Parayan of sacred books

If learned brahmans are also good men, it would be a desirable thing for them to spread the knowledge of the Upanishads among the people. But nowadays learning and goodness hardly ever go together. Therefore I am indifferent as regards the parayan* of the Gita or the Ramayan in public. A parayan undertaken by one who does not understand the meaning, or understanding the meaning, read scriptures aloud for show or for fame as if there were anything meritorious in merely reading them aloud, is nothing worth. I would go even further and say that it does harm.

(Translated from Gujarati)