Idea of Education in Bharatiya Samskriti

The Idea of Education in Bharatiya Samskriti-Insights from the Satyakama Jabala Narration

If all the Purusharthas are individual, then all choices are individual. Do you want to be a painter? Do you want to be a poet? Do you want to be a musician? Do you want to be somebody who can use all these arts together? That is, do you want to be a filmmaker?What is the kind of genre that you want to do as an artist? This has to be your choice, nobody can give it to you. That’s why there is the old English saying that poets are not made but born. If somebody wants to do poetry he is born a poet in the sense that right from childhood he or she has Pratibha, has the vision and that method is chosen by him. Everything here rests around the individual and the individual choice, therefore the question of leader, the question of guru is only as somebody who can make suggestions. So great anugraha or kindness of the Guru is needed in order to enlighten me, but my enlightenment has to be personal. Swanubhuti. I don’t know anything else other than my own anubhuti.

The Vedic Roots of Indian Art

If everyone is doing it for themselves and by themselves, how does continuity in Indian art become possible? That is the question we’ll investigate now. Let us take one of the most ancient Indian art forms. The oldest is one and only, that is Rigveda. Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharaveda that is the oldest artistic work. The book is not the true Rigveda. The Rigveda is something which is to be heard live. The manuscript of the Rigveda never came into existence properly till about 12th or 13th century. People were discouraged to learn the text of a veda from a written manuscript. Something which was composed, whether 2,500 or 5,000 years ago, was preserved and is available to us today. Another thing that we may have heard is that the Veda is the origin of all Indian arts, particularly music. Is it just a matter of reverence that we say so? Just in order to celebrate? No. It is literally true.

Now, Vedic mantra is poetry in Chandas or in a metre. It is to be recited in a particular manner. When it was recited then, just the text was recited in three tones. What is the difference between speech and recitation? When we speak, our voice rises and falls a little bit. But when the rise and fall of the voice is more prominent that is called recitation or paath पढना. Till 200 years ago, before the arrival of print in India पढना meant ‘to recite’. Now it means reading a book silently. This is how words change.

The Veda पाठ was in three tones: Udata, Anudatta and Svarita. The Veda was to be recited only these three tones. But the Sama Veda had to be recited in seven tones. Therefore Sama was not called recitation, Sama was called gaan. Once there are seven notes then we have the possibility of a more complicated way of using those notes or sangeet. In present times, the word for music is sangeet. In ancient times at the time of Veda, gaan was called Gaandharv. Because it came from the region of Gandhar, Afghanistan, where music is forbidden and musical instruments are broken today.

The Sapta Swaras of Sama Gaan

The fundamental difference is that seven notes are used in Saama gaan. What is the difference between the use of seven notes in Saama Gaan and what may be called music? There are no alankara, there is no gamaka in Saama Gaan. Unfortunately, today you here all these vedic mantras being sung as if contemporary music is being sung. This happened just in the last 25 years. This is not to be done because recitation of the Vedic mantra is restricted to a certain ambience of a sound. When it is heard from afar then we know this is a Vedic chant. This sound, this recitation is only for this purpose, otherwise the sound gets a context for which it is not meant. This is a very fundamental question of culture.

When we keep that sound restricted to that purpose and we have the freedom to create so many other kinds of sounds, so many kinds of music, with so many alankaras. One can do North Indian music, Carnatic music, Bengali music; one can do all kinds of things with sound. It is primarily a way of manipulating sound and creating a vibe. When we sing the Rabindra Sangeet then we have to make a sound in a particular manner, and a particular way of producing sound. Now this kind of creation with a variety was envisaged in India from very early on. The purpose is not to create something new. Art is not for creating techniques.

Natya as the Panchama Veda

Art has to have a higher purpose. When we come to art, where do we find the fundamentals of art? Where do we find an art form which can contain all other art forms and be a beacon of light for all other art forms? Theater. Every other form comes under it. The primary quality of theater is that we see and hear at the same time. The story has been told in the Natya Shastra that Indra goes to Brahma, the creator, and says:

krīḍanīyakamicchāmo dṛṣyaṃ śravyaṃ ca yadbhavet // Natyashastra 1.11 //

Brahmaji I want something to entertain me, which is seen, which is seen as an art form and in which there is something to hear at the same time. So Brahma gives him Natya Veda, not Natyashastra or Natyavidya. This is an art form, but is it just an art? It is a Natya Veda. We discussed how music has grown out of the Vedic chant and Vedic gaan. Here natya is presented as Veda again. Indra did not go to Brahma and say “give me great spiritual knowledge”; he said “krīḍanīyakamicchāmo”. He gives something very big, natya veda. What is this distinctive quality about the fifth Veda? The fifth Veda has all the four Vedas in it.

Natyashastra has the status of the fifth Veda. Similarly Mahabharata is sometimes called the fifth Veda. This is because Veda is knowledge and natya or art gives us knowledge. In order to learn the four Vedas people need years and it is not possible for most people to learn, understand and come close to it. But theater is something which everybody can go and entertain themselves irrespective of whether one is educated or uneducated, upper class or lower class.

So the value of art is of the same kind, same level and same status as the highest of the so-called spiritual or religious texts. It is of the same nature. These are deep civilizational values in the context of India. We have often heard a musician say that they get mukti from their practice; it is literally true. There are paintings which are done only for religious purposes and there are paintings which are done for other purposes. But their reward can be the same and will be the same.

This is what the tradition has believed and there are hundreds of texts which say so. This is the reason why so much art was produced in India. All the hundreds and thousands of temples all across India, constructed for at least two thousand seven hundred years or more were done not just for Artha; they were for Moksha too. It was also one’s choice, one’s swadharma. Shapathis and Shilpis were proud of their work and they had a tradition to it. This is how India has thought of art and artistic achievements.

Diverse Expressions of Transcendence

If we understand the prayojana of art then we will be able to see the principles of art and finally the diversity of art. This is because something which is a principle of art cannot be stated again and again in the same manner. There is a Ramayana created each time a Rama bhakta sees the leela. My Svanubhuti, my understanding, my perception, my knowledge, my knowing of Rama is something as real as another person’s. There is no contradiction. The Indian vision never thought of going into the controversy of a sola scriptura because that would have put an end to diversity of creation. So this siddhanta is something that we inherit from the Natya Shastra that art is Panchma Veda and then art is Svanubhuti. And that art brings us to the path of moksha.

Thus there is both continuity and diversity. That is there is no superior and inferior language. Sanskrit is not a superior language. It is a language with certain characteristics, power and ability, but all other languages are equally valid.The term for languages is Vak. Vak is in four stages: Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari. Para is something which cannot be uttered, which is the ultimate. Pashyanti when one becomes conscious of it; Madhyama when one comes close to that consciousness, and Vaikhari when it comes out of the tongue. Whether it comes out of the tongue as Sanskrit or Bangla or Tamil, it is Vaak. It is equally valid. There is no question of hegemony of one. That is why there is a great transfer and recreation from one language to another in India. In India we did not make so many translations. When it came to the original story we just retold it. There was no problem of it what is called today a copyright. The Para is important. The Pashyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari are not important.

This is how diversity has come about in Indian art. The huge variety that we see right from Afghanistan, Kashmir and down to Sri Lanka and then right up to Burma is because this siddhanta was welcomed and taken. The same idea was recreated in a different place, in a different language for a different audience, but the result was the same: Giving a glimpse of the ultimate, giving a glimpse of the Para. This is the basis of continuity and diversity of Indian art.

The Idea of Education in Bharatiya Samskriti-Insights from the Satyakama Jabala Narration

“Can you describe a few ideas associated with education in Bhāratīya Saṃskṛti?”. I was in a casual conversation with a school leader when this question came up. While these ideals are present across the Śruti and Smṛti literature of Hinduism, well developed and articulated, to pick a few that are unique and contrast them against modern education seemed a difficult task. That was when I was reminded of a story that I grew up listening to. The story of Satyakāma Jābālā that appears in the fourth part of the Chhāndōgya Upaniṣad. It is one of those fascinating stories of yore that best captures the idea of education in Bhāratīya Saṃskṛti. The story goes like this.

The Tale of Satyakāma Jābālā

Thousands of years ago, in a village in ancient Bhārata, lived a little boy named Satyakāma. He spent his days in play and helping mother with chores. He was bright and possessed a deep wonderment for the world. As days passed, his inquisitiveness transformed into an irresistible urge for knowledge. That was when he met someone at the ghat who told him about Ṛṣi Gautama who lived near the forest. Gautama taught the Veda to his disciples. Satyakāma was filled with joy. He rushed to his mother for permission to set off on his journey. He also wanted to know something which he had never asked her before. It was indispensable for his formal initiation as a student. With all innocence he asked, “Mother, please tell me who my father is. Also, tell me the gotṛa to which I belong.” Those were the times when the varṇa dharma was strictly followed and an ācārya enquired gotṛa (lineage/ancestry) while initiating a student in the sampradāya. Gotṛa carried the social and cultural capital of an individual. It was one of the indicators that helped an ācārya assess the student’s orientation to world and life. It also helped him customise his teachings for the student. Mother was silent for a while. She then replied, “I don’t know, my son. I was a maid at many households and was attending on guests when I conceived you. I don’t know who your father is and to which gotṛa you belong to.” She continued with affection unbound, “What I know for sure is that I am Jābālā and you, my son, Satyakāma. Go to the ācārya and introduce yourself as Satyakāma Jābālā (Satyakāma, son of Jābālā).” He took her blessings and bade farewell. Satyakāma went to Gautama and requested to be taken as his disciple. As expected, he was asked to self-introduce with the gotṛa. He said, “I am Satyakāma Jābālā” and repeated what his mother had told him. With that he prostrated at the ācārya’s feet in complete surrender. Gautama raised him with deep compassion. “He who could speak such a damaging truth about himself is a brāhmaṇa, one who is fit to be instructed of the Brahma-Vidyā, the highest knowledge! You have not departed from truth. Fetch camata (fire woods) for your upanayana saṃskāra.” Thus, Satyakāma was initiated into brahmacarya (student hood).

The Truth that you are Seeking

Once Satyakāma was instructed on the basics, Gautama provided him with four hundred lean and weak cows. He was asked to take the herd to forest and return only when they became a thousand. These are some of the unique methods of education in the Gurukula sampradāya. Thus, Satyakāma began his next phase of life as a herder. He protected the cattle from the sun, wind, rain and cold. He guarded them from the wild and attended when they were sick. He took them across the mountains and valleys in search of pasture. Years rolled along. His contemplation made him grow quiet in mind. He lost track of time, until one day a bull approached him and said, “Satyakāma, we have become a thousand. It is time to go back to the ācārya.” He counted and realised that it was true. The bull continued, “I will teach you a quarter of the Brahman, the Truth, that you are seeking.” As Satyakāma bowed in reverence it said, “Know that the East, West, North and South, the four cardinal directions, are part of the Brahman. Know this nature of the Brahman as Prakāśavat (shining). Fire will teach you a quarter of the Brahman tomorrow.” On the following day Satyakāma started for Gurukula with his herd. In the evening as he sat for oblations, the fire spoke, “Satyakāma, I will teach you a quarter of the Brahman, the Truth, that you are seeking. The Earth, Sky, Heaven and Ocean are parts of the Brahman. Know this nature of the Brahman as Anantavat (endless). The swan will teach you a quarter of the Brahman tomorrow.” He completed the worship by offering āhuti to the fire. A swan visited him the next evening and said, “Satyakāma, I will teach you a quarter of the Brahman, the Truth, that you are seeking. The Fire, the Sun, the Moon and the
Lightning are parts of the Brahman. Know this nature of the Brahman as Jyotiṣmat (luminous). A kingfisher will teach you a quarter of the Brahman tomorrow.” As told, a kingfisher came to him the next evening and said, “Satyakāma, I will teach you the last quarter of the Brahman, the Truth, that you are seeking. The prāṇa (life force), the sight, the hearing and the mind are part of the Brahman. Know this nature of the Brahman as Āyatanavat (having support).” Satyakāma reached the Gurukula the next day. Gautama saw him from a distance and was elated at the glow he carried. As the śiṣya (disciple) approached, the Ṛṣi said, “Son, you shine like the one who knows Brahman, the Truth. Tell me, who has taught you?” Satyakāma prostrated at his Guru’s feet and replied “beings other than humans taught me this knowledge. But I wish to know It from you, my Master. For, the Śāstras say that the Knowledge learnt from an ācārya alone leads to fulfilment.” Gautama instructed him in the Knowledge once again. And Satyakāma realised Brahman, the Truth, as his own Self. Satyakāma in turn taught Brahma-Vidyā to his śiṣya Upakosala, who would also go through a similar journey.  The Bharatiya Vision of Education This beautiful Upaniṣad story has been retold many times by ācāryas since time immemorial to drive home various insights. Here, let me highlight five aspects that are central to the idea of Education in our culture.

1. Right Values (Sad-guṇa)

In the story, adherence to truth, even at the risk of rejection, helped Satyakāma be accepted as a disciple of Gautama for the Brahma-Vidya. It helps us see the mind of an Upaniṣad Ṛṣi and the criterion for selecting students for the highest knowledge. Values, personal and social, are integral to Education. It is not just desirable, but necessary to make oneself deserving knowledge. We have so many examples to prove that an educated brute inflicts greater damage upon him/herself and the society. A teacher has a responsibility to impart values to children. Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda ji used to say, “values cannot be taught. They are caught.”
Meaning, we feel inspired to adopt and practise values from the examples of people we regard. Therefore, teachers (including parents and all elders) are expected to become Satyakāma-s to set right examples for the children. This may sound too idealistic and challenging. But then, that is what an ācārya is supposed to do, as per our culture. It is integral to the idea of education in bhāratīya saṃskṛti.

2. Selfless Service (Seva)

Gautama gives four hundred lean and weak cows to Satyakāma and sends him to forest with an instruction to return only when they are a thousand. Seva (selfless service) is central to our idea of Education. Once initiated under an ācārya, the śiṣya is expected to serve. It is not merely a division of labour to get things done, but all about providing the right experiences to the individual that best help him/her go beyond his/her conditioned ego. The Śāstra-s declare that the Truth (Knowledge) reveals Itself in the absence of a limited sense of individuality. A Guru knows which experiences serve his śiṣya the best. Modern day teachers cannot send their students to forest with a herd of cows. Nor are we guru-s of the stature of Gautama. Therefore, let us keep it simple to the point that a spirit of selfless service should be kindled in children. We should strive to provide them opportunities where they can express and nurture the attitude of seva.

3. Knowledge is Revealed

The bull, the fire, the swan and the kingfisher instructing Satyakāma on the Brahman, the supreme Truth, are allegorical. It represents the great idea that knowledge, both about the world and the Self, is revealed, as against acquired. And most importantly, it is revealed through things and beings familiar to us in the surroundings. Think about Satyakāma living in the forest with his herd. Bull, fire, swan and kingfisher are but representatives of the nature around him.
Even if we ignore Knowledge about Self (Brahma-Vidyā) and limit ourselves to knowledge about the world, about which all of us are preoccupied in our schools, colleges and universities, the revealed knowledge may be understood as insights of a discipline. Such moments of revelation have happened to all us, at least expected times, through things and beings around us. Those may be considered as instances of revealed knowledge.

4. The Guru

The institution of Guru is of utmost importance in bhāratīya saṃskṛti. Satyakāma requests Gautama to teach him the same knowledge that was taught to him by (revealed to him through) the bull, the fire, the swan and the kingfisher, as “the Knowledge learnt from an ācārya alone leads to fulfilment.” We saw that the Knowledge is revealed. However, how can we be sure that all our revelations are correct? Our understanding could be a misunderstanding as well. Therefore, it needs to be validated by the Guru in the light of Śāstra-s, the cumulative wisdom of (Self Realised) Masters belonging to various climes and times. This aspect of validation by Guru may be more important in Knowledge about the Self, than Knowledge about the world.

5. Ignited Minds

A single lamp can light a million new ones. It is the same fire that is ablaze in the first lamp that ignites successive lamps. But if there was no fire to begin with, not a single lamp can be lit. An ācārya ignites the disciple with the fire ablaze in him. That is what Gautama did to Satyakāma. That is what Satyakāma did to Upakosala. This is what Guru parampara have been doing through thousands of years. Teachers need to inspire their students. But it is NOT possible unless they are inspired themselves. Every student needs to be ignited with the fire of inspiration raging in the teacher.
Stories are one of the best ways to touch children. Right stories, through the right ideals they carry, ignite the minds of children. Let us introduce them to Satyakāma, Naciketa, Svetaketu, Dhruva, Prahḷāda, Śrīrāma and Śrīkṛṣṇa. Let us tell them the stories of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Swami Vivekananda. Let us help them grow with ideals that best represent our culture and civilisation.

Srinath Mohandas is a teacher educator and develops content and curricula for social sciences education. He also writes, speaks and conduct youth workshops on themes related to Dharma. He is a Research Fellow at the Foundation for Study of the Indian Culture, Bangalore