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Education that liberates
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
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