In plain words
We are increasing our cleverness. Along with cleverness we must set our character right as well. Not study alone; we must develop character too. Mere book knowledge, that is, learning from books, is of no use. Today's book knowledge is tomorrow's knowledge, and after that, allergy! So not book knowledge: it is divine energy, that is, strength, that we must develop. We must join Matter and Energy, both of them, into one, as negative and positive. The standard of students is gradually falling. The government is giving out a free licence that whoever gets 25 or 30 per cent of the marks has passed. What is the inner meaning of this? If one thinks 30 marks out of a hundred enough, does it not mean that the other 70 marks are not needed? It is as if to say that of a hundred tasks it is enough to do 70 wrong and 30 right. If he makes 70 mistakes in a hundred as a student, he will make a hundred in a hundred when he is in a job. One should look upward. To look downward and set oneself a petty aim is, in a way, a crime. This is not the right way. If one sets the aim of earning 80 or 90 marks out of a hundred, one may get 60 or 70. If one thinks thirty is enough, fifteen or sixteen will come, will they not? In this they are adopting still more novel methods. Some grace marks from the Education Minister, some grace marks from the Chief Minister, some grace marks from the Secretary of the Education Department: if everything comes as grace marks like this, what is it that this fellow studies? The uplift of the country will not come about through studies of this kind. One must study with hard work and raise up the country. Bhārata is a sacred land of karma, a land of sacrifice, a land of yoga. Today's system of education is turning it into a land of indulgence. By that it is taking shape as a land of disease. It is enough if ten students can achieve progress in the right way. What is needed is the standard. Number is not needed. Keeping this truth in view, we must develop the students. Only then will our country take its seat as teacher to all the countries.