Swami Ranganathananda’s observances on truly educated people is based on a parable
by Sri Ramakrishna
A father brought from the market two fruits for his two
children at home; he gave one fruit to each child.
The elder child took the fruit, found it fine, straightaway went to his room, closed the door, ate the fruit, wiped his mouth, and came to the courtyard.
The elder child took the fruit, found it fine, straightaway went to his room, closed the door, ate the fruit, wiped his mouth, and came to the courtyard.
The second child took the
fruit, found it fine, straightaway went to his comrades in the courtyard and
shared the fruit with all of them.
Between the two children, who is the truly educated one?
The first one is very intelligent, but that intelligence has become mere cleverness due to being self-centred; there you see just an individual, not yet developed into a person; but the second has achieved that growth into a person.
He or she has spiritually expanded so as to think of others, care for others, and has developed the spirit of service. Here you can see the moral, ethical and humanistic development of the child. Our children must be 'helped to imbibe this kind of attitude, achieve this type of spiritual growth'.
The first one is very intelligent, but that intelligence has become mere cleverness due to being self-centred; there you see just an individual, not yet developed into a person; but the second has achieved that growth into a person.
He or she has spiritually expanded so as to think of others, care for others, and has developed the spirit of service. Here you can see the moral, ethical and humanistic development of the child. Our children must be 'helped to imbibe this kind of attitude, achieve this type of spiritual growth'.