Sacrifice is sweeter than enjoyment. Sacrifice should become the aim of life. Only through sacrifice can one attain peace. Sorrows do not flee from us as long as the mind is not at peace with itself. Agonies dwell forever within us. Without the tranquillity of the soul any amount of wealth cannot be of any use. Surrendering the fruits of action with a dispassionate mind is eligible to be termed sacrifice. Purity of mind alone can confer upon it tranquillity. The Upanishads have proclaimed in a full throated voice that sacrifice alone leads to immortality. Sacrifice is the chief trait of the pure. Therefore, every student must imbibe and display the spirit of sacrifice in his life. He should not become a victim of the disease of enjoyment.
Unfortunately, there is a widespread opinion circulating freely that education is for jobs and not for the expansion of illumination. This is deplorable. Wisdom is illumination. It is the aim of education to radiate that light of wisdom. Such wisdom bestows upon man real power. Wisdom enables us to recognise mutual relationship of objects and individuals and to know the precedents and antecedents of each object.
How can this illumination enter man's being? By listening to and going through great books like the Vedas, the Vedanta, the Upanishads, the Koran, the Granth Saheb, the biographies of noble souls, books dealing with physical and technological sciences and psychology, one gains this light. Alongside with wisdom, discriminatory approach and logical thinking can be gained by reading them. One should not depend entirely on knowledge derived from sacred texts but depend upon wisdom arising from experience.
The shape and the content of education must change. Professor Gunnar Myrdal of Stockholm University visiting Delhi in 1972, said, "The educational system of India is not progressive. It fosters the mentality that we shall not soil our hands." All Indians, especially students, should recapitulate these words. This remark pin points the tendency of our students to lead comfortable lives under electric fans, resting in air conditioned chambers, avoiding manual labour, its stress and strain, sweat and dirt, without even one fold of their ironed clothes getting crumpled.
This attitude is a far cry from the ideals of obedience and humility instilled by education. Students should impart to the people around them in society the sacred ideas they have imbibed. They must spring like tiger cubs into the arena of the villages and cleanse them of all sorts of pollution. They must teach and train the illiterate residents of the villages to live decently with dignity. Students must strive along with the villagers and lead them forward. Students of today should pose lofty ideals of life to the world through their exemplary lives.
