Deivathin Kural Series - 71

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 71 of 21 Sept 2006.

1. These e-mails are translations of talks given by the erstwhile Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over more than sixty years, published by Vanady Padippagam, T.Nagar, Chennai, India, in ten volumes, in the Tamil language. The english version is likely to be available very soon. These e-mails are simply an effort on the part of the sender, to share some of his bliss, as it is said, 'Yam perra peru peruga ivvaiyagam'. When he adds any personal observations he uses the phrase, 'KTSV adds'.
2. To-days chapter is from his lecture, titled, 'Kalvi Murai-in Kolaru', ie., 'Problems in Education', in pages 357 to 359, in Volume 1 of Deivathin Kural. Unless specifically mentioned, he or man includes, she or woman.
3. The most important usefulness of Education is to inculcate humility in Man. In olden times, students were called, 'Vineyan', that is a person with the quality of humbleness. Education without humility is not education at all. The first lesson to be learnt is self control. A proud person can never learn anything. In practical life it is seen that uneducated tribals do not seem to have many bad habits. (The word many should be read as 'any'.) There are no magistrate courts and high courts in the tribal areas, because there are no crimes. Where there are plenty of Schools, Colleges and Universities, the crime rate is on the increase. With more education, there seems to be more expertise in duplicity, fraud and scams.
4. The main purpose of Education is to get to know God, while sustaining oneself in life. But now-a-days, mostly, educated people lack devotion. Is this not very peculiar? Educated people should be a repository of good habits and humility. Compared to the past, now there is more education, and more educational institutions. To get admission in schools is a huge problem. One of the first concerns on attaining parenthood, is to start worrying about the child's education. Schools run shift systems, to cater for the increased student population. Still the fruit of education, 'Vinayam', is more noticeable by it's absence.
5. The women of this nation have the intrinsic quality of 'Adakkam'. Adakkam is a one word for a combination of virtue, non-obtrusiveness, decency and delicacy. As a result of education, they should be more so. But 'No'. Even this essential quality of Indian womanhood, has been done away with, by this so called education. Education which should be additive, has become sub-tractive, of good qualities! Why? What is the reason for this state of affairs? Let us analyse this.
6. How should the education be? How to study? How should the students behave? How should the teachers behave? These questions are answered in Sastras quite elaborately. One of the initial directions is, 'Ilamayil kal', ie., 'learning be done in young age'. That is 'Brhma charya ashrama', or student days. This is the period when the child is grown up to be, capable of living away from his parents and has started asking questions about life, but before marriageable age. He goes to a Guru and lives with him. The student, called 'sishya', goes and begs for alms, from a number of households, and brings it home to the Guru. In begging, his pride dwindles and the quality of humbleness accrues. He looks upto his teacher and his wife, with respect and love. In the Brmachari's mind there is an acceptance that Guru 'knows' what he teaches. Since the students were living with him, the Guru lived a life of absolute purity, earning the Student's respect and admiration.
7. Now-a-days, this 'Guru Bakthi', is totally lacking. Now the relationship between Teacher and Student, if at all it can be called a relationship,is more of completing the minimal formalities. It goes down to the level of the student, with a knife in his hands, asking the teacher, 'Baby! Are You going to hand over the question paper quietly, or are you getting swiped?' Books are OK. Syllabus is alright. Proper medicine can become poison, if you do not restrict yourself to the proper diet. Similarly, with the modern education system, Guru Bakthi is woefully absent.
8. Noble sentiments and practices are going by default. 'We should spin cotton threads in a charka. We should wear 'Khadar' cloth . We should eat 'hand-beaten' rice', are all good to hear. Not for doing really. Even now we see some people claiming, 'I wear only Khadar cloths. I eat only hand-beaten rice'. These are only status symbols for some! Similarly, I have no hope of bringing back 'Guru Kula system of education'. It will be very good if we can! But I am saying all this, so that, it is not totally forgotten, that there was such a system in this country. Like a museum piece, there should be atleast some places, where such a system must continue. At least the 'root origin', should be protected. The Love and Respect that evolves towards the Teacher, in the Guru Kula system, is the medicine, for the ills in education to-day.
Sambhomahadeva.