Amma, serving in her role as Chancellor of Amrita University, addressed researchers representing 93 leading international universities here on July 8 at a conference co-hosted by Amrita and the UN Academic Impact (UNAI), attended by more than 700 delegates.
"Segregating science and spirituality has been the greatest crime against humanity in the past century. These two main branches of knowledge that should have gone hand in hand were divided and practitioners were either labeled as modern scientists or representatives of religious faiths," she said.
She stressed that spirituality is also a science and is a "valid branch of knowledge that cannot be ignored. The scientific community is researching the physical world in an attempt to discover the secrets of the universe."
She urged the scientific community to approach their research with a balance of awareness and compassion, stressing the importance of keeping the upliftment of the poor and suffering in mind when they undertake technological research.
UNAI also inaugurated an online portal created by Amrita University to foster further discussion and collaboration among researchers worldwide on technology for global sustainable development.