Samagra Vidyā Vidhāna
(Comprehensive Approach to Education: Towards Realizing What Ought To Be)
विद्या ह्यनन्ताश्च कलाः संख्यातुं नैव शक्यते । विद्या मुख्याश्च द्वात्रिंशच्चतुःषष्टिः कलाः स्मृताः ॥ २४ ॥
यद् यत् स्याद् वाचिकं सम्यक् कर्म विद्याभिसंज्ञकम् । शक्तो मूकोऽपि यत् कर्त्तुं कलासंज्ञन्तु तत् स्मृतम् ।। २५ ।।
- शुक्रनीतिः चतुर्थाध्यायस्य तृतीयं प्रकरणम्
The number of Vidyā-s are infinite and to count the number of Kalā-s is not possible. It is recalled that 32 Vidyā-s and 64 Kalā-s are of significance and important. All those well-formed speech acts are called as Vidyā-s. It is recalled that all those that even a person who is vocally disabled can do are given the name - Kalā. (From Śukra Nīti, 4th Adhyāya, 3rd Prakaraṇa)
ऋग्यजुः साम चाथर्वा वेदा आयुर्धनुः क्रमात् । गान्धर्वश्चैव तन्त्राणि उपवेदाः प्रकीर्त्तिताः ॥ २७ ॥
शिक्षा व्याकरणं कल्पो निरुक्तं ज्योतिषं तथा । छन्दः षडङ्गानीमानि वेदानां कीर्त्तितानि हि ।। २८ ।।
मीमांसातर्कसांख्यानि वेदान्तो योग एव च । इतिहासाः पुराणानि स्मृतयो नास्तिकं मतम् ॥ २९ ।।
अर्थशास्त्रं कामशास्त्रं तथा शिल्पमलङ्कृतिः । काव्यानि देशभाषावसरोक्तिर्यावनं मतम् ।
देशादिधर्मा द्वात्रिंशदेता विद्याभिसंज्ञिताः ॥ ३० ॥
The list of 32 Vidyā-s is like this: 4 Veda-s (Ṛg-Yajus-Sāma-Atharva), 4 Upaveda-s (Āyur-Dhanur-Gāndharva-Tantra (Sthāpatya)), 6 Vedāṅga-s (Śikṣā-Vyākaraṇa-Kalpa-Nirukta-Jyotiṣa-Chhandas), Mīmāṃsā, Tarka, Sāṃkhya, Vedanta, Yoga, Itihāsa-s (Rāmāyaṇa-Mahābhārata), Purāṇā-s, Smṛti-s, Nāstika Mata, Artha Śāstra, Kāma Śāstra, Śilpa Śāstra, Alaṅkāra Śāstra,
Kāvya-s, Deśa Bhāṣā-s, Avasarokti, Yavana Mata, Dharma-s of Various Countries and such kinds.
As the wise Bhartṛhari asserted: "सङ्गीत साहित्य कला विहीनः साक्षात् पशुः पुच्छ विषाण हीनः" -- One who does not have a sense of music or literature or any Kalā is akin to a brute, but without any tail or horns. Comprehensive Education necessarily includes the learning of Kalā-s. The list of all the 64 Kalā-s as well as what each of the above 32 Vidyā-s are - as per the Śukra Nīti - is a matter for subsequent elaboration. For the present, it is sufficient to note that without the Kalā-s, comprehensive learning of the Vidyā-s such as Āyurveda is not possible, because it is a skill to be able to prepare medications from various substances. There are multiple listings of what make for the 64 Kalā-s - but when it comes to Vidyā-s, the principal number as discussed in many sources varies from fourteen (4 Veda-s + 6 Vedāṅga-s + 4 (Purāṇa + Nyāya + Mīmāṃsā + Dharma Śāstra)) and with the inclusion of the 4 Upaveda-s, the number is taken to be eighteen. We live in times where the learning of all these principal Vidyā-s has shrunk to a large extent.
Modern academia has different goals and the nature of study there is also much different. In this light, the listing of 32 Vidyā-s in Śukra Nīti (irrespective of whether the authorship of the work as that of Daitya Guru Śukrācārya or of its ancientness) has something worth reflecting on. In terms of current state of education, it is not clear whether one can say what is being imparted is Vidyā or Avidyā (taken as an opposite for Vidyā) or a mixture of both. But it has become imperative that for the ancient Vidyā-s which are inherited as part of ancient paramparā-s (traditions/lineages) to be considered relevant (with conscious belief that they are eternally relevant) and more importantly, for them to show their vitality to the existence of the world and its ascendance to higher worlds, they are necessarily to place the contemporary modern in education in context within their worldview. This is not a new exercise but what has already happened in the past.
We learn of a hierarchy of ascendance of the understanding of Satya/Truth (an elaboration to be done on this elsewhere) and it is in this light that even the Truth of learning of Nāstika/Yavana Mata (those that do not accept the authority of the Veda (or) do not accept the presence of a para-loka (the other world)) is also to be included in the process of thorough learning. It is in this light that the study of Buddhist thought became a part of the structuring of study as a pūrva pakṣa in the discussions of Nyāya or Mīmāṃsā. To extend this approach to all of the contemporary education is a task that is intellectually challenging as well as necessary. It is in this light that one of the key components of this comprehensive approach is to work on Śāstra-aviruddha vidya (or that learning which is not violative of that which enables one to know what ensures a consequential good). Contemporary education in the world has little to zero focus on this approach. The need for such a kind of education has been stressed in many places by many thinkers, stalwarts in the course of the Indian National Movement. A useful beginning can be made by studying the famous of lecture of one of the foremost philosophers of pre-Independent India a few decades ago, Prof. Krishna Chandra Bhattacharyya's Svarāj in Ideas (Click here to read it). The works of Dharmasamrāṭ Svāmī Karapātrī-ji Mahārāj (Svāmī Hariharānanda Sarasvatī), Kavisamrāṭ Viśvanātha Satyanārāyaṇa and many other such stalwarts require deeper study to be able to build on their pioneering work in our times.
We learn of apara vidya and para vidya from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1-1-4). All the Vidyā-s referred till now fall under the apara vidya. It is the para vidya that is referred when the Gītācārya - अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानां (Bhagavad Gītā 10.32) - which is the Brahma Vidya - given as a response to the famous question of Śaunaka to Sage Aṅgiras: "कस्मिन्नु भगवो विज्ञाते सर्वमिदं विज्ञातं भवति" Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1-1-3) - "O Revered One, what is that when known all that is to be known becomes known?"
The path to para vidya is certainly to be read in the choice of the National Motto of India, that is Bharat - as "सत्यमेव जयते"
The National Motto of India, that is Bharat - is "सत्यमेव जयते" - from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3-1-6). One way of understanding its being the Motto is to reckon that citizenship of India (which is to be seen as a lot more than the legality of it) is truly realized only when one develops a satya-vrata-niṣṭha -- that is a solemn commitment to Satya all through one's life.
It is a matter of great learning to realize what it means to have commitment to Satya. Bhīṣmācārya taught the following to Yudhiṣṭhira which is a guiding light for everyone in the world:
सत्यस्य वचनं श्रेयः सत्य ज्ञानं तु दुष्करम् । यद्भूतहितमत्यन्तमेतत् सत्यं ब्रवीम्यहम् ॥
- श्री मन्महाभारतम् शान्तिपर्वणि 287.20
"Speaking truth (satya) is always going to result in the consequential good yet attaining the knowledge of what truth (satya) is, is extremely difficult. I consider only that which does eventual good to the entire world as truth (satya)."
How can one inherently develop an intuitive sense of what is "satya"? The response is given to us by Kalidasa in the context of Duṣyanta who proceeded to interact with Śakuntala in Abhijñāna Śākuntalam with this famous assertion: प्रमाणम् अंतःकरणे प्रवृत्तयः -- which is to be understood by having attained the saṃskāra-s through his deeds all through his life that makes his heart always lead one to Dharma. The ultimate state of learning or being educated is to have that intuitive sense of the grasp of satya. This process calls for having and attaining the saṃskāra-s appropriate to one's own paramparā. Forty Saṃskārā-s and Eight Ātma-Guṇa-s are mentioned in the Gautama Dharmasūtra-s (elaborated here) whose purpose is to align one's heart and mind towards Dharma. To become satya-vrata-niṣṭha like Dāśarathi Srirāma calls for the saṃskāra-s to be had and attained even by the parents and previous generations. The character of a person with the satya-vrata-niṣṭha is what can be called as having an उदार चरित - an elevated being with exalted character -- and we are often told of thinking in terms of the whole world as family -- वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् - which is a state attained only one has such an उदार चरित -- उदार चरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्.
It is believed that anything that can be called Samagra Vidyā Vidhāna necessarily must have the above thoughts covered. This exercise of evolving and improving on this and working towards realizing these thoughts to action through the guidance of paramparā-prāpta Ācāryā-s (~exemplary teachers who are part of various traditions) so as to lead each one on their respective path to ascendance towards acquiring satya-vrata-niṣṭha is one of the objectives of Dharmādhārā.
जानाति - इच्छति यतते ततः क्रिया -- It is only on knowing something that one acquires a desire to do it and when that desire deepens strongly it leads to action. To create conducive atmosphere for such a Samagra Vidyā Vidhāna to obtain is also an objective of Dharmādhārā.
With these thoughts in mind, Madālasā Pāṭhaśāla is desired to be the first effort to realize the above and in the process join hands with all like-minded people, institutions, organizations to move forward.