To the Students

December 1966

Professor Kasturi's English.

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The message of Education is incomplete and even ineffective if the educated have not known the Reality or at least the means of knowing it. The only means of knowing it is to cleanse the intelligence of delusion and deluding prejudices. To cleanse the intelligence, virtue has to be practised, along with reverence, humility and detachment. Reverence has to begin with the parents and elders and teachers. Revere them, be humble before their longer experience and deeper love. Know what (virtue), is and follow it strictly. That is the message of (eternal religion), which is the precious gem in the necklace of (mother India). Now, you are casting off that gem and priding yourself on the plastic tinsel that you have put in its place! Years ago, the copy books in primary schools had the lines, '"" "", introducing the children to the glory of the Name of the Lord and the Brahmic substratum of all creation. Now, they are taught to sing, "Ding dong bell, pussy is in the well" or, "Ba, Ba, Black sheep, have you any wool?" reducing them to the level of sheep or pussies. The sense of human dignity is destroyed by this tinsel type of education.

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The tree of life is dried up if the roots are eaten up by greed or envy or hate. Education must train children to love, to co-operate, to be brave in the cause of truth, to be helpful, to be sympathetic and to be grateful. The training must be supplemented by the conduct of the teachers, the parents, and the elders. There is no use teaching the children one thing and holding out examples of the opposite before them. When sought and weeping, told him of the death of their father, told him, "! You do not follow the disciplines taught by . That is why you are weeping now." makes you brave and calm.