From Knowledge To Wisdom

22 May 1992, Summer Course 1992, Brindavan

Published English.

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Not one in a hundred among today's students Cares to study the prescribed texts. They are anxious only to secure a pass Modern education has become a farce. (Education confers humility). Humility does not mean merely an external show of respect. The true meaning of humility is the absence of a feeling of and (egoism and the pride of possession). Education should aim at inculcating such an attitude among students. Every man should cultivate such feelings of egolessness and detachment and lead his life on this basis. "" (Among studies, I am the study of the spiritual), declared Lord in the . He also observed, "I am the embodiment of spiritual knowledge," in the . Pursuing spiritual studies, the ancient sages realised spiritual truths and divinised their lives. The greatness and glory of are based on its spiritual heritage. The true wealth of consists in its spirituality. If spirituality declines in this land, the nation will go to seed. Together with this spirituality it is essential to have morality. Morality means ethical behaviour. It is the supreme duty of students to demonstrate such conduct in their daily life. A characterless student can never enjoy peace or happiness. Morality, thus, determines humanness and leads to spiritual illumination. Students should recognise this truth. It was for this reason that in ancient times the people of propagated constantly the value of morality and proclaimed the greatness of spirituality.

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Goodness is present within everyone Students! "Through perseverance anything can be accomplished," is a well-known adage. For instance, goodness in a person is like a piece of burning charcoal. However, the fire in it is covered by the ashes of worldly desires. When the ashes are removed by (spiritual practice) the fire of goodness is revealed. Without this , the goodness will not be manifest. In fact, in every man, goodness is shining within as an effulgent light. But this remains invisible because it is enveloped in a cloak of worldly attachments. Science and technology are making rapid strides today. But along with scientific knowledge, ignorance is also growing pari passu. means light. Where there is light there can be no darkness. So where them is there is no room for ignorance. But today we notice that everywhere, every moment ignorance is apparent. This means that the light of (scientific knowledge) is not shining brightly enough. If we had the full light of , them would be no sign of ignorance at all. It is clear, therefore, that the light of (science) today is not comparable to the light of (the fight of complete awareness). is form of ignorance.

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It is obvious, therefore, that more than knowledge, what is essential is the refinement of human behaviour and (conduct). Sacrifice and charity are more important than wealth or position. Hence, for every individual, practical knowledge of the world is more essential than mere (position or authority). The first prerequisite for this is the promotion of human values.

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Man's best friends and worst enemies The foremost thing that should be considered by the students today is how to get rid of the bad thoughts and bad desires in which they are enveloped. They are the worst enemies of man. Man's best friends are good thoughts and good intentions and good behaviour. From ancient times it has been the greatness and glory of to proclaim to the world the message of human welfare and praying for the good of all mankind. The world acclaimed the fame of . In those days no other country enjoyed such peace and prosperity as . was esteemed as the spiritual leader among nations. She was regarded as the preceptor for all countries. It is a sign of thoughtlessness for students to forget the greatness of 's sacred culture, develop a fascination for exotic manners and customs, and give up 's own traditions and practices. It is good for the well-being of every nation to adhere to its own traditions and practices. Students should learn to stand on their own legs and not depend on others. You must rely on the Divine and not become subservient to others in worldly matters. That alone is (true freedom).

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Act according to dictates of your conscience means knowledge of the (Spirit). Self-control is true freedom. Spiritual bliss is freedom. Self-realisation is freedom. + = . does not consist in living according to one's whims and fancies, indulging in the fleeting pleasures of the senses and wasting one's entire life in experiencing momentary joys. (freedom) means acting according to the dictates of one' s conscience. In his address earlier this morning, Dr. G. mentioned that the Divine, after creation, did not keep all powers within Himself but gave them to mankind. This is true. God is the Creator. He created everything in the Cosmos. But He did not retain within His hands the responsibilities relating to the Creation. He gave to human beings all capacities. But He laid down a condition relating to the use of these capacities. Men are free to live as they like. They can utilise all the material objects in creation. There can be no objection to this from anyone, not even from God. But, the Divine has declared that there is no escape from the consequences of one's action. This has to be properly understood.

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No one can go against the laws of Nature For instance, in the morning's lecture a good illustration was given. The wind blows; rains fall. In the age, caused a heavy downpour. The people who were affected by the deluge, prayed to the Lord: "Oh Lord! We and our cattle are suffering from this downpour. Save us from the rain." The Lord replied: "I cannot stop this rain. Whatever has to happen in nature has to go on. But I have the right to protect you from its adverse effects. Rain comes according to the laws of Nature. These natural phenomena should go on in their respective ways. But, having regard to your devotion and prayers, I shall lift this hill and provide shelter to all of you. But I will not stop the rain." (The reference is to the lifting of the mountain by ). Now, the wind has the power to blow out a lamp. The Divine has endowed the lamp with the power to shed light. The powers of the wind and of light are derived from God. But it is foolish for anyone to order the wind not to blow out the lamp. What one can do is to protect the lamp from the blast of wind by fixing a chimney. This is within human capacity. Through these examples you should learn how to regulate the forces of Nature and not seek to go against natural laws. It follows that man has the freedom to enjoy the things provided by the Creator.

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But man should exercise his discrimination to determine what are beneficial for him and what are not fit to be used. Because all things are available, one should not use them as he likes for the simple reason that each use is accompanied by its natural consequences. One cannot avoid these consequences. If you are prepared to face the consequences, you can act as you want. What is happening, however, is enjoyment of something with relish and later bemoaning the adverse aftereffects. This is a mark of mental weakness. (Nature) is like a mirror. It reflects your action. Standing before a mirror, you offer a to it. The image in the mirror reflects your actions. If you attempt to hit the image, the reflection will hit back. Basing on this law of action and reaction, the declared: "." (Whatever your thought, that you become). Hence, in the realm of natural phenomena, whatever actions you do will be followed by consequences which are inescapable, sometime or other.

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No escape from the consequences of your actions Students! As human beings, you have to ascertain by the use of your intelligence and (discriminating power) what are the actions that are proper and what are to be avoided. Whatever appears to be good, you better do it. But, if knowing that something is wrong, you do it, you can never escape from its consequences. The Lord created the Cosmos and offered it to mankind. Consequently, the responsibility for properly utilising all objects in the world rests on humanity and not on the Lord. If men use things in the right way and benefit from them, they will experience happiness. If you misuse them or put them to wrong uses, you will have to bear the troubles resulting therefrom. This is the lesson to be learnt through (education). What is the meaning of ? It means (knowledge). Is it worldly knowledge or spiritual knowledge? Is it experience of the external or the internal? The meaning of knowledge will vary according to whether it relates to the external or the internal. Students should enquire into both of these. After such enquiry, they should try to reconcile both of them in practice.

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Students! Remember that adolescence is an intermediate stage in one's life. It comes in the middle and passes off quickly. In the brief period that it lasts, it appears glamorous but only for a fleeting moment. Hence, one should be very careful how this period in one's life is used. declared: "There is pain at birth. Old age is painful. Therefore, be vigilant always." All relationships and all possessions are temporary. One should not get deluded by them. All things pass away in due course. Only the Divine abides forever. Only the present matters, because both the past and future are in the present. Today's sapling has come out of yesterday's seed and is the parent of the tree into which it will grow. Don't worry about the future or brood over the past. Make good use of the present. Then life will be filled with joy. Be happy. That will lead you to union with God.

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Students! You are entitled to become masters of Nature. Do not become its bond-slaves. Make faith in God the breath of your life. Realise that you have to share with others whatever you acquire by way of knowledge or wealth. It was the spirit of sacrifice and sharing which made famous in the past. Today the spirit of sacrifice has given place to selfish enjoyment. This has become a cause of disease. The truly educated person is one who uses his knowledge for the good of others. He is entitled to be called a (a man of wisdom). Knowledge which is used for sense-enjoyment or for the satisfaction of worldly desires is not (wisdom). Students! Become messengers of peace and security for the world. Prepare yourselves to make sacrifices for the world rather than to derive personal benefits from it. Derive joy from renunciation and not from sensuous pleasures.