Role of Teachers in imparting Man-making and Nation-building Education

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Role of Teachers in imparting Man-making and
Nation-building Education
Dr. M. Lakshmi Kumari
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Let me start with a
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When a plant is withering and dying is it
better to water the leaves or the roots?
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The answer to this with reference to Indian life
lies in providing our children with value based
education.
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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.
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Dharma sustains universe and all that is in it.
In scientific terms if Dharma upholds the
interconnectedness Interrelatedness and
interdependence
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Dharma is responsible for an individuals
Abhyudaya (achievement in individual material
life) and Nishreyas (establishment of
awareness of Truth in oneself)
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Swami Vivekananda's definition of Education
Education is the manifestation of perfection
already in man
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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.
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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 ones feet. What we want is
Western science coupled with Vedanta,
Brahmacharya as the guiding motto and also
Shraddha and faith in ones own life.
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Swami Vivekanandas definition of religion
Manifestation of divinity already in man.
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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.
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What is perfection?
There is a spark of the infinite power
Satchidananda in every being. Realisation of
this Self or Truth is the ultimate goal of life.
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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.
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Three levels of expression

• 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 ones own national
  heritage so as to fit harmoniously into the
  national frame work.

Need to develop national pride and love of
Mother land.
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Our unique National characteristics?
Satyam vada, Dharmam chara
Satyam param dimahi, Satyameva jayate
Ekam sat Vipra bhahudha vadanti
Vasudaiva kutumbakam
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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?
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Variety of examples from our Itihasas and
puranas like
Sri Krishna
Sri Rama
Prahlada,
Dhruva
Shibi
Harischandra and so on.
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• 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 for Human Excellence, not in any one
field but in life totally.
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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.
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Qualities needed for this

• Truthfulness
• Righteousness,
• purity in personal life,
• self confidence,
• integration of body mind and intellect,
• love and compassion towards
• all living beings,
• surrender to Almighty.

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Bagavad Gita lists a number of such qualities
by which a human being can become divine and
inherit the Kingdom of God.
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A truly educated man like a true Scientist is
satisfied with nothing but the one truth of
spiritual oneness.
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Education Cultural values
Education should be aimed at maintaining the
cultural values of the land vibrant and ever
fresh from generation to generation.
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Indias 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
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Need for value based education
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
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What India can give no other country can!!!!
An Indian minus this pride is no Indian at all.
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Through this knowledge alone can a justifiable
pride be generated in every youth and the
appreciation of values chanalized into true
patriotic fervor.
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Ignorance of this makes our youth look elsewhere
for inspiration and guidance, depriving them
the vigour that one gets through ones well
nurtured roots.
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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.
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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.
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To keep India right on her spiritual track is a
great responsibility which lies with the
educationists, the teachers and the taught.
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Education must contribute to

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.
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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.
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Manifestation of knowledge means expression of
this spiritual oneness in day to day life through
all activities
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Unfoldment of Perfection
By removing all the obstacles on the way to
achieving perfection
After realising manifest it in ones own life and
activities in a way to benefit the humanity.
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True test of Education
How the inner strength and knowledge are put to
use for the advantage of those around.
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Swamijis Karma yoga has this as its corner
stone combining knowledge with action. So also
does Sri Krishna speak of Buddhi yoga in
Bhagavad Gita.
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Swami Vivekananda says
The goal in life is to manifest the divinity,
by controlling nature external and internal.
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We have a duty to others. This Universe with all
that it contains is the most beautiful of
Almightys 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.
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To become a Universal Man as Swamiji himself
was Man with capital M that must be our goal.
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In each life there are three levels of unfoldment
Individual, National Universal
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Individual
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,)
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2. National
Learn to link our life harmoniously with our
nations values and traditions. For teachers
involved in Man-making Nation building
programmes patriotism must have this deeper and
fuller meaning,
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that is, realising these values in our own
lives so that our Motherland finds herself
regenerated in each one of us. This is
Swamijis ideal of Man making and Nation
building.
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3. Universal
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.
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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 ones life as Dharma, and in our
work as Karma Yoga.
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Combining them all - knowledge love and action -
into one is the golden thread of renunciation the
most potent of our national values. (tyaga
bhumi)
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Ekam sat vipra bhahuda vadanti
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Truth or God is called by very many names. Many
are the paths that lead to Truth.
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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.
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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.
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The lives and messages of our great seers and
leaders be our guide in leading us to this
ultimate goal.
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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
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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.
Sacrifice, Love Service