Role of
Teachers in
imparting
Man-making
and
Nation-building
Education
Dr. M. Lakshmi Kumari
Let me start with a
?? ??
When a plant is
withering
and
dying
is it better to water
the leaves or the
roots?
The answer to this
with reference to
Indian life lies in
providing our
children with value
based education.
Life withers when truth is
lost and society decays
when dharma is lost.
We have to enliven truth
and dharma through
proper educational and
religious activities and
aspirations.
Dharma sustains
universe
and all that is in it.
In scientific terms if Dharma
upholds the
interconnectedness
Interrelatedness
and
interdependence
Dharma is responsible for an individual’s
Abhyudaya
(achievement in individual material life)
and
Nishreyas
(establishment of awareness of Truth in
oneself)
Swami Vivekananda's
definition of Education:
Swami Vivekananda's
concept of Education
“My idea of education is Gurugriha.
Without the personal life of the teacher,
there would be no education. One should live from his
very boyhood with one
whose character is a blazing fire
and should have before him
a living example of the highest teaching.
In our country the imparting of the knowledge has
always been through men of renunciation.
The charge of imparting knowledge should again fall
upon the shoulders of tyagis.
Swami Vivekananda's
concept of Education
“Education is not the amount of information
that is put into your brain and runs riot
there undigested all your life. We must have
life-building, man-making, character making
assimilation of ideals. We want education by
which character is formed, strength of mind
is increased, the intellect is expanded, by
which one can stand on one’s feet. What we
want is Western science coupled with
Vedanta, Brahmacharya as the guiding
motto and also Shraddha and
faith in one’s own life”.
Swami Vivekananda’s
definition of religion:
It is thus implied that there is
Divinity all around us and
through Education and Religion
we should train ourselves to see
perfection and divinity in the
whole of creation. Only such an
Education
can
build
up
character and manhood and
offer
scope
for
infinite
expansion and evolution of the
human personality.
There is a spark of the
infinite power Satchidananda in
every being.
Realisation of this Self or Truth
is the ultimate goal of life.
Education should lead to the
realisation of this Truth - through
training, pursuit of knowledge and
self-effort
Through such an Education all the
different aspects of Education like
Art, Science, Music, Literature etc.
will all blossom in a unique way.
1. Integrating body mind and intellect
through knowing one self - the Eternal Truth.
2. Positive interactions with everything
around without any unwanted competitions,
petty jealousies etc.
3. Thorough knowledge of one’s own
national heritage so as to fit harmoniously
into the national frame work.
Need to develop national pride
and love of Mother land.
“Satyam vada,
Dharmam chara”
Satyam param dimahi,
Satyameva jayate
Ekam sat
Vipra bhahudha vadanti
Vasudaiva kutumbakam
How much do we understand!!!!
what this Satyam stands for?
Are these values truly
valid and practical?
Are they scientific
in modern terms?
Is it possible to achieve
transformation of an individual
through Education
of such values?
Variety of examples from
our Itihasas and puranas like
Sri Krishna
Sri Rama
Prahlada,
Shibi
Dhruva
Harischandra and so on.
What great lessons can we learn from them?
How and why have we failed in present times?
How can we redeem the situation?
What are the obstacles?
Education must help
fashion excellent character out of
very ordinary human raw material
culturing of qualities of
head and heart
in a way congenial to
the growth and development of
oneself and those around.
Truthfulness
Righteousness,
purity in personal life,
self confidence,
integration of body mind and
intellect,
love and compassion towards
all living beings,
surrender to Almighty.
Education should be aimed at
maintaining the
cultural values of the
land vibrant and
ever fresh from
generation to generation.
India’s culture is rooted
in her spiritual values.
Unless these values
implicit and explicit in
Indian culture
find their way into
the lives of students,
education in India
will loose its significance
Recognition of the time tested
cultural values should
become a part of Education,
for the continued maintenance
of this perennial supply of
spiritual values to the
world culture at
all times to come
Through this knowledge
alone can
a justifiable pride be
generated in
every youth
and the appreciation
of
values chanalized
into true patriotic fervor.
Ignorance of this
makes our
youth look elsewhere
for inspiration
and guidance, depriving
them the
vigour that one gets
through one’s
well nurtured roots.
Education also means
imparting
ethical idealism.
Each country has its own
ethics its
‘Sadachara’. For India it is
based on spiritual values.
All that is truly Indian
emit the ever fresh
fragrance of Indian
spiritual culture.
Inculcating this ethical
idealism
in our youth is of
paramount importance
to keep the
Indian society from
going astray in the
way of many others,
in different parts of the world.
To keep India
right on her
spiritual track is a
great responsibility
which lies with the
educationists,
the teachers
and the taught.
1.Personality development,
2.Make him understand what he really is
3.Having understood that perfection
within,
strive in every way to
manifest it in the outer world.
When at least a semblance
of this is achieved by a
system of education
then we can claim to
have really knocked
at the doors of knowledge.
Manifestation of
knowledge means
expression of this
spiritual oneness in day
to day life through all
activities
After realising manifest it
in one’s own life and
activities
in a way to benefit the
humanity.
How the inner strength
and knowledge
are put to use
for the advantage
of those around.
Swamiji’s
Karma yoga
has this as its corner stone
combining knowledge
with action.
So also does
Sri Krishna speak
of ‘Buddhi yoga’ in
Bhagavad Gita.
We have a duty to others. This Universe with
all that it contains is the most beautiful of
Almighty’s creations.
The world and its people
look ugly and evil only to those
who do not Know
how to reach out to God and
are deprived of
love and kindness
in their own hearts.
Once we train our
minds to love Him, as well as what
He has created, then our hearts
would open up to perceive the beauty
and harmony in the creation.
To become
a Universal Man as
Swamiji himself was
Man with capital ‘M’
that must be our goal.
In each life there are
three levels of
unfoldment
Individual,
National
&
Universal
Build up our
individual potentialities
and talents to the
best extent by
incorporating time tested
spiritual values
satya and dharma
in our lives.
Our sashtras give
all guidance in this
connection (yoga, meditation etc,)
Learn to link our life
harmoniously with our nation’s
values and traditions. For
teachers involved in
Man-making & Nation building
programmes patriotism must
have this deeper and fuller
meaning,
that is, realising
these values in our
own lives so that
our Motherland
finds herself regenerated in
each one of us.
This is Swamiji’s ideal of
Man making
and
Nation building.
when our identification with the
truth reaches its zenith there is
an expansion of personality
touching on the divine that is
when small man grows into
universal being a Jagat guru,
a viswatma.
We must remember that we are children
of this great Punyabhumi,
Dharmabhoomi, Tyagabhoomi,
Karmabhoomi, to mention just a few of
them. Hidden behind these epithets lie the
realisations of our ancient seers, who for
the first time discovered the Oneness of
Truth and its all pervasiveness, how this
Truth can become practical in one’s life as
Dharma, and in our work as
Karma Yoga.
Combining them all knowledge love and
action - into one is the
golden thread of
renunciation the
most potent of our
national values.
(tyaga bhumi)
Truth or God
is
called by
very many names.
Many are the
paths that lead to
Truth.
We may not be able to
understand
or realise all of them.
Therefore take up
those values or
expressions of
Truth nearer to
your heart and
make of your life
an offering to it.
The beauty of Truth
is that once you
accept and adopt
this Truth as your Dharma,
that Truth or Dharma will
ever protect you,
guide you and fulfill you.
That could be the
greatest of human
achievements.
The lives and messages
of our great seers
and leaders be
our guide in
leading us to this
ultimate goal.
May our heads be imbued
with right knowledge,
our hearts be expanded with love,
kindness and understanding
towards all, irrespective of
man-made barriers
and may our hands be
strengthened to
serve our fellow human beings.
Work turns to worship
and life into a prayer
when there is right knowledge
and understanding
This is the national flag which
we teachers should carry and
salute all your life and be ever
ready to sacrifice our all for
upholding this ancient yet ever fulfilling heritage of ours.