Modern education has made us heartless

Jijabai was illiterate, but she moulded a character like Shivaji Maharaj. Today’s women are highly educated, have managed to reach high positions, but has any one of them given a son who will match Shivaji Maharaj in any way?

That grandmother is 85 years old. Still, her eyesight and memory are good. She has strong teeth with which she can chew sugarcane. Her body is sturdy and she still manages to do all the household work. Her 20 year old grandson asks her a question to make a fun of her. “Grandma, why does the earth revolve around the sun?”

Grandmother : Oh, that’s because the sun sparkles like a new rupee coin. The whole world revolves around the rupee, so why not the earth?

Grandson : Oh wow, grandma! You are highly educated!

Grandmother : No no! Don’t talk rubbish! Did I say anything wrong?

Grandson : No grandma, what you said is absolutely true. So I asked you.

Grandmother : One need not be educated to speak the truth. In fact, one has to get educated to tell a lie. That’s why reporters, teachers, doctors, businessmen, etc. go abroad for education – to learn how to fool people and extract more money from them. There you have to tell a lie. They cannot manage to cheat people easily if they are educated in India; but through foreign education, they become extremely skillful in lying. However, to speak the truth, you need not be educated (she said in a serious tone).You have to lie to save a criminal, a murderer. A doctor has to lie to extract more money from a patient. A trader has to lie to convince customers to buy his goods. A teacher has to lie to extract more money from a wealthy student’s father. For all this, one has to get educated. However, to speak the truth, you need not be educated. You only require a heart to speak the truth and modern education has snatched it away from us.

– Gurudev Dr. Kateswamiji (Weekly Sanatan Chintan)