Celebrating 'Education Day' : Pramukh Swami Maharaj nagar

Naresh Patel, Chairman of Shree Khodaldham Trust, shared, “I am lost for words on where to begin! This Festival is impressive not just because of its scale, but because of the minute attention to detail. I bow to all the swamis who have conceptualised it and congratulate the thousands of the volunteers who are serving for Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Pramukh Swami Maharaj’ work was extraordinary not only here in India but across the world. The fruits of his work are evident for all to see today.”

Padma Shri T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education (Manipal University), shared, “250 years ago, India was the richest country since civilization began. But due to our colonization and the Industrial Revolution, Europe became the dominant power. Today, humanity is seeing unprecedented challenges amid a digital revolution. These challenges include an aging population, destructive climate change due to rapacious consumption, and unbridled technological advances with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics replacing human beings. We are also seeing societal destabilization due to increasing religious conflict and a widening gap between rich and poor in many countries. Amid these challenges, India is rising up to be a great power once again because of the energy of our people and the wisdom of our holy saints and ancient civilization. To resolve the challenges of humanity, we must learn from Pramukh Swami Maharaj who taught us to live together as human beings, to be compassionate, to care for our children, and to care for nature. He established temples worldwide to inspire countless people to live in peace, to care for everyone and harm no one in society. I am confident that inspired by the teachings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, BAPS will carry on their extraordinary work of educating humanity on how to live in this new world, find peace within, have compassion for others, take care of our planet, and make sure that all of us leave a better world for our children.”

Senior BAPS swami, Swayamprakashdas Swami (Doctor Swami), shared, “It is said that ‘Character is the highest wisdom.’ Although no degrees are conferred for character, throughout history, people with no educational qualifications have attained exceptional achievements. Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s formal education was only to sixth grade in Gujarati medium. His Hindi was rudimentary, he knew no English, he had written no poetry or books. Yet, his spiritually elevated life uplifted all. Thus, we see that character is the highest wisdom.

“Ramakrishna Paramhansa had no formal education, but he inspired faith in God and cultivated the spirituality of Swami Vivekanand. Today, the Ramakrishna Mission is spread around the world with many highly educated swamis. The root of this is Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

“Yogiji Maharaj used to say that students should study eight hours a day, but nurture their moral and spiritual character 24 hours a day. An ounce of practice is worth more than tonnes of theory. Character deficiencies cause tremendous problems, so only value-based education that fosters character will ultimately bring success and happiness to a person’s life. Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj established student hostels and educational institutes to provide society such value-based education.”