- What is education?
- What type of education should we pursue?
- What is the main aim of education?
- What is the uniqueness of education?
- What are we gaining from present-day education?
Only when we recognize the inner significance of these ‘Panchatantras’, can we know what is true education. What is education? It is two types: The first type is collection of facts and knowledge about external world and sharing them with students. The second type is educare. Educare involves the deep understanding of the knowledge that springs from within and imparting it to students. But today’s education gives the students knowledge only about the external world. Only culture or refinement can develop good personality and not this type of education. So, both education and culture are important. Today’s education is devoid of culture and is like a counterfeit coin. Then how can experienced and intelligent people accept such education? So, to satisfy everyone we must develop educare. Education without refinement is like a dark room. Only bats can live in dark rooms; such rooms are filthy. So, by pursuing such education devoid of culture, our hearts have become dark rooms and many animal qualities find their way into it. Education without culture is like a kite with a broken string. No one knows where it will fall and what damage it will cause to others. Therefore, such education does not benefit anyone.
Only if education is blended with culture, it will shine forth as true education. What is culture? It is the cultivation of discrimination between good and evil, sin and merit, truth and untruth that we experience in our daily life. It is also removal of one’s evil thoughts, feelings and qualities, and cultivation of good thoughts, feelings and good qualities. Not only this, culture makes one broadminded by getting rid of one’s narrow-mindedness. This morning, a song ‘I and you are one!’ was sung. Even this is a kind of narrow-mindedness. It will be better to say, ‘All are one!’ A celestial voice told Jesus, ‘All are one, my dear son, be alike to everyone!’ Educare develops such broad-mindedness. Today’s education comprises only bookish knowledge. It is only superficial knowledge and it changes every moment. So, we must add ‘Educare’ to his bookish knowledge. Educare is practical knowledge. There are a few steps between superficial knowledge and practical knowledge. From superficial knowledge we must proceed to practical knowledge. After analysing this general knowledge one gains discrimination knowledge and knows the difference between good and evil. From this discrimination knowledge we proceed to practical knowledge. This practical knowledge is changeless. True and eternal education never changes when heart is filled with compassion; it becomes sacred and aspires for the welfare of one and all. An educated person should not have bad qualities and must not indulge in bad deeds. Today’s education imparts only bookish knowledge, which really degrades a person. How long this bookish knowledge last? It lasts as long as we keep in our mind. It is not possible to put the bookish knowledge in practice. We fill our heads with bookish knowledge, go to examination hall, fill our answer paper with it and return with empty heads! In effect, the head always remains empty.
To acquire discrimination knowledge one requires general knowledge, which consists of ordinary cleverness and intelligence. Discrimination knowledge also has in common sense. Both are essential for life in this world.
Students and Teachers! What we need today is not bookish knowledge though we require it to a certain extent to cope up with life in this world. But what is essential to us is the knowledge of the Atma. Spiritual education is the highest education, says the Bhagavad Gita. It starts with discrimination knowledge, which is like perennial river. In the perennial rivers the quantity of water may vary but not the quality. Therefore, students should understand that quality of education is more important than its quantity. Degrees are not important, but that knowledge accomplished out of education is important. What is the meaning of education? It is not just the accumulation of knowledge. ‘Education is not mere knowledge, it includes action too.’ Education, which originates from within has a sound basis and is permanent. It is referred to as Satyam. A step higher than Satyam is Ritam as proclaimed in the Vedas. What we normally refer to, as truth in daily life is merely a fact.
People mistake bookish knowledge to be true education. No one today bothers about the aim of education. Education is for life and not for a living. Today’s education is aimed at merely eking out a livelihood. If mere living is the purpose, then how birds and beasts live without any education? Even ants and mosquitoes, which do not have any education, live their lives. Is education for merely earning one’s bread? What is the essence of education? The essence of education is the concentration of mind and not collection of facts. Mere collection of facts will not serve any purpose. For example, a washerman in a village goes from house to house collecting clothes for washing. In each household the number of clothes, which are given for washing, are noted down in a notebook. But the washerman does not have an account. By the evening he returns the clothes to the respective houses. This is general knowledge. For general knowledge education is not necessary. Even a washerman possesses it. Many educated men lack the acumen of even a washerman. General knowledge cannot be acquired by mere study. It is learnt from the book of life.
What is the end education? People answer this question by saying there is no end of education. Definitely there is an end to what we study from books. The end of education is character. Education without character is useless. Earlier in Gurukulas the sages took the students along with them wherever they went and taught them without conforming to any time schedule. This education was a continuous learning process. But today in the schools and colleges education is limited to strict time schedules. Therefore, education has become limited. But true education, which moulds character, has no limits. When we learn about that which is ‘limitless’ we attain the end of education. Our character is reflected in our words, behaviour and conduct in daily life. So we should speak pleasantly and should not hurt others with our harsh words. It is true that we cannot always oblige but we can speak obligingly. (SSS Vol.34, pp. 304-310)