राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा प्रणाली एवं भारतीय मानस (श्री अरविन्द - एकात्म शिक्षा दर्शन)

12 NATIONAL EDUCATION the perfect expression of the know- ledge which the whole antahkarna possesses. The third layer is the intellect or buddhi, which is the real instrument of thought and that which orders and disposes of the knowledge acquired by the other parts of the machine. For the purpose of the Educationist this is infinitely the most important of the three I have named. The intellect is an organ composed of several groups of functions, divisible into two impor- tant classes; the functions and faculties of the right hand, the functions and the faculties of the left hand. The faculties of the right hand are com- prehensive, creative and synthetic ; the faculties of the left hand critical and analytic. To the right hand be- longs judgment, imagination, memory, observation ; to the left hand compari-

THE POWERS OF THE MIND 13 son and reasoning. The critical facul- ties distinguish, compare, classify, generalise, deduce, infer, conclude;they are the component parts of the logical reason. The right hand faculties comprehend, command, judge in their own right, grasp; hold and manipu- late. The right hand mind is the master of the knowledge, the left hand its servant. The left hand touches only the body of knowledge, the right hand penetrates its soul. The left hand limits itself to ascertain- ed truth, the right hand grasps that which is still elusive or unascer- tained. Both are essential to the completeness of the human reason. These important functions of the machine have all to be raised to their highest and finest working-power, if the Education of the child is not to be imperfect and one-sided.

14 NATIONAL EDUCATION There is a fourth layer of faculty which, not as yet entirely developed in man, is attaining gradually a wider development and more perfect evolu- tion. The powers peculiar to this highest stratum of knowledge are chiefly known to us from the pheno- mena of genius—sovereign discernment, intuitive perception of truth, plenary inspiration of speech, direct vision of knowledge to an extent often amount- ing to revelation, making a man a prophet of truth. The powers are rare in their higher development, though many possess them imperfectly or by flashes. They are still greatly distrusted by the critical reason of mankind because of the admixture of error, caprice and a biassed imagina- tion which obstructs and distorts their perfect workings. Yet it is clear that humanity could not have

THE POWERS OF THE MIND 15 advanced to its present stage if it had not been for the help of these faculties, and it is a question with which Educationists have not yet grappled, what is to be done with this mighty and baffling element, the element of genius in the pupil. The mere instructor does his best to discourage and stifle genius, the more liberal teacher welcomes it. Faculties so important to humanity cannot be left out of our consideration. It is foolish to neglect them. Their imper- fect development must be perfected, the admixture of error, caprice and biassed fancifulness must be carefully and wisely removed. But the teacher cannot do it ; he would eradicate the good corn as well as the tares if he interfered. Here, as in all educational operations, he can only put the growing soul into the way of its own perfection.

CHAPTER III THE MORAL NATURE In the economy of man the mental nature rests upon the moral, and the education of the intellect divorced from the perfection of the moral and emotional nature is in- jurious to human progress. Yet, while it is easy to arrange some kind of curriculum or syllabus which will do well enough for the training of the mind, it has not yet been found possible to provide under modern conditions a suitable moral training for the School and College. The attempt to make boys moral and religious by the teaching of moral and religious text-books is a vanity and a delusion, precisely because the heart is not the mind and to instruct the mind does not necessarily im- prove the heart. It would be an

THE MORAL NATURE 17 error to say that it has no effect. It throws certain seeds of thought into the antahkarana and, if these thoughts become habitual, they in- fluence the conduct. But the danger of moral text-books is that they make the thinking of high things mechanical and artificial, and what- ever is mechanical and artificial, is inoperative for good. There are three things which are of the utmost importance in dealing with a man's moral nature, the emo- tions, the samskaras or formed habits and associations, and the swabhava or nature. The only way for him to train himself morally is to habituate him- self to the right emotions, the noblest associations, the best mental, emotional and physical habits and the follow- ing out in right action of the fundamental impulses of his essential 2

18 NATIONAL EDUCATION nature. You can impose a certain discipline on children, dress them into a certain mould, lash them into a desired path, but unless you can get their hearts and natures on your side, the conformity to this becomes a hypocritical and heartless, often a cowardly compliance. This is what is done in Europe, and it leads to that remarkable phenomenon known as the sowing of wild oats as soon as the yoke of discipline at School and at home is removed, and to the social hypocrisy which is so large a feature of European life. Only what the man admires and accepts, becomes part of himself; the rest is a mask. He conforms to the discipline of society as he conformed to the moral routine of home and school, but considers himself at liberty to guide his real life, inner and private, according to

THE MORAL NATURE 19 his own likings and passions. On the other hand, to neglect moral and religious Education altogether is to corrupt the race. The notorious moral corruption in our young men previous to the saving touch of the Swadeshi Movement, was the direct result of the purely mental instruction given to them under the English System of Education. The adoption of the English System under an Indian disguise in Institutions like the Central Hindu College is likely to lead to the European result. That it is better than nothing, is all that can be said for it. As in the education of the mind, so in the education of the heart, the best way is to put the child into the right road to his own perfection and encourage him to follow it, watching, suggesting, helping, but not interfering.

20 NATIONAL EDUCATION The one excellent element in the English Boarding School is that the master at his best stands there as a moral guide and example, leaving the boys largely to influence and help each other in following the path silently shown to them. But the method practised is crude and marred by the excess of outer discipline, for which the pupils have no respect except that of fear, and the exiguity of the inner assistance. The little good that is done is outweighed by much evil. The old Indian System of the Guru commanding by his know- ledge and sanctity, the implicit obedience, perfect admiration, reve- rent emulation of the student, was a far superior method of moral discip- line. It is impossible to restore that ancient system ; but it is not impossi- ble to substitute the wise friend,

THE MORAL NATURE 21 guide and helper for the hired Instructor or the benevolent Policeman which is all that the European System usually makes of the pedagogue. The first rule of Moral Training is to suggest and invite, not command or impose. The best method of suggestion is by personal example, daily converse and the books read from day to day. These books should contain, for the younger student, the lofty examples of the past given, not as moral lessons, but as things of supreme human interest, and, for the elder student, the great thoughts of great souls, the passages of literature which set fire to the highest emotions and prompt the highest ideals and aspirations, the records of history and biography which exemplify the living of those great thoughts, noble emo- tions and aspiring ideals. This is a

22 NATIONAL EDUCATION kind of good company, satsanga, which can seldom fail to have effect so long as sententious sermonising is avoided, and becomes of the highest effect if the personal life of the teacher is itself moulded by the great things he places before his pupils. It cannot, however, have full force unless the young life is given an opportunity, within its limited sphere, of embodying in action the moral impulses which rise within it. The thirst of knowledge, the self-devotion, the purity, the renunciation of the Brahmin, the courage, ardour, honour, nobility, chivalry, patriotism of the Kshatriya,—the beneficence, skill, industry, generous enterprise and large openhandedness of the Vaisya, —the self-effacement and loving service of the Sudra,—these are the qualities of the Aryan. They constitute

THE MORAL NATURE 23 the moral temper we desire in our young men, in the whole Nation. But how can we get them if we do not give opportunities to the young to train themselves in the Aryan tradition, to form by the practice and familiarity of childhood and boyhood the stuff of which their adult lives must be made? Every boy should, therefore, be given practical opportunity as well as intellectual encouragement to develop all that is best in the nature. If he has bad qualities, bad habits, bad samskaras whether of mind or body, he should not be treated harshly as a delinquent, but encouraged to get rid of them by the Rajayogic Method of Sanyama, rejection and substitution. He should be encouraged to think of them, not as sins or offences, but as symptoms of a curable disease alter- able by a steady and sustained effort

24 NATIONAL EDUCATION of the will, falsehood being rejected whenever it rises into the mind and replaced by truth, fear by courage, selfishness by sacrifice and renuncia- tion, malice by love. Great care will have to be taken that unformed virtues are not rejected as faults. The wild- ness and recklessness of many young natures are only the overflowings of an excessive strength, greatness and nobility. They should be purified, not discouraged. I have spoken of morality ; it is necessary to speak a word of religious teaching. There is a strange idea prevalent that by merely teaching the dogmas of religion children can be made pious and moral. This is an European error, and its practice leads, either to mechanical acceptance of a creed having no effect on the inner and little on the outer life, or it crea-

THE MORAL NATURE 25 tes the fanatic, the pietist, the ritualist or the unctuous hypocrite. Religion has to be lived, not learned as a creed. The singular compromise made in the so-called National Education of Bengal making the teaching of religious beliefs compulsory, but forbidding the practice of anushtana or religious exercise, is a sample of the ignorant confusion which distracts men's mind on this subject. The prohibition is a sop to secularism declared or concealed. No religious teaching is of any value unless it is lived, and the use of various kinds of sadhana, spiritual self-training and exercise, is the only effective pre- paration for religious living. The ritual of prayer homage, ceremony is craved for by many minds as an essen- tial preparation and, if not made an end in itself, is a great help to spiritual progress ; if it is withheld, some other

26 NATIONAL EDUCATION form of meditation, devotion or religi- ous duty must be put in its place. Otherwise, Religious Teaching is of little use and would almost be better ungiven. But whether distinct teaching in any form of religion is imparted or not, the essence of religion, to live for God, for humanity, for country, for others and for oneself in these, must be made the ideal in every School which calls itself National. It is this spirit of Hinduism pervading our Schools which —far more than the teaching of Indian Subjects, the use of Indian methods or formal instruction in Hindu Beliefs and Hindu Scriptures—should be the essence of Nationalism in our Schools distinguishing them from all others.

CHAPTER IV SIMULTANEOUS AND SUCCESSIVE TEACHING A very remarkable feature of modern training which has been sub- jected in India to a reduction ad absurdum is the practice of teaching by snippets. A subject is taught a little at a time, in conjunction with a host of others, with the result that what might be well learnt in a single year is badly learned in seven and the boy goes out ill-equipped, served with imperfect parcels of knowledge, master of none of the great departments of human knowledge. The system of Education adopted by the National Council, an amphibious and twy- natured creation, attempts to heighten this practice of teaching by snippets at the bottom and the middle and suddenly change it to a grandiose

28 NATIONAL EDUCATION specialism at the top. This is to base the Triangle on its apex and hope that it will stand. The old system was to teach one or two subjects well and thoroughly and then proceed to others, and cer- tainly it was a more rational system than the modern. If it did not impart so much varied information, it built up a deeper, nobler and more real culture. Much of the shallowness, discursive lightness and fickle mutability of the average modern mind is due to the vicious principle of teaching by snip- pets. The one defect that can be alleged against the old system was that the subject earliest learned might fade from the mind of the student while he was mastering his later studies. But the excellent training given to the memory by the ancients obviated the incidence of this defect. In the future

SUCCESSIVE TEACHING. 29 Education we need not bind ourselves either by the ancient or the modern system, but select only the most per- fect and rapid means of mastering knowledge. In defence of modern system it is alleged that the attention of children is easily tired and cannot be subjected to the strain of long application to a single subject. The frequent changes of subject gives rest to the mind. The question naturally arises: are the child- ren of modern times then so different from the ancients, and, if so, have we not made them so by discouraging prolonged concentration ? A very young child cannot, indeed apply him- self; but a very young child is unfit for School teaching of any kind. A child of seven or eight, and that is the earliest permissible age for the com- mencement of any regular kind of

30 NATIONAL EDUCATION study, is capable of a good deal of concentration if he is interested. Interest is after all, the basis of con- centration. We make his lessons supremely uninteresting and repellent to the child, a harsh compulsion the basis of teaching and then complain of his restless inattention ! The substitu- tion of a natural self-Education by the child for the present unnatural system will remove this objection of inability. A child, like a man, if he is interest- ed, much prefers to get to the end of his subject rather than leave it unfi- nished. To lead him on step by step, interesting and absorbing him in each as it comes, until he has mastered his subject is the true art of teaching. The first attention of the teacher must be given to the medium and the instruments, and, until these are per- fected, to multiply subjects of regular

SUCCESSIVE TEACHING 31 instruction is to waste time and energy. When the mental instruments are sufficiently developed to acquire a language easily and swiftly, that is the time to introduce him to many langu- ages, not when he can only partially understand what he is taught and masters it laboriously and imperfectly. Moreover, one who has mastered his own language, has one very necessary facility for mastering another. With the linguistic faculty unsatisfactorily developed in one's own tongue, to master others is impossible. To study Science with the faculties of observa- tion, judgment, reasoning, and compari- son only slightly developed, is to undertake a useless and thankless labour. So it is with all other subjects. The mother-tongue is the proper medium of Education and therefore the first energies of the child should