Devotee:
Namaskar, Gurudev. Namaskar to all our friends. Friends, please subscribe to our channel, guptasadhaksamakhapa.com. The more you subscribe, the more valuable videos we can bring to you. Gurudev, we have Swamiji with us today. Maharaj, I would like to ask you to say a few words for people who are in trouble and share your blessings with us.
Maharaj:
Jai Thakur. Jai Ma. My monastic name is Swami Jog Sundarananda. Currently, I am at an ashram called the Universal Peace Center in Medinipur. Before this, I was at the Sri Ramakrishna Prem Bihar Ashram in Amta, Howrah. I have realized one thing very clearly from my own life: it is essential for every person to know themselves. Often, in our personal or professional lives, while trying to follow an ideal, we immerse ourselves so deeply in our work that we forget why we even started.
Devotee:
Exactly.
Maharaj:
I have seen this in my monastic life as well. I was the headmaster of a school. When parents send their children to school, their ideal is for the child to become a "good human being." But once the child completes their education, the ideal shifts toward becoming wealthy. Whether they actually become a "human being" loses its importance. The focus shifts to social status, earning money, and fulfilling duties—but in the process, humanity often takes a backseat. I saw this firsthand while teaching children.
Devotee:
Maharaj, if I may interrupt—the saying "Vidya Dadati Vinayam" (Education brings humility) is not being taught today. No one teaches that education should grant humility, not just wealth. Nowadays, the mindset is: "Get an education so you can get a good job." No parent is teaching their child to be humble first.
Maharaj:
The problem is that nowadays, even parents are not humble. How can they expect humility from their children? We see that if a child tries to touch their parents' feet to show respect, they say, "No, no!" They aren't used to it themselves. They want their children to be "advanced" and "modern." To them, humility is an outdated concept. They want their child to be able to speak up and establish themselves in society. To be humble, one often has to lower their ego, and people don't want to do that anymore.
Devotee:
Maharaj, you have experience in teaching. Tell us, is the current education system moving in the right direction? We believe that any education not connected to God is "mis-education." God isn't even mentioned in schools anymore; there are no prayers.
Maharaj:
Let me share a personal experience. The school I was in was managed by monks. We had some monks and brahmacharis (celibates) as teachers, and we also hired external teachers who were highly qualified. However, there was a demand from parents that only the monks should teach their children so they could learn "culture" and our traditions.
Maharaj:
I told them, "Look, we don't have enough monks for that." They suggested we bring in more monks from other centers. I told one mother, "You have two sons. Why don't you give one of them to the monkhood?" Since I said that, she never came back to ask for more monks!
Devotee:
In the old days, families with four or five sons would often dedicate one to spiritual life. They valued religion. Now, parents want a monk to teach their son culture and values, but they still want the son to return to the same materialistic life they lead. They don't want him to pursue a life of renunciation. So, how will things truly improve?
Maharaj:
In Punjab, at least one son from a family often joins the military to serve the country. In other places like Bihar or Gujarat, there is still great respect for monks. I've traveled through the Himalayas and Uttarakhand; even small children will greet you with "Hari Om, Maharaj." But in West Bengal, if I walk down the street, people shout, "Look, a monk!" as if they're seeing a wild animal. They often view monks as frauds. It feels like we are no longer "Hindus" in Bengal. I remember my grandmother and aunts giving great importance to rituals like Itu Puja or Lakshmi Puja, but that is fading. The new generation doesn't care.
Maharaj:
The root cause is the modern education system. Even in our monk-managed schools, we have to follow an English-medium syllabus so the kids can get into other schools later. If we told parents we would only teach meditation and Sanatana Dharma, they would ask, "What about their future?"
Devotee:
Maharaj, another point. We see students topping the Secondary exams but then they disappear and aren't heard of by Higher Secondary. Is the government just inflating grades? Students from prestigious institutions like the Ramakrishna Mission are being overshadowed by others whose merit doesn't hold up later in national exams like JEE.
Maharaj:
This is happening because there is a government push to show that district schools are improving. While the intention of spreading education is good, the lack of neutrality in evaluation is a problem. We want people to understand what they truly want and the price they must pay for it. You can't get anything valuable for free. People want to "buy" education with money rather than earning it through perseverance. Parents provide everything to their children on a silver platter, so the children never learn to work hard.
Devotee:
It's the result of over-indulgent parenting.
Maharaj:
It's the whole social system. Parents see what other parents are doing and follow the trend. There is a massive lack of ideals. When I was younger, we would touch our teachers' feet in respect. Now, students might ask their teacher for a cigarette.
Maharaj:
I know of a teacher in a school where a female student (under the age of 18) used to come to school drunk. When the school called her father, who was a local political figure and businessman, he came to the school and threatened the teacher. The teacher was actually forced to apologize to the student for questioning her about the alcohol. In such an environment, no teacher wants to take the responsibility of correcting a student. They prioritize their own safety.
Devotee:
Teachers are quiet in schools but perform well in private tuitions because that's where the money is. Maharaj, please give us some advice so people can find the right path.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There is a Sanskrit saying: "Do not try to advise someone who thinks they know more than you." In Bengal, monks are not respected for their wisdom. People come to me only when they want a task done or need a miracle. They treat me like a machine—get the work done and leave. They don't know how to give respect. Advice is useless until people realize they are on the wrong path.
Maharaj:
If we want change, it must start with the parents, not the children. We read about the influence of great mothers in history—mothers of Shivaji, Rana Pratap, or Swami Vivekananda. In the modern age, such maternal characters are rare. If parents want their children to be good human beings and support them in old age, they must first show those values in their own lives. We cannot discard our traditions and expect our children to be virtuous.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
(Recites a Sanskrit Shloka/Chant) Asato Ma Sadgamaya... Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya... Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya... (Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.)
Devotee:
Thank you, Maharaj. Thank you, Gurudev.