1.VALUE EDUCATION SEMINAR ON Swami Vivekananda and his views on Education: combination of Eastern Philosophy & Western Technology Prepared by- Ratan Sarkar

2. Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life. We must have life- building, man making, character making and assimilation of ideas. We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on ones own feet. -Swami Vivekananda 3. Swami Vivekanandas (1863 -1902) view: 1.Education is the manifestation of perfection already reached in man. 2.Education was not of getting huge amount of information; it would be an undigested material of our brain. 3.The good quality education must have the life building, man-making, character building, and assimilation of ideas.This would help to the common people to equip themselves for the struggle of life. 4. Rabindranath Tagore had opined the same: The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existences. 5. VIVEKANANDAS PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Swamiji opined that Education prepares man for- Struggle for existence. Social service To develop his character To have spirit and courage of a lion. For getting degree is not an education, the proper education must be viewed on the basis of character, mental powers, intelligence and Self-confidence and self-reliance in the individuals. 6. Source of knowledge All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is in your own mind. In many cases it is not discovered, but remains covered, and when the covering is being slowly taken off we say we are learning, and the advance of knowledge is made by the advance of this process of uncovering. 7. Swamiji says Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work or worship or psychic control or philosophy- by one or more or all of these 8. Role of the teacher Role of the teacher is to motivate, demonstrate, and persuade individuals to discover their own potential, intellect and to properly understand their mind, body and spirit. Teacher should have Love, affection & empathy, Dedication, commitment, understanding of the scriptures and value- based life. Education is not animal training. True education is human awakening. Philosopher Jacques Maritian. 9. MEANING OF EDUCATION: Character, Efficiency and Humanism should be the aim of all education. Vivekananda strongly pleaded that development of character through the service of his fellowmen, the utilization of his talents for ensuring the happiness and welfare of the millions of his less fortunate fellow-citizens should be the aim of the education. 10. VIVEKANANDAS AIMS OF EDUCATION: We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on ones own feet. What we need is to study, independent of foreign control, different branches of the knowledge that is our own and with it the English language and Western science; we need technical education and all else that will develop industries. So that men, instead of seeking for help and service, may earn enough to provide for them and save against a rainy day. 11. The end of all education, all training, should be man- making. The end and aim of all training is to make the man grow. The training, by which the current and expression of will are brought under control and become fruitful, is called education. What our country now wants are muscles of iron and a nerve of steel, gigantic wills which nothing can resists, which can enter into the mysteries and secrets of the universe and will accomplish their purpose in any fashion, even if it means going down to the bottom of the ocean, meeting death face to face. It is man-making theories that we want. It is man-making education all round that we want. 12. Education from a democratic angle. He expressed deep concern for the mass, The education which does not help the common people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of humanity, and the courage of a lion - is it worth the name? Real education is that which enables one to stand on ones own legs. The education that you are receiving now in schools and colleges is only making you a race of dyspeptics. You are working like machines merely, and living a jelly-fish existence. 13. VIVEKANANDAS PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION: Education is not only for getting information; rather it should develop character, physic, mental powers, intelligence, spirituality and inculcate self-confidence together with self-reliance. The technical education was necessary for the industrial growth which would lead to the economic prosperity of the nation. 14. The concentration is the key to all the knowledge. Religious education should be imparted through sweet impressions and scientific way. Education should cultivate spiritual faith, devotion and self-surrender in the individual through service and sacrifice. All the subjects must be included in the curriculum which promotes the material and spiritual advancement of a child. 15. VIVEKANANDA & EDUCATION Vivekananda stresses on Physical Education, Women Education Education For Weaker Sections Of Society. Science Education Moral & Religious Education Medium Of Education 16. PHYSICAL EDUCATION: He said, You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of Gita. You will understand Gita better by your biceps, your muscles a little stronger. You will understand the Upanishads better and the glory of the Atman, when your body stands firm on your feet and you feel yourself as man. 17. SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON SCIENCE: Swami Vivekananda had experienced the ancient truths through inward journey under the guidance of Sri Ramakrishna. Swamiji had really understood that Religion without science is blind; science without religion is lame( Einstein). Along with it he had the pulse of western scientific approach. Hence he felt the need for bridging the gaps between them. For this, he took a holistic approach of the western science & eastern religion. 18. He pronounced unsurprisingly the truths related to the study of the external domains of physical, biological and chemical sciences. Before we understand Swamijis views on Physics, it is very important to understand the difference between classical science and intuitive science. 19. CLASSICAL SCIENCE- Classical science follows Reason, Logic & Instinct Scientists make observations of natural phenomena and then through experiment try to create natural events under controlled conditions. Scientists will then gather the empirical evidence and will generate their hypothesis to explain the phenomenon. Classical science has tremendous impact on man by improving the quality of life, uniting the mysteries of the universe and remove barriers of subjectivity and objectivity. 20. INTUITIVE SCIENCE- The really valuable thing in creative science is Intuition. (Einstein). Intuition is distinctly different from instinct, logic, reason and intellect. It is the highest mental faculty hidden in man. It is above reason and is acquired by the life forms through repeated experiences and gained through transformation. It is voluntary and spontaneous and finds a solution for a given problem in a completely different place and situation. It is an inherent means of knowledge gathering and often leads to what science can achieve and sometimes even beyond that. 21. Swamijis views on instinct, reason and intuition is clear when he said, Reason is the vehicle one rides to reach a certain point beyond which one cannot move. Intuition goes beyond reason but reason with unbiased mind is the only guide to reach there. Instinct is like ice, reason is like water and intuition is like vapor (steam) and each one follows the other. 22. SWAMI VIVEKANANDAS VIEWS ON PHYSICS- On theory of relativity Though the Theory of Gravitation had been established during the 19th century, it could not resolve the inter-relatedness and inter-dependence of 4 major parameters i.e. space, time, matter and energy. At this juncture Swami Vivekananda endowed with Vedantic knowledge proclaimed that it can be said that the 4 are not only inter-related but also that Energy and Matter are interchangeable in the Space and Time domains. However, there was no mathematical formulation available at that time. 23. o In fact, he had written to Tesla to formulate a necessary theory related to energy and matter and their inter-convertibility. Tesla was very much impressed to hear from Swami Vivekananda his explanation of the Sankhya cosmology and the theory of cycles believed by the Hindus. He was struck by the similarity between Sankhya theory of Matter and Energy and modern physics. 24. Swami Vivekananda had said: We have matter and force. The matter, we do not know how, disappears into force and force into matter. Therefore there is something which is neither force nor matter, as these two may not disappear into each other. This is what we call the universal mind. 25. The mathematical proof of this principle came only 10 years later when Einstein published his paper of Relativity and formulated E=mc2 (where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light) and mentioned that matter is just potential Energy. A outcome to the theory of Relativity is the existence of Ether. In Feb 1895 Swamiji wrote an article on Ether which appeared in the New York Medical Times. 26. He wrote, We are forced to find that Ether cannot explain space because we cannot but think of ether as in space. And therefore, if there is anything which will explain this space, it must be something that comprehends in its infinite being and the infinite space itself. Hence he was the first to reject the Ether theory long before Einstein did so in 1920. 27. On theory of Unity Once Swamiji had said in the then Madras: One atom of the universe cannot move without dragging the whole world with it. Again in London he had said, One man contains the whole universe. One particle of matter has all the energy of the universe at the back. He has also said that Each mind is connected with every other mind and wherever it is located, it is in actual communication with the whole world! These intuitive scientific proclamations are hard to be experimented to prove or disprove. 28. But with the advent of Quantum physics, many gaps have been bridged. The famous Nobel winning Soeren Prell theory implies that At a deep and fundamental level the separate parts of the world are connected in an intimate and immediate way as any change in one immediately and unmitigated causes changes in the other. More than a century after Swami Vivekanandas short but extraordinary life, his intuitive words on science have left distinct mark on the pages of worlds history of science and his words are even more relevant today than ever before. 29. SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES- On Darwins theory of Evolution Darwin established that all species of life descended over time from a common ancestor and proposes the scientific theory that this matching pattern of evolution resulted from a process what he called natural selection or Survival of The Fittest. However, Swami Vivekananda did not agree with it in the light of his own profound intuitive knowledge on the subject. 30. Swamiji asserted that the whole of this universe is present in the cosmic fine universe. He said, Certainly it is true that man cannot be simply an evolution. Every evolution presupposes an involution. This involution and evolution is on throughout the whole of nature. This is in tune with new developments in the field of biology. 31. Eminent Nobel Prize winning cell biologist and Brian Goodwins research shows that Darwins theory works for small aspects of evolution and there is no significant support for gradual evolution of hereditary mutations adding up to large scale aspects of evolution. 32. Swamijis profound knowledge on science shows us that the basis for good scientific knowledge among the masses is proper education. Hence we shall see what Swami Vivekanandas ideas about education were. 33. MEDIUM OF EDUCATION: Like Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, Vivekananda also emphasized education through the mother tongue. Besides mother tongue, there should be a common language which is necessary to keep the country united. 34. Vivekananda appreciated the greatness of Sanskrit. It is the source of all Indian languages and a storehouse of all inherited knowledge; with the absence of this knowledge, it will be impossible to understand Indian culture. It is like a store house of ancient heritage, to develop our society it is necessary. So men and women should know this language, besides the knowledge of the mother tongue. 35. Moral & Religious Education- Vivekananda said, Religion is the innermost core of education Therefore, religious education is a vital part of a sound curriculum. Vivekananda considered Gita, Upanishads and the Vedas are the most important curriculum for religious education. 36. For him, Religion is a self realization and divinization. It is not only individuals development but also for the transformation of total man. The true religion cannot be limited to a particular place or time. He pleaded for unity of world religion. He realized truth while practicing of religion. 37. He says "As different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their waters in the sea, so, Oh Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee." 38. EDUCATION OF MASSES: The individual development is not a full development of our nation, so he says to give education to the society or common people. He says-I consider that the great national sin is the neglect of the masses, and that is one of the causes of our downfall. No amount of politics would be of any avail until the masses of India are once more well-educated, well-fed and well-cared for. 39. MAN MAKING EDUCATION: The educational philosophy of Swami Vivekananda is a harmonious synthesis between The Ancient Indian ideals and Modern Western Beliefs. He not only stressed on the physical, mental, moral, spiritual and vocational development of the child but also he advocated Women Education as well as Education of The Masses. The essential characteristics of his educational philosophy of Swami Vivekananda are Idealism, Naturalism & Pragmatism. 40. In a Naturalistic view point, he emphasized that real education is possible only through nature and natural propensities. In the form of Idealist view point, he says that the aim of education is to develop the child with moral and spiritual qualities. In the Pragmatists view point, he emphasized on the Western education of technology, commerce, industry and science to achieve material prosperity. 41. SELF EDUCATION: Self education is the self knowledge. It says our own self is the best guide in the struggle of our life. If we take one example, the childhood stage, the child will face lot of problems or commit mistakes in the process of character formation. The child will learn much by his mistakes. Errors are the stepping stones to our progress in character. This progress will need courage and strong will. The strong will is the sign of great character. This will makes men great. 42. WOMEN EDUCATION: There is a statement which says- If a man is educated, an individual is educated, and if a woman is educated, a family is educated. On the other side Swamiji rightly pointed out that Unless Indian women are given proper education and respectable place in this country, the nation can never march forward. This sums up the need for womans education. Female education should be spread with religion as its centre. 43. In his words There is no chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on. The important features of his scheme of female education are to make them strong, fear-less, and conscious of their chastity and dignity. He opines that men and women are equally competent not only in the academic matters, but also must have equal companion in the home and family. 44. Vivekananda being a keen observer could distinguish the difference in perception about the status of women in the West and in India. He says The ideal women in India is the mother, the mother first, and the mother last. The word woman calls up to the mind of the Hindu, motherhood; and God is called motherIndian women are the best example for ever fresh beauty, glory, sanctity of Sonatan Dharma, love and sacrifice. 45. EDUCATION FOR WEAKER SECTION OF SOCIETY: To uplift the backward classes he chooses education as a powerful instrument for their life process. Thus Education Should Spread to Every Household in The Country, to factories, playing grounds and agricultural fields. If the children do not come to the school, the teacher should reach them. Two or three educated men should team up, collect all the equipments of education and should go to the village to impart education to the children. Thus, Vivekananda favored Education for different sections of society, rich and poor, young and old, male and female. 46. COMBINATION OF EASTERN PHILOSOPHY AND WESTERN TECHNOLOGY: Swami Vivekananda, in his scheme of education, carefully includes all those studies, which are necessary for the All- around Development of The Body, Mind and Soul of The Individual. These studies can be brought under the broad heads of physical culture, aesthetics, classics, language, religion, science and technology. According to Swamiji, The culture values of the country should form an integral part of the curriculum of education. 47. The culture of India has its roots in her Spiritual Values. The time-tested values are to be imbibed in the thoughts and lives of the students through the study of the classics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Vedas and Upanishads. This will keep the permanent flow of our spiritual values into the world culture. According to Swamiji, Education, remains incomplete without the teaching of aesthetics or fine arts. 48. He prepares the scheme of this man-making education in the light of his over-all Philosophy Of Vedanta. According to Vedanta The essence of man lies in his soul, which he possesses in addition to his body and mind. 49. He once said- On one side, new India is saying-, if we only adopt western ideas, western language, western food, western dress, western manners, we shall be as strong and powerful as western nations; on the other, old India is saying, fools! By imitation, others ideas never become ones own; nothing, unless earned, is your own. Does the ass in the lions skin become the lion? 50. Social life of west is like a pal of laughter; but underneath, it is a wail. It ends in a sob. The fun and frivolity are all on the surface: really it is full of tragic intensity.. So he opines- What we want are western science coupled with Vedanta, Brahmacharya as the guiding motto, and also Sraddha and faith in ones own selfVedanta says within man is all knowledge- even in a boy it is so- and it requires only an awakening , and that much is the work of a teacher 51. SWAMIJIS IDEAS ON EDUCATION AND THE NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION Almost all the policies on education which were evolved in the post-independent period amplify the educational philosophy and ideas of Swamiji- Dr. M.N.G.Mani (lecture on the educational thoughts of Swamiji, SRKV-Coim.-1999) Examples- Education commission report (1966): Says that science education should be an integral part of university education system. National educational policy (1986): Talks about education for woman PWD Act (1995): Gives importance to Vocational education Integrated education for disabled children. Sarva Sikhsa Abhijan(2000): Talks about education for all Right to Education act (2009) : Declares education as fundamental right of human beings. Value Education, Special Education, Adult Education , Women Education 52. CONCLUSION: Swami Vivekananda realizes that mankind is passing through a crisis. The tremendous emphasis on the scientific and mechanical ways of life is fast reducing man to the status of a machine. Moral and religious values are being undermined. The fundamental rights and principles of civilization are being ignored. Conflicts of ideals, manners and habits are pervading the atmosphere. Disrespect for everything old is the fashion of the day. From the analysis of Vivekanandas scheme of education, the uplift of masses is possible only through education. 53. For the upliftment of humanity, irrespective of poverty, religions, caste, creed education must be given first. Standing on the vantage ground of experience he asks What makes difference between Europe and India? Education! Education! Education alone is the answer he himself has given and firmly advised to his disables Let the reading of the Vedanta and practicing of meditation and chanting of Gita be left for the next life. Let this body go in the services of others, then I shall know that your coming to me has not been in vain. 54. He says Feel, my children feel; feel for the poor, the ignorant, the downtrodden!. We should have the passion for excel and compassion to service and share. We have to serve those poor, ignorant and downtrodden based on whose we have become intellect, rich & independent. 55. Union budgets since 2008 show India spends 0.0009% of its GDP on disability (NCPEDP) . (Hindustan Times October 19, 2013) 60 million disabled people are there in India according to 11th planning commission report (2007-12) 56. Thank you For Patient fully listening to Me