Redefining Indian Education through Pursharthas
- In History & Culture
- 03:39 AM, Jan 30, 2016
- Dilip Mehta
For thousands of years Hindus have been following the 4 Pursharthas as their goals of life and have maintained a balance existence with self and outside world. It has been a driving force for all activities of life and in harmony with “Prakruti" (there is no English equivalent, and has very limited meaning in the word - “environment” in modern times)
Background of Pursharthas:
It is very difficult to share the meaning of 4 Pursharthas in English, as this concept did not originate in this language, I am sharing some words on each Pursharthas, just to make it understandable, but the meaning is much deeper and more profound.
Dharma: Righteousness, Responsible, being Truthful
Artha: Wealth, Leadership, Power, Fame
Kama: Bodily Pleasure, Enjoyment, Aesthetics, Beauty, Love, Appreciation
Moksha: Freedom, Nirvana, Liberation
When I talk about Pursharthas (Dhamra, Artha, Kama & Moksha), it starts from “self”, which is Body, Mind and Atman. Once a person starts living a balanced life based on all the 4 Pursharthas, he/she is ready to become one with others and continue this journey to next levels. This whole process, that starts from becoming one with self – and moves on to family – friends – neighbor – society – state – country – universe, is a life long journey. One needs to practice this every day. If Pursharthas are understood and implemented early in a child’s life, the child will live a life of the Pursharthas subconsciously.
In the next article I will be sharing a self-assessment tool where a person can measure “where he/she stands” in the 4 Pursharthas. (The image above signifies Expanding your conciseness from self - universal, while balancing 4 Pursharathas at every level)
Decline of Pursharthas:
Till the time of Chandragupta Maurya & Ashoka, the Indian Society was following the principles of Pursharthas. As Buddhism and Jainism started spreading on a large scale, we dropped 2 Pursharthas (Artha & Kama) from daily life; they were considered unimportant and were looked down upon. The other 2 were given more importance (Dharma - Mokhsha). Thus we demolished 2 Pillars, of the four, on which our whole society was established.
If we notice, after that period we could not regain our economic and military prowess, creative and cultural advantage. We were invaded and looted several times. While sharing this understanding, I do not mean to demean/separate Buddhism or Jainism’s from Hinduism. The whole foundation of Hindu religion was based on living in alignment with Prakruti; acceptance, mutual respect and experiential learning were practiced as a part of life, thus allowing everyone to choose their own path of life and moksha. We were and are the most liberal religion in the world, where each member of the family is allowed to choose their Devi/Devta and also the path to attain Moksha.
However, after the period of Chandragupta and Ashoka we could not get united as one nation, we were always invaded and looted by several tribes and countries. With each invasion, our way of life got diluted and disconnected from our roots. Lots of our current daily practices have no relevance and connection to our Sanatan Dharma.
The whole scar of getting defeated, looted, humiliation and slavery has killed our self-respect, power & creative energy. If we look at the period after Independence, Nehru did not invest in Army and we faced a major defeat in the Chinese War. The most important Asset of any Nation is its people and how we invest in them, will create or destroy a nation.
Background - Present Day Education System:
The present day education in India is an inheritance from the British Raj. The main purpose of this education system was to train people as factory labor and clerical workers; not as thinkers or creators. Nor were we taught to respect self and think about development of the nation.
Thus we moved away from the 4 Purshartha once again. Even today, the Government and Private Sector continues to invest in the “Raj” system of education. This creates more and more people who are not equipped to think for themselves and for the nation at large. The primary skill developed in such schools is to memorize and follow instructions; they follow textbooks and teachers inside the classrooms, which leads them to become followers and ensure “looking good” in day-to-day life (family as well as professional).
But, for the Long haul we need to invest in an education system that will make Righteous–Powerful-Wealthy-Creative-Free people who live a Dharmic life, invest their wealth for nation building, and become role models and leaders who are free in - body, mind & atman.
That’s where “Make in India” comes in, which is a good initiative. In the last year I have observed that the strategy being utilized by the government in all sectors, including Education, is to bring (read import) prevalent and successful “global” foreign model, foreign funds, Companies and Technology and transfer it into an India context. Yes, it is a good strategy for short term to boost the country’s developmental growth speed.
Transforming - Present Day Education
In present time, understanding one’s own roots and culture is neither part of learning at home nor schooling; parents feel that it is the school’s responsibility and school feels it is parents’ and thus a child grows up without knowing “who am I”, “What is the purpose of my Life”, “Where I am heading”. These important questions are not answered and one-day life comes to an end. Another cycle then starts and ends; the child gets stuck in this loop of never ending cycle of birth-death-rebirth-death.
It is high time that somebody takes an initiative to bring a transformation in education system and life of Indian citizens.
For example: The most forward thinking country in Education is Finland, it has already decided to move away from subject based learning to topic base, so why can’t we take a leap and move Indian education towards “the life goals”.
The Education Model based on 4 Purshartha:
A. The levels of consciousness:
Levels are not year based, it is based on level of achievement; a child can move forward based on his/her speed of expanding consciousness, enlightenment and learning. The outcome is measured by the applications he makes in real life. At every level the student will have to keep a balance of 4 Purshartha in his/her life.
1. Self (Body level)
2. Self & Family (Body level)
3. Self, Family, Extended Family & Friends (Body & Mind Level)
4. Self, Family, Extended Family, Friends & Neighborhood (Body & Mind Level)
5. Self, Family, Extended Family, Friends, Neighborhood & City (Body & Mind Level)
6. Self, Family, Extended Family, Friends, Neighborhood, City & State (Body & Mind Level)
7. Self, Family, Extended Family, Friends, Neighborhood, City, State & Nation (Body, Mind & Atman Level)
8. Self, Family, Extended Family, Friends, Neighborhood, City, State & Universe (Body, Mind & Atman Level)
9. Self to Universe (Mind Level)
10. Self to Universe (Atman Level)
B. Aligning subjects/disciplines with the Pursharthas:
We can merge the present day subjects inside the domain of Pursharthas like:
· Subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, Physical Education, and Law can be taught under the Dharma.
· Subjects like Economics, Management, Leadership, and Finance can be taught under Artha.
· Subjects like Art, Language, Sports, and Design under Kama.
· Subjects like Constitution, Civics, Mediation under Moksha
Similarly we will create new subjects like Yoga, Community Service, Wealth Creation, Self & Military training, and Love-Respect-Appreciation
There will be several subjects, which will be covered under several Pursharthas like Technology, Math, Law, Languages.
The content should be dynamic and it must evolve based on the relevance of the place and time.
C. the Methodology, an example:
Inquiry - Exploration - Experimentation - Problem Solving - Investigation - Creation
Sample Level 1: Self (Dharma - Artha - Kama - Moksha)
Body Level:
· Exploring our own body and understanding its basic functions in harmony with nature (Science - Math - Language)
· The kind of food we eat and its relation & effect on our body (Science - Environment)
· Different kind of Physical exercises and its effect on our body (Physical Education & Science)
· Rest: how we can rest to gain maximum strength (Science & Math)
· Hygiene, Self-care and Safety (Self Care)
· What are the laws related to self-management (Law)
· Knowing your roots (History)
Arth:
· How much you spend on yourself (Math - Finance)
· Your leadership style and management (Leadership)
· Ways to reduce unnecessary expense (Math- Finance)
· Different source of wealth creation (Wealth Management)
· Understanding basic technology inventions and its evolution in creating wealth - power (Technology)
Kama:
· Ways of communications (Language)
· Exploring music and dance form & Visual Arts (Arts)
· Pleasure from food and other bodily pleasures; understand how to derive energy from it; how it is temporary; and how to regain while being detached (Technology)
· Adornment of personality, space, mind (Aesthetic & Beauty)
· Learning self-presentation and dressing
· Loving, Appreciating & Respecting own body (Nava Rasa)
· Understanding your emotions and its effects on your body (Nava Rasa)
· Understanding the evolution of Technology, which makes life better and comfortable (Technology)
Moksha:
· The concept of Slavery (History)
· How to attain personal freedom?
· Rights and Duties as Citizen (Civics & Constitution)
· How to defend self (Self-Defense)
· Initiation in Meditation
· Basic understanding and practice of Bhakti, Karma & Jnana
This piece aims to provide a basic skeleton of the new educational structure is proposed; what it still requires is an “in-depth research” of our scriptures and thereby build a fully functional system based on it
Comments