What is the true barometer for a scholar?

A true scholar should not entertain egoism in his thoughts at any time. However, the misfortune is that scholars as a class are today afflicted with unbounded egoism. As a consequence, they follow incorrect ideals and take to wrong paths. They confer the benefits of education only on themselves and on their kith and kin. As a result, they forgo their position among sajjans (noble men) and the respect it can bring. One must grant generously to others the knowledge, skill and insight that one has acquired. If this is not done, human progress itself is endangered. In order to promote the best interest of mankind, one has to cultivate the holy urge of paropakaaram (service to others) and the attitude of sharing.

Why should we express our deep gratitude to the Almighty, in every moment of our day?

It is due to the gift of His Divine Grace that we survive in this world. Every drop of blood coursing through our veins is but a drop from the shower of His Grace. Every muscle is but a lump of His Love. Every bone and cartilage is but a piece of His mercy. It is clear that without Him we are but bags of skin. But, unable to understand this secret, we strut about boasting “I achieved this,” and “I accomplished this.”

What is the true definition of "service"?

Education is rendered noble when the spirit of service is inculcated. The service rendered must be free of the slightest trace of narrow selfishness. That is not enough. The thought of service should not be marred by the desire for something in return. You have to perform the service as you would perform an important Yajna (sacrificial ritual). As trees do not eat their fruits but offer them to be eaten by others in an attitude of detachment; as rivers, without drinking the waters they carry, quench the thirst and cool the heat from which others suffer; as cows offer their milk, produced primarily for their calves, in a spirit of generosity born of Tyaga (renunciation), to be shared by others; so too you should offer yourself to others prompted by the motive of service and without consideration of selfish interests. Only then can you justify your status as sajjana (noble men).

Why should we not forget Divinity in our daily lives?

Consider what happens when a person sees a dry stump of a tree at night: he/she is afraid that it is a ghost or a bizarre human being. It is neither, though it is perceived as either. The reason for this misperception is darkness. The absence of light superimposes on something another object that is not there. In the same manner, the darkness that is spread through maya (false perception) veils and renders unnoticeable the Primal Cause, Brahman (Divine Self), and imposes the cosmos on it as a perceptible reality. This deceptive vision is corrected by the Jnana(awakened consciousness) and transmuted into the vision of Prema (Universal Love).