SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

                Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was a great social reformer, renowned thinker and practical saint of modern India. He was born in 1863 in Calcutta. His original name is NarendranathDatta. Vivekananda was a very versatile man – singer, saint, thinker, religious and social reformer, and a great orator and writer. He was one of the first to introduce the ancient treasures of Indian philosophy and Classical yoga to the world outside of India. A towering figure of the Indian Renaissance, Swami Vivekananda not only revived faith of an enslaved and demoralized people in their own religion, but also breathed in them a fiery of revolution to fight the British rule. According to Subas Chandra Bose, Vivekananda is the maker of modern India. National Youth Day in India is held on his birthday, January 12, to commemorate him.

VIVEKANANDA’S PHILOSOPHY

                Swami Vivekananda was Vedantic idealist who believed that ultimate reality is essential spiritual or ideal in character. His idealism is monistic, and he described the Absolute as Sat (existence), Chit (conscientiousness) and Ananda (bliss and love). The following are the important tenets of his philosophy.

  Human beings are primarily consciousness and the individual soul is part of the cosmic consciousness.

  The ultimate reality is essentially spiritual or ideal in character.

  God is the ultimate reality that exists in the world and He is the Universal Reality. All phenomena of the material world are His manifestations.

   God is Supreme Power and Omniscient (knowing everything). He is Infinite Existence, Infinite Knowledge and Infinite Bliss.

   Man is the incarnation of God, and God manifests himself in Man.

  Atma is the true reality, and it is identical with God.

  The essence of all religions is the same. It is only in non-essentials that differences are found.

   Love is the highest goal of religion, an individual become aware of and expresses his unity with mankind through love.

  Service to man is equated with devotion to God.

  All religions lead to the same goal. No religion is inferior to another.

   God is Omnipresent, Impersonal and without attributes. He is manifested in all creatures on earth.

  Perfection cannot be attained from outside. In fact, it is inherent within the individual himself.

  Both the Vedanta and Science maintain common principles.

  By his own good deeds man can win over his ignorance and suffering.

  Jiva is Shiva (each individual is divinity itself). The service of God is possible only in and through the service of poor human beings.

VIVEKANANDA’S VIEW ON EDUCATION

            Education occupies an important position in Vivekananda’s scheme of social regeneration. The philosophy of Vedanta and Upanishads constituted the basis of his educational ideals. According to Vivekananda, education should foster spiritual faith, devotion and self-surrender in the individual and should promote full development through service and sacrifice.

MEANING OF EDUCATION

              Defining education Vivekananda said Education is the manifestation of perfection already existing in man. All knowledge, whether worldly or spiritual, lies embedded in the human mind. It lies dormant covered with a veil of darkness or ignorance Knowing is unveiling or discovering one’s inner self. What a man learns is really what he discovers by taking the cover of his own soul, which is a mind of infinite knowledge.

AIMS OF EDUCATION

            The ultimate purpose of education, according to Vivekananda is to manifest man’s perfection fully and to reach the final goal of human life, i.e., self- realization. Highlighting the aim of education he declared that the end of all education, all training should be man making. He recommended the following aims of education:

Ø To achieve the fullness of perfection already present in the learner.

Ø To ensure the self-development of the learner.

Ø To facilitate character formation.

Ø To buildup self-confidence, self-reliance and self-sufficiency based on balanced human relationships.

Ø To optimize physical, mental, moral and spiritual development.

Ø To promote universal brotherhood.

Ø To generate the spirit of renunciation.

CURRICULUM

              Being a Neo-Vedantic Educator, Vivekananda advocated the inclusion of all those subjects and activities in the curriculum which foster material welfare side-by-side with spiritual advancement. He suggested a composite model of education for India which synthesizes the Science and Technology of the West and Indian Vedanta. The following are the salient features of the curriculum suggested by him:

v Study of cultural heritage in terms of History, Poetry, Languages, Grammar, Religion, Philosophy, Vedantic studies, study of Mahabharata, Ramayana etc.

v Study of languages especially Regional Languages, Sanskrit, Link Language and English

v Scientific knowledge through the study of various branches of modern science, and Western Technology and Engineering.

v Study of vocational subjects and Home Science.

v He strongly advocated Games, Sports and Physical Education in curriculum at all levels.

METHODS OF TEACHING

                   Vivekananda considered learning as a process of discovery of knowledge within the learner. He was in favor of the ancient spiritual methods of teaching and the Gurukula system of education where the Guru and his disciples lived in close association as in a family. The following are the important methods of teaching suggest by Vivekananda:

§  Lectures and Self-experience for acquiring new knowledge and attaining new insight.

§  Discussion and Contemplation for attaining clarity of thought and assimilation of ideas.

§  Meditation, Yoga and Concentration for developing mental powers and controlling fleeting mental faculties.

§  Individual Guidance and life examples by the teacher for inculcating values and ensuring character development.

§  Brahmacharya, Shradha (faith), Reverence for the Guru, and fr great teachers will create in him a love for all learning and knowledge, and this attitude will enable him to imbibe knowledge effectively.

§  Service to community is suggested as a method of learning social virtues.

§  He suggested travel as an ideal method of learning Religion, Culture, Language and Nature.

DISCIPLINE

                Vivekananda considers discipline as an important aspect of one’s character. He made following suggestions to awaken the inner elements of discipline in the child:

o   Practice of yoga and meditation will help the learner to attain perfect harmony between the inner and outer life and maintain slef-discipline.

o   Purity of thought, deed and action achieved through the observance of absolute Brahmacharya will help to reduce the incidence of indiscipline in education.

o   The life examples set by the Guru is a source of inspiration for the students to set their own standard of discipline.

o   Undue domination and excessive authority of teacher should be avoided as it would only stunt the natural growth of the child.

o   Reduce Do’s and Don’ts and create environment for sprouting self-discipline.

ROLE OF THE TEACHER

                Vivekananda attaches great importance to the character and personal life of the teacher. True education can be obtained only from the Guru. The Guru, says Vivekananda, is the conveyance in which the spiritual influence is brought to the learner. His role is to motivate, demonstrate and persuade to discover their own potential, intellect and to properly understand their mind, body and spirit. According to Vivekananda the following are the qualities of a teacher:

·       The teacher must be dedicated to his profession and teach with devotion, purity of mind and heart.

·       He should be a person who has renounced the pleasure of life.

·       He should be possessed of great motives such as spiritual transmission.

·       His work must be simply out of love, out of pure love for mankind at large.

·       He must be a person who practices thoroughly what he preaches.

·       He should be a person with dedication and commitment, should have an understanding of the scriptures and should lead a value-based life.

VIVEKANANDA’S CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION

                   Vivekananda was the apostle of a man-making education. His educational philosophy is a harmonious synthesis of the ancient Indian ideals and modern Western beliefs. He has a true vision of the philosophy of education in India in its cultural context. A brief account of his contributions to the field of education is given below:

ü Vivekananda revived the spirit of Humanism in education by emphasizing that education should lead us to the goal of realizing God through love of humanity, self-sacrifice and work for the uplift of mankind

ü He set the Indian youth right and inspired millions of people to receive right kind of education fitted to their needs, their cultural background and their national traditions.

ü  In his psychologists as highly scientific. As conceived by Vivekananda, modern psychologists also consider education as a process of bringing out of the dormant powers of the child by providing apt environment.

ü In his philosophy of education, Vivekananda synthesized spiritual and material values. He felt that the India needed a system of education based on ancient Vedantic ideals but at the same time worthy of making individual earn his livelihood so that the country may progress

ü Vivekananda is the first idealistic philosopher who gave a practical form to religious education.

ü He advocated for the education of women as well as education of the illiterate masses

ü He formulated a synthetic approach to education by amalgamating the good elements of Idealism, Naturalism, and Pragmatism.

ü His educational philosophy seeks to develop international brotherhood and intense nationalism simultaneously.

ü He submitted a national system of education which is fitted to the needs of people, their cultural background and their national traditions.

ü He founded the Rama Krishna Mission in 1899 with an intention of giving direction to educational and social activities.

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RATI R. MENON

NATURAL SCIENCE