Cultivation of Love is the Greatest need

22 November 1985, Convocation - 4, Prasanthi Nilayam

Professor Kasturi's English.

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. . . . (The one word is . is rooted in Truth. Truth is the heart of speech. Truth is all).

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Embodiments of Love! Truth is the beautiful mansion of God. is firmly established in Truth. The which represent and (Knowledge and the Higher Wisdom) are the embodiments of Truth. Those who seek to achieve higher stages in life must follow the injunctions of Truth.

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The nine gems to be cherished Truth, charity, penance, sacrifice, friendliness, purity, straightforwardness, service to the and study are the nine gems which every seeker of knowledge has to cherish. , , and are to be found in the state in which Truth and goodness prevail. The basic Truth is one, but the sages have called it by many names. The ideal man is one who adheres to Truth and does not give it up in any circumstance. He lives the true life. Truth does not exist for the sake of any one person. It transcends the limitation of time, place and personalises. It is the life-breath for all counties, for all people, at all times. The grand sire of humanity, the great , after deep enquiry, analysis and experience, gave this as his boon to mankind: "." (Speak the truth, speak what is pleasing. But never speak truth that is unpleasant). You should not utter an untruth because it may be pleasing. Nor should you utter truth which is unpleasant. This great advice was given by to mankind.

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Knowledge does not mean book-lore Man can make genuine progress only when the idea that education is for earning a living is given up. The link between education and jobs should be totally snapped. Education should be for life, not for a living. Only one who realises this truth is a truly educated person. From ancient times this truth had been recognised by the sages of , who preserved the nation's cultural heritage. Knowledge does not mean mere book-lore. It is not the transference of the contents of books to the brain.

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Great sages like , , , , and were among the who achieved the distinction because of their spiritual greatness. Do we have such sages today? It cannot be said that the accomplishments of modern science are not prodigious. There is no question about the necessity of scientific knowledge. But it must be realised that it is necessary as much to develop our sense of discrimination for the proper use of science pari passu with the development of scientific knowledge. It is because this discrimination has been lacking in the use of science we find that the world is facing many dangers and difficulties.

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Heisenberg, a great philosopher, after studying various sciences, embarked on an investigation of the link between the physical sciences and spirituality. He discovered the great secrets contained in the . He observed, "Master the mind: be a mastermind." Another great scientist, Schroedinger, found that science and spirituality were integrally connected and that in fact spirituality was the basis for science. He also noted that the growth of science had led to a multiplication of wants, which brought about a weakening of man's will and intelligence. He declared: "More desires, more despair."

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To help others is meritorious There was another great thinker, named Dirac. He sought to know the connection between science and spirituality. He tried to discover the one entry underlying all things in creation and conducted experiments for this purpose. He found the truth to consist in the statement: "Love ever; hurt never." Dirac's conclusion is nothing but an echo of Sage 's pregnant pronouncement, after completing his works of the 18 : "To help others is meritorious; to hurt others is sinful."

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Such seers of the truth are not absent in the world of science. These great scientists, who have examined, explored and declared the truth, are akin to the ancient (Seven Sages). Newton declared that the universe is a manifestation of God and everything revolves through the power of God. Fritzof Capra, at the present day, has explored the link between the atom and vibrations in nature. In ancient times, declared that the universe emanated from the vibrations of the sound. 'Sita' and all things in creation - living and non-living - were the outcome of these vibrations.

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Ideal children of ancient India Here is an episode from the . Once, when his wife, , was enceinte, , not knowing that the child she was bearing was the future hero , began telling her all about war-fare and the , an intricate type of military formation, came in at that time and pointed out to that the child was carting was being influenced by what he was telling her. It is an ancient practice in to relate to pregnant women stories about heroes and saints so that the child in the womb may be influenced by the vibrations produced by such sublime stories and the thoughts produced in the mother. The ancient knew this truth. No wonder that the children born under such conditions had noble nature and heroic virtues. It was a common practice to relate stories of exemplary children like , and . They provided the inspiration and ideals for the children of those days.

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What told might have been dismissed as meaningless previously. But today, scientists in the West are realising that what was said in the is true. The Institute of Child Health and Human Development, attached to the Carolina University in America, has been conducting experiments on the factors influencing development of children. An eminent scientist in this Institute, Anthony Casper after various experiments, came to the conclusion that what had said was true, though our ill-equipped minds cannot fully understand the profound truth underlying 's statement. Anthony Casper announced his findings on 3rd January 1984 at a conference of scientists. Caper's experiments showed that the food taken by the pregnant mother, the thoughts she had and the words she listened to had their impact on the child she was carrying.

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The cultivation of love is the greatest need today. This vast gathering is a manifestation of love in action. Here are assembled of people. Were any invitations sent to them? They have come out of love of and for . There is no use in acquiring all kinds of knowledge and performing of and mediation if there is no love in the heart. It is love alone which can save the world. Students, teachers and lovers of education! I wish that in your attempt to perfect the system of education you provide for love, and moral values, for these alone can take the country forward and enable it to regain its past glory.