Bal KRISHNA and the modern education

Krishna is supremely naughty, forever tricking his playmates and playing pranks on his mother and other village folk .Stealing butter is his favourite sport - not because he is ill fed or deprived of his favourite food but because he enjoys playing naughty tricks. He lies and cheats while playing games with other children and teases young girls and women. The Krishna Leela has beeen celebrated in our mythology, painting, literary creations, dance and music through ages

To see an image of baby Krishna in each child is to recognise the divinity of every child and learn to delight in their making sense of and negotiating with this world in their unique way , including through naughty pranks and childish tantrums. Children don't need air conditioned classrooms, expensive schools, toys and exotic entertainment to make them happy.They need unconditional love and a sense of security from the adults responsible for their well-being.They are as happy playing with mud or sand,chasing butterflies or simply running around,jumping up and down or cranking stink bombs.

Each child is unique and should not be expected to become a flawless line product or behave like a saint! Real education lies in enabling each child to discover his own genius within.

Shanti Mantra

Om Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate,

Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnamewa Awashishyate,

Om Shantih Shantih Shantih

These are the opening lines of Ishavyasa are also called the syllables of peace or the'' Shanti Mantra.''The Upanishads as a rule begin and end with the Shanti Mantra
Upa means near ,ni means to learn,shad to sit.The ancient rishis dedicated their lives in search of the supreme truth and passed on this knowledge they acquired to their disciples who sat at the feet of their master

The mantra meaning is as follows
''This is full and that is full
This full has come from that full and even when full is deducted from full, full alone remains''
Purna means full,full also means complete,which implies infinity.
The beginning and end of infinity is unknown,it is endless[Ananta] .It is also Akhanda, cannot be divided and remains one complete entity

There are two forms of existence, one which is visible and manifest universe [Vyakta] It can be seen ,known and recognized
The other form is unmanifest ,invisble and unknown to us.

The endless galaxy of stars and planets means IDAM, this manifested universe . The ADAHA ,the unmanifest universe or Avyakta is uniquely supreme in its singleness and unequalled in its real unity. T he other form of existence is unmanifest, indivisible and unknown , is also boundless and has no limitations. From that infinite universe this finite universe has come up
What is seen by us is the evolved form of that unevolved reality which is yet to come

Our universe is the outcome of that manifest Prakruti ,then also the unmanifest remains unaltered

Throughout the Upanishads there is a search for the ultimate knowledge or the Brahman, Adwait and Atman which implies Infinity
We are a part of the Purna Brahman as we have come from that reality

Finally we shall merge into that reality

We are the indivisible and endless SAT

Aim of yoga

'Yoga is a discipline to improve the quality of life;a philoshophy to attain peace .If you want to experience health, if you want to experience peace and evolve make yoga a part of your lifestyle. Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

THE TREE OF LIFE

By Guru Rajeshji

In a small village there lived an elderly women with her son in a nice farmhouse with beautiful trees and gardens. The plants were her pride and joy in life . One day she received a phone call from her sister who was living in another town. The sister was sick and request her to come for a few days to look after her. So she called her son and gave him the necessary instruction to look after the plants and trees . The son said "mother you can trust me I will definitely follow your instructions" the mother blessing and trusting the child , left the house.

When she returned 10 days later , all her plants and trees were wilting, sick and without vitality . So she asked her son "did you look after the plants?" He said "yes mother! Everyday I took good care of them." The mother then asked "why are they looking sick without vitality, without strength?" The child said "I have no idea because every morning I would go around with a cloth in my hand wipe the dust off every leaf, flower and fruit. I checked the trunks every carefully and if I found some insects on them, I removed them . I have taken good care of them . So I don't know why they are so down."

Then the mother inquired "did you give any water to the plants?" The child said "Oh! I forgot."

This story can relate to our life . Our life is like these trees and we look after always external plant. We take good care of what is above the ground, we take good care of body . We dust our body with a dusting cloth, we beautify our body everyday and we try to remove all the bacteria and viruses that affects our body through different medication. Still, we find that we are sick physically and mentally because we never actually get to the roots of the trees. We do not even know where the roots lie.

Yoga says that the roots have to be watered with the water of spirituality . We have never tried to water the roots and therefore the basic foundation of our life is quite weak. We have become weak. Whether it is organic or chemical , has to be spread on the trunk of the mind by managing it (the mind). The leaves , fruits and flower which represent the body and senses also brought under proper care and control. In this way one should know the entire manifested and unmanifested aspect of life .

One should able to harmonize the external manifestation of life above the ground and one should also be in tune with the needs of the roots of which are underground. In many situation , in times of suffering and pain we break down. We are not able to manage what goes in our minds. We are not able to handle what happen to us and there are very strong reactions .This shows weakness of our tree of life . Being able to manage these two aspects of life , the mind and the body, is the purpose of yoga .

Managing what is above the ground and what is underground. Yoga also teaches us how to take care of the roots. It is a method by which we can water the roots , supply them with proper nutrients and that way lead a happy, healthy, strong and solid life.

UNDERSTANDING YOGA

Yoga is a complete science of life that originated in India many thousands of years ago. It is the oldest system of personal development in the world encompassing the entire body, mind and spirit. It is the union between the Jivataman and parmatman ie. between one's Individual Consciousness and the Universal Consciousness.The word yoga means''join together''and it brings body mind and spirit together into one harmonious experience

The first sutra of Patanjali yoga is ''ATHA YOGA ANUSHASHANAM''

Atha means therefore;anushashanam means inner discipline

Anu is a root word which means subtle aspect of the inner nature

Shashan means to rule or govern.So according to this sutra,knowing the expressions of the mind and personality is yoga

With the knowledge of yoga,transformation takes place in our nature and mental clarity is obtained.This is an inner achievement which is reflected on our Physical dimension and behaviour pattern and attitudes towards the society