Spiritual Education is Education
When the Lord comes in our midst there are two important aspects to His descent that stand out among others. One is His powerful and enchanting presence, which has the potency to transform and raise all who comes to Him. Everyone who comes to Him benefits, some considerably and few immensely, depending on one’s receptiveness. The other aspect is the message that He brings, and this has some unique benefits of its own. Adherence to the message has the power to manifest the Lord in one’s life. A tryst with Divinity could be a blessing for good acts of the past, but it is in loyalty to the message that one completely benefits and finds redemption, and also a means to express one’s devotion to the Lord. So it is indeed of paramount importance for each of us to dwell on His message.
As part of the 90th Birthday offerings, we will begin every month with excerpts of a discourse from the Golden Jubilee Birthday Celebrations of Bhagawan. During the grand 50th Birthday celebrations, Baba gave discourses specific to the Seva wing and the Bal Vikas wing, apart from discourses revealing His own message and mission. The excerpts presented below are from the discourse Baba gave on 18 Nov 1975 as part of the Bal Vikas Guru’s Conference. Let us listen and re-listen, read and re-read even as we imbibe the essence contained.
Even as yet another academic year begins in Prasanthi Nilayam, it would be appropriate to take a dip in this Divine Discourse delivered on 18 November, 1975 where Swami delineates on what true knowledge is. A striking trend we notice these days which was not quite common a decade ago is the extensive advertising by educational institutions, indicating that education is increasingly becoming a commodity, or an asset which is an effective money making tool. Even if one were to overlook for a moment the Divinity of Bhagawan, it has to be conceded that His contribution to the field of education has been immense. Tens of thousands of students have graduated from schools and colleges set up by Him. No doubt they have left with secular degrees that shall help them find fine means of existence, but along with that, the sacred impulses that urge one to seek the very purpose of existence too have been planted in their fertile young minds.
Who can be considered a truly educated person? What completes education? These questions can be answered if we know the true purpose of education. In this discourse Swami speaks on this very theme. In fact Bhagawan begins this discourse with a rhetoric poem that raises these very questions.
Isn’t it beautiful how Bhagawan answers the question in the question itself? Wisdom and discrimination is what completes education. If education does not leave one with a better discrimination, and stronger so as to follow the right path that has been discerned, definitely the purpose of education is not achieved. But is it merely worldly discrimination that enables one to make better choices? Or is it that, the purpose of education is to grant something beyond even human existence? Swami explains using the meaning of the Sanskrit word, ‘Vidya’.
Reaching Brahma Jnana may be the purpose of education, the culmination. But when do we recognise that our quest is becoming more spiritual than worldly? Is there a way we can ascertain for ourselves? Let us see what Swami has to say in the following part of the discourse.
