(The Asian Independent)
– Professor Dr.M. M. Goel
As a humble teacher from the family of teachers, I believe that spiritual bankruptcy and commercialization of education are the root causes of deteriorating standards in education at all levels. The relationship between teacher and the students is polluted to a considerable extent due to the facts and deserve attention of the stakeholders at large.
It is the duty of the teachers to harness the capacities and capabilities of the students for their empowerment to contribute in development and growth of the economy as enabled human resource. It becomes the duty of the teachers to aware the students about socio-economic aspects of life with equal opportunities for goodness to contribute as citizenry.
The students have to be given the opportunity for identifying their potential to grow and develop as human capital for contributing towards development of the society.
The present times of uncertainties calls for educating the teachers and their trainers in the science of soul to be called spirituality.
Being a person of simple living and no thinking with spiritual input from Gita, it is my academic duty to train the teachers and their trainers in no thinking. I is to be noted that no thinking does not mean that I should not think at all. It means to think of only those things which are in control and not beyond my control. This is the message of my guru Gita as heart of Krishan also that one has right on actions and not results which are beyond my control as a human being.
To respond to the pressing needs of the Indian society consisting of the consumers, producers, distributors and traders, we need to institutionalise the training of the trainers of teachers in spirituality flowing from Gita and Anu-Gita. There is a case for knowing spiritual mathematics as summation ( yog) as 1+1=1, meaning thereby one soul added to god becomes one. One in all and all in one falls in the domain of spiritual mathematics.
I wish to draw attention of the trainers of teachers on Anu-Gita, a little known part of the Mahabharata as it occurs towards the end of the great epic. After the Mahabharata war, when peace was established, Lord Krishna told Arjuna that he would like to go to Dwarka. Arjuna said, before you go, please teach me the Gita once more, because I have forgotten a large part of what you taught me on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Krishna’s reply to Arjuna at that time is called Anu-Gita– the prefix ‘anu’ meaning ‘after’.In Mahabharta, Gita occurs in Parva no 6, while Anu-Gita occurs in Parva no 14 of the total 18 Parvas.Anu-Gita has 36 chapters ( compared to 18 chapters in Gita) and 1040 slokas ( compared to 700 slokas in Gita).Anu-Gita elaborates some selected ideas of the Gita also which are very important.
We have to identify the success stories of the teachers like Sarvpali RadhaKirshanan former president of India with eternal values and rich legacy in spirituality.
The divinity in teachers with spiritual bent of mind needed to be emphasized at all levels of education in present times of covid created crisis.
To create the best of the brains in Bharat, we need continuous introspection as for bringing the smile on the faces which glows with their wisdom.
The time has come to think of doing right things at the right time for the greater cause of the society. The attitude of gratitude needs to be developed among the people at large.
To bind the social fabric of Indian society, we have to understand the inevitable inequalities as five fingers in a hand which are not equal but contribute in working of the hand for not only survival and existence but excellence in all walks of life. Therefore, there should be no heart burning for inequalities of various kinds but to provide equal opportunities of goodness among all with prejudice of any kind. There is a case for some concessions for the weaker segments of the society also. The given challenges of covid crisis calls for developing understanding of spirituality as humanity.
The ultimate objective of an individual should be to good deeds during the life time so that no worries after death for moksha and to be understood as Jiwan Mukti as authenticated Anu-Gita.
We must learn to manage the discords and disputes with solutions exist for everything. We should avoid anything which spread hatred among people. It is to be understood that ego is the root cause of all disputes quarrels and wars among people and the nations.
We have to adopt forgiveness and forget the past (yesterday) and start afresh every day.
It needs to be understood that there is cure for all the ills in the society and there are Vedic pills with correct understanding from the Gita which leads to happiness. To create work culture in educational institutions in India, there is need of converting holiday culture in to holy-day culture. It is firmly believed by the author that the rate of progress in spiritualism is faster than the rate of progress in materialism, therefore, there is need of accepting spiritually guided materialism making a case for ‘needonomics’ as a solution of various problems in present times of covid created crisis. There is no doubt that India will emerge as a leader of the world on its spiritual strength only and not on the basis of anything else. To make it happen we should adopt an evolutionary approach and should not expect miracles. We need to accept Gita as an ism neutral and sacro-secular epic on welfare economics and management with sermons for the entire humanity including the teachers and their trainers for the survival, existence and excellence in present times of covid created crisis.
. I dedicate this article to my beloved wife Mrs Aruna Goel, a teacher of standing on her birthday who is spiritual person in totality. I owe many things in life to her generosity, humbleness and high standards of her own in the science of soul.
* Former Vice Chancellor and known Professor as ‘Needonomist’ (economist for needs) retired from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.