In plain words
Better than practice is knowledge; better than knowledge, meditation; better than meditation, giving up the fruit of action; from giving up, Śānti follows at once.
We must first have them practise. If we do not make children practise in the right way, they go astray. The duty of setting children on the good path lies with the parents. After that, the teachers must foster good qualities in the children. Only then can the country prosper and enjoy well-being. Otherwise well-being will go and famine will begin. So keep the welfare of the world in view and set your conduct right. Not only you, your household and your relatives and friends: wish that all may be happy and well. Only when the person beside you is smiling and joyful can you too be smiling and joyful.
‘Atithidevo bhava’
Students! You must recognise the greatness of our ancient customs and live by them. If any elder comes to your house, you must welcome him warmly, saying, ‘Please come in, sit down.’ ‘Father is not at home. Come later’: you must not speak rudely like this. Whether Father is at home or not, you must give those who come to the house at least drinking water or buttermilk. You must speak to them with respect. But children today have no such good habits at all. If someone phones and asks, ‘Is your father there, dear?’, even though he is at home they say ‘He is not’ and put the phone down. Even on the phone you must speak to elders with respect. Only when you respect elders will others respect you. What does it mean to respect? It is not raising a hand and saying ‘Hello’. You must say ‘Namaskāram’ gently, with humility and deference. ‘Na’ means without; ‘ma’ means the sense of ‘mine’. So namaskāra is that which leaves no room for the sense of ‘mine’. You must try to recognise such sacred inner meanings. The Veda proclaims, ‘Mātṛdevo bhava’, ‘Pitṛdevo bhava’, ‘Ācāryadevo bhava’, ‘Atithidevo bhava’.