The most adorable values !

Bodhavachanas: The most adorable values :^[1]

Satyam Vad |

Dharmam Char |

MatrudevoBhav |

PitrudevoBhav |

AacharyadevoBhav |

AtithidevoBhav |

SwaddhyayanmaPramadah |

ShraddhayaDeyam |

Here, Shobha Kulkarni tries to give the list of most adorable human values from Indian culture. Speaking the Truth, going on the path of Dharm, giving respect to parents and teachers as well as the guest, daily studying the religious and spiritual granthas and last but not the least is to give with shraddha. 

Character :

Our present crisis is in fact the crisis of character - the crisis of value. Sethi blames the Government for this crisis. He observes that after independence, the crisis in India is not due to economic factor but is politically created by faulty planning.^[2]

According to Dr. Manohar Wadhawani, “Noble, spotless, shining, moral Character is the sum of Purity of Thought And Its Power, Purity of Speech And Its Power, Purity of Action And Its Power, Positive Mental Attitude And Its Power, Purity of Love And Its Power, Robust Enthusiasm And Its Power, Self Confidence and Faith in Others And Its Power, Discipline And Its Power, Industry, Patience and Perseverance And Its Power, Appreciation of Others And Its Power, Strengthening of Emotional Intelligence.”^[3]

The views of Mr. R. Rena about the Value-based Education for Human Development in Eritria are most fitted to the Indian contemporary education scenario. “The student community is drowned neck-deep in poverty, ignorance and unhealthy surroundings. Hence, they are not in a position to understand the real values of contemporary India. The present curriculum some extent reflect human values and the value system. Besides, the Indian schools and colleges have to promote the value-based education.”^[4]

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^[1]LeNaSamskaaraanche (Marathi) - ShobhaKulkarni, SiddhagiriGurukul Foundation, Kaneri, Kolhapur,2008, pg. 82-86

^[2]India In Crisis - Sethi, J. D, Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, 1975.

^[3]A B C of the Enlightened Leadership - Dr. ManoharWadhawani, Sultan Shah Publications, Mumbai,2007, pg.169-232

^[4]Value-based Education for Human Development – Eritrean Perspective by Ravinder Rena, Eritrea Institute of Technology – Mai Nefhi Asmara, Eritrea

Values and Vedanta !

According to Vedanta, soul is covered with five koshas. Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vigyanamaya and anandmaya. Hence, when anybody crosses the demands and bondage of any kosha, he goes higher and higher and deeper and deeper in the attainment of knowledge. The highest value is the state of mukti (liberation of the soul from the bondage of the cycle of birth and rebirth) and the union with God, the Brahman. Thus the hierarchy of values exists according to Indian philosophies.

According to the Upanishads the main aim is moksha which is acquired by the acquisition of knowledge, the performance of social and religious duties and above all the formation of character.

The Indian doctrine of four Purusarthas is a comprehensive theory of human values. The four Purusarthas are:

Dharma : Moral value such as duties, virtues, etc.

Artha : Wealth and political values.

Kama : Happiness and Aesthetic joy.

Moksa : Liberation or true Self-realization.

The term “Purusarthas” suggests that man consciously and knowingly seeks the realization of values. Hence they are human values. They are not merely desired by man but they are desirables. They are worth-while experiences or objects. Human awareness of them and their deliberate pursuit makes them human values or Purusarthas. Thus Purusarthas are human values because they are consciously sought by human beings. Besides, they fulfill the specifically human needs and interests. They also do justice to all sorts of demands which stem from man’s multidimensional self or personality.^[1]

Ved Vyas says in Shanti parva, “The man of dharma removes all the impurities of mind and all stains from his heart. He is free from falsehood and does always good to all.” In Dharma everything is established - the five qualities preceding Dharma are truth, tapas or spirituality, shama i.e. control of senses, dama - control of mind and lastly daan or alms giving.^[2]

In the following diagram we see the four stages of human life depicted in Vedas. At the certain age there is a fixed goal which is to be achieved. We the human should go on this path and we can definitely achieve the Moksha, the summum bonum of our life.^[3]

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^[1]Indian Conception of Values And Value Education - Dr. S. G. Nigal, TattvajnanVidyapeeth, Thane, 2006, pg.10-11

^[2]The Cultural Values of Adolescents - Mrs. SarojBagheeayavalle, ShaheedPrakashan, Udaipur,1991, pp. 17-21.

^[3]Sadachar – Shankaracharya -

Values!

Concept of Values: 

The word “value’ is derived from the latin root “Valere” meaning “to be strong and vigorous” To be a value, is to have a certain value, that is the power to be some specific thing. It is the value of a thing or an idea that makes us desirable or useful to us and that can give rise to an urgent demand for or interest in something that we regard as having great value. People can love only what is dear to them (i.e. of very high value) and only what is felt to be of high value can give rise to the energy and motivate for possession.

 Life is a matter of choices. In human life there are certain things looked upon as admirable, honorable, to be approved of and there are other things which entertain and please us but we may view them as not admirable, not honorable and not to be approved of.

The concept of values is presented by Bethel from various angles.^[1]

a      Value connotes a subject-object relationship; value relates the object to man.

b      Value i.e. utility, is imparted to raw materials only by labour and skills.

c      An important aspect of value creation for Malinowski was the development of a harmonious balance between individual and social values. It is a responsibility of each individual, as a creator of value, to work for gain in such a way as to contribute to the welfare of both - himself and his society.

d      Value means the total amount of force with which an object (material or spiritual) causes a subject to attain it’s purpose as the means to an end.

Definitions of Values :

What is a value? Value is one by which men live, for which, they are willing to sacrifice comforts, facilities and even lives to preserve their values. Describing the dominant characteristics of the Raghu KulTulsi Das writes -

“Raghu Kula Rita Sadaa Chali - aaie

Pran Jaay Par Vachan na Jaai”

This is the highest value according to Indian Philosophy.

International Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences (1968) defines values as “a set of principles whereby a conduct is directed and regulated as a guide for individual or social groups”^[3]

Values as defined by Good^[4] (1959, p. 636) are “any characteristic deemed important because of psychological, social moral and aesthetic considerations.”

Mrs. SarojBagheeyaawaalle has done a thorough research on The Cultural Values of Adolescents in 1991. She has nicely shown how values change and control the environment.^[5]

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^[1]Malinowski - The Value Creator - Bethel, Dayle, M., Wather Hill, New York, 1973, pp. 50-56

^[2]MulyaShikshan (Marathi) - Dr. Suresh Karandikar, PhadkePrakashan, Kolhapur,1997, pg 16

^[3]International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences - David L. Sills, MacMillan, New York, 1968.

^[4] Good 1959

^[5]The Cultural Values of Adolescents - Mrs. SarojBagheeayavalle, ShaheedPrakashan, Udaipur,1991, pp. 17-21

Value Education

The value education is not a new concept. It is recommended by Sri. Prakash, Dr.Mudolia Azad, Dr. Kothari, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Radha Krishnan, etc.

Education not only develops morality but also makes an individual capable for leadership and or intelligent fellowship. Regarding the need of introducing religious values. Peters (1979, p.473^[1]) writes that the religious values are “prosecuted and severely censored in totalitarian or collectivist societies”. He further mentions that education demands the development of various types of awareness, abilities and skills. An individual in a democratic set up should be given some form of initiative to inculcate religious values in the hope that he may develop them. Peters (1973, p. 473)^[2] mentions that in “democracy liberal view of the role of religious values is taken because of the importance ascribed to freedom and tolerance and because reductions in transmitting cultural heritage. But certainly religious values are not distinctive of the democratic way of life”. From these central values the aims of education are generated, i.e. morality, knowledge and understanding of human condition, self-fulfillment of the individual, preparation of work, etc.

Dr. C. M. Yogi, Founder - Society for Value Education (SVE) has nicely compared Education with the Value-Based-Education in his paper presented in a Workshop organized by Save The Children and Curriculum Development Centre on 29th December, 2009 as follows:^[3]

Education	Value Based Education
opens up our mind	gives us purity of heart too
provides us with skills	provides us sincerity too
extends our relationship with the world	links us with our own family members too
makes our living better	makes our life better too
teaches us to compete with others	encourages us to be complete too
makes us a good professional	makes us a whole human too
takes us to the top	takes the whole society to the top
gives us capacity of better learning	gives us the tool for a deeper understanding too
gives us Anna	provides us Ananda too
may bring limitations	is for liberation

After all right education means- "Sa VidyaYaVimuktaye”. It means, “that is knowledge which liberates.” In one of the post in this blog I have explained elaborately about its meaning. Actually this is my favorite saying in Sanskrit which I quote everywhere. The education which we are imparting nowadays doesn’t fit at all in this definition of Vidya. As the vidya in this saying, connotes very high meaning, spiritual meaning.

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^[1] Peters – 1979

^[2] Peters, 1973

^[3] Dr. C. M. Yogi -Founder - Society for Value Education (SVE) has nicely compared Education with the Value-Based-Education in his paper

Goal of Education !

Each society wants that its children acquire a desirable set of values. The goal of education in every country is the development of desirable values. Evidently, it is important to know as to what values are held by its school students. What kind of values do they possess? Such a knowledge is essential to design curricular experiences for the achievement of the objectives of education which the society wants to formulate.  We see today the disintegration in society. One of the reasons for the disintegration is conflicting values, ground. If we go through history we find that the society is changing rapidly. The impact of the West has brought about changes in it. The Western ways of thinking, dressing and behavior influenced the Indians. This impact of still seen in every big society. It is rather increasing.

Values have social, psychological, economic, spiritual and philosophical aspects. They have a wide impact. Not a single vital action in life of a human being can be said to be valueless. Thus if values are good, life will be peaceful and useful, if values are undesirable, life will be burdensome and unwanted.

Spiritual Education

Education has long been recognized as a central element in development.  It is considered as a vital input in modernization where the developing countries like India began its drive for social and  economic development since its independence.

Education  is important in  a small country India,  because it promotes the knowledge,  skills,  habits,  values,  or  attitudes and  understanding  of  the people in the country. And it is also considered as the backbone of the development of India. Therefore, greater concern and emphasis must be put into the means and ways by which education transfer  the needed knowledge and  information  to  students/children.  It helps people to become a useful member of the society and to develop an appreciation of their culture heritage and live more satisfying human lives.

There is an acute need for incorporative Spiritual values on the realms of religion, education, social service, economics and politics in India. The term “Value” refers to a development of “heart”. It is not enough to find for Mother India a modern independent, secular, technological “herd” if, in the process she has lost her “heart”.[1] Spirituality is more about “Developed Heart, which is concerned about the Vyapakta of the understanding of Heart. 

It is our ignorance which does not allow us to get over the dichotomy between Matter and Spirit. But, says Sri Aurobindo, "The affirmation of a divine life upon earth and an immortal sense in mortal existence can have no base unless we recognize not only eternal Spirit as the inhabitant of this bodily mansion, the wearer of this mutable robe, but accept Matter of which it is made, as a fit and noble material out of which He weaves constantly His garbs, builds recurrently the unending series of His mansions."[2]

“A spiritual education would prepare the student to face life armed with a greater faith and face with an outlook which is integral. His recognition of the problems of life will not depend entirely on their appearances; he will be able to delve deep into them and see the play of hidden forces behind them. He will be able to grow spiritually through tackling the hurdles, presented by life.”[3]

In today’s world Spiritual Education is the need of this hour for the so called modern society because our lives have become more miserable. The number of educational institutions has considerably increased, but the quality has gone. The number of educated people has reached at a higher level, but murder, hatred, and selfishness have spread out like wildfire everywhere. Many institutions are opened, but only few civilized people are produced. Degrees are available for all, but the dignity has gone down. Trained people are produced from many institutions, but sincere people are very few. Many books are written; much research is done; many professional achievements are attained, but humanity is threatened. At this hour of such a crisis of character, we need Value-Based-Education and according to the author it should be touched by spirituality.

An educated person should have all kinds of qualities. Education should make every individual capable physically, mentally, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Therefore, some universal ideals of “love, respect, friendliness, non-violence, tolerance, forgiveness, compassion, peace and bliss” should be accepted by all the educators worldwide. These values are truly indispensable, which are called virtues in spiritual language, devoid of which, our society cannot survive and people cannot achieve the ultimate spiritual goal i.e. enlightenment.

Dr. C. M. Yogi, in his paper on ‘Value-Based-Education in Nepal’ rightly quotes Mahatma Gandhiji explaining the concept of education, "The real difficulty is that people have no idea of what education truly is. We assess the value of education in the same manner as we assess the value of land or of shares in the stock-exchange market. We want to provide only such education as would enable the student to earn more. We hardly give any thought to the improvement of the character of the educated. The girls, we say, do not have to earn; so why should they be educated? As long as such ideas persist there is no hope of our ever knowing the true value of education".^[4]

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[1] Indian Insight - Mrs. Lacy, C., Orient Longman, New Delhi, 1972, p.334

[2] The Life Divine

[3] http://www.ncte-india.org/pub/aurobin/chap5.htm

^[4]‘Value-Based-Education in Nepal’- Dr. C. M. Yogi.

Jay Bharati, Jay Bharati!

India used to be an abode of Spiritual Education in ancient times.  All Indians were so spiritual at that time. Truth, Non-Violence, Obedience, Tolerance, such virtues were at the helm of everybody's behavior

   

“Jahan Satya, Ahimsa Aur Dharma Ka

Pag Pag Lagata Dera,

Voh Bharat Desh Hai Mera,

Voh Bharat Desh Hai Mera,

Jay Bharati, Jay Bharati”

“No wonder that at a certain phase in Indian history, the greatest emphasis the educational system laid was on making the student conscious of his soul. The process of learning, from this point of view, began from within.

What the teacher—who was often a Rishi or a seer—wished to see was, all the faculties, all the parts of the pupil’s personality, must be governed by his soul, instead of by his crude physical desires, mental preferences or impulses. A great doctrine to which they subscribed was the doctrine of Swadharma. In the phenomenal world marked by multiplicity, each human being had a specific inner nature, apart from his share of the common stock of desires, emotions and passions, constituting his superficial personality, his ego-self. To transcend the ego-self and to illumine the consciousness in the splendor of the soul was looked upon as the true goal of education.”[1]

As we see how the Society is diminishing in case of values day by day. It is necessary to develop the programs for inculcating spirituality in the society.

Today’s Indian youths are little bit confused because of the bombarding of the new technological devices, information explosion and violent news by the press & media. To inculcate the value system in their confused minds and make them value-oriented-powerful leaders, educational institutions should take the initiative to impart Value Based Spiritual Knowledge to this new generation.

“Imbibing the qualities of good conduct, self-confidence and high values would help students earn a significant place in society.  Education without spiritual values is like a flower without fragrance.  Students should realize that character building is equally important as career building.  A good character in life is ultimate thing that stretches person’s self-realization”.

An attempt is made in this paper to discuss the role of the spiritual education in society, it elaborately discusses about the implications to develop the spiritual education. Rena, R. rightly points out that “There is a popular misconception that values are “better caught than taught”. In reality however, values are both caught and taught.” Today’s generation is not going to catch the spiritual values without teaching. We have to teach the spiritual values to this generation before they are caught by the bombarding of the new technological devices, information explosion and also by the media.

According to the author Value Based education cannot be taught without Spiritual Knowledge or Spiritual Consciousness.

In conclusion, mere desire or aspiration to progress in life is not enough; success should be based on values. And for that value-based education must be imparted in today’s institutions. So that the students may emerge as good leaders in their chosen fields.

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