Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice-Chairman, Mata Amritanandamayi Math and President, Board of Management, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, recently addressed faculty, staff and students at the 13^th convocation ceremony held at Coimbatore campus on August 21, 2016.

Included below are excerpts from his talk.

We live in a ‘Result Oriented Society.’ Our parents, teachers, society and people around us have conditioned our minds in such a way that we don’t want to do anything unless we are paid, unless we get something in return. WIIFM… What Is In It For Me…? This goes on within our minds almost like a mantra. It is high time that we seriously think to bring about a change both in our focus and attitude. Parents, teachers and leaders should encourage our students to change their focus from, ‘Result to Action.’ Action is more important. When focus on action becomes 100 percent, when dedication in action arises, productivity increases automatically.

The society we are in now has deteriorated so fast that we have started to live, not with the money earned yesterday, but instead, using the money we hope to get tomorrow. It is the era of “plastic cards, credit cards.” We enter into the trap of “Debt” by borrowing tomorrow’s money for today.

I have the confidence that you, the young brilliant minds of Amrita, have the capacity to shift your focus from ‘Self Fulfillment’ to ‘Serving Others.’ The attitude should be: “I am going to work for the welfare of society, not just for me.”

Somehow, knowingly or unknowingly, in our modern day quick-fix world, youth blindly believe in a fast pace. Velocity has become more important than the goal. Of course, whatever needs to be done might have to be done with maximum speed, but without compromising the quality of the work and its outcome. We should make sure that we are actually creating, not destroying; that there is love and dedication in the work, that it is not just mechanical.

Dear students, no one, including you, your parents, friends, or your teachers know what your true potential is. Nature has shaped you, impregnated into you, certain qualities, skills, and talents. Only by understanding that will you be able to elevate yourself.

May you, who are now ready to go out into the world, have the willingness to use your knowledge, your scientific and technological skills to serve society with a loving and compassionate attitude. May you be able to create a beautiful blend of Science and Spirituality – the Inner and Outer – the World and God – The Individual and the Universe – Fact and Faith – Logic and Mystery.