What is a Student's Responsibility?



Actions undertaken with purity of senses have the potential of transforming the entire humanity into Divinity. Students should develop such pure thoughts and feelings. Only then does the manifestation of humanness take place. It is the responsibility of the students to sow the seeds of love, blossom the flowers of patience and deliver the fruits of peace to the society. The environment where students are present should reflect peace. But today it is exactly the opposite. Students’ presence can be inferred wherever there is turmoil and disturbance. Students should develop an environment of peace around them. Bestowing such thoughts and feelings is the attribute of Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is the bestower of education. He confers Siddhis (supernatural powers) and Buddhi (the power of discrimination). Buddhi means pure and unsullied thought. This involves the enquiry of real and non-real aspects. What is real in this world? What is unreal? Objects or persons in this world get transformed every moment. There is nothing like an eternal object or person or issue in this world. The everlasting reality is the principle of Atma. It is here that you should enquire into the real and unreal aspects. You should have no desire for enjoying anything either here (in this world) or hereafter (heavenly abodes). That which one enjoys in the materialistic world is momentary. All these are like passing clouds. Hence Shankara said, ‘Maa Kuru Dhana Jana Youvana Garvam, Harati Nimeshat Kaala Sarvam’, which means one should never take pride in his wealth, manpower or youth, since time devours everything. All this vanishes in a trice. Childhood gives way to youth, and even before you realise, youth departs, leaving man in the sunset of old age.

It is impossible to lead a life of eternal youth in this ever-changing worldly scenario. You may think that you can enjoy this at least in the worlds beyond the earth; but that also is not permanent. One who contests an election can go to the assembly only for five years. As the days pass, he gets separated from the assembly. You can live in the heavens only to the extent you have accumulated the merit. Once that is nullified, you have to return to the lower planes of existence. Enjoyment, neither in the heavens nor in the worlds, is permanent. The principle of Atma which is beyond these two is the only supreme authority. That is the attributeless, true, eternal, the supreme abode, pure, liberated, blemishless personality. That is permanent. That is Truth. That is the one which gives happiness. With such happiness as the goal, you should lead a worldly life righteously. 

Vyashti and Samashti

Students! You believe that life is precious. When does it become valuable? Value adds up to life only as long as you have human values. When you forego human values you lose the quality of humanness. Life does not have any value then. Hence you should develop the human values of truth and love. That is expounded in the Indian culture as Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara (speak the truth and adhere to right conduct). These alone are the true principles; these are the two eyes of man; these are the two fields of science. Here there are two aspects of Vyashti (individual) and Samashti (society). Vyashti pertains to a single individual. This can also be called the life principle. The unified principle that pervades all individuals is called Samashti. A tree is an individual. All trees together make a garden. The difference between Vyashti and Samashti is of the same magnitude as that between a tree and a forest. A house is like an individual. A number of houses form a village. Thus the difference between a house and a village is same as that between Vyashti and Samashti. Individual is the life principle. Divinity with all its attributes is Samashti. That is the principle of Divinity. It is possible to live human life meaningfully only when the difference between the individual and the Divine aspects is understood clearly. 


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