Are you a good student?

If you are taking higher education, chances are that you are cognitively enhanced and cerebrally empowered. But are you a good student? Did you ever ask yourself what the purpose of good education is? Is it to gain knowledge? Is it to make you employable? Or something beyond that? If you can earn enough to maintain a great lifestyle and achieve all that you ever dreamt of, is that enough? Life can have many meanings, depending upon which lens we use to study it. The meanings change with our perspective.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba said, “Education is for life, not merely for a living.” But what is life? Perhaps defining life in a few words would limit its meaning. Life can be said to be a period when one is breathing, during which there is the presence of the soul in the body. Once the soul is gone, life is over. And then there is another birth and another life… this goes on. But what is the purpose of this continuous birth and rebirth? What is the purpose of life? Baba says, The purpose of human life is to realise the Divine. It is, in this context, that human birth becomes the rarest among all forms of life. While life is ongoing, how should it be lived?

Baba often said,

“Life is a game ... play it.

Life is a challenge ... meet it.

Life is a dream ... realise it.

Life is a sacrifice ... offer it.

Life is love ... enjoy it.”

Do find time to sit in silence and observe the life force in you. As you breathe, listen to the sound of your breath. On average, each human takes 21,600 breaths per day. The sound of each breath is So-ham! As we breathe in, the sound of the breath is ‘So’, and as we breathe out, the breath says, ‘ham’. What does it mean? ‘So’ means ‘that’ and ‘ham’ means ‘I am’. This translates to, ‘That I am, or I am that, or I am God’. This is the repeated declaration of the breath to the soul 21,600 times a day! It is this truth that, though it is being told by the breath to the soul, day in and day out, each day of our lives, the soul finds it hard to hear and believe it. Perhaps the soul is just listening; it’s not hearing. And there lies the difference!

Have you ever chanted OM? Three syllables go to make the sound of Om. They are A, U, M. But there are four components of OM. How is that? Why not three? Because after each chant of AUM, there is a pause, a moment of silence. And it is in that moment of silence that you can hear the voice of God. Chanting AUM stills the mind. That was the purpose of the Bhagawad Gita too. Standing at the edge of the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Krishna recalibrated the mind of Arjuna, from hopelessness to survival and then to complete surrender. Krishna busted the stress in Arjuna’s mind and showed him how to still the mind. And that made him perform, and he outperformed!

Bhishma Pitamaha was basically a righteous man. But being in the company of the Kauravas, his intellect was influenced by their wicked thoughts. He did not come forward to help Draupadi during the Draupadi-Cheer-Haran. Many times in his life, he questioned himself about his own conduct. But because he was constantly in the company of the wicked Kauravas, he was not able to act for the cause of dharma. 

Staying in the company of good or bad people influences and changes our thinking. In Punjab, there is a saying, “Kharbooja, kharbooje ko dekh kar rang badalta hai!” Meaning, a raw muskmelon changes colour and ripens faster in the company of a ripe one. Company surely matters!

Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “Mind, by nature, is absolutely pure. It is only due to the influence of bad company that it becomes wicked! For example, if you wrap jasmine flowers in newspaper, they will acquire the fragrance of jasmine flowers. Similarly, if you wrap pakodas (Indian savoury) in it, it will emit the smell of pakodas. The newspaper on its own does not have any smell. Whatever item is wrapped in it, it will acquire its smell. Similarly, if the mind follows the noble path and you associate the mind with everything good, then the mind will also become good. What is the noble path? How noble would the mind become when it is associated with sacred feelings, good thoughts, noble behaviour, good company, spiritual activities, moral values and righteous actions? On the other hand, when it is associated with wicked qualities, wicked thoughts, evil company and bad behaviour, it becomes extremely wicked. In fact, it becomes demonic! There is nothing good or bad in the mind itself. Only due to good or bad influences, it becomes good or bad. If you want your mind to be good, you should associate yourself with good company!”

Our thoughts are powerful. They shape our lives. My father, late Justice MM Punchhi, would often say that we should compare ourselves with those who have less than we do. This brings a feeling of gratitude and peace. If we compare ourselves to those who work in our homes, we feel we have so much; if we compare ourselves to those who sleep on the roadside in the chill of winter, our home suddenly feels like a palace. It is important to be at peace within, for peace to exude from you.

Academics are very important, but so are life lessons. When I observe the elderly, I realise that some of them have lived their lives with discipline, and there is lots to learn from them. They are not Boodha (old) like a dried-up tree.

They are Vriddh, like the Banyan tree. The word Vriddh (old) comes from vriddhi (growth/prosperity). The Banyan tree keeps growing and giving, by sprouting new roots that take root, to further form new trees. 

Do find time to spend with your Vriddh elders. If you have grandparents, they can teach you so much. Listen to their experiences. Listen to them, don’t merely hear what they say. Listen to understand, not merely answer. Mere replying defeats the purpose of listening.

The ongoing war in the Middle East has brought untold misery to those affected. Human life is precious because it is earned after many births in other forms of life. Is the war justified in sacrificing so many lives? The world is watching as the news of death and destruction flashes all day long. Years back, the misuse of atomic power led to the end of Hiroshima. Now technology is being used for destruction and killing. This misuse of technology may lead to the end of the world. 

The youth of today are the future of tomorrow. Do learn from the world news that nothing good ever comes out of war. Many people in the world are praying for world peace. Whether we find time for prayer or not, if we can just do everything with the awareness that God is in us and around us, watching each action, thought and word that emanates from us, we shall be more mindful of our actions, and the world shall become a more peaceful place.

Each one of us is a student of life. Our learning does not end with formal schooling or college. It continues through every experience and challenge. Each experience teaches a lesson. Sometimes, we may lose the battle, but we must never lose the lesson. Ask yourself, “Are you a good student?”

Each of us has a stake in world peace; do not falter in offering your little contribution. Be in dousing the fire, not in adding fuel to it. Let us pray that the war ends soon and peace returns to the world.

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Published in AcadNewsNetwork on 30.04.2026 https://acadnews.com/are-you-a-good-student/