Excerpts of Speech by
H.H. Shri Swami Vishveshwarananda
as Chief Guest in Educational Seminar
for 300 Educationists from Uttar Pradesh,
on 4th June 2007, in Rishikesh

Most respected Shri Varshneyji, most respected Amar Singhji and other great Educationists, most respected friends and teachers, my heartfelt adorations to the Divinity in all of you.

I feel very happy that I am surrounded with great educationists. Let me tell you the experience, which I had throughout all the years: I have seen with whomever I was dealing, with whomever I had to do many works, I was always very well off with people, who are coming from the side of education.

I do appreciate the educationists, at the same time, I appreciate all of you. It is truly not easy to have this tremendous responsibility, which you are having. Since you are Gurus, people will worship you. You are giving great knowledge to the children.

Whatever you say, whatever you do, they will believe. You yourself are an example before everybody. Every child, every student is highly sensitive. If we are not putting them in the right direction, their lives may be spoilt. Therefore I do appreciate all of your works and the courage you are having.

You see, I am of the firm belief that Jivanmukti is the ultimate goal of education. If education, if knowledge, has no wisdom, it becomes very dangerous. Knowledge without the divine sense, is a blind knowledge. Blind knowledge can lead even to great destructions. I am personally of the opinion that India is having one of the greatest potentials in spiritual life. We have the greatest scholars, the finest personalities. The most extraordinary teachers are those teachers who combine their spirituality together with a great education and give it to the youngsters, to the students.

As I said, the students are very sensitive, and react to each and everything. So the way you are handling things here is highly praise-worthy and really extraordinary.

You know, knowledge is power. Knowledge is light. Knowledge is divine. And therefore I appreciate all of you because you are the bearer of the knowledge. You are carrying the knowledge further on. It is not easy to lead such a life in this world.

Basically you have come over here from Uttar Pradesh. I have asked Amar Singhji: "What actually is the purpose of all of you coming from Uttar Pradesh over here to Rishikesh?" He says: "You see, first of all, it is a very peaceful area. Secondly, there are wonderful temples, there are wonderful places of worship." I know that everybody among you is having your own temple, your own worship. I know that everybody of you is carrying the Infinite Great Supreme Reality in your heart.

Amar Singhji said: "We also have come to learn." So education is a process we never can get rid of. Even if our age is growing, but there is no end of education. Every second is a form of education. The entire life is a form of education. There is never a moment when we cannot learn something. Even the most eldest person, who maybe has crossed eighty to ninety years, he still reads the newspapers, he still studies, he still gets educated. So education is an extremely powerful form in life of a human individual. So I do appreciate all of you for coming over here. I have seen, so much joyous, so much nice personalities are here. And I feel this one or two or three days which you are spending over here, you should enjoy the holy flow of that beautiful River Ganges here, and have all the blessings of the Temples, the Aratis of this place. But do not forget that you are also carrying in yourself the Truth, the Absolute.

You see, India is a very extraordinary country. And we can especially feel it, when we have seen other places outside India. I have to repeat it again and again, India has a culture, which is an eternal culture. So many cultures have come, so many cultures have been adopted, they were carried on for some time, but due to the lack of spiritual power, they have vanished. But the Vedic culture, the Wisdom of the Upanishads, the Divine Culture of India can never vanish. There are unfortunately dangerous phases which we are going through now in India. But ultimately, nobody can destroy the Truth. And the Truth is very deeply present in the hearts of the people of India. Religion is still dominating in their hearts. And that is what makes the Indian personality special. Many people of the West admire the great spiritual life of the Indian people. And many people from the West are coming to India in search of that Eternal Goal. And they feel, there is a vibration here in India, which had been laid down by the greatest Saints and Sages, by the greatest Scholars, by the greatest Teachers, as you are. And this positively affects the people who are coming over here.

Blessed are all those who are carrying the great knowledge of the Divine in their hearts. Blessed are all those who are giving this extraordinary knowledge, in honesty, in greatness and with great purity to the Youngsters. You all are an example before them. They will lead afterwards a life according to your guidelines. Later you yourself will be proud, when you hear, that one or the other personality, who was educated by you, is leading a very successful life. So the responsibility which all of you are having, is absolutely outstanding and great and I only can appreciate it.

You see at the same time, I would like to give very special Adorations to our Shri Varshneyji. I really can say he is a born Educationist, grew up as an Educationist and he is from top to bottom a man of education. He deserves all the praise. Please kindly give a clapping hand to our great Shri Varshneyji.

My dear friends, I wish you now all the best. Carry on with the same spirit. It is always great to see you again and again, and I hope next year our dynamic, hardworking Mr. Amar Singhji, who is a true educational General, will bring you back here again to this area.

Every day is a day of our improvement. Every day we have to make ourselves better. Every day we have to try to make others better. Then I can feel the life for which we have come over here has a purpose. If we are not leading this type of lives, our lives may be wasted. But you have chosen the very true way, you have chosen the way of education, you have chosen the way of giving something to young personalities, which is a must, which makes India very bright, which makes India greatest.

And at the same time, I also would like to say that many great Educationists, many great Doctors, who have got their enormous knowledge here in India, they are being extremely preferred in foreign countries. I have to repeat it very often, I came to know from many patients who have gone to hospitals, say in Switzerland, Germany and so on, that they always prefer the Indian Doctors. Why they prefer the Indian Doctors? I have asked them. Their answer was: "Because of their softness, kindness and extremely sympathetic behaviour." These are also the great signs of all those people who are true Educationists.

So with the Blessings of our Gurudev Shri Swami Omkarananda, I would like to conclude:

"Think like a Genius, work like a Giant and live like a Saint."

Thank you very much. OM.

- Swami Vishveshwarananda