Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree.

Hear the words of Shakuntala Devi, the “human computer,” whose mind dazzled the world with feats of calculation, yet whose wisdom reached far beyond numbers. She declared: “Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life.” In this statement lies a truth as ancient as the mountains: that real education cannot be contained within walls, nor confined to certificates, for it is the unfolding of the soul to wisdom, and the awakening of the heart to reality.

The first lesson of her words is this: school and degree are but tools, not ends. Many believe that once a diploma is placed in their hands, they have completed their learning. But Shakuntala Devi warns us that this is illusion. A scroll of parchment cannot guarantee wisdom, nor can titles ensure understanding. The true measure of education lies not in what one has achieved on paper, but in how one sees the world, how one understands others, and how deeply one has grasped the truth of existence.

History itself confirms this. Socrates, father of philosophy, held no formal degree, nor was he schooled in grand academies. Yet his relentless pursuit of questioning widened not only his own knowledge, but the knowledge of all who came after him. He sought not honors or credentials, but the truth about virtue, justice, and the good life. By living this way, he revealed what Shakuntala Devi proclaims: that education is not the possession of a certificate, but the lifelong pursuit of wisdom.

Likewise, consider the life of Mahatma Gandhi. He had studied law in London and might have lived as a man defined by profession and degree. But his real education came when he absorbed the truths of suffering and injustice in South Africa and India. It was in these struggles, among the poor and the oppressed, that he widened his knowledge of life and discovered his mission. His greatness was not born of formal schooling, but of an education rooted in compassion, truth, and courage.

Shakuntala Devi herself embodied this principle. She was not shaped in the conventional classrooms of universities. Her genius blossomed through curiosity, relentless practice, and an unquenchable thirst to explore the mysteries of numbers and beyond. She widened her knowledge not because she sought degrees, but because she pursued learning as a joy, a calling, and a sacred duty. In this, her life teaches us that education must be lived, not merely attained.

Her words also carry a challenge: do not mistake accumulation of facts for wisdom. One may memorize texts, recite theories, and yet remain blind to the truth about life—the truth of empathy, of resilience, of mortality, of love. True education requires one to absorb these truths, to let them shape one’s character, decisions, and way of being. Without this, all other knowledge is like a tree without roots, impressive in size but destined to fall.

The lesson is clear: seek education not only in classrooms, but in every corner of existence. Read, yes, but also observe. Study, yes, but also reflect. Walk among the poor, listen to the wise, question yourself, and learn from failure. A degree may open doors, but only widened knowledge and absorbed truth can teach you how to walk the path of life with purpose.

So let Shakuntala Devi’s words echo in your soul: “Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life.” Live by them. Widen your horizons, seek truth wherever it hides, and let every experience be your teacher. For only then will your education be complete—not at graduation, but in the fullness of a life well lived.