Coup on Education – 07 [What is Real Education]

In past, there was healthy relationship among teachers and students i.e. Guru and disciples. Students treat their teacher as their parents. Teachers treat their students as their children. Students extend respect towards teacher. Teachers extend affection towards students. Students treat the wife of teacher as their own brothers and sisters. The coup makers and their supporters consciously or unconsciously argue that where is such morality in ‘Tara Sashankam’, which is an epic story of Hindus. I’ll discuss That good and evil under the caption of coup on epics in the following of this writing.

In India life style, there is famous Sanskrit slokam.

“Mathru Devo Bhava [మాతృ దేవో భవ]
Pithru Devo Bhava [పితృ దేవో భవ]
Acharya Devo Bhava [ఆచార్య దేవో భవ]”

That means, “Mother, father and Teacher are equal to God. And another Slakam.

“Guru Bhramha
Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheswara
Guru sakshat para Bhramha thasmai Sri Gurave namha”

This means, “Teacher is God Vishnu, God Brahma and God Shiva. Teacher is in fact supreme God. To that sacred teacher I tribute myself”.

I read a Doha i.e. poem from Hindi literature. It is from Kabir, the great Hindi poet he say “When God and teacher appear together in front of me, I put Namaskar to my teacher first, because my teacher himself made me to enable to see God.” What a great feeling of poet! Is it not wonderful application of poet?

But now what is the situation? There are love affairs among students and teachers. There are rape attempts and sexual harassment among teachers and students. Some criminal cases also happened as per police record. We watched them through media.

In fact, the cinema media introduced it in Indian public where as print & electronic media propagated it by their police dairy, crime programs etc. etc.

In the beginning, some English movies like Bedroom windows introduced into society in which a neglected child by parents was seduced by teacher. Accidental happening of physical bondage and it following incidents entertain the public. Are such stories needful to society? Moreover the deep discussions among so-called intellectuals, politicians & educationalists on Media, instead of banning them. By the way, such movies collected more advertisements to get popularity. This was happened 30 years back. Now we are watching the similar incidents in our surroundings. Where is the address of morality?

Actually, education must prevent the individual from evil thoughts and activities.

I refer a small story to you. This is related to Bhoja Raja, a historical king of India who patronized great poets like Kali Dasa etc. He, himself was a great poet in Sanskrit. I read this story in Enadu under feature of Antharyami’

There was a Sankrit Scholar cum Poet in Bhoja Raja’s court. He had big family. Unfortunately, he could not impress the king to get sufficient income, so that suffering from deficiency of money. He thought to theft from king’s palace. One night he could enter into the palace of king, with a big bag, to steal some valuables and hide them in the bag.

First he located a gold idol. He tried to keep it in the bag. But he could remember the slokam from his learnt books, which stated those 7 years of punishment in hell by God Yama against the crime of gold theft. With this memory he dropped that idea. Again, he provoked to steal diamond necklace due to his poverty. This time he recalled another slokam which stated that 12 years prolonged punishments in hell. Helplessly he dropped it where he found it. Like this picking up some valuable things, recalling the concern slokam, so that keeping it where he picked it up, he spent all the night. Early bells were ringed in the palace. With frightfulness, he had hidden himself under the bed of king. With morning praising from his subordinates, the king felt proud about his wealth, handsomeness, and greatness.

By observing that proud posture in the body language of king, the hidden poet recalled another slokam which stated that the life, beauty, wealth and health etc. every thing is temporary in this world, after death every thing depart from us. Only good and evil whatever we done in this world follow us, nothing else. The poet said this slokam with a loud and clear voice from the bottom of king’s bed.

Being scholar the king immediately caught the idealistic views of that slokam and realized his proud & ego. So that he could get rid of ego. After driving out the ego, naturally the king felt the joy of morning, the warmth of sunrise and the cool breeze of nature.

Then he felt wonder about the presence of poet in that odd time at that odd place i.e. under his bed. When he enquired into the matter, he felt sorry towards the scholar, fulfilled his needs and expressed his gratefulness towards the poet as the poet helped the king to drive out his ego in the early hours of the day itself. Such that this story leads us that education i.e. knowledgeous education [but not certified education] guide us in faithful way to live and it warn us to prevent evil thoughts and activities.

The ultimate target of education must be this only but not earning money. Living comfortable is everybody’s wish. It is every body’s right to live comfortable. It is the target. I agree 100% with this. But we must consider the target as well as the way of approach to achieve the target.

I hope that you agree 100% with this!