Gurukula

[Guest guest]

>> >You are argueying on slippering ground here...

>

>> Not at all. Actual gurukula is the best possible system of education for

>> boys, for it is based upon guru-sadhu-sastra.

 

>The question would be, did Srila Prabhupad actually had introduced the

actual gurukula? >Where are the examples from the history, scriptures? Or,

was he just trying to find a >way how to introduce Krishna consciousness in

a completely new circumstances?

 

One could research that. Nevertheless, Srila Prabhupada's decision to

introduce gurukula was certainly not less than perfect, even for this

Kali-yuga situation we are in.

 

>> the "experiment." Whether that attempt would succeed or fail, gurukula,

as certified >> by guru-sadhu-sastra, remains the timeless essential system

of spiritual and material >> education for boys.

 

>So this timeless essential system is that only the brahminical and ksatriya

oriented >boys get the training for some time. This is a minority of the

population. And do you >know why it was only ksatriya and brahmana boys that

were trained in brahmacarya?

 

Since we are discussing gurukula in the context of ISKCON, it is a fact that

Srila Prabhupada wanted primarily to train brahamanas--hence the need for

gurukula. And of course, he wanted us to establish Varnasrama Colleges for

also benefiting society at large.

 

>So, I would propose gurukula for the qualified boys and Varnasrama college

for >everybody.

 

This is also my understanding of Srila Prabhupada's plan.

 

>Because in the real life one needs to know some occupation in order to

survive. In the >vedic society sudras and vaishyas were learnig different

skills from their fathers, but >we don't have those fathers and society set up.

 

Thus it is truly *missionary* activity to be a bona fide member of ISKCON.

We present-day fathers and mothers should be sacrificing our tendency for

mainstream lifestyle for the higher, missionary purpose of taking up some

role (varna) and thus training the next generation in those varnas.

 

>So, in the begining (which might mean even some one hundred or two hundred

years) >education for different varnas would have to be done communally

(Varnasrama colleges) >or everybody has to get a karmi education.

 

We should be choosing the former and rejecting the latter option (getting a

karmi education). Our mission is to become self-sufficient and independent

from the modern atheistic society. Thus, for ISKCON devotees, of what

essential value is a modern secular education?

 

>And in the very begining we have to get even our teachers educated in the

karmi >society in order to get qualified teachers.

 

No, mataji. Because the modern education is capable to produce sudras only.

This is not the way to get qualified teachers (means brahmanas).

 

>Otherwise, how are they going to teach students about different skills?

 

Brahamanas are naturally teachers, so they don't need to go to the modern

universities to be "taught" how *to teach* whatever it is that they have

learned elsewhere. And as for teaching the different skills, we all know

that the modern universities are teaching only mechanical, technical skills.

Skills needed by brahamanas, ksatriyas, and even vaisyas cannot be learned

therein (other than in some minute, perverted reflected form). Isn't it so?

Our ISKCON brahamanas will have to use their good brains to research the

Vedic literatures and their good spiritual practices as their qualification

to learn from caitya-guru as well (SP did tell us that "Krsna would teach us

what we needed to know), whatever they need to learn for the purpose of

teaching the other varnas.

 

Of course, all of the above is my humble understanding only.

 

--gkd