A word of explanation is needed to throw light upon the form of the spirit namely ‘The finite to be controlled by the infinite’ which the western scholars are apt to misunderstand and misinterpret; this they think to be the complete annihilation of the individuality and freedom of the man for the pre-organised society, the present for the past, the man for the environment. They are quite right so far they study facts from the angle of European vision. People of the East do not believe in the law of evolution in as much as it is an unbroken, continuous line of development. Every rise has its fall and evolution presupposes involution, a theory of change in time, and not one of eternal progress. When the people of the East seek the past in the present they do not arrest the pro: grass of forces, rather they are reluctant to have any change, in the past they got something which all strive to have, and it would be a great loss to go without that. A conservative element in a nation which prefers stability to so called progress, shows that the nation had a period when all its hankerings and yearnings found satisfaction. Quite the reverse is the case with the other nations.
Notwithstanding their inhuman activities and depth of thought in the worlds of mind and matter, the spiritual mines, the only support of human lives, are left unexplored. So we mark a sort of maddening
in the lives and activities of the Westerners who lose in length what they gain in breadth. How beautiful is the figure in whom has reconciled the energetic activity of the west fo the tranquil meditation of the East.
One more point as regards individuality. To the Indians, individuality is a spiritual entity,perfect freedom in that particular sphere. They are glad to give up this social or material individual for the more esteemed one.
In the words of Plato and Hegel the lower self is sacrificed for the higher self, ‘Die to live’. Now the question which naturally presents itself, is why should I give up that which is so very dear to me? The answer again involves the long wearied problem of Egoism and Altruisn of the English School of Morality.
The psychological phenomenon which I propose to advance in order to answer to the question is that this is the human nature to cherish what it once hated and to hate what it once liked, the feelings remain as they are, only the objects change places. Through this process the human nature realises its true spirit, and in realising the true self it suffers a good deal, though that feeling of pain is not unmixed with that of ethereal pleasure, and we all know that pleasure, though small in quantity, short in duration and is long looked for on account of its intrinsic value.
Now, the great oriental nations of old eg. China, India, Persia, Egypt, etc., all hanker after that spiritual individuality, that perfect freedom of the soul which they once enjoyed, so they are slow to move towards something uncertain and hazardous but it should be remembered that these nations are defeating their own purpose in as much as they crush the forces of life in spite of giving them a right direction. The checking of the natural forces kills the spirit and keeps the form, a lifeless mass of prejudices and vagaries.
In India whenever the country presents such a dreary spectacle of lifelessness some mighty spirit comes to restore llfe. Peculiarity of the revival is this that there is no new life in the old body but the old spirit is regained with certain modifications here and there to meet the demands of time.
A thorough study of the lives and teachings of the great sages and saints of India, makes the point clear, and this is, in short, the cycle of Indian history.
At present the task before us is to deduce an educational ideal for India from the history of the nation and the spirit of education, we all know, should enable the learner to be Conscious of his place in the race and the universe, that the life of the race and the life of the individuati may help each other’s growth. So let us see the condition of our education in the past and the present, and suggest something for the future.
Extracts from Vedanta Kesari, an English monthly of the Ramakrishna Order, published from Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.