In plain words
Seeing you, the other students may follow. Conduct yourself as an ideal for others. First of all, our conduct must be very good. That is why they spoke of nīti. That is, good conduct. When your behaviour is good, what better character can there be than that? What is character? Developing good conduct is itself character. Making a bond with God. Remembering God; forgetting all worries through contemplation of God. Do not give worries any room at all. If there is a bad smell somewhere, you light incense sticks. Through those incense sticks the bad smell goes away. If there is anything bad in you, develop the good. Then, even if this bad remains, it will not trouble you.
Students! Along with acquaintance with books, you must try to offer others your conduct and your daily life as a sacred life. But for this, teachers must be at your side, close as your own shadow. Our teachers are very good indeed; that does not mean I am saying others are bad. Because of certain circumstances, their family circumstances and their surroundings, certain changes do come about. As for those who have everything going well, what ails them? Why should they not love the children well? Why should they not deepen their bond with the children? All the children have come into class. You give them a lecture and go away. Is that all your work? You must build a personal relationship with them. You must find out what their doubts are. You must find out why they are backword in class. In which subject are they not doing well? You must take that subject up well. You must talk with them with a smile. But such a relationship is never there. When that is lacking, they are not teachers at all. They just go to class by some syllabus, teach and come back. All this looks artificial. What is the use of such people having a heart? One who has a heart must sit them down and shape them well. He must make the effort it takes so that that boy too gets a good 1st class. Toiling like this, we must not be ruled by time, saying, ‘Only at this time, only at that time.’