Author: Arun Ganesan

Amma’s acceptance speech for her D.Litt. Honoris Causa conferred by the University of Mysore Through this honour you have bestowed, I see the interest that the University of Mysore has in upholding the ideal of manava seva madhava seva – “Service to humankind is service to God.” In whatever way the Math has been able to serve society, it is because of the selfless service of millions of Amma’s children throughout the world. Therefore Amma dedicates this honour to their deep sincerity and goodwill. Knowledge and viveka – proper discernment – are inseparable, like a flower and its fragrance, a word and its meaning, or a lamp and its light. However, today our educational system is limited to the mere collecting of information. The light of discernment is disappearing. When people say, “Knowledge has dawned,” it’s like saying, “The sun has risen, but it’s still dark.” Imagine a beautiful garden full of countless flowers of all colours, shapes and sizes. If such a garden is pervaded by a foul smell, obviously something has gone wrong. Consciously or unconsciously, a serious misunderstanding has crept into our educational system. We have been led to believe that discernment and information are two separate things. This view is wrong. Consciously or unconsciously, a serious misunderstanding has crept into our educational system. We have been led to believe that discernment and information are two...