Posted on: 04 Mar 2017
Dr. Nikhil asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I would like to submit this question at Your divine feet. Your servant, Nikhil.
1) When education is such a low priority in India, how can a change in society happen through spiritual education?
[Detaled Question: Education is the most important pillar of civilized society. It is what differentiates us from animals and barbarians. As You have explained, education must include at least the basic concepts of spiritual knowledge at its core, since these concepts are the basis of ethics and justice. Other (worldly) subjects are necessary but they should be aligned with spiritual knowledge, so that when the subjects are applied in the world, in the form of industry and commerce, they do not work against justice and harmony in society. But such balanced and holistic education requires teachers, who themselves are inspired by spiritual knowledge and feel highly motivated about performing their most important role of educating the new generations to ensure a highly cultured, just and peaceful society.
The reality however, is totally different. Finding motivated teachers, who are competent in both spiritual knowledge and worldly knowledge is next to impossible. Keeping spiritual knowledge aside for the time being, finding even regular teachers, who are competent in worldly knowledge is difficult. Government reports say that there is a deficit of about 10-12 lakh teachers in the country. One of the reasons why well-qualified people are not going into teaching (especially school level) is that salaries are low. With low salaries, no pension and increasing inflation and cost of living it is very difficult for a family to survive and manage their retirement on the salary of a teacher. The Indian government’s expenditure on education is only 3.8% of the GDP, which is among the lowest among countries in the world. [The lowest is about 2%, while the highest is about 16% of the GDP. US, UK stand at about 5.5% of their GDP]. Naturally, talented and motivated graduates generally do not consider teaching as a career option. Consequently, a number of teachers are those people who could not find a more lucrative job and so ended up teaching. Needless to say, the motivation levels of many such teachers are extremely low.
In this land of the Veda, kings would once wash the feet of Gurus and offer them their own throne to sit. Kings and all people in society would consider it a matter of privilege and pride to donate wealth and food to Gurus. The Gurus too were sages and were equally talented in both spiritual knowledge as well as worldly knowledge. For them money, power and position were not the motivating factors. They lived simple lives and were committed to the spiritual path.
In that same land of the Veda, present governments (irrespective of political parties) feel that commerce, industrialization and fast economic growth are high priorities for the country. Politicians, industrialists and all people are merely self-interested, driven by greed. Little of the government spending on rural development and welfare activities reaches the needy. Wealth that is generated in the country is being lost due to corruption and the poor are still poor. Increasing industrialization will make the rich people richer before the poorest come out of poverty. But while that happens, the environment will be destroyed due to overconsumption of resources and pollution. None even realize that it is impossible to fill a leaking bucket. It is even stupid to try it!
None realize the necessity of an internal resistance towards sin, produced by a firm conviction of basic spiritual concepts. There is in fact strong opposition to the concept that spiritual knowledge is the only fundamental solution to selfish greed, corruption, sinful activities in society, overconsumption of resources and environmental damage.
Today, even regular worldly education in this country is plagued by several problems such as insufficient and incompetent teachers, low salaries, low government spending on education, poor school infrastructure and corruption at various levels. Further, no one in the government or public realizes and accepts the urgent need for holistic education that includes a balance of spiritual and worldly education. How can a change come in this country? I pray to the Bharata Bhagya Vidhata to rescue this country trapped in this quicksand.]
Question reg. balance between spiritual and worldly education
Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I would like to submit the following questions at Your divine feet. Your servant. Nikhil
2) How can education be reformed so as to include a balance of worldly and spiritual education?
[Detailed Question: Many changes have taken place in the field of education in the recent years. Some of them are very positive while others are quite disturbing. On the bright side, salaries for university professors have increased considerably (even though they may be still quite low for school teachers). On the other hand, education has degenerated into a business. Now there is an industry-style emphasis on efficiency and productivity. Universities are chasing world rankings in order to attract students and to build a reputation. The rankings are based on a number of parameters including the number of publications, the quality of journals in which the papers are published, the amount of research funding secured by the faculty and so on. Managements of universities are in a mad race to increase these numbers by hook or by crook. They put pressure on faculty members and students to achieve those numbers. They link faculty promotions and student graduation to their output as measured by these parameters. Faculty members are forced to publish papers and do research. If faculty members publish papers, they are asked to write research proposals and get funds from government agencies. If they do that, they are expected to make international collaborations and industry partnerships. University managements are getting more and more demanding. Even professors who are near retirement or those who are working post-retirement, who never did any research throughout their teaching career, are today scrambling around trying to write research proposals due to pressure from the managements. In short, there is a mad rush to do more and more.
Not surprisingly, students' interest in learning is at an all-time low today. They have been forced through the years of schooling with rote learning, endless assignments and school activities, evening coaching classes and extra-curricular activities. Their natural curiosity or interest to learn anything, has been successfully extinguished. Finally, the fierce competition and pressure from the teachers and families during the 10th and 12th standard board exams, ensures that their lack of interest in education turns to hatred for education. When they finally reach college, learning is the last thing on their mind. For many students, college education is an unavoidable torture that they must bear in order to get a job. They behave as if by coming to class they have done a great favor to the teachers and getting good marks is now their right, irrespective of their talent or hard work. Yet they all want prestigious and well-paying jobs, which require minimum hard work or minimum expertise in the subject. Of course, eventually when they enter industry, they are forced to work very hard, driven by the competition in industry.
Most parents too, hardly care for the actual learning of their wards. They are only interested in their wards getting the degrees and jobs. Their interest is only in improving their prestige in society, finding good alliances for their children and getting a good return on the investment that they made by paying for their ward's education.
I feel that this entire situation of education degenerating into a business, and teachers, students and society having lost the value for education is extremely pitiable. I am not excusing myself from this situation. I am very much a part of this system and I too am driven by it.
According to our scriptures, two types of education are necessary (Dve vidye veditavye...--Veda) worldly education and spiritual education. Only when these two wheels are equally large, can the chariot of one's life move forward (towards the goal of human life, which is God). Today, governments, universities, professors, parents and students are all in the mad rush to increase the size of the left wheel of worldly education. The majority does not even notice that in their case, the right wheel of spiritual education, is so underdeveloped that it is the size of a tiny grain of sand! No wonder the chariots of individuals and society as a whole are going around in circles! No real progress is taking place.
Very few people realize what is happening. Some spiritual masters and visionaries in society, have stressed on the need for spiritual education. There are even schools and universities, which were started with the mission of integrating science and spirituality.
In these places some spiritual knowledge does get communicated to the students in the form of a value-education or similar subject. But often what is taught is full of inaccuracies and is not taught appropriately either. As a result, many students even develop an aversion towards spirituality. Most students tolerate this new type of torture too, and sigh in relief once it is over. So in spite of the courageous steps of these institutions, very little spiritual education actually happens. At times it is quite shocking to see the fate of spiritual education in such places.
Finally, and most regrettably, even such institutions get carried away by the mad race of the world. They too have to run their institute in this ‘business’ of education, after all. Business and money always come first.]
3) How can a spiritual person survive in the field of education as it gets more and more competitive?
[A few decades ago, the field of education in India, was far less competitive. Based on worldly standards alone, the quality of education was not very high in most places. Today, it might appear that education has improved, based on certain worldly parameters, such as number of publications, research funds, student awards etc. But these parameters are not very good indicators of the quality of education even from a worldly angle (not to speak of from the spiritual angle). There are indeed several gaps. For instance, how could education possibly have improved when students’ interest in learning is so low? Does it not indicate that something is wrong? So whether or not education as improved over the years is highly debatable. Whether the current trend of education-as-a-business, the emphasis on productivity, and the chasing of world rankings, is in the right direction, is also equally debatable.
Looking at the aspect of spiritual education, it was absent few decades ago and is absent even now. But due to the lesser competition and lower emphasis on productivity in the past, both students and teachers were slightly more relaxed. At least a few people had the time, energy and space in the mind to pursue their interest in spirituality.
If people are walking along a road at a leisurely pace, at least a few will notice the sweet singing of bhajans in the temple and see the beautiful temple by the side of the road. Perhaps they might feel tempted to enter the temple too. Even those people who are not drawn to the temple, can at least enjoy the walk and the beauty of nature. But if the people are all rushing to catch a train, no one will hear the bhajans, no one will enter the temple and no one will even enjoy the walk.
This is the present situation. Because of the overemphasis on certain aspects of worldly education, people are unable take interest in the spiritual path. It is also putting lot of pressure on the few professors and students who are already on the spiritual path. They have to struggle to survive in the field as competition increases.
Individuals and society actually need to take huge efforts to increase the proportion of spiritual knowledge to maintain the balance with worldly knowledge. But they are furiously rushing in the opposite direction, trying to enhance their worldly knowledge, while their spiritual knowledge remains negligibly small. This will only upset the balance even more.
Facing competition as long as it is in the right direction is acceptable. But facing competition, when it is in the diametrically opposite direction is intolerable!
Since You are the greatest Source and Professor of divine spiritual knowledge and You have also spent Your entire life here as a professor of engineering, I seek Your guidance.]
Swami Replied: Dr. Nikhil represents a typical human mind facing all practical problems in the divine service and wishes that I should give a message for the sake of such devotees through him. Since he has true faith in Me that I am the human incarnation of Lord Datta, I responded in the line of his faith. My response is confined to My true devotees only and need not be generalized. All others can take My spiritual knowledge alone. The following message is not meant for My true devotee, Dr. Nikhil. It is meant only for the sake of future devotees perplexed with the practical problems.
All your points indicate the framework of a system to be implemented by the efforts of human beings. When you are taking up the work of God, which is to purify the society from sins in order to keep it on the lines of Justice and Peace, please be sure of the power of God that works behind you for which nothing is impossible. You need not lay down roads since they appear as already laid out. When you are doing the same work from the angle of social science or politics, all these problems will appear and also get multiplied. As you solve problems, new problems will appear and it becomes impossible for any human being to sort out them. But, the work of God is totally different. If you start doing it with the faith that you are only just a formality and that God is going to do all the work with an intention to give fame to you for your devotion to Him, you will experience a miraculous power of God working in your front showing the path. The chariot of Sun has one wheel only and running dragged by seven horses! The driver is lame and the path is without any basis because it is in space! In spite of all these million problems, the Sun rises and sets in the exact time. We can’t find such accuracy in any modern vehicle! From millions and millions of years, the accuracy is not at all disturbed. What is the reason behind this? The Sun is doing his job in unassuming way! No salary is paid to him. Do you know the financial potency of Sun? A Diamond given by Sun to king Satrajit with his grace yielded thousand tons of gold every day! You must have firm faith in Him. His hands will pierce the walls and handover money more than required! Even if you open the doors decorated by garlands, not even a small creature will enter! You can close the doors and sit with full faith on Him. He does not require the opened doors to enter to help you. He will pierce the reinforced concrete walls and enter your house to help you. If you are sincerely involved in his service, not only the expenditure of the work is granted by Him to you, but also, all your required expenditure is granted. Infact, to speak truth, He will not do all these favors by His hands. Once you are involved in His work, all the natural powers will run after you to meet all your expenses. When the son of chief minister goes to an office, the Chief Minister does not phone to the officer saying that his son should be served with a cup of Coffee. As soon as he enters the office, the officer will run to arrange for all the refreshments with folded hands standing before him.
You know in what condition Swami Vivekananda entered U.S.A! What was the outcome! Arjuna fought the war for eighteen days. Everyday, his experience was that Lord Shiva with Trishula weapon in His hands kills the enemies even before the arrow from Arjuna hits him! Arjuna felt as if he was killing already killed people. It is the strength of your faith on God that always works out. Generally, we find that whatever man proposes, it gets disposed by God. Always wonderful success appears suddenly without your intention in planning. This experience is given by God to several deserving human beings to preach that one should get rid of the ‘Ego’ of doership completely and surrender to God. Everytime, God preaches this, but we never realise the truth. Our mentalities are just like curved tails of dogs. Our faiths appear like very short lightenings. A dog is running under a running cart and was not stopping in spite of hectic tiredness. A Saint asked the dog about the reason for its tired running. The dog replied that it cannot stop because if it stops, the cart will stop. The stupid dog is thinking that it is carrying on the cart. It doesn’t see the horse carrying on the cart in front! In this context, people say that it is your will force that does any work successfully. Thinking that you are doing the work is human ego. Thinking that your will force can do any work is the demonish ego! The will force that does work is from God and not from any human being. This ego is developed from the beginning. Generally, you see that a person talks – “My good wishes are with you.” That very human being is not having good time in spite of his good wishes are with him only! How can his good wishes do well for others? One should say – “I pray God to give His good wishes to you”. Even elders say that their blessings are with bowing youngsters. This shows that ego is not leaving them even in the old age! They should say that the blessings of God are with those youngsters. As much your ego goes down, so much you will be elevated.
Hence, leave all these worries and make a humble beginning of doing the propogation of spiritual knowledge as per your convenience only. In your first step itself, you will find wonderful backup given by God. A real devotee of Lord Datta will never be discouraged. Discourage itself means lack of faith on Lord Datta. By discouraging yourself, do you know what are you doing? You are indirectly insulting the omnipotence of Lord Datta. In a fraction of second, things can be finished just by His Divine will. It is not done so only to provide some opportunity for us to do service overcoming the obstructions. The result will appear at its fixed time. Meanwhile this entire dilemma is only to provide some time for us to do the service for God. Hence, you need not worry about the result, which is certainly positive. Krishna declared that Kauravas will be killed in the battle and such a scene was also shown to Arjuna. From that moment, eighteen days were taken to run the cinema of war, in which time, Arjuna got the opportunity to do the service of Lord. Krishna can swallow all the Kauravas in a fraction of second itself. In such case, Arjuna cannot get the oppurtunity of service based on which only God’s grace is rained on any soul.
Blessings from Hanuman are essential, who sits as a tiny monkey
Before roaring tidal ocean, which is to be crossed in the divine work
On reminding His divine strength and same of human incarnation
He finds the mighty sea reduced to tiny area of the cow foot deck!
Dr. Nikhil: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I am resending the two verses that I had sent earlier as phone SMSs. I offer the same at Your Divine Feet. Your servant, Nikhil
Jnana Mohini Datta Swami
Whose birth freed India, driving the foreign rulers away,
Who hid Himself from the world lifelong, in divine play,
Who started His divine mission on a Shivaratri day,
Who though ageless, turned seventy on Shivaratri today,
Who lives in the hearts of devotees as their life-lamp holy,
Whose enthralling knowledge makes Him Jnana Mohini,
Who is the most highest incarnation of God Almighty,
May that Datta Swami, be our Master for all eternity.
Swami Replied: This Shivaratri comes on 24th February. Shiva means spiritual knowledge (Jnanam Maheshwaraat). This is Sattvam. Ratri means Tamas, which indicates firm decision without any wavering. 24 denote the physical body by which the service to God is done. Service is work and work is rajas (Rajah Karmani… Gita). The five elements along with four internal instruments (Antahkaranams) constitute nine coverages (navaavaranams). The ten senses of action (Karmendriya) and the five senses of knowledge (Jnanendriya) constitute twenty four items through which divine work is done. This totally indicates the dedication of three qualities to God.
Mohini is actually a ghost creating illusory fascination doing injustice. But, the divine Mohini is the incarnation of God Vishnu. While distributing the divine nectar, justice has to be done to angels and injustice has to be done to demons. Hence, the divine Mohini has both sides appearing as ghost creating illusory fascination in demons on one side and doing justice to angels on the other side. I am the Jnana Mohini, Guru Datta in human form, doing only Justice since I am giving this Divine Nectar of Spiritual knowledge to every soul, who is wishing for it.
Blessed are those, who recognize God Datta in human form,
Maintaining recognition through True Service and Sacrifice,
They get guarantee card from Me for the next human re-birth
So that they will participate in My divine program here again.