In plain words
Today, the moment our learning grows, we keep being proud that ‘I am a greatly learned man’. That is a great mistake. How far does our study go? Mathematics, after it Physics, then Chemistry, then Biology: with this much itself our study comes to a stop. But we do not go as far as Theology. We must attain that divinity. So we go merely from matter to tree. From tree we go as far as man, and there we bring life to a stop. From there we must set out to reach divinity. That alone is real learning. To portray man as man is no greatness. We must develop man into an ideal man, into a noble man. Today we have achieved many theories. Through much research we have come to know things of many kinds. We have become great scientists. But how many human values have you earned? How much humanness have you safeguarded? This question has no answer. We must earn the answer to it. To nourish human values is the true meaning of real humanness.
So today, in educational institutions, we must without fail set human values as a special subject, so that we may develop them. It is only because this Human value is lacking that all the educated men of today are behaving like nothing but demons. So a life without meaning is wholly wasted. We must make the effort to recognise the divinity that is in humanness.
Today many vice-chancellors have gathered here. When all of them too nurture this resolve well and with a good heart, we shall indeed have developed it to the full. My intention is this: there are a great many men of great learning in our Bhārata. All such men must come together and start a Society to nurture, at least in some measure, this ideal humanness. This institution must be free of any connection with the Government. When it is connected with the Government, our feelings, our intentions and our aims cannot bear fruit at all. The educational institutions themselves must be one special Society. Only then can we develop this aim well. So this must take shape as a special, independent institution. Only when it is done this way will there be the chance for us to put our aims, our principles and our purity into practice to the full and to spread them. The learned have very great ideas. But they have had no freedom. We must give them enough freedom. All these vice-chancellors too must ask for such freedom. They are giving only Responsibility, but they are not giving Rights. Only when both these, Rights and Responsibilities, are there do the two remain, like light and shadow. Where Light is, there shadow is.