27 May 2012 - QA 5

The results of the SSLC (Tenth standard) and PUC (Twelfth standard) examinations have been announced. These examinations are very important for students. What message would you like to give to the students?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: For those who have passed, move ahead with increased enthusiasm. For those who haven’t, do not lose your happiness and enthusiasm. It is not a big thing that you have lost. Just because of not passing an exam, students become very disturbed mentally. A lot of cases have happened where students have committed suicide just because of not passing an exam. My message for the students who have not passed in their exams is that it is not a big thing. Behind every success, there is a failure hiding and behind every failure is a success hiding. So, do not worry, start studying again and move ahead. Don’t think that you have lost a year; it is not a big matter. Just because of not passing an exam, do not think that you have wasted time. Life itself is a learning process, an art. In every stage of life, we learn lessons through success as well as failure. Learn from success and failure, keep your mind balanced, do not lose your enthusiasm and keep moving ahead. There are many big industrialists who were not rank holders. There are industrialists who have failed in the second standard, but are handling big businesses. When I visited Surat (Gujarat, India), eight businessmen - all brothers, invited me for Padha Pooja. They said that nobody in their family had studied beyond the eighth standard. Most of them had studied from the second to the fourth standard. However, they said that nine out of ten diamonds sold in the world originate from Surat. They haven’t studied properly, but are handling big businesses, giving employment to thousands of people and living happily. So, just because of not passing an exam, do not get depressed and take any extreme step. I had been to twenty cities and fourteen countries in the last few months. When I went to Japan, the Prime Minister told me that 30,000 youths commit suicide every year in Japan. People are committing suicide in such huge numbers. It is not that they do not have money. Everyone has money in abundance. Everyone has TV’s, vehicles and enough wealth. Yet the youth of such a country are committing suicide. It would be another matter if they were poor. That is not the case here. Wealthy people are committing suicide. So, he said that only I could do something about it. I said that the spiritual knowledge of India is the only way to bring a wave of happiness there. So we are organizing the Part 1 Course and Nav Chetna Shibirs in various parts of the country. Similarly, many countries have such problems. In our country, it is not at such a big scale because the seed of interest in spirituality and human values is present in the people. However, it is our duty to preserve it and ensure that it grows. Keep encouraging your children. It is not a big thing if they fail in exams. We must study well, have interest in studies and flourish in life.