Thursday, November 15, 2012

యాచన కన్న యోచన మి


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యాచన కన్న యోచన మిన్న
డాక్టర్. చిలకమర్తి దుర్గాప్రసాదరావు
9897959425

శివుడు ఆది భిక్షువు. ఆయన ఎంతగొప్పవాడైన భిక్షాటన మాత్రం తలవంపు పనే . ఆయన కది తలవంపు కాక పోయినా ఆయన భార్య పార్వతికి మాత్రం చిన్నతనంగానే తోచింది. అవును మరి. మగడు బిచ్చగాడైతే ఆలికి తలవంపే కదా! ఎలాగైన ఆయన్ని మాన్పించాలి. ఎంతో ఆలోచించింది. ఆయనకు ఎలా నచ్చ చెప్పాలో నిర్ణయించుకుంది . చివరికి ఇలా సలహా ఇచ్చింది.
" ఏవండి! మీరు శ్రీ రాముని దగ్గరకు వెళ్లండి. కొంచెం భూమి ఇమ్మని అడగండి. ఆయన కాదనడు. తప్పకుండ కొంతభూమి ఇస్తాడు. ఇక కుబేరుడు మీకు ఆప్తమిత్రుడే కదా! ఆయన్నడిగి విత్తనాలు తెచ్చుకోండి. బలరాముడున్నాడు. ఆయనదగ్గరకెళ్లి నాగలి ఇమ్మని అడగండి. తప్పకుండ ఇస్తాడు. కాదనడు. యమధర్మరాజు దగ్గరకెళ్లి దున్నపోతునడిగి తీసుకు రండి. మన దగ్గర ఒక ఎద్దు ఉండనే ఉందికదా! ఆ రెండు నాగలికి రెండుప్రక్కల కట్టడానికి సరిపోతాయి. ఇక మీదగ్గరున్న త్రిశూలం నాగలికి కర్రుగా ఉపయోగపడుతుంది. (నీళ్ల బెడద లేనేలేదు. ఎందుకంటే ఆయన నెత్తి మీద గంగ ఎప్పుడూ ప్రవహిస్తూనే ఉంటుంది. గంగ సవతి కాబట్టి పార్వతీదేవి ఈ విషయం ప్రస్తావించలేదు. ఆమె ప్రస్తావించక పోయినా అందరికి ఇది తెలిసిన విషయమే). నేనే మీకు స్వయంగా అన్నం వండి పట్టుకొస్తాను. మన అబ్బాయి కుమార స్వామి ఎద్దుని దున్నపోతుని రోజు మేపుకొస్తాడు. మీరు భిక్షాటనకు పోతుంటే నాకు చాల తలవంపుగ ఉంది. నేనెంతో బాధ పడుతున్నాను. మీరు దయచేసి నా బాధని అర్థం చేసుకోండి. నేటి నుంచి యాచన మాని వ్యవసాయం చెయ్యాలనే యోచన చెయ్యండి " అనే పార్వతి పలుకులు అందరికి మేలు చేకూర్చు గాక అని ఒక కవి అద్భుతమైన ఒక శ్లోకం వ్రాశాడు.
ఈ శ్లోకం కష్టపడి పనిచెయ్యడంలో ఉండే సంతృప్తిని హుందాతనాన్ని సూచిస్తోంది. ఈ నాడు సమాజంలో ఏ పని పాట లేకుండ ఏదోవిధంగ కాలం గడుపుతున్న వాళ్లు ఎంతోమంది ఉన్నారు. ఇతరుల సంపాదనపై ఆధారపడి కాలం వెళ్ల బుచ్చుతున్నవాళ్లు కూడ ఎంతోమంది లేకపోలేదు. అలాగే అర్థంలేని ఆర్భాటాల కోసం తమ భర్తల్ని అక్రమసంపాదనకు పురిగొల్పే భార్యామణులు కూడ మనకు కనిపిస్తారు. అదేవిధంగా భార్యమాటలకు లోనై రెండుచేతులా అక్రమంగా సంపాదిస్తూ చివరకు రెండు చేతులకు సంకెళ్లు వేయించుకుని జైలు పాలైన వాళ్లు కూడ మనకు కనిపిస్తున్నారు. పార్వతి ఈ శ్లోకం ద్వార తనభర్తకిచ్చే సందేశం అందరకు ఆదర్శం కావాలి. మహిళాలోకమంత పార్వతి లాగ తమభర్తల్ని మంచి సలహాలతో ముందుకు నడిపిస్తే సమాజంలో సుఖశాంతులకు ఎటువంటి లోటు ఉండదు. ఇంతా చదివి ఆ శ్లోకం చదవకపోతే ఏమీ బాగుండదు . ఆందువల్ల అది చదువుదాం. కంఠస్థం కూడ చేద్దాం.
రామాద్యాచయ మేదినీం, ధనపతేర్బీజం, బలాల్లాంగలం
ప్రేతేశాన్మహిషం, తవాస్తి వృషభ:, ఫాలం త్రిశూలం తవ
శక్తాహం తవ చాన్నదాన కరణే, స్కందోస్తి గోరక్షణే,
ఖిన్నాహం తవ భిక్షయా, కురు కృషిం గౌరీవచ: పాతు వ:

Monday, November 12, 2012

THE NATURE OF WITNESS CONSCIOUSNESS


THE NATURE OF WITNESS CONSCIOUSNESS IN ADVAITA -VEDANTA
Dr. Chilakamarthi Durga Prasada Rao
INTRODUCTION:

Each of the major religions and philosophies of the world speaks, often in symbolic terms, about states of consciousness other than those of our ordinary consciousness. According to these teachings, we have the potential to experience qualitatively different levels of perception, awareness and orientation towards ourselves, others and the universe. The first two of these distinct realms of consciousness – sleep and waking consciousness – constitute the normal human condition, our day to day experience. Higher states of being correlate with fine and subtle levels of reality. In this article the nature of different levels of consciousness in general and Witness Consciousness in particular, are discussed from the perspective of Advaita -Vedanta. Before entering into the subject the necessity of study of these levels of consciousness is presented hereunder.
It is a natural tendency of every living being to desire happiness and avoid misery. They therefore strive towards that end to the maximum possible extent. But on close observation and personal experience, it is seen that the happiness we acquire in day to day life is subjected to gradation. More over it is always accompanied by some elements of misery. We can even say that there is no pleasure in this world which is not mixed with misery. And the pleasure we get by possessing something will certainly cause misery when we loose it. Even though the joy of heavenly sojourn is pure and not effected by any element of misery, it is also not everlasting.

This being so, it is imperative on the part of the wise to opt for the permanent and absolute happiness. Through the experience of seers and saints, it is known that man can get real and absolute happiness on the realization of his own true nature and it alone is to be the sole aim of human life and there is no higher purpose of human existence than knowing one’s own self. The Sastras assert that a man who knows Brahman will achieve the highest good ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् (Brahmavidapnoti param).


CONSCIOUSNESS:

All the Upanishads not only establish the Uniqueness of Atman but also assert that nothing other than It exists. सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्न नेह नानास्ति किंचन (Sarvam khalvidam Brahma neha nanasti kinchana) means that the entire universe is nothing but Brahman and there is no plurality in It. Brahman, is the universal spirit and the supreme reality. It is self-effulgent. Being self- luminous it illuminates everything.

न तत्र सुर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं
नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोयमग्नि:
तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं
तस्य भासा: सर्वमिदं विभाति

(Na tatra suryo bhati na chandratarakam
Nema vidyuto bhanti kutoyamagnih
Tameva Bhantamanubhati sarvam
Tasya bhasah savvamidam vibhati).

Translation: There the Sun shines not, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor even these lightning flashes; all these shine only after He shines; it is only through His luminosity that all this shines.

The entire creation is the result of movement in consciousness. According to Sankara there is an intelligent principle behind the manifest world which alone can account for the design and purpose of the universe and it is none other than Brahman Itself. Brahman is pure consciousness and it is self-effulgent. It is the light which manifests all objects and all relations between the objects. It is the primordial source of the universe comprising the worlds, the objects in them and the senses and the mind. It has neither inside nor outside and it is a mere mass of knowledge. Brahman, the supreme self is manifested as Atman, the inner self of all beings. It is neither limited in space and time nor governed by the law of causality. Though it is one and without a second it appears as many to the ignorant. It is the subtle agent that animates the mind, sense organs etc and acquires the characteristics of a knower, knowledge and the known.
Matter, the manifestation of chaitanya at a lower level, can neither know itself nor any thing else. It comes under the known category. Mind, a comparatively higher level of the manifestation of chaitanya can know matter but it cannot know itself. It is both knower and known. Atman, being the highest level of chaitanya not only knows itself but also every thing else. There is no seer, no hearer, no knower other than Itself. However, It can not be known because a knower of all can not be known by gross mind or senses. He is to be known only by the refined mind after being instructed by a competent and erudite teacher.
तद्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्
समित्पाणि: श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्म निष्ठम्

(Tadvijananartham sa gurumevabhigacchet
Samitpanih shrotriyam brahmanishtham)


LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS:

Though the un-manifested consciousness is pure, the manifested consciousness at different levels is impure to different degrees as it is associated with Maya or Avidya. As already stated, we experience three states in our day-to-day life. They are waking state, dreaming state and deep sleep.

We experience consciousness in waking state and we are aware of it. In this state external objects determine the content of our consciousness. It is the state in which mind and sensory organs act as channels for consciousness to flow out and take the shape of the objects under observation. Similarly we are aware of dreaming. Dream consciousness is made up of the same stuff as the waking consciousness, except that its content is not empirically real but a reflection of occurrences experienced in waking state. It is illusory in the sense that, on waking, one realizes the unreality of what is experienced in the dream.
Even though we are not apparently conscious of any experience whatsoever in deep sleep we become aware of the joy we experienced in deep sleep the moment we wake up and reflect upon it. This clearly shows that we are animated by consciousness of the self during that state also. This deep sleep state is characterised by the total absence of all distinctions together with the awareness of the subject and object and the distinction between the two. Apart from these three there is one more state, Turiya, the fourth one, which is neither conscious of the internal world, nor conscious of the external world, nor conscious of both the worlds, nor a mass of consciousness , nor simple consciousness, nor unconsciousness, which is unseen beyond empirical determination, beyond the grasp of the mind, un-demonstrable, unthinkable, indescribable and of the nature of the consciousness alone where all phenomena cease to exist and which remains unchanging, peaceful, auspicious and non dual. The first three states are mutually exclusive in that each exists in its own right to the exclusion of the other two while the forth is the conscious background against which every thing that happens in the three states occurs. It is as if a witness {Sakshin} to all that happens in our conscious life.


ATMAN AS SAKSHIN

The concept of Atman as Sakshin is allegorically expressed in the Mundakopanishad. Atman, albeit one in nature, is described as possessing a dual character. Firstly, there the supreme consciousness – through association with the mind and the senses – engages in actions, thereby reaping their sweet and bitter results as Jiva. Secondly there is the consciousness which remains aloof as a pure spectator or witness. (Sakshin) and who is in essence none other than Jivasakshin identified with Brahman.
द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया
समानं व्R क्षं परिषस्वजाते
तयोरन्य: पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्ति
अनश्नन्नन्योSभिचाकशीति
(Dva suparna sayuja sakhaya
Samanam vriksham parishasvajate
Tayoranyah pippalam svadvatti
Anashnnannyo abhichakashit)

Translation: Two birds, companions and always united, Cling to the self – same tree. One eats the sweet Pippala – fruit, the other looks on without eating.

Here the former refers to the Jivatma, who eats the diverse fruits of many flavours, and consequently experiences the pleasures and pains of life. The latter, who looks on without eating is the Sakshin or Atman, always one with Brahman, ever untouched by Maya in which Jiva is engulfed. He is, at the same time, the controller of both the individual soul and the body and is also the detached witness of their activities. [Swami Nikhilananda on Mundakopanishad-3/1/1]

Swetaswara Upnishad went one step further by stating that the Atman as Sakshin. It regards Him as the supreme deity or consciousness which being all by itself governs the entire Universe. The verse goes like this.
एको देव: सर्वभूतेषु गूढ:
सर्वव्यापी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा
कर्माध्यक्ष: सर्वभूताधिवास:
साक्षी चेता केवलो निर्गुणश्च
Translation: The one resplendent God is hidden in all beings, all pervading, the inmost self of all creatures, The overseer of all karmas, Dwelling in all beings.

He is the witness [Sakshin], the knower, the Absolute, free from all attributes.{S.U 6/11} Chitsukharya, who established the nature of Atman as Sakshin explains in his magnum opus ‘ Tattvapradipika’ that the self shining nature of Atman as Sakshin, can not be denied because the Shruti says that Atman is self luminous. The sloka runs as follows:

चिद्रूपत्वादकर्मत्वा
त्स्वयं ज्योतिरिति श्रुते:
आत्मन: स्वप्रकाशत्वं
को निवारयितुं क्षम:
{ Chidrupatvadkarmatvat
Svayam jyotiriti shruteh
Atmanah svaprakashatvam
Ko nivarayitum kshamah }
{ Tattvapradipika }


CONCLUSION:
Unlike other branches of knowledge, this knowledge can be acquired through Sadhana on the instruction of a preceptor who has had the experience of supreme reality and that is why it is said in the Mundakopanishad:

Tadvijnartham sa gurumevabhigacchet
Samitpanih shrotriyam brahmanishtham

The same idea is found in the Gita also:

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सॆवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिन: तत्त्वदर्शिन:

{Tadviddhi pranipatena
pariprashnena sevaya
upadekshyanti te jnanam
jnaninah tattvadarshinah.}
{ Bhagavadgita- IV-34}
The Advaita-Vedanta tradition has thus conceived the Sakshichaitanya as the highest level of spiritual consciousness attainable in this life.

REFERENCES:



  1. Bhagavadgita
  2. Brihadaranyakopanishad.
  3. Encyclopaedia of Philosophy
  4. Kathopanishad.
  5. Mandukyopanishad translated by Swami Nikhilananda.
  6. Mundakopanishad.
  7. Swetaswataropanishad.
  8. Tattvapradipika





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Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Role of a teacher in Imparting value based Education


THE ROLE OF A TEACHER IN IMPARTING VALUE BASED EDUCATION

Dr. Durgaprasada Rao Chilakamarthi
Bhashapraveena, Vedantavidyapraveena, P.O.L,
M.A. ( Sanskrit), M.A. (Telugu),
M.A. ( Philosophy) & Ph. D. ( Sanskrit).
3/106, Premnagar, Dayalbagh,
AGRA-282005.
9897959425


Education has been playing a very important role in human life. It is said to be of two kinds.-
Para” and “Apara” . ' Para' may be defined as extra – mundane while the opposite, that is , 'Apara' is mundane. The scriptures enjoin that both are equally worthy of acquisition, the supreme function of them being relief from worldly entalglements. Paravidya is said to lead to the realization of Atman while Aparavidya can enable one to acquire knowledge of the physical world.

The entire edifice of education is based upon four pillars: teacher, parent, student and institition constitute four pillars. The edifice is expected to be strong enough provided all the pillars are strong. Though the teacher is one among the four, he plays a truly vital role as he is the source of knowledge. The holy books of our tradition unanimously stress the indespensability of a living guru or saint for imparting knowledge. An Upanishadic saying goes like this:

द्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्
समित्पाणि: श्रॊत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम् (मुण्डक उपनिषद् )
( Tadvijnanartham sa gurumevabhigacchet
samitpanih shrotriyam brahmanishtham)

The same idea is found in the Gita also:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नॆन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्वदर्शिन: (.गी./३४)
( Tadviddhi pranipatena
pariprashnena sevaya
upadekshyanti te jnanam
jnaninah tattvadarshinah)

The substance of this command may be understood as follows:
Acquire brahmajnana through prostration, inquiry, and service to an unusually qualified guru.
According to swami Rama, an internationally renowned saint, a father usually trains his children to grow and live happily and profitably in the physical world. But a spiritual father gives supreme jnana which can be said to his prerogative.( Living with Himalayan Yogis -p 26)

In the days of yore students used to study in gurukulas co-living with the teachers. The word Antevasi( Student) which is derived as ' ante vasati iti antevasi' ( one who sits / lives near a guru) shows that the gurukula system of education was popular in those days.
The teachers used to impart morals also not only by preaching but also through practice. Yaskacharya , the foremost lexicographer of the world who lived in 8th century B.C and who gave etymological derivations of all the vedic words, interpreted the word Acharya ( Teacher) as 'Acharati iti acharyah' ( one who practises good manners), 'Acharam grahayati iti acharyah' ( one who teaches good behaviour to his students) and 'Achinoti arthan iti acharyah' ( one who goes on collecting material pertaining to knowledge). All these three qualities are expected to be integral in an ideal teacher.

But now times have changed. The aims and goals of education have also changed. The dominant involvement of the government in the field of education, unrealistic expectations of the parents, indifferent attitude of the teachers and the easy-going nature of the students have thrown the entire system into out of gear.

As a result, both the academic and moral standards have nose-dived. It is not out of place to mention here that the introduction of English Education led to an all-round deterioration of the moral, ethical, cultural and spiritual values. Here let us quote the exact statement made by Lord Mc Cauley who was instrumental in introducing this system in the British parliament.

I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief . Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I, propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for it the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native self culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”.
(Lord Mc Cauley in his speech of Feb. 2 1835, British Parliament.)

If the same system goes on for some more time the society will certainly be ruined. As a teacher is expected to be the main pillar of the edifice of education, as already mentioned; it is his bounden duty to set the things right. He should impart the knowledge which develops an integrated personality of the students and makes them strong physically, mentally, intellectually and spiritually.
For mental and intellectual development we study in schools, colleges and universities and read a large number of books. But we leave the development of the third entity, viz; the spirit, to the winds ignoring the fact that the very ethics and moral conduct are the backbone of spiritual development. The teacher alone can impart value-based education and ethical conduct more effectively than others. That is the reason why the people of ancient times believed that education with no guru was not at all education since it did not serve the real purpose of education.
According to the Upanishads, knowledge, whether it is worldly or other—worldly, should be acquired through a proper guru. An episode of Satyakamajabala in the Chandogya Upanishad supports this view. The episode goes like this:

Satyakama, a student, with great difficulty got the chance of becoming a disciple of the Sage Gautama. After initiating Satyakama the sage gave him four hundred lean and sickly cattle, saying “Take good care of these, my lad”. The boy promised that he would not return until they proliferated into a thousand cattle. After some years the bull of the herd approached Satyakama and informed him that they had become a herd of one thousand and taught one quarter of Brahman and informed him that a swan would teach him the rest. On the following evening a swan
appeared before him and taught another quarter of Brahman and informed him a loon would teach further . Similarly on the next evening the loon appeared before him and taught it. Finally the boy reached the hermitage of his guru , stood before him and proffered his obeisance. As soon as Gautama saw him, he exclaimed “ My boy, your face shines like a knower of Brahman, by whom were you taught? Satyakama replied that he was taught by beings other than men and he now wanted to be taught by Gautama as the knowledge imparted by Guru alone would lead the Supreme goal.
More over, it is evident that knowledge acquired without proper guidance of a good teacher may some times lead to the destruction of the learner. An episode in the Mahabharata supports this view. Let us dive in to the episode.
Yavakrita was the son of sage Bharadwaja. He used to be envious of another sage Rybhya and his sons. Though he was warned by his father Bharadwaja he did not heed his advice. He wanted to excel them in education with self acquired knowledge. So he performed severe penance to please Indra. Indra appeared before him and warned him to seek knowledge through a particular Guru as there is no other way of getting proper knowledge. And if at all it is acquired otherwise , i.e., through mere self effort, it will not make him wise but lead him to ego which ultimately leads to destruction of himself and his fellow- beings.
But Yavakrita ignored Indra's advice and acquired knowledge through penance. One day he went to the hermitage of Rybhya and saw his daughter- in -law. Being attracted by her beauty he asked her to fulfil his evil desire. Being afraid of the powers of Yavakrita , she reluctantly obliged him. Later she explained every thing to her father – in- law. The sage created a demon and ordered him to turn Yavakrita into ashes. The demon did his bidding. However, at the request of the sons of Rybhya , the celestials brought him back to life. Yavakrita asked them, Oh Celestials! I also studied all the sastras as Rybhya and his sons did. How could he kill me?. They replied “ oh Yavakrita! No doubt, you studied all the sastras like them. But you didn't study under any teacher who could teach moral values also. Education which is not acquired through the teacher is not at all purposeful but may be harmful as in your case. That is why you met with this disaster.
मैवं कृधा यवक्रीत यया वदसि वै मुने
ऋते गुरुमधीता हि सुखं वेदास्त्वया पुरा|
अनेन तु गुरून् दु:खात् तोषयित्वा स्वकर्मणा
कालेन महता क्लेशात् ब्रह्माधिगतमुत्तमम्|
All these instances unequivocally stress the need of a teacher to inculcate moral values among students. So all the teachers are expected to realize their responsibility and contribute their might in shaping the students for bright future.

Bibliography:

* Bhagavadgita
* Living with Himalayan masters
by Swami Rama,
The himalayan Institute Press, Honesdate, Pennsylvania
* Mahabharata
* Pride of India'
Published by Samskrita Bharati
Mata mandir gali
Jhandewala
New-Delhi.

* Upadishads