Shree Hari Ram Ram |
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Author : Swami Ramsukhdas Description : The book is a
collection of different articles of Swami Ramsukhdasji. The book suggests to
engage in actions worth doing and refrain from the actions unworthy of doing
as enjoined in scriptures. The book describes-how to attain the ultimate aim
of human life, moral conduct and selfless service. Also available in Hindi
(code no. 425). |
1. Characteristics of a Student
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A student should have the only
aim of study or God Realization, because "determinate intellect is
one-pointed" says Gita 2:41. "Vyavasaayaatmikaa
buddhirekeha kurunandana bahusaadhaa hyanantaasca
buddhayo'vyavasaayinaam" (Gita 2:41) "In
this blessed path, the intellect is determinate and concentrated, whereas the
intellect of the undecided, is scattered in many directions, and is endlessly
diverse." (Gita 2:41) All
his actions should lead him to the attainment of his aim. When he possesses
such promptness and determinate intellect, then God, Saints (great souls),
righteousness (Dharma), scriptures and ethics etc., all prove to be favorable
to him and he attains his aim without doubt. From:
"Be Good" pg 132 by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: What are the characteristics of a Student? |
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Swamiji: Answer: The five characteristics of a
student are: 1)
Carefulness like a Crow: A crow is very careful in every activity. A crow is
so careful that no one can catch him. Similarly a student should always be
careful in his studies and not waste a single moment. 2) Attention like a Heron: A
heron moves slowly in water, but its attention is single-pointed on the fish
alone. Similarly a student while performing all activities such as eating and
drinking etc., should pay attention to his studies only. 3)
Sleep Light like a Dog: A dog does not sleep completely carefree. His sleep
is light. Similarly a student must sleep lightly, which is essential for good
health, and must not be very carefree. 4) Take Food in Small Quantities:
A student should neither overeat nor under eat. His diet should be regulated
and reasonable so that he may neither feel lazy, nor think of the empty
stomach. 5)
Celibacy: A student should observe celibacy. From:
"Be Good" pg 135 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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2. Self Control is Essential
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Question: What sort of conduct should a student possess and how should he
act? |
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Swamiji: Answer: A man behaves and acts according
to his egoism (sense of I-ness).
So a student should predominantly think -
"I am a student and I have no other primary duty except
studies." He should eat and drink for the bare maintenance of the body
by remaining absorbed in studies. He should not waste even a single moment
without studies. He should stick to studies every time, even while performing
the activities of daily routine such as sitting, moving, eating, drinking,
sleeping and waking etc. Self-control
is very essential for a student. When physicians to gods (Aswinikumaraaras) went to sage Dadhyan to
gain knowledge-divine, he ordered them to observe celibacy. As ordered by the
sage, they observed celibacy and again went to him and requested him to
impart knowledge-divine to them. The sage again sent them back ordering them
to observe celibacy and they carried out his order. They again went to him
for the third time and again he sent them back to observe celibacy. Thus they observed celibacy for a hundred
years. Again when they went to the sage to gain knowledge-divine, he said to
them, "when you were gone, Indra the king of gods, came to me and
requested me to impart him knowledge-divine. But I told him that he did not
deserve it." Hearing this answer he got irritated and said, "If I
don't deserve it, then who deserves it? If you impart knowledge to anyone,
I'll behead you." Thus the sage showed his inability to impart
knowledge-divine and asked them to go to someone else to gain
knowledge-divine. They said, "O noble sage, if you order, we can solve
this problem. We will keep your head safe by cutting it off and fixing
another head to your body. You can impart us knowledge divine with that head.
When Indra the king of gods, cuts the head, we will fix the original head to
your body, then Indra will have no right to cut off that head. Thus we will
gain the knowledge-divine." Thus the head of a horse was attached to
Dadhyan, and knowledge was imparted to the Aswinikumaars and after Indra cut
it off, the original head was re-attached. Being angry with them, Indra
deprived them of their share of the religious sacrifice. However, due to
celibacy the Aswinikumaars gained knowledge-divine and also share of the
religious sacrifice. It means that celibacy is a must for students, as it
helps them to retain / hold knowledge. A
student must always be on the alert that he is a student. He who is a student
does not waste even a single moment without studies. It is said that
knowledge and wealth should be gained in small measures steadily and he who
wastes small measure can gain neither knowledge, nor wealth. There
is a saying that grammar is learnt by learning the rules by heart, by
questioning teachers and reflecting upon the lesson which a learner has
learnt. Similarly, it has been said
about a student of grammar that he should look at the sky so that he may
neither feel drowsy nor may have projections and distractions, because
shutting of eyes leads to drowsiness, while opening eyes, leads to thoughts
about the world. It
is mentioned in the “Caanakyaniti” that a student should totally renounce
attachment to pleasure because he who hankers after pleasure can’t gain
knowledge and he who wants to gain knowledge cannot engage in pleasures
(Caanakyaniti 10:3) From:
"Be Good" pg 129-131 by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: Can you further explain about why a student should not engage
in sense pleasures etc.? |
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Swamiji: Study is an austerity that must be
totally free from sense pleasures.
When a student has not to derive any pleasure, there is no question
for him to indulge in fun, display, movies, entertainment from television
etc., These are to be totally given up because they besides being time
wasters leave an impression which is a great impediment to studies. So a student should stick to studies by
remaining totally indifferent to the world, holding the view that the world
does not exist for him and he does not exist for the world. Thus he will become learned, as a good
student becomes a good scholar. From:
"Be Good" pg 132 by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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3. Student and Progress
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Question: What are the factors conducive to student’s progress? |
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Swamiji: There are seven factors conducive to
student progress. They are as
follows: 1) Enthusiasm: A student
should have enthusiasm to study, because for a enthusiastic person even a
difficult task becomes easy, while without enthusiasm even an easy task become
difficult. 2) No procrastination: A student should work very promptly and
careful. He should not devote more
time to the work that does not require as much time. He who devotes more time than what the
work requires, will be ruined. 3) Right Knowledge of tools and techniques: A student should
know the right method of performing an activity such as ablution, eating,
drinking, walking and worship etc. He
should properly act accordingly. 4) Freedom from Addiction: A student should not be addicted to evils. Gambling, drinking, eating meat,
prostitution, hunting/killing, stealing, and adultery are the seven evils
that lead to the worst of hells.
Besides them, the use of tea, coffee, opium, smoking, playing cards
and games with dice, fun, frolic, movies, etc, are all impediments to
spiritual progress and honest livelihood.
These are all evils and a student should not be addicted to any one of
them. 5) Bravery: A student should be brave (free
of cowardice) and fearless while performing every activity. 6) Gratefulness: A
student should always feel grateful to his benefactor. He should never be ungrateful to him and
should show respect to him. 7) Firmness in Friendship:
A student should offer the hand of
fellowship to his friend in all circumstances. As travelers seek a hospice, so does perfection seek a person
possessing the above qualities. From:
"Be Good" pg 134 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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4. Duty versus Rights
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It
is the duty (kartavya) of a son to serve his mother and father. Whereas it is
the mother and father's rights (adhikaar) to receive this service. A
student must fulfill his duties and sacrifice his rights. We
need to give up the attitude that says - let others do according to what I
like. Let things happen my way. Sacrifice is - "Giving up of our
rights." It is our right to do our duty, but it is not our right to
acquire or gain from it. These days we desire our rights, but are unwilling
to do our duty. In reality, rights follow duties, but these days we run after
our rights. Right is a servant of Duty, but nowadays we have become the
servant of Rights. We desire to pass in examinations, but we do not like to
study. In this society, if everyone only wanted to fulfill their rights, then
there would be nothing but fights. The
minute we look at the duties of another, we fall from our own duties. To show that we are superior to others is
a pursuit of "Rights". To perceive ourselves as good is also a
pursuit of our "Rights" Whatever others say to us, let us not be
affected. Let us do our duty well then this world (society, community) will
become a better place. Seeing
others with faults is not a fault finding view. Mother and father see the
faults of their children. Teacher sees the faults of his students, Master
sees the faults of his Disciples, but this is not considered as someone who
is fault finding (dosh drshti), rather it is a desire to see them without any
faults. Flaws / faults should not be
viewed as permanent in us, nor in others - this is a very important point. The
essence is that everyone's present is without flaws and faults. From "Sagar ke Moti" in Hindi - page 105 by Swami
Ramsukhdasji |
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5. Student and Politics
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Question: Should a student participate in politics? |
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Swamiji: If a student participates in politics, he
can’t pay proper attention to his studies and spiritual practice etc., and
thus his precious time that could be used to enable him to gain knowledge or
realize God is wasted. By
participating in politics, he attaches importance to mundane matters that are
an impediment to his studies and devotional practice.
From:
"Be Good" pg 135 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: Is it proper for students to form a Union? |
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Swamiji: By forming Unions, students become
undisciplined and unrestrained. They
perform acts of sabotage and cause loss to their own property, because they
are the future owners of this property.
How will students become responsible and good citizens if they
participate in agitations against teachers, trouble passengers in trains and
buses and shopkeepers in the markets?
How will they make a good society?
And how can the country be good and progressive without a good
society? Students are the future
support of the country. So their
reform will lead to the progress of the country and they are responsible for
this progress. There is nothing wrong if
students from a union to train themselves in military science in order to
defend their community and society.
They should always be on the alert to set things right. But it is wrong if by forming a union they
show arbitrary conduct, rule over others by unlawful means, pressurize their
teachers and insult or slight them. It is also unjust to tolerate
unjust and improper rules of the government.
So students should always be bold and enthusiastic to oppose
injustice.
From:
"Be Good" pg 135 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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6. Student’s Daily Routine
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Question: What should be the daily routine of a student? |
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Swamiji: He should rise early in the morning
before sunrise. If he gets up after
sunrise, he should observe a fast through out the day as penance. He should make the best possible used of
his time without wasting even a single moment. As soon as he get up, he
should recite the verse – “twameva maataa ca pitaa twavmeva tvameva bandhusca sakhaa tvameva tvameva vidyaa, dravinam tvameva tvameva sarvam mama deva
deva.” “O Lord, You are my mother, Your
are my father You are my brother, Your are my
friend Your are my knowledge, Your are
my wealth Your are my everything for
me.” After reciting this verse he
should perform activities such as ablution and bathing etc., Thereafter
according to the scriptural ordinance he should perform morning prayer,
recite the Gayatri verse and worship God.
He should practice hatha yoga postures for good health. A student should learn his
lessons thoroughly so that he is able to explain it to others even without
the book. The method to get master
over a subject is that he should revise the lesson, which he learnt during the
day when going to bed, and once again revise it in the morning when he gets
up. By doing so he will be able to
learn the lesson thoroughly without much effort. Studies (specially rote
memorization) should be in the morning time because that is the best time when
the materials can be learnt quickly and easily. He should reach school in time
and bow to the teachers and study as they instruct. He should pay proper attention to what is being taught,
understand it and have a thorough grasp of the subject. If there is any doubt about the subject,
he should get it removed by his teacher.
He should leave no stone unturned in his studies. A student should have so much
confidence and enthusiasm that he can teach the topic which he has learnt to
others. After meals a student
should walk for a short while; then lying down straight facing up, breath
eight times, lie on the right side and breath sixteen times, and life on the
left hand side and breath thirty-two times.
Thereafter he should rise and start his studies. In the evening he should person
“Sandhyaa” (prayer) before sunset that is superior and recite the Gayatri
verse. As far as possible, perform
superior prayer at proper times. Morning
prayer performed in star-light is superior.
After dinner, he must walk for a
while. Thereafter he should study his
books and the scriptures such as Gita and Ramayan etc. He should reflect on that which he has
studied at bedtime. Student life is the base of a
human being. If the student life is
noble, the rest of the life will also be noble. Therefore a student should be
very careful and make his sentiments and conduct Sattvik (good and
pure). In the Bhagavata it is
mentioned – “Scriptures, water, people,
place, time, occupation, birth, meditation, sacred text (mantra) and past
influence – if these ten are Sattvika (pure and good), the mode of goodness
is enhanced, but if the are rajasik (mode of passion) and tamasika (mode of
ignorance), passion and ignorance are enhanced. Therefore if they are sattvik
(Pure and good) then intellect and nature will also be sattvik.
From:
"Be Good" pg 136-137 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: What about foods for a student? |
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Swamiji: The food eaten by him should be Sattvik
(pure) rather than Rajasik or Tamasik (Gita 17:8-10). Sattvik food makes the intellect good
which is very useful for studies. It
is said – “The kind of food a man eats, so is his intellect in the same way
as an oil lamp having devoured darkness produces soot.” |
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7. Student’s Development
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Question: How to gain knowledge? |
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Swamiji: While attending a class a student should
look at the eyes and face of the teacher and pay attention to each and every
sentence uttered by the teacher. He
should listen promptly to him without thinking of anything else. He should not feel proud of his promptness
in studies, feeling himself to be superior to other students. Pride reduces knowledge to ignorance and that
ignorance enhances pride. He should review the lesson time
and again without the help of the book.
He should study in such a way that he may impart this knowledge to
others by teaching them with full confidence. Self-study does not make the topic as clear as when teaching
others. A student should be humble to
teachers and others because knowledge leads to humbleness.
From:
"Be Good" pg 143 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: How to learn a subject by heart i.e. memorize it? |
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Swamiji: At a young age the meaning of a verse etc.
becomes clear after it has been learnt by heart. But in old age, it is easy to learn by heart after knowing its
meaning. Morning is the best time for
learning, as materials can be easily learnt in the morning time. Therefore a student should rise at 3 to
3:30 a.m. and after ablution, washing and brushing teeth and cleaning mouth,
one should start with the lessons that require rote memorization. While learning it would be good to pick a
verse, and just the first sentence and memorize, later memorize the second
part, and then repeat by memorizing and reciting the two together without
looking at the book. Continue with
the third and fourth and then together.
Then recite the first four together without the help of the book and
continue in this manner. Learn as
many verses as you can and then stop.
Before going to bed, revisit and recite all that was learnt, without
the help of the book and then go to bed.
On waking up, do the same, repeating the verses without the help of a
book. If the revision is with the aid
of the book then he will forget the studied material in a few days. The second method of learning and
memorizing something is reading the same materials daily looking at the
book. E.g. if a person wants to learn
Gita by heart, he should recite all verses of the Gita attentively by looking
at the book everyday. This process
should continue for a year. After the
year is up, he should be able to recite all the verses without the book. If he forgets a verse, he can go back to
it at that very moment and continue his recitation. Thus when he has memorized the entire Gita, he can continue to
recite the entire Gita without the aid of a book. By doing so, he will not forget the Gita. But if he recites by reading from the
book, he will forget it.
From:
"Be Good" pg 144 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: How to learn a subject by heart i.e. memorize it? |
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Swamiji: The power of memorizing
can be developed by observing celibacy.
Preservation of semen provides a special power (vigor) that develops
the memory. An elephant possesses
more physical power than the lion, but as far as vigor (vitality) is
concerned, a lion has more vitality because a lion has sexual intercourse
only once in a life. Thus
preservation of semen in a lion provides special vigor in him.
From:
"Be Good" pg 144 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: What should the student do for intellectual and physical
development? |
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Swamiji: Meditation on the Supreme develops the
intellect. Therefore every student
whether he wants to attain the mundane or the spiritual aim should meditate
on the Supreme. We have notice that
those who perform worship, change God’s name, meditate on God and perform
such other spiritual activities never fail in examinations. The reason is that these activities
develop the mode of goodness that develops the intellect. So even if a student devotes less time to
studies, it proves to be much more fruitful.
Dependence on God specifically
develops intellect. The reason is
that he that depends on God follows the right path. So every kind of thing or person or object or circumstance
becomes favorable and helpful to him.
Thus he spontaneously attains his aim. There are impediments in a person’s life only so long as he
does not decide the aim of his life.
But when the destination is decided, there are no impediments at
all. When a student observes celibacy
and leads a self-controlled life, he gains knowledge of several subjects even
without study and effort. He grasps
every subject very quickly. Self-control is automatically
conducive to good health. Physical
strength that is gain by practicing self-control and by eating Sattvik food
is not gained by leading an unrestrained life and by eating rajasik and tamasik
food in order to relish it. Self-control,
celibacy, meditation on God and service of elders provide sattvik strength to
the body, mind and heart. By this
Sattvika strength, evils such as lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and
jealousy automatically subside and virtues such as patience, equanimity,
quietude and happiness etc., are naturally cultivated. These virtues have a good effect on the
gross body and a student possessing them naturally get free from
diseases. If he suffers from a
disease as the fruit of his past evil actions, it does not affect his mental
equilibrium. A student should practice yoga
postures and breathing (pranayama) exercises. They help him in studies because by removing heaviness and
laziness they make the body light and active. Thus he remains energetic and enthusiastic. And even a difficult task becomes easy for
him. However, he that lacks
enthusiasm loses heart and for him even easy work becomes difficult.
From:
"Be Good" pg 136-140 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: Should students take part in games and sports? |
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Swamiji: Students should take part in those games
and sports that lead to their physical or intellectual development. Games and sports should be regarded as
exercise of the body rather than the means to indulge in party politics that
lead to conflicts. This sort of
activity often leads to groups whereby they may engage in slighting and
humiliating others. Thus it will
prove very much harmful to them. They should never play games
(e.g. cards etc) that do not lead to physical and intellectual
development. Therefore students
should be very careful in their participation in games and sports.
From:
"Be Good" pg 141-142 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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8. Student Entertainment
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Question: How should students amuse themselves? |
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Swamiji: Students should amuse themselves by
studies. Discussions and question
and answers on the studies is good amusement. They prompt new ideas.
For students – movies and TV are the worst amusement, as they spoil
the eyes and the mind and they leave bad impressions that are impediments to
studies, adoration and meditation.
There is no use stuffing the mind and intellect with rubbish. Therefore students need not indulge in
such amusements. From:
"Be Good" pg 142 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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9. Sins and Evils
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Question: Can you share some of your thoughts on addictions to smoking,
drinking, other? |
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Swamiji: These addictions are due to
foolishness. Students by role
modeling others become addicted to smoking and drinking. They think that these intoxicants do not
spoil the intellect. But these
intoxicants do affect he intellect, therefore how will they gain knowledge? Students should neither smoke, nor drink
that these are harmful to the intellect, physical and mental health. In this connection parents and teachers
should pay special attention to their children and see that they don’t get
spoiled. From:
"Be Good" pg 140 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: A few students commit suicide, while failing in an
examination. Why? How to solve this problem? |
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Swamiji: They commit suicide because their failure
is an obstacle to their honor and praise that they desire. There is no joy in commiting suicide. Those who try to commit suicide but somehow
escape it explain that suicide involves great suffering. He who commits suicide commits the deadly
sin of murdering a human being and in future he has to suffer the worst
tortures. So students should study
the sacred books and keep company with great souls. Their company can rood out such sins (evils) From:
"Be Good" pg 141 in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji |
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Question: What is student’s household responsibility? |
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A
student should perform his domestic chores according to the need of the hours
as ordered by his parents before he goes to school or college. After
school or college, he should come back home and courteously take his meal
with his parents. |