In plain words
The tie of mother and son became a great bond. The reason for it is the saṃskāra of births before. But today, because modern education has grown, a mother's love has collapsed. A father's love has withered. The very tie with the son has collapsed. For the wickedness learning does there is no need of other proof. There is no respect at all for elders. Faith in parents has gone completely. Selfishness has sunk low. Selfishness and self-interest have become the basis of life. What is the use of a son living on who brings disgrace? Because such sons have grown in number today, the country has fallen into so many kinds of misery. In times past, for the protection of the country, for his own welfare, for the help of his fellow men, a man would gird up his loins and plunge into society. Today, though he sees the hardships with his own eyes, he cannot put a foot forward. He takes selfishness alone as his support. The root cause of such bad qualities is the learnings of death. What learning! It is all rubbish learning. It is only learning studied to fill the belly. Honour and dignity are going up in smoke. We must use the learning we have studied in society. We must win a good name. For them to become such people, the parents too must be people of great saṃskāra. When there is no saṃskāra in the parents themselves, how will it come into the children? Only if there is water in the tank will it come from the tap. The root cause of this is the parents. Parents must not put up with the least wrong their son does. They must give him good counsel. They must give them a fitting ideal. This is the discernment of true education.
“Learning gives humility; from humility comes worthiness.” Through it alone comes Mokṣa. But today you do not bow at all to your parents' command. Today you are in this state. Tomorrow, when you grow old, will your son listen to your words? No, no. First of all you must honour your parents. The parents too must show the son the right path. Today life is going on in a state where neither of the two is there. Our country is Bhārata. Attachment in tyāga and tyāga in attachment: this we must develop. We must keep away from enjoyment. We must draw near to tyāga. Today it is enjoyment in tyāga and disease in enjoyment. The whole of life is turning into disease. This is not our life. Students, those who are truly educated, must stand as examples. They are standing as examples; in what? They stand as examples in bad qualities, they stand as examples in bad habits, they are examples in bad conduct. Good conduct, the wealth of Satya and saṃskāra have dwindled away completely today. All the great souls of those days gave up selfishness entirely and offered their lives for society.
As soon as our Bhārata gained its independence, Vallabhbhai Patel was Deputy Prime Minister. At that time this Sushila Nayar was Health Minister. She saw me at that very time, at their house in Delhi. Later, in 1962, she came here to Puttaparthi with Vinoba Bhave. Since then the bond with Swami has grown deep in her. Vallabhbhai Patel would put it to her: “Sushilamma! You live simply. Since you are a Minister, you must set something of an example.” He would tease her like this in fun. Vallabhbhai Patel had a daughter. That daughter was a model daughter. She spun with her own hands and wove dhotis for her father, and she would join two of his old dhotis into one sari and wear it herself. The political leaders of those days all came forward as examples. Precisely because the political leaders had such pure hearts, they went on bringing the country into their own hands. They went on labouring for independence. In those days they grieved that the white people were beating the dark people. Sadly, today the dark are beating the dark. There have been those who gave up everything for the country and leapt into society. Today people are setting out who ruin the country for selfish ends. This is not leadership, this is not an ideal. This is not education. We must develop true Ānanda that belongs to the mind. We must install the divine thought of God. Only then will tyāga arise in us. Only when we have such tyāga do we gain a claim to be called human beings. Without tyāga, how can we be human? That is why, in the Veda, ‘Na prajayā tyāgenaike amṛtatva mānasuḥ’: if immortality is to be gained, tyāga is needed. What nectar do these people want today? They want liquor. That is the nectar. They are in samādhi. Chi! Is this the proper mark of having studied? This is a blemish on learning. One who has studied must live with good saṃskāra. He must check it. He must face it. life is a challange, meet it. We must face hardships. We must give happiness to society. We must win the name, “So-and-so is a good boy.” We must bring the parents fame: “The boy born to such-and-such parents is of very good character.” Today there is no fame for the parents, none for oneself, none for the country, none for one's institute. Why such a life without a good name? Each one justifies himself. Are we not ordinary human beings? These feelings are natural to us. A pig is better than these. Do they justify themselves like this? For one born a man, to justify himself is not a proper mark.