Education

Education and religion, like food and clothing must be suited to a person’s taste, need, requirement and environment. They cannot be just borrowed for the sake of fashion. Borrowed beauty not only artificial and short-lived but injurious to the natural health and growth. Anything artificial is life less. Seeds and soil must be suited to each other. Our bodies are not accustomed to assimilating alien material. Anything foreign in the body is thrown out immediately or after a flight.

Education for a healthy, harmonious and fruitful growth should be suited to the geographical and cultural conditions of the country. It should also be in tune with the traditions.

Unfortunately the popular western system of education which is without the life-spirit has been transported to the Indian soil and transplanted wrongly by the government. Neither the climate nor the soil in India is suited to the seeds of a soulless system of materialistic education. It has proved to be totally oblivious and even antagonistic to the great tradition of our motherland. An education system which has no link with soul or spirit is certain to lead to a reign of terror of ego. Any system of education founded on theories of academic perfection, which ignores the instrument of study, is more likely to hamper and impair intellectual growth than to produce a perfect and equipped mind. The current educational system is a great advance on many of the methods of antiquity, but its defects are also palpable. It is based on insufficient knowledge of human psychology, and it is only safeguarded from disastrous results by the refusal of the ordinary student to subject himself to the processes it involves, his habit of studying only so much as he must to avoid punishment or to pass an immediate tests, his resort to active habits and vigorous physical exercise.

 A new system of education is essential therefore to elevate us all from the clutches of materialism with an eye on science  while emphasizing the controlling presence of a spiritual awareness.

Sri Aurobindo says—“Education to be complete must have five principal aspects relating to the five principal activities of the human being : the physical, the vital, the mental, the psychic and the spiritual. Usually, these phases of education succeed each other in a chronological order following the growth of the individual. This, however, does not mean that one should replace another but that all must continue, completing each other, till the end of life.” For the fulfillment of life and realization of goals, education is essential at four levels. They are physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. These four are not independent watertight compartments exclusive of one another. They individually and collectively contribute to the strength and growth of all. Society in general and student in particular should abide by the four-fold educational discipline for the wholesome advancement of all.

The first and foremost is physical education. It is essential for a disease-free life and a purposeful pursuit in any walk of life. As physical culture is must for health and strength, emotional discipline is essential for peace and sobriety of mind. Intellectual education it is when our studies and thoughts are regulated by logic while learning, retaining and applying the knowledge. Science and philosophy, discovery and discrimination, application and invention are some fruits of intellectual education. Finally, the most important of all is the spiritual education. Concentration and meditation are the vital ways to cultivate spiritual discipline.

Any nation progress well if it has a sound and extensive universal elementary education at the primary level and vocational education for many and literary education for a few at the higher education level. The true basis of education is the study of the human mind, infant, adolescent and adult.

Swadeshi movement

Swadeshi movement was at its highest during the days that followed the Bangal partition. The concept of Swadeshi movement was a movement of self-help and self-respect and it aimed at being only constructive. Swadeshism at its highest is a deep, passionate, fervent, all-embracing love of the motherland and that this love seeks to show itself, not in one sphere of activity only but in all; it envades the whole man and it will not rest until it has raised the whole man. Indian patriots, whether Nationalist or Moderate, did not differ on this point. All who gave any thought to matters of India’s trade, commerce, agriculture, mineral and forest wealth and industry were unanimously of this view. Ranade was the acknowledged exponent of this thought and Dadabai, Romesh Chandra Dutta, Digby, Gokhale spoke or wrote in the same strain and Tlak held the same views. The difference between all of them and Tilak notably was that Tilak took immence pains to spread these views among the vast masses by propaganda in the language of the people while others restricted their expressions to the English language. Tilak also took active steps to translate these views in practice by promoting Swadeshi industrial activity by associating himself with such ventures as the swadeshi Co-operative Stores and the Paisa Fund Glass works. His associates and disciples like Messrs Shiradkar and Karandikar started a match manufacturing factory at Karad. He gave active guidance to a match manufacturing factory at Ellichpur in Birar. He took interest in the manufacturing of paper also. But his most notable contribution was his incessant writings in the Kesari during 1905 and 1908 not only for what was called only economic swadeshi or honest swadeshi.

Tilak has equally, eloquently  and earnestly pleaded for technical education and commercial education on several occasions. Tilak’s writings in the Kesari collected in four volumes of about 500 to 600 pages each, constitute a great liberal education even today and patriotic public workers, social workers and public servants can still look for inspiration and inspiration and guidance in his writings. While propagating the Swadeshi cult, he did not merely have the consumers in his mind who was asked to purchase swadeshi goods even at a sacrifice. He had the primary producer, the merchant, the petty shopkeeper, and the money-lenders also in his mind.

Mr. sahastrabuddhe of Ellichpur, the proprietor of match factory, once went to see Tilak. Talking to him Tilak said,--In our country, it would be better if small industries are started and scattered all over the country. Manufacture of match boxes, for instance, must be undertaken in all province. Because, the product must not be made more costly by incurrence of transport charges.

Tilak insisted on getting his Geeta-Rahasya printed on swadeshi paper, which was supplied by the Padamji Paper Mill in Bombay.

Shankaracharya

Shankara was born in a Nambudiri Brahmin family at Kalady, village in the state of Kerala in 788A.D. Young  Shankara proceeded northward in search of a Guru. He came to the banks of Narmada where he met Govinda Bhagavatpada, disciple of Gaudapada. Shankara requested him to initiate him formally into Sanyasa. The request was readily granted. Shankara thereupon received instruction in Vedanta from Govinda Bhagavatpada.

Hinduism was at very critical juncture in the middle of the 7^th Century, orthodox Hinduism, with its elaborate and confusing ritualism, with its elaborate and confusing ritualism could no longer inspire the masses; even the rich who conduct these expensive Yagnas and Yagas, did not feel any sense of participation. Buddism had broken down into endless groups, each fighting with all the others, and the enchantment of direct thought and simple ideals got lost in the confusing  melody of their involved dialectics and noisy argumentations. It was at such a smouldering era of total decadence and endless confusions, that we had the timely rise of a fresh national hope in a young Kerala Brahmin, Adi Sankara. And soon this hope of giving Hindus a clear philosophy, beaconing them back to the Upnishads and the general consciousness of the entire nation, was fulfilled. With the Advaita Philosophy, stemming forth from the gushing Sources of Knowledge, the Upanishad, Sankara could reclaim the hopes of the community from the cobwebs of ritualism and give to the Hindus a peep into the wholesome beauty of their own ancient culture.

Shankara was one of the sacred instruments through which the Lord functions to maintain the universal rhythm and keep the world a healthy field for the onward march of evolution. The Infinite will can readily play Itself through such men of total identication with the Lord, and they alone are, therefore, the most competent instruments for the Universal Law to accomplish its divine purpose. To artists, their instruments are the most precious possessions. They are well cared for, trimmed. Sharpened, cleaned and kept ever tuned-up always, with diligent attention and soothing love.  Lord Jagadeeswara also never spares His choosen workers. Adi Sankara too was not to be spared from this Cosmic-law! He too has to be re-strung and re-turned from time to time.

The discussions of the conference lasted several days. Mandan Misra’s wife, Sarasa Vani, who was a very learned lady and who was held in great respect by scholoars for her integrity and wisdom, was requested to be the umpire. The wager was that if Sankara was defeated he should give up Sannyasa and marry and settle down as an orthodox householder. If, however, Mandan Misra’s was defeated he should give up his house and become a Sannyasa. Sarasa Vani, with her powers bordering on the divine, gave two extraordinary garlands for the disputants to wear and declared that who ever was defeated in argument would find his garland fading, while the victor’s garland would remain fresh. And it happened that Sankara’s garland remained fresh while that of Mandan Misra faded. Mandan Misra accepted defeat and was so changed that he now considered it a blessing to follow  Sankara as his Sannyasin disciple.

During his wanderings, Sankara had a premonition that his mother’s end was near. Remembering his promise to her, he went to her side, losing no time. Though he was her son, he became her Guru now and enabled her to meet her death with unshakable faith in God. The end came peacefully and quietly.

After the obseueries of his mother were over, Sankara resumed his travels. He visited Srirangam, Jambukeswaraam, Tirupati, and other places in south. In Tiruvottiyur, near Madras, there is evidence to show that he changed the mode of worship at the temple there by stopping animal sacrifices. Then he proceeded north along the east coast. The Maths established by him have continued to function through the centuries, at Kedarnath, Dwaraka, Sringeri, Puri and Kanchi and the instructions of worship initiated by his in many temples continue his traditions to this day.

Sri Aurobindo

The teaching of Sri Aurobindo starts from that of the ancient sages of Indian that behind the appearances of the universe there is a Reality of a Bing and Consciousness, a Self of all things, one and eternal. All beings are united in that One Self and Spirit but divided by a certain separativity of consciousness, an ignorance of their true Self and Reality in the mind, life and body. It is possible be a certain psychological discipline to remove this veil of separative consciousness and become aware of the true Self, the Divinity whining us and all.

On 15^th august 1872 Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta. In 1910 he came over to Pondicherry in French India in obedience to the Divine command. He had now woken up to the supreme mission of his life; to plunge into the depth of spirituality and to discover and establish the principles of the Integral Yoga—for transformation of man.

In 1914 Sri Aurobindo began the publication of a philosophical monthly, the Arya. Most of his more important work—The Live Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, Commentaries on the Isha Upnishad appeared serially in the Arya. These works embodied much of the inner knowledge that had come to him in his pactice of Yoga. Others were concerned with the spirit and significance of Indian civilization and culture(The foundations of Indian Culture), the true meaning of the Vedas(The secret of the Veda), the progress of human society(The Human Cycle), the nature and evolution of poetry(The Future Poetry), the possibility of the unification of the human race(The Ideal of Human Unity). The Arya ceased publication in 1921 after six years and a half of uninterrupted appearance.

On 24 November 1926 another phase of in sri Aurobindo’s mighty spiritual work began. He retired into complete solitude to concentrate on his work. Yet he kept a close on all that was happening in the world and in India and actively intervened whenever necessary. He shared, too, the Mothers’s work of guiding the disciples, mainly by  writing thousands of letters, packed with inner help and power, explaining their difficulties, their experiences, directing them, giving them knowledge. Sri Aurobindo’s work was to bring down a still greater power of consciousness he called Supramental, to transform the earth-life and to hew out a path he called Intergral Yoga. It is perhaps the most powerful artistic work in the world for expanding man’s mind towards the Absolute. It is a means for ascension. It is the prophetic message of the divinized earth and of man’s God-like possibility.

The aim of sri Aurobindo’s Yoga is an inner self –development by which one who follow it can in time discover the One Self in all and evolve a higher consciousness than the mental, a spiritual and supramental consciousness which will transform and divinize human nature.

sri Aurobindo left his body on 5th December 1950.

The Mother

The Mother was born in Paris on 21^st Fabruaru1878. In between the ages of  11 and 13 a series of psychic and spiritual experiences were revealed to her not only the existence of God, but also man’s possibility of uniting with Him, of realizing Him integrally in consciousness and action, of manifesting Him upon earth in a life divine. Later on, as the interior and exterior development proceeded, the spiritual and psychic relation with one the Beings became more and more clear and frequent. Although she knew little of Indian philosophy and religion at that time, she called the special Being as Krishna. when the Mother was about 21, got copy of the Bhagvadgeeta, very inadequate French translation, but she could perceive by intuition, the true content of this Indian scripture. She envisaged Krishna as the immanent Godhead, as the Divine within ourselves. After completing the whole Geeta, she has got the experience of Krishna as immanent God. At the first physical meeting with Sri Aurobindo on 29-3-1914 was a decisive experience for the Mother and she immediately recognized in him the one whom she had so often met in her dreams and whom she had called Krishna.

On 24^th April 1920 the Mother could at last and for good return to Pondicherry. The Mother’s arrival in Sri Aurobindo’s house entailed several changes in the household. His disciples had so far been living rather freely and without constraints. Sri Aurobindo did not interfere much with what the were doing, since he was immersed in his own sadhana. The Mother became part of this community now and whole household was newly arranged by her. At the same time collective meditations were begun in which Sri Aurobindo, the Mother, the members of his group as well as visitors took part. It was at this moment that the foundation of  ashram was laid, even though it was not consciously planned or discussed. Things took their own course and there was an organic development.

Exactly 24 disciples were present on 24th November 1926 and Sri Aurobindo gave them explicit instrucions to take guidance from the Mother, since he would now do all the work through her. It happened quite naturally now that  an ever growing number of sadhaksand devotees were concentrating on the Mother and requiring her attention. Unending cascades of prayers were directed towards her, requests for help in sadhana, help in life, support in illness and calamity.

On 6^th December 1950 the Mother said to Dr, Sanyal—people do not know what a tremendous sacrifice He(Sri Aurobindo) has made for the world. Sri Aurobindo had left his body; the Mother stood alone now and shouldered the burden with unbroken determination.

On 24^th April1951 the Mother announced in a convention with leading intellectuals and educationalists of the country the foundation of an International University Centre, which was inaugurated on 6^th January 1952. The Mother also decided to realize further an old dream of hers to create a place where seekers from all over the world could live a progressive life in the service of truth on a city level. Auroville signifies city of dawn. On 8^th September 1965 the Mother declared Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity. The inauguration of Auroville was on 28^th February 1968.

The outer activity of the Mother, her role as head and organizer of the Ashram, as guru of the sadhaks, was only one aspect of her life. She had another wider existence in the inner planes.

The Mother’s physical presence had come to an end on 17^th November 1973, but her disciples were there to continue the work and she herself remains in close contact with the earth-atmosphere, from the other side. In a superamental body in the subtle-physical world.