Blossoming Human Excellence

Quotes On Education (In words of Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

"Students have to be encouraged to "Follow the aster", (the inner voice of Conscience), "Face the Devil", (the
debasing anti-social urges), "Fight to the End", (until one is able to overcome the inner foes of lust, anger, greed,
undue attachment, pride and hatred) and "Finish the Game", (of life on earth). Students should realise that
spiritual practice is as important as secular education. Students should realise how much they owe to God for
all the benefits they enjoy, including the air they breathe and the water they drink."
"The end of education is character and the end of knowledge is Love. By concentrating on bookish knowledge
at the cost of its practical application, the spirit of education is lost. Education should confer humility, which in turn
bestows deservedness. Deservedness leads to prosperity which enables one to undertake charitable acts.
Charitable deeds ensure happiness in this world and the next. "Education must equip man to live happily
without making others unhappy, to evaluate things, pleasures and possessions correctly. One who is ignorant of
the historical and cultural heritage of his country is like an orphan. For saplings to grow soil is essential; for the
ideals to get implanted, knowledge of the struggles and successes of saints and sages is essential."
"It is often declared that knowledge is power. No, character is power. Nothing can be more powerful on earth than
character. Riches, scholarship, status, authority are all frail and flimsy before it. While earning a livelihood is
important, what matters most are the ideals for which you live. The primary purpose of education is to enable
one to manifest the divinity within him. When students pursue education in this spirit, they will be able to
promote the welfare of the nation, of society and their own good.""We believe that the acquisition of knowledge is
for the acquisition of wealth. But this is not right. Just as a bird has two wings, and a cart has two wheels; man too
must have two types of knowledge - to live on and to live for. The one helps him to eke out his livelihood and the
other rewards him for having lived at all. Whatever job a student may take up, wherever he may be working, he
must continue to practice spiritual discipline. Without a spiritual basis, education would be wasted."
"The atmosphere of Love should not be disturbed by any uncharitable remark against anyone's faith. Nor should
anyone be ridiculed or slandered. Children's minds should not be polluted by fear, hatred or disgust. The
doors of their hearts must be open to all. Later on as the impact of society and the State grows, pupils can be led to
an understanding of the political and religious forces that affect their lives.""The educational process has not
received proper attention from thoughtful persons. The institutions which ought to have been temples of
Saraswathi (the Goddess of Transformation through Learning) have become in all lands, temples of Lakshmi
(the Goddess of Wealth). The ideal held before the tender, innocent, unselfish children is a lucrative job, rather than
a life of peace, contentment and love. Narrow loyalties and competition are polluting the minds of children. Parents,
teachers and all interested in the progress of mankind have to take note of this situation."
"The world is a great teacher, a constant guide and source of inspiration. That is the reason why man is
placed in the world. Every bird, every animal, every tree, mountain and star and each tiny worm has a lesson for
man, if he has but the thirst to learn. These make a world a veritable University for man; it is but a Gurukul (a
school for spiritual learning) where he is a pupil from birth to death.""Education should promote discrimination
and humility. If anyone blames, abuses or hurts you, do not return him in the same coin. Behave nobly and with
patience. When a dog bites a man, the man does not bite the dog in return. Education must lead you from darkness
to light. It is only those who wander in darkness that fall into pits; can a man walking in the light fall into a pit? If he
does it means that he is still in the 'dark'. 'Vid' means 'Light', and a 'vidyarthi' (seeker of enlightenment) must seek
light and gain it. What is the use of an eye that does not reveal to you the pitfalls?""Education will confer on a good
man more wisdom and a better life, but for a bad man it may result in disputes. Wicked people are never content
with obvious facts; they must create doubts where none exist. They dispute whether Ram is superior to Krishna
and so on. People who have not even touched the outskirts of the capital city dare dispute the appearance and
glory of the emperor who resides in the palace in the heart of the city. Man must engage himself in the constant
process of self-correction rather than finding faults with others."
"Students must be enabled to prepare themselves to serve society with pure minds. Today they do not have a
sense of gratitude towards their parents for all the sacrifices they make to educate their children. The students
acquire degrees and they go about begging for jobs. They should acquire the capacity to stand on their own legs
and be self-reliant. They should be able to take up any work and acquit themselves well. They should place love of
the Motherland above everything."
"The knowledge gained from education is being misused today solely to obtain and enjoy comforts and sensual
pleasures. This education has served to develop some kind of intellectual abilities and technical skills, but has
totally failed to develop good qualities. Society today is steeped in materialism because of the preoccupation with
mundane pleasures."
"In the educational system today, the spiritual element has no place. This is not true education. Education must
proceed primarily from Spirit to Nature. It must show that mankind constitutes one Divine family. The Divinity that is
present in society can be experienced only through individuals. Education today, however ends with the acquisition
of degrees. Real education should enable one to utilise the knowledge one has acquired to meet the challenges of
life and to make all human beings happy as far as possible. Born in society, one has the duty to work for the
welfare and progress of society."