How Gurukulam Learning Differs from Regular Education, Part 9

We are not doing śāstra a favour by calling it ‘scientific’, it is in fact very limiting to term it so! Moreover it is false too. But unlike other blind belief systems, śāstra assures us of results in the here and now once we cross over the bridge of distrust. By sādhanā which is experiential learning one can transform at the physical, emotional, psychological, and mental level. Our limited knowledge of a three or four dimensional world is smiled at by a benign all knowing all seeing ṛṣi. To be in such a person’s care is to witness heaven, hell, and the whole brahmāṇḍa in oneself. One can break through the time and space barriers and witness the Self in all its glory. Our schools and universities are so taken in by science and modernity that they do not pause to think about what such a worldview promotes, and what it rejects. And if what it rejects is perhaps valid too. There seems to be no scope for an alternative worldview.

Studying at AVG exposed me to my responsibility towards my duties. I must do what must be done. Easy enough definition but what is it that needs to be done is never clearly defined. Well, that is common sense is it not? Depending on my age, station, position, situation, I have certain duties to fulfill towards myself and other entities, those must be taken care of. Firstly, my stay at AVG enabled me to appreciate that there are other realities apart from the visible world; of devatās, of pitṛs, of bhūtas - that there were beings apart from humans and animals, that the whole universe was teeming with life, nay, it is indeed life itself. It taught me - shockingly - that anyone can become a devatā through one’s actions, I could be born as Indra ruling the heavens in the next manvantara if I acquired enough puṇya for the post. Then it taught me to be grateful to this universe which has birthed me. And that I could express this gratitude via pañca mahā yajñas; a to-do list for living a better life. Thus, from being an immature person who was always competing for resources and only taking taking taking, I could now transform into an adult, someone mature with a capacity to give. You are an adult only when you become a contributor, when one turns a contributor from being a mere consumer, Pūjya Svāmījī was often fond of saying, until then you are a child. What can I do for you? What can I offer you? These were his greetings, and dāna, dayā, were his abiding characteristics. Even on his deathbed his trembling hands would search for something to offer you. That cold fall evening in Saylorsburg in 2015, I was overcome with emotion when he thrust an apple in my palm from his hospital bed, with a smile. _dānaena adānam tara _overcome not-giving by giving. I now gave active thought to feeding birds, animals, watering plants, sharing food with the neighbour, taking snacks to the office, cooking for friends and family. Now I was no longer lazy and wanting others to wait upon me, where I would be a burden, instead I shouldered my share of responsibilities with gratitude and expressed generosity by sharing what I had.

This is something ammā had always shown by example, by being the first to volunteer for anything in the house or outside. But unfortunately like most others I learnt my lesson only when I left home. Our mothers and grandmothers lived these truths without ever going to a gurukulam, these teachings were so embedded in the daily culture itself. Now, with the unavailability of such a culture, gurukulam study seems imperative.. Our educational institutions do not care to develop our understanding of duties and responsibilities towards all beings, nor do they care for improving our understanding of ecology and immediate environment, most students merely hold banners, write essays, and do no more than bandying about the latest causes on social media for garnering followers or a good grade. The deep respect and connection that comes from a daily engagement with an entity - via pūjā, via offerings, via sharing, this is missing. Our puruṣārthas and our ṛṇas, this is the basic framework in which we live and contribute, all the while walking on the razor’s edge knowing fully well our true identity.

It is not just the Vedāntabhāga but Vedapūrvabhāga also which is important to study. It talks of values - honesty, simplicity, transparency - so that we are in harmony with the totality. It also talks of having a reverential attitude towards everything in the world - towards our parents, our teachers, our relatives, guests etc., we must learn to respect everyone. It shows us how this world is not to be exploited but to be respected. So Vedapūrvabhāga makes an animal-man into man-man i.e. a human. It provides means to fulfill one’s desires, one’s kāmya karmas, it makes a person a contributor, it draws attention to values and attitudes to be imbibed while talking of harmful activities to be avoided, all these are very important for leading a religious life. In short it focuses on duties, attitudes, and values.

Karmakāṇḍa, which I would scoff at before without knowing anything about it, is also the subject matter of the Vedas and is extremely important for humanity as it makes the animal-man into a man-man,from doing everything by instinct to being bound by rules and norms i.e. conscious deliberation and intent, which is refinement. From prakṛta vyavahāra to saṃskṛta vyavahāra. If not it is all kāmabhakśaṇam, kāmavāda, kāmācaraṇa i.e., eating, speaking, and doing as one wishes not as per one’s duties or dharma, animal life and human life are not that different if this is so. Until we start following a regulated dinacaryā and performing our nitya karmas and pañca mahā yajñas we will remain instinctual and immature.

I also learnt the essential aspect of how to seek help via prayer and how to express my innermost emotions via rituals during my stint at the gurukulam. When we are helpless it is intelligent to ask for help, says Pūjya Svāmījī. We all know how most of us are loathe to ask for directions or advice especially these days when we are supposed to know it all or ask Google or Siri for assistance. But when there are devatās ready to offer their hand, why not take it? To start with we must not decry rituals as a waste, the beauty of rituals is for us to savour and revel in, there is a meaning to seasonal festivities where we get a break from a routinized life. We get divine sanction to express joy and indulge in revelry. Take saṃkrānti for instance - from gau worship to sūrya ārādhanā, from the the glowing lamps to the the rangolī, the flower garlands, the naivedya, the dāna dakṣiṇa that follows, all this celebrates a certain aspect of life in a given moment in time periodically. Rituals externalise and give vent to the unconscious and subconscious emotions within us, they give shape to our innermost feelings.

There is deep meaning in all our customs, we may or may not subscribe to them, but we must know why we do something. If we do not care for them, we need not decry them as useless, on the contrary. Even today when we look at practising Hindus, especially among the rural, the poor, the orthodox; they bathe twice a day at the very least, they dress up neatly with oiled plaits and flowers in their hair, boṭṭus on their forehead and sporting a winning smile on their lips. They light sandhyā dīpas, worship twice a day, and go forth into the world with warmth in their hearts and a smile on their lips. What stops us from teaching these small acts to our children too, so that it helps them in the long run to face the inevitable hurdles in life with an optimistic attitude.

Authored by Kavita Krishna Meegama. Published by Brhat.