Text of the speech by His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, Sankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on 10th November 2003 at 5.00 pm at Stenographers' Guild, Chennai.  The function was jointly organised by Prime Point Foundation and Stenographers Guild.

During this function, His Holiness launched the 'Training division' of the Foundation and also presented the certificates who underwent one month course on "Public Relations and corporate communication"

Please click here for the proceedings of the function and other photos

Rediscover mind-to-mind communication to understand others

To improve our various knowledge skills many training methods are being imparted these days. Man is born with the basic knowledge and average mind-skills. His circumstances, his lifestyle and maturity that comes with age make him realize the need for further training and shape his skills for self-improvement.

Similarly youngsters and even experienced elders are being trained here to further their skills and employment opportunities. Srinivasan described Narada and Hanuman as brilliant communicators from our scriptures. They were endowed with such communication skills that they were in touch with not just this world but the entire universe. 

Science has revolutionized communication that in a matter of seconds you can exchange information across the world through internet, satellites and telephony. Our forefathers, though not blessed with such modern gadgetry, were still excellent communicators. Since they did not have the facilities and opportunities to pass on these skills to posterity we are compelled to fashion communication courses to suit our present needs. What we today describe as “new communication” is actually a legacy from our illustrious past. 

Raghavan of Indian Bank has written so much on management. Again our spiritual heroes like Rama and Hanuman were very capable managers themselves. The Bhagavad Gita is replete with management mantras. Management might be a specialized study today, but we have always been the beneficiaries of unspoken practical management skills experienced at our homes and administrative excellence of some of our great kings in the past. Much of our management skills were born out of pragmatism and homegrown wisdom and not due to any formal training. 

But these days the need for certificates has made it mandatory for starting such formal courses in management and communication. But in the past our forefathers were great experts in “mind-to-mind” communication. Like present day psychologists they could grasp what goes on in another person’s mind. This had fostered understanding and amity.  

In spite of a plethora of such communication courses interpersonal communication has deteriorated today leading to personal and social tensions. We need to rejuvenate this tradition of understanding the feelings of others, which was practised with great acumen and skill by our forefathers. The ability of some doctors who could diagnose the illness of their patient with just one look and a single touch was a further refinement of this skill to communicate. 

The talent to judge a person’s mind by his face is the ultimate form of communication and management. This talent abounded in our past and it is time we rediscover this glorious tradition through such courses.

(True translation by Mr G C Sekhar, Special correspondent, Hindustan Times, Chennai)

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