri SathyaSai Super Specialty hospital and went on to become an Anesthesiologist.Swami has helped me to realize my dream, and now it is my duty to realize His dream.

O’ Saima, please bless us with your infinite grace so that all of us become ideal instruments in your divine mission.

Holding hands we move in a determined stride,

Nothing can stop us with mother Sai on our side.

Deeply touching the lives of many,

Without asking for a single penny.

By the spellbinding radiance of love in our hearts,

And the essence of wisdom that pure knowledge imparts.

Uplifting the consciousness of the nations,


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To the beauty and awe of the entire creation.

Nothing can stop us, O’ world watch out,

We will shine Swami’s light on every doubt.

Through these bodies Sai current will flow,

And fear, hatred & ignorance will gradually go.

World peace and harmony will grow,

And love on the faces of all will glow.

The golden age will gleam and beam in all its glory,

And another chapter will be started in universal story.

We will continue, we will proceed,

And with Swami’s blessings we will succeed.

No stone left unturned, no lesson left unlearned,

In performing our role and doing our share,

O’ world watch out, its Swami’s love that we share

We are the pacemakers, the torchbearers of truth,

O’ world watch out, we are Swami’s BalVikas children, we are Swami’s youth.


The grace of God is like insurance. It will help you in your time of need without any limit.


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Balvikas Helped Me to Blossom

Ms. Ringzing, Jammu (J & K)

Om Sri Sai Ram

The Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas programme basically pertains to the combination of modem education with spirituality. It is really a programme which has changed my outlook, personality and behavior. Earlier I was very arrogant and was not maintaining proper body hygiene. But I have now transformed into an entirely different person.

Silence: This is the first step towards Sadhana which I have learned in the Balvikas class. It has helped me to control desires. In other words ,this is known as Ceiling on Desires. During silence, I can hear God’s foot steps.

Service: It has broadened my vision and given me passion for good work and clarity in outlook.

Cleanliness: It is next to God. Inner and outer cleanliness are both essential as it installs the image of God in our hearts.

Love: I never hurt or insult anybody [Adweshta, Sara, Bhootanam]. I believe that no one is inferior to me. Love calls for no reaction, no result, no rewards; Love is God and live in Love. Last but not the least, I have learned from Balvikas, how

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to save money, food and time. I have learned all these things from my BalVikas Guru. When she is happy with my work she blesses me and I feel as if Baba Himself has come and blessed me. I want to pass on my Balvikas knowledge to my young brothers and sisters. Balvikas has given a positive thinking and a meaningful life to me.

Balvikas Helped Me to Blossom

Education in Kali Age

Wealth is considered God.

Pride has become religion.

Ego is the raging fashion.

Desires are considered ornaments.

Righteousness has become extinct.

Humility is non-existent.

Righteousness has declined.

Hypocrisy has become the light of life.

Love and affection have declined.

Education in Kali Age has blinded people with lust.

Life has become burdensome.

Thinking has gone astray.

Delay may spell ruin to humanity !

Combine morality with education essentially and

Earn the reputation that you are the very children of Bharat


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Balvikas Made Me a Holistic Individual

Mr. Prajeet CP, Bangalore Karnataka

Om Sri Sai Ram

Anivarchaniya, the indescribable… that which can’t be expressed or spoken in words.

Offering my most humble pranams at the Lotus feet of our beloved Bhagawan! I wish to express my deepest gratitude to our beloved Swami for having given me a chance, while I was young, to be a part of such a wonderful ‘way of life’ called the Balvikas.

One may want to know what Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas has done in my life. According to me, Balvikas is not a mere class for one hour on a Saturday or Sunday, where small children are taught some shlokas or bhajans and made to write an exam. It is like a workshop that a child is put through at a very tender age where he is moulded into a better individual for life. It is a workshop that moulds a child into a person with an integrated and complete personality.

Swami defines every human being as the sum total of the body, the mind and the Atma. He has also taught us that for progression towards the ULTIMATE, all these three have to blossom equally. The Balvikas has exactly done this in my life.

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It has helped me mature as a holistic individual.

Let us just expand word BAL. ‘B’ stands for Buddhi or the mind.

The 1stof November 1998 is still fresh in my memory. All the Balvikas children were taken to Prashanthi Nilayam from the state of Karnataka for darshan of Swami. That was my first visit to Parthi. That morning, Swami, after finishing His usual morning rounds of darshan, retired to the interview room. After a few minutes, there was a hustle in Kulwant hall, and all seated there looked towards the interview room expectantly. Swami had come out for another round of darshan as there was still time for the morning bhajans to start. He came towards all of us, speaking to each child as He passed by. After sometime, He came and stood right in front of me. As a boy of just 14 years of age, I was least aware at that time that the Gods from heaven yearned for that chance. I was all excited. Then began the conversation…

Swami: Where are you from?

Self: From Bangalore Swami.

Swami: What do you do?

Self: I study in the 9th grade, Swami.

Swami: What do they teach you in Balvikas?

Self: Swami, shlokas, bhajans and stories.

Swami: What kind of stories do they teach you in Balvikas?

Self: Swami, moral based stories.

Swami: What is a moral?

When I just thought this would last for eternity, I was stumped for the want of an answer. I did not know what to say. That’s when He filled in for my incompetence.

Balvikas Made Me A Holistic Individual

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Swami: Moral means “Neethi…” saying so He glided to the next boy.

I was all excited that day; just like any 9thstandard kid who after finishing all levels of the video game would feel victorious of having conquered.

Little did I know that Swami summed up the value of what I received in each Balvikas session? In hindsight, whether it was the story of Sant Namdev, or Ajamila or Sri Ramakrishna, all of them oozed out morals, which channelized our minds (buddhi) in the right direction.

Coming to the second letter in BAL, ‘A’. It stands for the Atma.

I still remember the Mother Eashwaramma Day Darshans at Brindavan way back in the nineties. During one such bhajan session at Sai Ramesh Hall, there was the usual hustle near the stage. Swami was walking around giving darshan. I was a small kid who had come from the Malleshwaram Samithi in Bangalore to render bhajans in front of the Lord. Trying to gauge the situation around me, my eyes suddenly widened upon seeing an uncle with a big vessel of laddoos in his hands. He was going around from one kid to another, giving each one a laddoo as prasadam. My mouth started to water. I too got one laddoo. I immediately pocketed it and sat down again in my seat. After a while, I suddenly felt a gentle pat on my back. Lo and behold, it was Bhagawan standing behind me speaking to me in Telugu, pointing to my pocket.

I was perplexed as Bhagawan moved on. Then my Balvikas guru, who happened to have grasped what Swami said, told me that Swami wanted me to eat that laddoo lest the pocket gets soiled.

The laddoo was only a pretext for Him to choose to come close to me that day. Swami himself has told us many times, not to under estimate the power of His Darshan. He has told, “You do not know what I do to you each time I see you”. It is only Swami who knows the number of times He has charged my soul with each darshan that I have had of Him. If it weren’t for Balvikas I would never have seen God in human form, and my soul would have remained parched, like a desert with no water.


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The last letter in BAL, ‘L’ stands for ka‘L’evaram or the body.

kaLevaram is an entity that can withstand kalaha or turmoil. Swami has said that the body is like a boat which withstands the troubled waters of this Bhava Sagar and ferries us safely to His Feet. He has said that the body needs to engage in good action else it would rot. The Balvikas emphasized this tenet and set me on the path of Seva.

It was in the year 2006 that Swami made a sudden trip to Brindavan during the month of January. I had just completed my Engineering semester exams and was enjoying my holidays. After the Saturday evening bhajan at the Samithi, I returned home and the youth in-charge gave me a call, asking me if I was free to come for Trayee Seva. I was rather surprised; because Swami wasn’t around in Brindavan and this person was calling me for Seva. Upon further conversation with him he mentioned that Swami had crossed Bagepalli and was on His way to Brindavan that night. My joy knew no bounds. I immediately signed in to participate for that week. It was all perfect. I had finished my exams and was enjoying my holidays and Swami was going to be in Brindavan. What better way to spend the holidays than doing His seva!

Swami’s abode in Brindavan, the TRAYEE, has always been very close to my heart. We would water the plants, sweep the pathways, lay down carpets, shoo away the pigeons from disturbing Swami, carry Prasadam in and out of Trayee, attend Trayee sessions, clean the moat, and do security duty at the gates. It would be a whole day where the body would be torn apart in work from 4:30 a.m. until 7.00 p.m. Surprisingly, we would never feel tired as it was His energy that would flow through all of us.

Each day was filled with His sweet form about a foot away from us. Then came the last day of the week, a Saturday. That was the day, we would have to take leave of Swami and the next batch of 10 boys would come in for Seva. With heavy hearts, we all knelt near the lawns of Trayee in a line, each one of us with a kerchief, or Vibhuthi packets or cloves or dry fruits, etc.

We some how got a camera in (all His Will, I presume) and I was holding it with me. As Swami passed by we all started pleading to Swami for a group photo


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and Swami was just not giving in. He went on blessing each item in the boys’ hands and just at the last boy, He said “…teesko”. We all jumped on our knees, hovering around Swami and then came the click where we were captured for “HIStory”. We heard from a senior that day that we were really blessed as Swami had accepted to give a group photo to a batch of seva dal boys after many years.

Sitting back and reminiscing, my eyes cannot describe what they saw. It only wells up in tears of gratitude. The amount of love Swami has showered on me all through since 1989, when I was first enrolled into this movement as a Balvikas student, and, still continues to shower on me is immeasurable and non-repayable.

Swami has always said, “Start early, drive slowly and reach safely” and the ‘Balvikas’ from a tender age has given me the right perspective to achieve greater heights, physically, through Seva to fellow human beings, mentally, by instilling words of wisdom, and spiritually, by giving me the company of good people who further our progress. At each stage, it has helped my mind, body and Atma to blossom in the right direction and has set me on the path towards His Lotus Feet.

Jai Sathya Sai!


No friendship in the world is permanent; it changes. That with God is permanent; it never changes. Have God as your real friend.

I am Nataraja, the king of dance masters. I know the agony of teaching you each step.


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Balvikas Made Me A Good Citizen

Mr. Sabareesh R. Karnataka

Balvikas which literally translates to ‘blossoming of the child,’ is one of the most wonderful gifts from Bhagwan Baba to the entire humanity. Balvikas is the right start to the life of a person desiring to achieve the real goals. Balvikas teaches us how to live as useful human beings.

Excellence is a state of life. It is a state of joy and contentment. Excellence is not determined by what one has achieved in life. Rather, it is determined by the values and virtues of a person. Life is an expression of one’s character. This character is developed by every child during his childhood. It is during this formative period that Balvikas provides the perfect exposure to the good virtues that make a good person. Balvikas instills in us, the good thoughts that make us good citizens.

Balvikas training starts with shlokas, bhajans and stories. These were the first attraction to students like me towards Balvikas. In addition, to being merely interesting for us children, these stories also carried a moral with them. The Guru triggers the imagination of the young mind through stories of Krishna, Dhruva, Christ and Prophet. The stories also enable the child to understand the world around and discriminate between the good and the bad. The bhajans and shlokas not only praise the Lord in all His glory but also signify the cultural heritage of our country.

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As we grew up from being tiny toddlers, we were introduced to scriptures and rich spiritual texts like Bhagawad Geeta, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhaja Govindam to name a few. Any ten year old would instantly shy away from even a chat about any of these works but in Balvikas we learnt from them. We learnt the duties and responsibilities of an ideal man from the various characters of Ramayana. We learnt the art of facing the negativities and the courage to fight them from Mahabharata. We also came across the goal of life and the pathways to achieve it in the words of Krishna in the Geeta. Bhaja Govindam enlightens the mind and enables us to discriminate the good from the bad, the permanent from the transient.

I am certain everyone will agree with me that these teachings help each one of us day in and day out in facing different situations and different people. They guide us through our difficulties and rid us of tension, pressure and anxiety.

In this world of communal disharmony, it is in our Balvikas class, where we learn about secularism. We were taught, not just tolerance towards other religions, but also the essence of those religions. Be it the Vedas, the Bible, the Quran, the Tripitika or the Avesta they all preach the same principles and lead us onto the path of righteousness and honesty. Religion is nothing but a pathway to God and discriminating people, on the basis of religion is a meaningless thought.

The Sarva Dharma Emblem brings out this unity of religions in the most appealing and appropriate manner. Arising out of this spiritual knowledge are the five fundamental tenets of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. In this way, Balvikas training makes one a responsible citizen who treats all equally.

Balvikas also exposed us to the lives of great men. Swami led us by example. As He says- My life is My message. This message is brought to us through His books and through our Balvikas Guru. The wonderful life of great saints like Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Gautama Buddha, Mahavir Jain, inspires the little mind of the students. We find the ideal role models in men of such repute. Their lives serve as a solution to every obstacle we face in this competitive world that poses innumerable challenges, every moment.


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It is not sufficient if one has a healthy mind alone, for it is a healthy body that houses a healthy mind. In Balvikas, we also learn how to keep the body fit through yoga, meditation and silent sitting. Jyoti meditation is an effective mechanism to purify the whole body. These techniques also calm down our minds and give us the stability while taking major decisions.

Beyond the learning that we receive inside the classroom, we also experience a lot through visits to orphanages and villages which are organized by the Sathya Sai Samithi. The visits move even the strongest hearts. They bring in front of us the realities of life. It is such experiences that teach us the value of what we have got. They display the shortcomings of many others and highlight the failure of the society in addressing the needs of the deprived. These visits have the potential to transform a self-centered person to a society-oriented person. The experience of working in villages also aids us in facing new people from varied backgrounds and understands their feelings.

As Swamy says, Education is for transformation, not just information. Balvikas is the transformation of a young child into a well mannered citizen. The term Educare perfectly represents Balvikas for it is the education that is for life and not a living.

Excellence denotes the overall character and persona of a person. It is not in the quantity but in the quality of life that success lies. A successful person is he who understands the needs of others and sees joy in others’ happiness. Balvikas teaches us the essence of spirituality which guides to the path of excellence. Thus, Balvikas is indeed a Pathway to Excellence.

Jai Sai Ram


Prayer must emanate from heart, where God resides and not from head where doctrines and doubts clash.


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Balvikas – The Guiding Lamp

Mr. Rakesh V Kerala

Aum Sri Sai Ram

Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas students and alumni across the globe are some of the most fortunate beings on the earth. First, the fact that we are born as humans makes us lucky. Second, an opportunity to live as contemporaries of an Avtar makes us privileged. Third, the grace extended by God himself in handpicking us when we were budding flowers, teaching us valuable life lessons, and helping us expand ourselves, makes us blessed. Reducing this ‘love of a thousand mothers’ to a few words is an exercise in futility. But let me make an attempt to explain some very concrete benefits I have had, both as a student and an alumnus, of Balvikas.

My entry to the Sai foldMy parents were guided into the ‘Sai Way’, by late Mr P I Varghese, a pious Christian, staunch nationalist, freedom fighter and one of the earliest devotees of Bhagwan. I was around six years old at that time. He insisted that I and my elder brother should join Balvikas classes. This was the first direct incidence of Swami’s compassion in our lives. In retrospect, this was a defining moment in my life so far. Balvikas, since then, has helped me in countless ways, in all spheres of life- academic, professional, personal and spiritual.

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Balvikas helped me set my goals and priorities‘Goal setting’ is one of the most important terms in management literature these days. It is important for countries and organizations to set short term and long term goals. The same thing applies to individuals as well. Material progress (Abhyudaya) alone will not grant lasting happiness in life. It has to be achieved hand in hand with spiritual progress (Nishreyasa). Thanks to Balvikas, I am completely convinced of the existence of this dimension in life, though I must confess that my progress in spiritual dimension is minimal. The verses from Gita, Bhaja Govindam and numerous discourses of Swami which my Guru taught me at a tender age, has helped me think beyond the realm of desires on several occasions. Somewhere deep inside in my mind, Swami has planted the idea that I need to aim for lasting happiness. Knowingly or unknowingly, this continues to influence many of my decisions. This has helped me set my priorities in professional and academic life.

Values and value conflictsWe all know that one of the biggest focus areas in Balvikas is ‘Human Values’. Swami has often repeated the importance of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa in our lives. Sadly, this portion seems to be de-prioritized and often neglected in our current system of education. Balvikas plugged this gap, by instilling in me a sense of human values and its relevance to individuals and society. In life, when faced with value conflicts, these lessons come to our rescue. I have had numerous instances where I chose to trade off some of the short term benefits, in order to stick to values. Starting from trivial issues like resisting peer pressure to plagiarize project reports, to assisting in rehabilitation programmes for Tsunami affected regions a week before exams, Balvikas has given me the courage to take a firm step to tackle tough value conflicts.

Beyond booksNow let me touch upon a very interesting aspect. Balvikas classes, as explained by Swami, is about total development- including Deha Vikas (Physical development), Mano Vikas (Mental development), Buddhi Vikas (Intellectual development), Bhava Vikas (development of qualities) and Atma Vikas (Development of the spirit). This made Balvikas classes interesting and activity oriented with games, music, role plays, group activities etc. This has helped me infinitely, in balancing academic and extracurricular activities in school and college, and I used to excel at both. In my job, this helped me show better leadership and team orientation, which are greatly valued in the corporate world.


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Swami’s clarion callSwami declared unequivocally in his Divine Discourse on the 6th of June 1978: “The Balvikas is the primary basis of the great movement to restore dharma (righteousness) in the world”.

In another instance, in a letter written to Balvikas students in 1981, Swamy says:

“You have many great tasks before you. You have many duties to discharge in order to make your motherland happy and prosperous. The boys and girls of today must be the doctors, the engineers, the administrators, the farmers and the traders of tomorrow, developing and defending this vast country and bringing joy to millions of homes. India and the world have huge material resources, but your hands and hearts have to supply the will and the skill to use those resources for the good of the people. Prepare yourselves and get ready for the role.”

This, according to me, is a clarion call from Swamy to students and graduates of Balvikas. We have been blessed with countless benefits from this Programme. Today, we are more than a million in number, large enough to be called a city in itself! It’s about time we analyze how best we can utilize our potential for the tasks Swami has laid down for us. The best way we can contribute to His mission is living the ideals which He instilled in us through Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas. Let us march forward in our material, spiritual, social and personal life and at every step, remember to live His message!


Teachers are beacon lights in idealism. It is only when the light of the teachers shines effulgently that the light among students can shine. The light from a teacher can light several lamps.


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Balvikas is a Way of Life

Mr. Shreyas Pandit Madhya Pradesh

Om Sri Sai Ram

Great men say- the Indian culture has survived more than any other civilization in the world because firstly there has been a spiritual and philosophical foundation for Indian culture provided by the Vedas, Upanishads or the Vedanta and secondly there have been series of great men and women, who have articulated these truths. India has in its heart divine and spiritual avatars such as Sri Sathya Sai Baba guiding the brain- the youth, of the country and therefore spiritually educating a child at the right age was one of the long term projects of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Balvikas founded by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba himself to fulfill his divine mission of imbibing human, spiritual values in the youth of the country at a tender age, has been instrumental in making their lives a divine message and in becoming an asset not only to their family, society or nation, but for the entire world.

Balvikas was in Baba’s mission a top priority to revive the Indian values which were fast loosing the hold, due to the Western influence on the young citizens of the country.

In Balvikas, a child is groomed for nine long years imbibing the qualities such as ‘Simple living, high thinking’, ‘There is only one religion, the religion of love’, and other such humane and spiritual lessons which are not taught in schools nowadays.

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The 5 techniques used in Balvikas viz. prayer, meditation, story telling (later -satsang and reading good books), group activities (later - seva) and bhajans or group singing helped in shaping my life and career.

Balvikas taught me that spirituality does not hinder material progress and in fact is a stepping stone to better quality of life. A paisa earned by honest means is more satisfying than a million rupees earned dishonestly.

The Balvikas skits and plays developed in me the self-confidence which makes me argue fearlessly in the courtroom. The prayers have become part of my life and in difficult times, God is beside me paving the way out of my difficulties. The early hours of meditation learnt in Balvikas and practiced as a child and youth helped me attaining stability in life.

The ‘Narayan Seva’ which started as a Balvikas project work continued in seva dals made us realize- Please Man, Please God. I learnt to read good books and do good deeds. If the printed page of the book imparts information to the student, the personal example of the teacher gives life to their teaching. That is what I learnt from my Balvikas Gurus, the first ABC of my life and the ideals of Baba’s teachings.

Balvikas taught me to love God and every creature of the world; it made such a lasting impression on my young mind that I realised the whole mode of thinking and living is shaped according to a divine pattern. It gave me the freedom to think for myself and made me capable, strong and independent through every kind of exposure, I got in Balvikas.

The path chosen by us as individuals is being shaped for Excellence by Balvikas –through its teachers and teachings. I feel blessed to have received Balvikas teachings and express my gratitude to Balvikas Gurus for imbibing spiritual values in me. I can never forget the day Sri Sathya Sai Baba touched my forehead and said – “Good Boy”.

Balvikas is a Way of Life

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Balvikas Initiates Transformation

Ms. Radhika Mathur Maharashtra

Om Sri Sai Ram

Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas for me isn’t just a path to excellence, but it is equal to excellence. From the time of exposure all the way to the final product, everything is a miracle. I believe that the biggest and greatest miracles that Swami performed, every single day is that of TRANSFORMATION and that Balvikas was the beginning.

Let’s go through one session of Balvikas and realize how every act is so important and that how each act can lead us to our goal. Sunday morning, which would normally be a day to sleep- in, is not so for a Balvikas student. The student wakes up, all set to go to Balvikas, something he has been waiting for the entire week. He reaches the class well on time as instructed by the guru i.e. 10:00a.m. Sharp. This instills a sense of punctuality and discipline in him. On entering, the class a respectful ‘Sai Ram’ to the guru and his fellow Balvikas students follows. This demonstrates a sense of respect and reverence. He then sits down on the floor, cross legged. In the long run, this act would teach him humility. Next come the soothing Omkaras with a stream of shlokas to calm the mind of the student. This teaches him to be able to go within and stabilize. The Guru then narrates a story. A story from our scriptures: This highlights the magnanimity of the characters, thereby teaching the students specific qualities which must be imbibed by them.

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Therefore, the student has learnt a value. This value must be understood and practiced by the student hence forth. Additionally, patience and focusing is required to assimilate the knowledge imparted by the Guru. A spiritual based game then ensues and all the students get together and play. This interaction helps him to understand others and the oneness in all. The session would remain incomplete without a bhajan, and so the guru leads the students into a world of music and devotion through this medium). Balvikas class then comes to an end and prayers for world peace are chanted. This teaches the student to be selfless and always look for ways to serve others. The last “Sai Ram” of the day is then offered to the Guru with a sense of gratitude, for all the love, care and teaching. Vibhuti is then applied over the forehead- as a mark of tradition and as a sign of a proud Balvikas student.

These teachings continue over the week. From the moment he rises out of bed, he has something to do that reminds him of God’s presence- “Karagre vasate Lakshmi...”, then before partaking a meal – “Harirdaata..” , before going to bed – “Karacharana kritamva..” and most importantly Naamasmarana to chant the rest of the time. If practiced sincerely, these Sadhanas can keep us in tune with the Lord and make Him our true companion throughout our life. Asking Him our silly little doubts, having a shoulder to cry on, extracting confidence to do everything correct... what more can we desire for?

All the qualities highlighted above are enough to achieve excellence in any field; Give you peace of mind in any part of the world to live and to stay in tune with God and awareness all the time.

Looking at the syllabus in Balvikas – The same has been so meticulously designed by our ever loving Bhagawan that covers everything that Swami stands for and wants us to become. From group one to group three... which includes various shlokas, sarva dharma samnvaya, to seva activities. The spectrum is vast. Sayings that used to be grilled into our minds have a whole new meaning now.

Balvikas has given us the ability to stand out in a crowd; has given us the strength to believe in all the good qualities that a human being should have to be called a true one; the character of Vibhishana from the Ramayana is one such persona that each and every Balvikas child can relate to. Immense love for God having been


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instilled in our minds from the very beginning has allowed us to be different. Refraining to cheat in an exam, abstinence from alcohol and other vices, not using bad language are all part and parcel of the being of a Balvikas student. Kaliyuga has abundant forces to pull one away from the path of righteousness. Things which seem normal to many seem like an absolute ‘no-no’ for us. Vibhishana, in a similar manner had gone against his brother to stand up for what was right and moreover, for God Himself. It’s not easy for anyone to rebel in such a manner, but if you have Gods hand in it, with complete surrender, it is possible to accomplish the task.

For most people in the world today, excellence is what they would like to achieve in their professional work, among friends and colleague circle and confine their happiness to the world of fame and fortune. Little do people understand the true aim and goal in life and that with one self, excellence must be achieved in the spiritual life, a whole new dimension to comprehend? This comprehension is made easy by our very own Balvikas, a gift that has been so lovingly offered to us by our Bhagawan.

Once we gain Excellence in spirituality, life will seem a lot simpler and Excellence can be achieved in any field and in any walk of life.

Jai Sai Ram


Education should be useful to society. It should make citizens follow the path of morality and righteousness and make their lives happy.


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Every Success in Life is in His Hand

Mr. Salam Bikramjit Singh Manipur

Om Sri Sai Ram

While I was a student in the 5th Standard , I joined a Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas centre in my locality under the guidance and care of my Guru Smt. K. Bimola Devi , wife of Prof.K.N.Sharma (now a visiting Faculty of Department of Physics, SSSIHL, Vidya Giri, Puttarparthy.).

During the Balvikas classes, I was very much impressed by Baba’s instructions as narrated by my Guru, “Body is God’s gift and very precious, it should be kept as clean as possible”. On hearing this I tried my level best to obey Bhagawan’s instruction.

After thinking deeply, I decided not to indulge to bad habits like smoking, drinking, and excess eating and decided to partake balanced and satwic food. With this idea in mind and after going through some books on Martial Arts, I decided to join the school of Martial Arts which is under a very strict discipline.

After passing Class XII I took admission in a school of Martial Arts for Taekwondo in Manipur, India. With the completion of the course I participated in the 29th National Junior Taekwondo Championship at Tau-Devilal Stadium, Panchkula, Haryana and could secure a gold medal in November 2009, by the Divine Grace of Swami.

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In the following year i.e. in January 2010, I was awarded a silver medal in 29th National Senior Taekwondo Championship held at Chattisgarh.

In the same year (October 2010) I got a Bronze Medal in the 5th Commonwealth Taekwondo Championship held at J.N. Multipurpose Indoor Stadium, Chennai, India.

I have also got a Gold Medal in the 56th National School Game Taekwondo Championship 2010-11, organized by Govt. of Maharashtra

I am of the firm belief that success in my life is entirely due to Swami’s Divine Grace.

Jai Sai Ram

Every Success in Life is in His Hand

Education should inculcate in students the spirit of self-reliance and self-confidence. The first thing in life is self-reliance, the second is self-confidence, the third is self-sacrifice, fourth self-realization. With self realization life finds fulfillment.


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Balvikas - A Unique Learning Experience

Mr. Sanjeev Hingorani New Delhi

“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character.

If there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home.

If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nations.

When there is order in the nations, there will peace in the world.”

- Sri Sathya Sai BabaTo attain this peace within oneself and in this world, one has to inculcate righteousness in the heart right from childhood. Vikas means blooming of the flower. Balvikas means the blossoming of a child’s personality with human values and overall personality development.

I was fortunate to have been a Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas student since 1971. Balvikas is a unique learning experience that helped me mobilise my assets to achieve excellence…Excellence in terms of right attitude, discrimination and love all serve all. It helped me shape my inner personality.

Just as a gadget needs an instructions manual, the inner working of the human personality requires a handbook to use this instrument called Body. I was

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fortunate enough to get the manual in the form of my Balvikas classes and the values I learnt. Balvikas helped me to step forward and tread in this path of excellence.

Childhood:My association with Swami started when I was 5 years old and my father joined the Sai organization in 1971. My late father was a great soul, always in search of Who am I? He joined Yogoda Society, then Aurobindo society, met and also followed so many self realized souls but did not get what he was searching for. It was only when he came in Sai Fold that he started getting answers to what he was looking for and remained with Sai till the end of his life.

I joined Balvikas, or rather my father took me to Balvikas class in 1971 and continued to attend the classes till I got my Sai Diploma from Swami when I was 15 years old. I feel that Swami is always with me and keeps on guiding me whenever I need his help. I passed my graduation and chartered accountancy exams and Law exams without much effort.

No drinking, no smoking and vegetarian food were all followed knowing the essence but not being thrusted upon. These values have greatly helped me in bringing in fortitude, forbearance and patience in my life. I still sing the slokas and bhajans that I learned during my Balvikas period and whenever I am in stress, those bhajans that I learned help me to come out of it very quickly.

Later stage in life: It is not that Swami has given me a very comfortable and cozy life.

My family members and I have had our share of health related issues but Swami has given us the strength to go through the pain with equanimity and come out of it as winners.

Pathway to excellence:In my life Balvikas helped me to shape up

• Personal goal of life


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• Professional goal of life

• Spiritual goal of life.

I could know where I am treading and in which direction, I am going.

According to me, this is the greatest gift which Balvikas has bestowed upon me for I can pursue my goals in life with clarity and purpose.

Even if we follow one or two teachings of Swami – that is enough – for then we can, in right earnest be called his true instruments. As Swami used to say in his last years of the mortal body – Your life is my message. We have to lead our daily life as per the principles given by Him and leave the rest to Him.

If we do our part, He will do his part by protecting us forever, in every circumstance. There is no doubt about this in my mind.

Swami has time and again said:

‘Love All – Serve All’

‘Help Ever – Hurt Never’

I am 46 years old now and it has been more than 30 years since I left Balvikas. But the human values that I learnt during my 9 years of Balvikas have stood me in good stead. I always try to follow just one saying of Swami – ‘Help Ever – Hurt Never’.

I am not saying that I never hurt anyone. Being human, I must have hurt many unintentionally – but I always make a conscious effort all the time to speak obligingly, even if I cannot oblige and every night, I assess myself and see if I have hurt anyone during the day. If I have, then I make sure not to repeat the same mistake again. I also make effort, everyday to lend a helping hand to anyone who comes to seek my help. I do it unconditionally and without any strings attached.


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Every single moment slips into annals of history, which we carve with our thoughts, words and deeds. Balvikas has helped me in carving a purposeful life with contentment and satisfaction…which according to me is my pathway to excellence.

Jai Sai Ram

Balvikas A Unique Learning Experience

Every child in Balvikas should cultivate fear of doing wrong, have humility before elders, teachers and parents; and imbibe faith in God, in thier own strength and in their victory.

All education, all wealth, all ritualistic worship or penances are of no value without genuine devotion to God. Devotion can elevate the lowly to the highest level. Without faith in God, even an eminent person gets degraded.


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Balvikas – A Powerful Weapon to Transform the World

Dr. J. P. Dash Odisha

If Education is the most powerful instrument to change the world, Holistic Value Education in the formative years is the most powerful weapon to transform the world. The Divine mother has devised Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas to turn all events to Her children’s advantage, right from their formative years and thereby bring about a spiritual evolution. Holistic Value Education or Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas envisages character building, man making, imbibing values and love for God and Nation Building.

It targets Excellence through three pillars: Excellence through Academics by reducing distraction and improving concentration; Environmental Excellence by creating a pleasing surrounding by prayer and Seva; Human Excellence by practicing the five cardinal values of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-Violence.

Sri Sathay Sai Balvikas has built new world leaders silently, who lead by example and whose lives are an inspiration for others just like Swami Himself.

I was fortunate to be born in a family of Sai devotees, where Sai is considered to be Head of the family & the listener of every conversation. Once at Bhadrak, all of us were sitting for prayer in the evening. Our parents were out for a Bhajan. We just finished the Bhajan ‘Aaoo Sai aaoo”. We could smell the fragrance of His

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Presence. His manifestation of vibhuti was there on the walls and photos. We knew Swami is there with us always. Only when our heart is open, we are able to feel him and visualise him.

When I finished my college, I found myself selected to Engineering at Burla. Once, one of my classmates met with a severe bus accident while crossing the road. He was admitted to Burla Medical College in coma condition. Many of my friends came forward to help my injured friend. As he continued to remain in hospital for more than a fortnight, many evenings, nights were spent in the hospital. The class tests were just around. I just appeared the tests without much preparation. When the result came, it was a great surprise for me in that semester. A new record was created. In all the three class tests, in all the five subjects, I had scored 10 out of 10. That made 100 out of 100. I could not believe. When you do His work of Seva, he certainly takes care of everything else.

I started my professional career as an Engineer with NALCO. I was posted in the Power Plant. Normally, in a shift, we have to go to the Boiler site for physical inspection. One day, I was just coming down the grill steps at a height of more than 50 mtr. My shoes were struck and I lost the balance. I kept rolling down the steps till after some 20-30 steps I stopped. I was lucky that I did not fall out on either side. My legs were swollen beyond recognition. However, when God is there with you, He ensures that your trouble is limited and lessens which you can bear. The doctors diagnosed it as a simple ligament damage which recovered after 3 weeks of plaster. I knew that God is my Savior and my Protector. Swami is the friend, philosopher and guide of the lives.

During my assignment as Director in National Academy of Defence production, I introduced Seva for our young officers. Instead of just burning crackers on Diwali Day, we thought we could share our joy with the residents of a nearby home for aged. The purpose was to bring a smile on the lips of these senior citizens. They were all invited. We arranged escorting of the old people through volunteers. They were elated, as they were walking through the Defence Zone, which is a prohibited area for many. Our Sports Club volunteers arranged several competitions. Our Cultural Club volunteers staged a short script in their honour. Now, the residents of the Home for aged also came forth to the stage showing their talents in singing, jokes etc. They were served food by our hand rather than


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through mess-boys. Crackers were also not missed out. Each of the student officers had donated some money. Now there was a lucky draw session, in which every guest would pick up a number and get a special gift. The inmates of the home for the aged were overwhelmed with the hospitality and blessed us. A new tradition in the institution was created after which it became an annual feature.

The mantra of the Upanishad says, charaiveti charaivate charan vai madhu vindate states “Move, proceed. Through your constant effort, you will taste life’s sweetness.” Today, when in retrospect, I see, well, I have achieved more as compared to my capability. It is the Grace of Sai that has helped me reach the pinnacles of success. I have in my small way tried to spread His love through my dedicated service to the Nation through building defense preparedness and inspiring people to lead by doing the right thing without fear. By Grace of my Lord, I have set new land-marks of excellence in professional career too.

If my life could be regarded as a ship, then Sai is undoubtedly the captain of that ship. He is the spark in my life. He is the beacon light. He is the veritable master in my life. He is my dear Lord Sathya Sai. Let us pray together so that we consciously realize His presence within and everywhere through small acts of love, which has the power to change the world.

Jai Sai Ram


Service is worship. Each act of service is a flower placed at the feet of the Lord; if that act is tainted with ego, it is as if the flower is infested with insects.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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Balvikas – Blossoms Human Excellence

Mr. Puneet Gupta Punjab

Brothers & Sisters, we are living in a world where there is predominance of negative values which are not conducive, to live a life of happiness and harm any. You only have to open the newspaper in the morning to validate this!

The very first thing we are taught in our early childhood is the word ‘No’. Then as we grow up and become aware of our surroundings, we are taught ‘How to lie’. And by the time we reach adulthood, we all learn how to behave in society while wearing a mask. Our thoughts, words and deeds do not match one another.

Swami had said, “You find only ‘pieces’, but no peace in this world.” How true and apt are His words.

So, what is the solution?

How do we change the value system adopted by the society around us?

And more importantly which is that path through which we can achieve self-excellence & at the same time bring about a positive change in the society around us?

Swami gives the solution succinctly:Start Early...Drive Slowly...Reach Safely!

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In 1947, Bhagawan declared that His Sanathana Dharma rests on four pillars – Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema. These are the Four Primordial Principles of Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas Programme, which He launched in 1969.

Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas was founded to mould the rising generation into self-confident, self-reliant and Atma-conscious people. In short, help them to grow into worthy citizens to serve the world; identifying the divinity present in all. It’s a system aiming at the Blossoming of Human Excellence within each and every child.

In Swami’s own words:

“Balvikas is the primary basis of the great movement to restore Dharma in the world.”

In another instance, in a letter written to Balvikas students in 1981, Swamy said:

“Guide the children in the spiritual path, through simple and moral living; Install in the young minds, the importance of duty, devotion and discipline; Help them to understand the five human values, so that they can practice these in their daily lives; Guide them to Love all and Serve all. In short, help them grow into worthy citizens to serve the world; identifying the divinity present in all. Education must aim at providing the child not livelihood, but, a life worth living. The promotion of human values must become an integral part of the educational process.”

The ultimate aim of Balvikas is to let the child realize that Divinity dwells in him. And see that same Divinity in the world around him.

In my travels around India and abroad, I have seen many examples of Swami’s vision of restoring Dharma in the world through Balvikas.

One of them was in a small village near Kakadbitta, on the Indo-Nepal border, where there were no basic facilities which we take for granted in cities, where the children wear second hand clothes because their parents cannot afford new ones, where there was no electricity, no computers, where the village had more anti-social people than social ones. I was amazed to see Swami’s picture in a makeshift


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open-shed serving as a temple & His Balvikas students singing bhajans, discussing Balvikas stories. They would wake up in the morning do bhajans and study. Their very presence was bringing about a change in the society around them. The fathers & uncles had stopped drinking on daily basis. The mothers and aunts were getting along splendidly and would even do community cooking together for special occasions, where in earlier days there were fights and arguments on daily basis.

Swami’s Balvikas brings about changes not only in places we would never visit or hear about in our life but also in cities where we live. I know a Balvikas student in Puttaparthi, (A.P), who as a young slim boy used to wash & press my white shirts and trousers near Chittravati river. He had only two desires i.e. to follow Swami’s teachings and to make his parents life comfortable, at that they lived in a 6ft by 10ft single room and their only source of income was ironing and washing clothes. Today, he is a permanent employee of HDFC Bank & earning more than 3.6 Lacs per annum. Recently he invited us to his wedding at Puttaparthi. He personifies Swami’s vision of moulding children into self-confident, self-reliant and Atma-conscious people.

As Swami had said:

“The end of education is character. The end of knowledge is Love.”

We, as human beings are not islands but connected with everyone around us. If we can bring about the change in our selves, we bring about a change in people around us.

Thus, I can say it with confidence that Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas provides us the path to achieve self-excellence & at the same time bring about a positive change in the society around us. Verily, it is the Path of Excellence.


You have to make your knowledge available to others. This is the purpose of education. Remember God, Love the nation and experience bliss. This should be your aim.


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Balvikas Leads to Lokvikas

Dr. Disha Gupta Rajasthan

“If God had a refrigerator your picture, would be stuck on it, if He had a wallet- your photo, would be in it!” Smiling! Are you not? Yes, yes, this is the way, we, humans express our gratitude to Him but we forget to peep into our heart where God resides and in fact, that is the closest place from where He can watch our every thought, word and deed. He cautions us before any evil can befall us but we are so much enamored by the world that only a lucky few listen to His soft, loving warnings. Majority of the people awaken only when a big jolt shakes them topsy-turvy----- Then, the real search for God begins. Yet, it is not for His love but to save them from the eminent danger or fear which has enmeshed them. Lots of good days of life have been wasted by this time.

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gave us this unique Balvikas Programme which introduces the children in the very early stage of their life with the belief that “you are born as human being so that you may not be born again.” Step by step, a Balvikas student learns from his parents and Balvikas Guru, that we belong to God’s family, therefore we must abide by the principles of goodness and make our lives good and sublime. Our role model is Bhagawan Baba and we must not become just like Him but He Himself.

My own experience reveals that very soon in life, I had tied the bond of friendship with God that gave me extraordinary confidence and strength to live freely

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without fear. Every child is the apple of the eye for his/her parents. Some of them blinded by fondness for the child are happy even when the child is misbehaving .These are the Dhrithrasthras about whom we can say for certain, that majority of our wavered youth today are due to these wrong parents. The parents of Balvikas children know the optimal limit of loving and spoiling. The Balvikas child is administered the dose of human values in sweet homeopathic pills in the form of stories in these unpolluted fresh brains. Hence, the desire to be good becomes the first priority of life.

I remember, as a young girl how I tried to please my parents, to help them in every manner possible. I maintained peace with my younger brother and shared all my playthings with him. Oh! What a joy it was to live in a happy, loving and peaceful family.

My parents adhered to the principle of “the family which dines together and prays together, stays together”. I felt very proud when I repeated before my parents , the shlokas and Bhajans learnt by me in Balvikas and I even tried to teach them. I became the teacher and they were my students. In this reverse role also, I was very happy.

I completed nine years of Balvikas and also my high school classes were coming to an end. I was standing on the cross roads of life choosing a profession. It was my dream to become a doctor. My coaching for medical entrance was going on in full swing. Every morning, I would wake up fresh and repeat “Karagre vasate Laxmi…” My day started earnestly and honestly studying hard, but by the evening with a tired mind and body ,my hopes would also be at the lowest ebb –will I be selected or not ?-- On the see - saw of hope and fear , I would go to sleep. Sometimes in the middle of night, I would get up suddenly sweating and frightened, but I always found my dear mother near me, caressing me gently, this would soothe me and thanking God for these loving parents I would go to sleep again.

“Twameva Mata Cha Pita Twameva…” I saw God in my mother and father.

My father is in Central Government service and is frequently transferred and he also remains on tour and my mother has to be stationed at Kota due to the


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education of self and brother. It was during my father’s absence, that I specially felt the pangs of loneliness. It is now that I understand why we were made to visit orphanage and old homes during my Balvikas days- only to realize the wealth of a family life and to thank God for giving us His Angels .

Further, in our Balvikas classes, we were taught that we must “love all and serve all” All- included the whole universe not only human beings but the birds, animals and the plants too. For the first time in my life, as a Doctor, I understand the pain and sorrows of others, and decided that I will help and assuage the pain of others. I am still very immature, but I can empathize with others only because in Balvikas classes –the essence of all spiritual knowledge had been poured into my little mind and it had expanded with a strong desire for “Lok Vikas”. Now the time has come, when all the class room lessons have to be put into practice in real life.

I had appeared for Pre- medical entrance test and was anxiously waiting for the result. The day arrived ---Lo! A horror for me I had been declared unsuccessful, failed. This happened to me for the first time in my life. I was totally shattered, not able to understand where I was lacking? I was angry with my dearest friend God. He did not help me, no… I will not appear in the exam again. You can easily visualize the sequence of events on such occasions. Ultimately, my parents brought me back to the right thinking way—for as the poet Annie Johnson Flint writes:

“God has not promised the sky always blue,

flower strewn pathways all our lives through.

God has not promised to the sun without rain,

joy without sorrow and peace without pain.

BUT God has promised strength for the day

Rest for the labour, and light for the way,


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Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Love …the strengthening power of love

Soothing power of love.”

One can understand this soothing, strengthening power of love only when one is going through an uncertain wavering unhappy and painful phase of life. So ultimately, I forgave my friend God and returned to my normal way of life. Once again preparing for the medical college, I totally surrendered to the Will of God and remained cool and calm.

This time I was selected but for the Dental Surgery Course. I accepted it as God’s decision happily and completed my PG diploma course. During my studying days, I committed mistakes owing to immaturity but my Lord saved me at all times.

The most happy moment of my life is when a patient who comes to me crying/weeping and leaves my room happily and smiling. I agreed that my sphere is limited to ‘only white sheep on a red hill’. Yet I know that opportunities of rendering service are unlimited. I am taken aghast when I see how dental care has been neglected in our country. Prior to becoming a Dentist, I hardly noticed this but now my anxious eyes focus only on the neglected set of teeth in the group of people or children playing in the street. Hence, I know I can serve many a poor patient!

In my Balvikas classes, I was taught to be careful about the company we keep. Even now when I am out of the college, I strictly adhere to this rule and hence no unwanted event has taken place in my life. Principles like 5 Ds and 3 H’s are my protecting shield in all climes. “Work is worship”, “Duty is God”, “Like what you have to do” have always saved me from unnecessary ponderings, thoughtless wondering and wandering. I always live in the present, for Swami’s forceful words, keep echoing in my mind “Whatever you do or you think you can do, do it now.”


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I am surprised by the fact that all difficult problems are solved and my dear Lord has given me a profession which not only fulfills my material needs but is also intertwined in my spiritual life. Last but not the least, God has put a divine urn within every person, Balvikas is that duct which lets the Divine nectar flow into the secret recesses of life, purifying the person and making him/her more sublime. The only desire which I have first and foremost is “Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavantu”.

Aum Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi


Prayers without sincerity are like letters without stamps.

Prayers without devotion are like letters without addresses.

Prayers with sincerity, devotion and yearning are like telegrams.


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Balvikas Promotes Excellence

Ms. M. Soundariya Preetha Tamilnadu

Aum Sri Sai Ram

It was my parent’s decision to introduce me, early in life, to Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas, in order that their daughter learnt “good values” and blossoms as an individual.

My early memories of Balvikas are a lots of fun and play- - the fun of arriving a few minutes early before the “shloka class” commenced and waiting with a simple notebook that had the shlokas and bhajans handwritten by my guru; circumambulating the ‘Ganesha’ around a peepal tree with friends mainly to while away time; traveling on a moped with my Guru and at least half a dozen more children to visit each parent after the class; going to the circus with the entire group, and so on. Looking back, I realize now that the fun element in early Balvikas ensured I was a committed Balvikas student.

The nine years of Balvikas have also ensured that priceless human values have percolated into my life naturally, without any conscious effort on my part. Punctuality, team spirit and mutual co-operation, boldness, the humility to learn new things from those who were proficient, detachment and the ability to let go and accept some of the deprivations of life as God’s will, all these and many more came to me as blessings from Balvikas.

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It is clear to me now, that shlokas, bhajans, and stories in Balvikas classes are not merely a routine repetition or a boring academic exercise, but a potent method to instill in young minds the values of life. These seemingly ordinary techniques instill in the young minds extra-ordinary virtues and qualities.

Many parents may disregard the importance of Balvikas classes perceiving them to be just another one of the many classes that the child attends. But, truly what makes the difference here is the Guru’s love and care for the child – similar to how Bhagawan takes care of every student in His institutions individually. The love and selfless care shown by the Guru for the Balvikas student blossoms open the persona of the student and exposes him to the true meaning of spirituality. This is something unique to Balvikas.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Guru’s holding of the students’ hand is symbolic of the care, confidence and security that the Balvikas system inspires in the child. The system of Balvikas ensures that the child grows in an environment that nurtures a life of values, promotes excellence and perfection in life.

Competitions and examinations in Balvikas inspire the students to excel and also teach him to accept both success and failure with equanimity, and to continue aspiring without losing sight of the larger goal.

A lot of incidents connected to Balvikas are fresh in my mind that have inspired and taught me.

When we traveled to different cities, frequently, for the Balvikas competitions, one of my friends would wake up early morning not only to complete her daily chores but also to ensure that her guru does not have to wait in the long lines. I was impressed with her sense of dedication and concern for the Guru.

Once, when a group of boys in Balvikas made a ply board model of the local Mandir as a project, they were encouraged to work together and think of every small detail to make it flawless and realistic. Later when Bhagawan visited Coimbatore, the students got the priceless opportunity to stand on either side of the pathway to welcome Him with flowers. Though they had to wait for long


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hours for Swami to arrive, the students joyfully engaged themselves in bhajans, stories and small service activities. They thus ensured that their enthusiasm and spirit remained high till Swami came.

Though seemingly a small matter, this clearly showed the strong positive impact of to on these young minds who displayed great maturity, responsibility, patience, positive thought and alertness while waiting for Swami!

It is almost two decades since I last attended these wonderful sessions as a student. Now I am a Balvikas Guru; while managing the young children in a Balvikas class, my learning and growing continues. The young children, through their keen observation, help me to increase my patience and propel my efforts towards perfection.

I am eternally grateful to Bhagawan for introducing this concept of Balvikas and pulling me into this wonderful institution.

Indeed Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas has been a pathway towards my excellence.


The signs of a true Guru are large heartedness, absolute selflessness, purity in living, freedom from acquisitiveness, absence of envy, and equal mindedness in his conduct towards everyone. Freedom from envy is an essential quality in a Guru or shishya, because envy is the root cause of many evils.


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Balvikas is Foundation for Spirituality

Mr. Sanjay Kumar Uttar Pradesh

Quality schooling or Excellence in education is no more a choice or a short romantic tryst. It is a necessity for every student and an obligation for the state, schools and the society as a whole. For, quality education excellence in education is the birth right of every child born on this earth.

Schools have processes and products. Schools pass outs are the products developed through a series of educative processes. Quality concerns in education are in nurturing physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual aspects of individual students. Excellences in education can no more be equated with performance of students in examination. That, at best, is an indication of nurturing of the intellectual plane of life. The emphasis on intellectual development alone produces the robotic domain, but fails to develop the human aspect of life. Education in the non-cognitive domain is equally important without which life grows into an enigma with lot of stress and strain. Peace, joy and happiness visit as rare bird guests.

To transform the world from its present state, there is no need for a new social system or a new religion or a creed. What is essential is a body of men and women with sacred ideals. When there are such godly souls the country will enjoy divine dispensation. But such godly persons can survive only in a society in which there is purity of mind and good character. For these two to blossom,

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the basis is morality. But morality cannot flourish without ‘spirituality’. Hence the mansion of the good society is to be built on the foundation of ‘spirituality’, the pillars of purity and character with morality as roof.

There is a piece of burning charcoal. If you take proper care of it, it will keep burning, but if you neglect it, it will soon get covered by with ashes. In the heart of every human being, there is the fire of wisdom (Gyan - Agni). That fire signifies a pure heart. Today we are not able to see that fire because the heart is enveloped by the ash of worldly desires. When the ash is blown away, the fire will be visible. Men tend to forget the noble and ideal sentiments in their hearts because they are covered by worldly material and sensual desires.

‘Bal’ means ‘child’ and ‘Vikas’ means ‘blossoming’. That is to say, blossoming of childs’ consciousness. Sri Sathya Sai SevaOrganization holds such classes weekly normally outside the school hours, for the children to guide and inspire them to be the best leaders of tomorrow.

Explaining the significance of Balvikas, Swami has pointed out:

“The child from a very early stage is made to appreciate the importance of values which are the basis of good character and happiness and joy in life, so that as a grown up individual he becomes aware of the Divinity inherent in him and become a useful member of the society and citizen of the country.”

Through diverse means the children are taught Bhaya, Vinaya and Vishwasa, fear, humility and faith. Fear of doing wrong, of falling into falsehood. Humility before elders, teachers, parents and faith in God, is one’s own strength and victory which when put together take us to the path of excellence.

Every student must become a light unto himself and a light for his home, his city, and his nation.


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Balvikas is the Beacon of Light

Mr. Balasai Lahiri, West Bengal

“Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas”…I hardly knew what it meant when I was enrolled to the Balvikas class. Born in a Sai family and also being named by Bhagawan himself, I am involved with the organization right from infancy. I tried to learn the slokas and the mantras and the values taught by my Balvikas gurus just as any other school lessons. I neither understood their significance nor their impact on my behaviour and future life.

As years started rolling by and I grew up, at the tender age of 7 years, I started realising the sanctity of the values taught. The impart of the lessons of the Balvikas classes was that our parents are in fact the embodiment of God and we should accordingly revere and respect them. Then the Divine dictums “Do good, see good, be good “ and “Help ever - hurt never” started impacting my personality, albeit slowly. I do not have any hesitation to admit that I wasn’t that perfect that I could practice all the values. As a result, among friends, relatives and acquaintances, I gradually came to be known and recognised as a boy attuned to the values taught in Balvikas. Beyond any shadow of doubt, it is only due to value education in Balvikas that I have learnt to think beyond the frontiers of my own selfish personal interests.

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I have quoted a couple of incidents below to support my beliefs.

• When I was in class 8, one day I saw an appeal in a Newsletter for students from a parent of a child of 5 years. The child was suffering from cancer and they did not have the required funds for continuing his treatment. My younger brother (who is also a Balvikas student) and I decided to do something for the child. We discussed the matter with our parents and they extended their full support. We visited the child’s house and found the appeal was quite genuine. The parents of the child told us about their monthly financial requirement for the child’s treatment. We approached some like minded persons (including our parents) and told them about this and asked them if they would support the cause by contributing a certain fixed amount monthly for the child’s treatment. They readily agreed. After three years of continuous treatment, by Swami’s Grace, the child was cured and is absolutely fine today.

• On another occasion, my friends decided to go for a movie bunking school. I did not go because then I had to lie to my parents.

• Meditation taught in the Balvikas class has improved my concentration, which in turn has helped me in academics. It has also taught me how to select my friends and be in good company so that I never fall prey to vices.

• Recently, after my class 12 exams, my friends had a sleep over party at one of our friend’s place. After having our dinner, some of my friends thought of drinking liquor. I was not aware that they had made arrangements for that earlier. Two of us refused to drink, the rest started drinking. After a little persuasion, my friend could not resist himself and he also started drinking. Despite of my friends offering me a glass of drink quite a number of times, I was firm and stuck to my guns. One of my friends told me later, “My respect for you has increased manifold today.” Even my self confidence got a boost that day.

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In the current scenario, the whole academic situation is fraught with distorted perspectives and pernicious values which instead of guiding the students towards the correct objectives and the goals of life, i.e., developing selfless personalities for the benefit of and welfare of the entire society and the humanity, in general, and not solely for their individual selfish ends.

In the circumstance, Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas Education alone can prove to be the beacon light at the end of dark tunnel of life. In essence, Balvikas lays down in clear terms the golden rules to be followed and cultivated to bring out the potential excellence that lie hidden in the character of children.

I am immensely thankful to Swami and my parents for giving me the opportunity to be part of Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas. I pray to Swami to help and guide me to live up to His expectations and make me one of his valuable instruments throughout my life.

Jai Sai Ram

Once you claim you are a devotee, have the conviction that you are under My protective wings. You do not have to bother about anything. The japa , tapa , namasmarana, etc., you do are the duties you perform as a member of th household. If you fix a price tag on that, no doubt I will pay what you want. But our relation ends there.

- Sri athya Sai Baba

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Notes

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