The modern educationists wrote many books on educational psychology, philosophy and methods. But thousands of years ago in Upanishads which are also called as Vedanta there is a mantra termed as Shanti Mantra. A teacher and his disciple or student would chant this mantra before they start their teaching-learning process. Here is that mantra:
Om sahanaa vavatu sahanau bhunaktu sahaveeryam karavaavahai tejaswinaa vadheetamastu maa vid vishaa vahai om shaanthih, shaanthih, shaanthihi.
The literal meaning of this Sanskrit verse is:
May he protect all, may he nurture all, may we all perform together the most heroic and divine actions; may our learning be prosperous to all; may we never quarrel on the different beliefs we may have; may we illumine together, may we live in harmony.
may there be peace for all and forever.
May he protect all:
Who is he? The supreme personality of godhead. He is omnipresent, all powerful, does not have a shape and does not have any qualities i.e., we can't attribute neither the good nor the bad qualities to him.
Here they say may he protect all, may he nurture all. This reminds me another line I keep hearing very often. That is Sarvejanah sukhinobhavantu- which means may the whole humanity enjoy peace and prosperity. This reflects a universal value in Hinduism. As Hinduism believes in the concept found in ancient scriptures Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam meaning the whole world is one family.
May we all perform together the most heroic and divine actions:
Here the guru and sishya are expressing their desire to work together. This is a time tested concept and is widely used in the twenty-first century. In this modern age people are required to work in groups as it results in synergy and consequently the organizational efficiency increases. The 21st century business corporations are looking for the job seekers who possess good interpersonal skills which include conflict handling skills and communication skills, so that they can get along with the other members of the group. The intention of working together is also great. They want to work together to perform the most heroic and divine actions that are intended to contribute to the welfare of the mankind.
May our learning be prosperous to all:
I the modern age people are acquiring knowledge but not wisdom. They say knowledge without wisdom is disastrous and wisdom without knowledge is useless. Knowledge can be utilized for a positive purpose or even for a negative purpose. When we misuse knowledge it leads to disaster. Weapons should be possessed only by those people who can exercise restraint and have enough wisdom to know when to use them.
May we never quarrel on the different beliefs we may have.
This line gives ample evidence that in the ancient gurukula (residential schools) system the difference of opinion was tolerated. This line reminds me the words of great philosopher waltair “I don’t agree with what you say but I’m ready to sacrifice my life to protect your right to say it” Freedom of expression and right to question were important parts of teaching learning process. As both the guru ad sishya realized the fact that one can’t generate new ideas without exercising freedom of expression.
May we illumine together, may we live in harmony.
Normally many teachers have this know all attitude. They think they are the only source of knowledge to their students. By claiming monopoly over knowledge some teachers even go to the extent of exercising undue influence over their students. But here the guru and sishya say that may we illumine together. This makes it very clear that guru and sishya learn things together and enlighten each other. Experienced teachers know it well that they not only teach their students but even learn from them. They also express their wish to live in harmony as harmonious relationship leads to effective communication and disharmony only leads to contempt towards each other.
May there be peace for all and forever.
This verse ends with a universal idea that-may the whole humanity which is in the pursuit of happiness and peace gets them, and all the people lead blissful and contented lives.
It is amazing to see that how the learned men (the sages) generated such ideas thousands of years ago when we are still struggling to come to conclusions on various aspects of education. This makes things abundantly clear that Hinduism as a way of life has the ability to stand the test of time and can show a new path to the humanity to tread.
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