Education that liberates

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ACCORDING TO AN UPANISHADIC STORY, a father sent his son to a Gurukul

for education. The son, after finishing his education, came back home

and told his father that he had mastered all the subjects taught by

his teacher. The father, who was himself a learned man, then asked

his son, " Has your teacher taught you That, by knowing which

everything else becomes known? " When the son replied in the negative,

his father told him, " In that case, your education is incomplete. " In

a similar story given in Mundakopanishad, a householder went to Sage

Angirasa and asked after showing proper respect: Kasminoo Bhagavo

Vijnate Sarvamidam Vijnatam Bhavateeti (Oh master! What is That which

being known, all this becomes known?) After giving a detailed

description of two types of education, namely, Para Vidya (higher

knowledge) and Apara Vidya (lower knowledge), the sage told the

questioner that it was through Para Vidya that one could know the

Supreme Being. By knowing That only, everything else becomes known.

 

Para Vidya is also called Brahma Vidya because its main subject is

Brahman (Supreme Being). The main source of Brahma Vidya are the

Vedas which are called Srutis, or those texts which were originally

heard or received by the sages directly from the Supreme Being in a

state of heightened illumination and deep silence, and were then

passed on to their disciples in an excellent oral system of teaching

and learning till they were compiled and classified by Sage Vyasa

into four Vedas, namely, Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and

Atharvana Veda. This precious treasure of Divine knowledge has been

directly handed over by God to man to make his life sublime, noble

and ideal. This is perhaps the greatest gift of God to man. The

supreme wisdom of the Vedas thus forms the eternal philosophy or what

Aldous Huxley calls the 'perennial philosophy' of man's life. Though

it is universal and belongs to the entire mankind, and not to any

particular religion, race or country, yet Bharat has

the proud privilege of safeguarding it in its original form and

spreading it to other parts of the world.

 

In a unique system of teaching and learning fostered by what is

called Guru Sishya Parampara (teacher-pupil tradition), this Divine

knowledge was passed on from a realised Guru to a deserving disciple

without any monetary consideration. This tradition remained alive and

uninterrupted in Bharat even in its worst periods of history when the

country was invaded and enslaved by foreign rulers. This sacred land

of Bharat has therefore remained suffused with Brahma Jnana

(knowledge of Brahman) all through the known history of the world and

has produced illustrious Gurus like Adi Sankara, Ramakrishna

Paramhamsa and Sri Aurobindo, to name only a few. It has also the

proud privilege of giving to the world such apostles of peace as

Buddha, Ashoka and Mahatma Gandhi. That is why Bhagavan Baba always

says that Bharat is Punya Bhumi, Thyaga Bhumi, Yoga Bhumi (land of

merit, sacrifice and spirituality). It is the land which shines with

the effulgence of the knowledge of the Supreme

Being, the letter Bha in its name connoting effulgence.

 

Bhagavan Baba often refers to the ancient education system of Bharat

as the ideal system of education, in which the principles of ethics,

morality and spirituality formed the core of education. The ancient

sages of Bharat lived these principles and made them as principal

part of their teachings. Dividing the life-span of man into four

parts of 25 years each, they set apart first 25 years for education

and gave it the exalted name of Brahmacharya Ashram. TTie word

Brahmacharya is used today in its narrow sense of celibacy. It

actually means adopting a style of life conducive to gain the vision

of Brahman. The students therefore led a pure and disciplined life

and put the knowledge of the Vedas into practice to attain this

objective. The teachers who imparted this Divine knowledge to their

students were completely selfless as they had no worldly desires to

fulfill. They were imbued with such noble ideals of Bharat as Loka

Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu (May all the people of the

world be happy!). Not only the knowledge imparted by them was

universal in nature but their outlook was also broad and catholic.

Imparting of knowledge was considered a sacred act like any other

spiritual practice.The question of charging any fee for such a sacred

act therefore never arose. This glorious tradition y? passing on the

Divine wisdom to the next generation without any monetary

consideration continued throughout the Vedic period. Even when big

universities like Nalanda, Vikramasila, Valabhi, etc., were

established some time in the beginning of the Christian era,

education was totally free. During his visit to India (A.D. 629-645),

when Hiuen Tsang stayed at Nalanda for five years, there were nearly

10,000 teachers and students in this university, some of the students

having come from foreign lands like Japan, Korea, Tibet, Nepal and

China. Besides free education, all the students were provided free

food, clothes, bedding and medicines. As Bhagavan says, Bharat

has been a teacher of the world since ancient times.

 

Today the Bharatiyas themselves have forgotten these glorious

traditions of their country. The parents no longer tell their

children that their education is incomplete without the knowledge of

Brahman. Their only concern today is that their children should

acquire a degree and find lucrative employment. Under the impact of

materialistic trend of modem times, the sacred field of knowledge is

also being commercialized. Commenting on this deplorable trend of

modem education, Bhagavan Baba often recites a Telugu poem which can

be considered as an appropriate assessment of this system of

education. The essence of this poem is : " In spite of his education

and intelligence, man does not give up his mean-mindedness and evil

qualities. He has no knowledge of the Self. Modern education leads of

argumentation, not to total wisdom. What is the use of worldly

education if it cannot lead you to immortality? Acquire the knowledge

that will make you immortal. " Secular education without a

sound spiritual base is therefore inadequate and incomplete. It may

help man to earn his living and seek power and position in society

but it does not enable him to realise the profound truths of his

inner being. It is therefore necessary to have a system of education

which integrates worldly education with spiritual knowledge. But the

question arises, how this can be done to suit the scientifically and

technologically advanced society of modem times.

 

The answer to this question has been provided by the Divine Being

Himself who, in the human form of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, has

set up Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Prasanthi

Nilayam which has already become well known in the world for its

integral system of education. The environment of the Institute is

surcharged with spiritual vibrations by the soul-stirring devotional

songs and Vedic chants of the students. In the spiritual ambience of

the Institute, the students not only read about the values of Sathya,

Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa but assimilate and internalize them

to make them a permanent part of their life. If one wants to see a

real Divine miracle at work, one should see Bhagavan Baba interacting

with students and transforming their lives by His loving guidance. It

is to be seen to be believed how under the direction of Bhagavan the

students become the embodiments of virtues and men/women of sterling

character. Blessed were the sages of the yore to whom the Divine

Being revealed the knowledge of Brahman through the Vedas. Immensely

blessed are also those who have got this rare opportunity to receive

Brahma Jnana directly from Veda Purusha Bhagavan Baba Himself. And

the students of this Institute are a thousand times more blessed as

they receive this Divine knowledge directly from the Divine Being

almost everyday.

 

This Institute, where education is totally free, has been adjudged by

the National Assessment and Accreditation Council as one of the top

ranking educational institutions of the country for its academic

excellence. Besides, 25 Vice Chancellors of reputed Indian

universities who attended the UGC Golden Jubilee Seminar

on " Promotion of Value Education and Ethics " at Prasanthi Nilayam

last year unanimously recommended that this Institute should be

recognised as the National Centre of Excellence for Value Education

and a model which could be followed in other universities and

educational institutions. The pioneer and founder of this unique

system of education, which integrates the ancient Gurukul system of

education with modem secular education, is the Chancellor of this

Institute, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba under whose direction and

guidance, this integral system of education has achieved this

spectacular success and is now spreading in all parts of the worid

through Sathya Sai educational institutions. This is the type of

education which can liberate man and usher in an era of peace,

harmony and love in the worid.

 

-Editor

 

This article was sourced from Sanathana Sarathi Pg 101-103 April 2004

Issu

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan

rgcjp