The world is heading towards catastrophe because of the negation of values and ethics in the society, senseless destruction of natural wealth and environment and the faulty education system, said Shankaracharya of Puri Gobardhan Pith Swami Nischalananda Saraswati while addressing the students and faculties at the KIIT University here on Monday.
“We are heading towards Vinas, not Vikas,” he observed. Citing the example of Uttarakhand, he cautioned. “Unless we stop plundering the wealth of nature, extraction of minerals and disforestation, we have to face concusses very soon.”
The Shankaracharya made a scathing attack on the Western education which, he said, has led to the division of joint family and desertion of the villages. The present-day education gives more importance to building new cities, as a result of which the villages are losing out, he observed.
The Puri seer was very critical of the Governments and political parties, saying the parties in power and opposition are busy achieving small games and not strong enough to protect Indian territory river Brahmaputra from China. While the British Government divided the country into four divisions, the Government of India has been dividing it into small States for narrow political game, he said.
The Shankaracharya had also addressed the 20,000 tribal students at the KISS on Sunday, advising the students not to run after money and fame, which is not true education.
The Shankaracharya lauded the efforts of Founder of KIIT & KISS Dr Achyuta Samanta for taking care of as many as 20,000 poor children, whom he described as the children of God. Earlier, the seer was introduced to the audience by Dr Samanta.