EDUCTION-- WORLDLY AND SPIRITUAL

Education --worldly and spiritual

While knowledge and education in all fields is open to man,it is his interest and passion that leads to his choice of a particular field. It is of interest to know whether the education man has received so far has made him happy and wise! The way man has been living and behaving indicates to us that he is none the wiser for all the knowledge he has amassed! The so called civilized world is full of violence, deceit, hatred, greed,selfishness materialism and other negative qualities! Why is man, in spite of his knowledge and education, unable to free himself from these  evil propensities? It is because of the worldly education that he has been receiving continuously!” Worldly education makes man great, whereas spiritual education makes him good” declares Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba!

All branches of knowledge cater to the physical and material needs of man! “Udara Nimittam  bahukruta vesham” says Sri Sankara in his Bhajagovinda stotra. The very purpose of life is forgotten by man. No doubt, he has become great physically and mentally but has neglected his ethical, moral and spiritual side.He has learnt all about the earth, sky and nature but has forgotten to study his own real nature! Thus there is a lopsided development in man! All the ills of the present day world and society are because of this total involvement in material existence without any thought on the spiritual side. While attachment to the body is needed,excess of it is detrimental.True spirituality exists in ‘understanding the unity of the entire humanity and giving up the sense of attachment and hatred. Cultivating moral values and acting righteously and love for all are  absolutely essential for resolving the conflicts in the world.

What is this human life? It is ,’a combination of morality, spirituality and righteousness.’True education is expected to confer virtues, good intellect, duty, devotion and discipline. Mere accumulation of wealth, scholarship and intelligence is of no use. They become worthwhile only when utilized in the right way! Spiritual education can be cultivated personally. There is no need to join any college or university. Love is present in all of us but it is only selfish and showered on our children and kith and kin. If that love is enlarged and shown to every human being in the world it becomes spiritual. Love is the prime component in human values!

What are the other components of spiritual education? Service to humanity is the first and foremost requisite since the same eternal spirit or atma manifests itself in every living creature! ‘ ajayamano bahudha vijayathe’, ‘ekah paratma bahu deha varthi’-- are the golden words of our Vedas and the Upanishads! Spirituality does not require going to the forest abandoning all and performing tapas.It demands compassion, mercy, and pity for the suffering teeming millions in society. We should see God in every person or thing as service to man is service to God! In case we are unable to help others, at least we can express our sympathy for them. An aspirant for spirituality should be ready to sacrifice to save people in distress. He is expected to be totally selfless in doing his work. This will rid him of his ego and elevate him to higher plane consciousness.

There is serious moral degradation in the present society in the world. No amount of material comfort and pleasure can help man. One day or other he has to think about his spirit or soul. He should realize that he is not the body but the Indestructible atma or the spirit. There is nothing that he can take with him when he dies! It is the effect of his good and bad deeds that follow him. He should maintain ceiling on his desires lest he cannot free himself from the cycle of birth and and death.He can achieve spirituality by keeping company with devotees, chanting the glorious names of God,and reading scriptures. He should combine his daily duties with some of the cardinal principles of spirituality to avoid the stress and strain of this mundane world.Being a social and rational animal, he must realize the significance of spirituality in his life and conduct himself accordingly. Man bereft of spirituality is no better than the animal!