“The purpose of Acharyakul is not to acquire power; there are other associations for that. The purpose is to make us teachers more aware of our duties, and more ready to fulfil them, and so enable us to regain our rightful place in society. There is so much darkness around us, how can it be removed? If our surroundings seem dark, it is because we have no light. Light knows no darkness. (1)”
What is the nature of our (teachers) strength? Is it not in the nature of light? The light of knowledge, of wisdom, of thought and reflection. What power in the world can stand before it? When science has made so much progress, when the intellect has such far-reaching power, it will be disaster for humanity if the heart remains small. The problems of today arise from this discrepancy: big brains and small hearts.
Intellectual progress is going to continue, and scientific knowledge is going to expand even further. There is no alternative, if we have to survive, except to expand our hearts. The world outlook of “Jai Jaagat” is the only fitting one for our generation; for the world is ours, and we are world citizens, “World-men” (Viswa-manushah) as the Rg-Veda called it long ago:
Vinoba’s Jai Jagat we shall discuss some other time.
With love,
Yours, L.N. Godbole
19th August, 1990 My dear Pranav,
Vinoba had one life-long idea in all his speeches: insistence on physical labour by everyone. This was a legacy from Gandhiji. In ancient times Manu, the first law giver of the world, has downrated manual labour in the Smrti. You will therefore find
52 �
