Thus Spake the Divine - Education in Real Sense

Thus Spake the Divine

Education in Real Sense

The heart feels happiness as long as the mind is in a peaceful state. As peace diminishes, sorrows start occupying our minds. Trying to somehow alleviate their sorrows, people may end up harming others. This leads to chaos in the society. Whenever there is chaos, Government takes action to suppress it and bring in harmony.

But, what is the actual way of controlling chaos? Is it that people should try and control their own temperament? What people must do is turn their minds from external distractions to inner peace. Only then, sorrows will not affect them, and simultaneously, no harm will come to others too. Only through a good system of education can such an external and internal peace be established.

The prime objective of our country’s ancient education system was to attain this peace of mind. There is nothing wrong in developing education in streams of biological sciences and research. But results of such an education should also direct people towards the Path of Dharma. This alone will help people reach the higher state of peace. Otherwise, if people apply their knowledge as per their whims and fancies, then, irrespective of their higher level of knowledge, only evil thoughts and desires will prevail among them, leading to more sorrows.

Real education is one that drives people towards self- improvement. Only self-development of an individual leads to eternal bliss. There are two categories of knowledge, knowledge of the world and knowledge of the inner world – material knowledge (apara vidya) and spiritual knowledge (para vidya). Both the higher (para) and lower (apara) knowledge, or knowledge of the spirit and knowledge of matter must be acquired.

Para or higher learning is that knowledge by which Brahman (Supreme Soul) is known; the unseen and unknown, the one eternal all-pervasive Being is known. Only para vidya removes the darkness of ignorance. The invisible characteristics of Dharma can be understood only through Vedas. Sciences like astrology, politics, economics, history and other sciences can only bring out the visible benefits of knowledge.

We should be very careful and conscious when bringing in foreign methodology of education into our traditional system of knowledge. We should consider purification of our soul, discipline etc. as direct outcome of education. We must eliminate all those systems of education that provide pleasure only to our sensory organs. If we adapt the culture, food habits, and conversational style of Westerners, then, we will gradually drift from our own culture and Dharma, which will lead to disharmony in this sacred land of India.

In today’s India, most people are keeping themselves away from the spectrum of our own culture of worship, divinity, meditation etc. They are copying the culture of Westerners. This has become an obstacle in people realising absolute blissfulness. Our prime duty thus must be to provide our children a system of education, which involves the Codes of dharma, discipline, bhakti and wisdom.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.