The following mantra, quintessential part of school prayers...
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3t7ivQ3A3g)
Must have said this mantra like a zillion times, but never understood the beauty of this mantra... till today... Read the meaning of this shloka in a book on Kathopanishad...
So, here goes the meaning (as taken from the book - http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/katha-upanishad)
"Aum. may Brahman protect us both, the teacher and the student, equally. May the Brahman enable us to share the benefit of learning equally. May we be equally strong to grasp the meaning of the learning. May the learning be equally fruitful to us. May we never be jealous of each other. May there be peace to oneself, peace to the environment and peace for the entire world. The study if the upanishads is search for truth. It is a joint enterprise, where both the teacher and student should work vigorously with mutual trust and goodwill. The purpose in not scholarship. The purpose is to discover the Truth and be blessed in the process. To achieve this, the spirit of togtherness between the teacher and student is underscored".
What caught my attention is the loftiness of the thoughts. Firstly, its about teacher coming down to the level of the student in stating that this is a "joint effort". What an amazing thought :) I have been blessed to learn from teachers who have actually lived by these principles. It makes learning such a blessed and enriching experience. This according to me is avataranam, where the teacher comes down to the level of the student to teach.
Secondly, it talks about the teacher asking that the fruits benefit both the teacher and student equally. Isn't that a moving idea? Its not about pedagogy, its about sharing the fruits of learning together. Students like me are blessed to have teachers who practiced the above approach.
Thirdly, it asks the supreme brahman to give strength to both the teacher and the taught to grasp the nuances of what is taught. Focus, concentration and strength of perseverance to learn what is being taught. How I missed this in my earlier days of study. Thanks to my teachers in later days, I atleast know what I missed and am able to appreciate the need.
Fourth, What a nice catch .. just loved this bit where the teacher and taught pray that they may not fall prey to jealousy. Oh.. my my ... I cannot name the number of people I have been jealous because of their scholarship during my school/college days. It just preys and feeds on you. And in hindsight, it destroys the joy of learning. Such an important point, that let us not be jealous of each other during the learning process. Dear brothers and sisters, whom I had been jealous of, please forgive me :(
I think once you have imbibed the essence of this mantra, learning would be such a joyous experience :) and such peace :)
Why is it relevant today? Well, as I see it, our education system has always rated scholarship higher than learning. I have always felt the strain of One-up manship, jealousy, rat-race for the limited quality education resources in our system. In some sense, this has been pushing a few us in trying to excel in our chosen (??) pursuits. What I have seen is the legacy of such training process lingers in for a long time. It manifests in our relationships, our actions, in our workplace long after the spirit of competition has served its need :)
The essence of the shloka also comes out nicely brings out the section of "Maitreem bhajata.." (Maitreem Bhajata - Text, Maitreem Bhajata - MS), specifically in the context of "Spardham tyajata" ...."Give up competition and jealousy", especially in the context of learning :) So, its time to enjoy the meaning of such lofty ideas :)
Salutations to all my teachers and the wonderful people I had as companions in my journey as a student :)
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3t7ivQ3A3g)
Must have said this mantra like a zillion times, but never understood the beauty of this mantra... till today... Read the meaning of this shloka in a book on Kathopanishad...
So, here goes the meaning (as taken from the book - http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/katha-upanishad)
"Aum. may Brahman protect us both, the teacher and the student, equally. May the Brahman enable us to share the benefit of learning equally. May we be equally strong to grasp the meaning of the learning. May the learning be equally fruitful to us. May we never be jealous of each other. May there be peace to oneself, peace to the environment and peace for the entire world. The study if the upanishads is search for truth. It is a joint enterprise, where both the teacher and student should work vigorously with mutual trust and goodwill. The purpose in not scholarship. The purpose is to discover the Truth and be blessed in the process. To achieve this, the spirit of togtherness between the teacher and student is underscored".
What caught my attention is the loftiness of the thoughts. Firstly, its about teacher coming down to the level of the student in stating that this is a "joint effort". What an amazing thought :) I have been blessed to learn from teachers who have actually lived by these principles. It makes learning such a blessed and enriching experience. This according to me is avataranam, where the teacher comes down to the level of the student to teach.
Secondly, it talks about the teacher asking that the fruits benefit both the teacher and student equally. Isn't that a moving idea? Its not about pedagogy, its about sharing the fruits of learning together. Students like me are blessed to have teachers who practiced the above approach.
Thirdly, it asks the supreme brahman to give strength to both the teacher and the taught to grasp the nuances of what is taught. Focus, concentration and strength of perseverance to learn what is being taught. How I missed this in my earlier days of study. Thanks to my teachers in later days, I atleast know what I missed and am able to appreciate the need.
Fourth, What a nice catch .. just loved this bit where the teacher and taught pray that they may not fall prey to jealousy. Oh.. my my ... I cannot name the number of people I have been jealous because of their scholarship during my school/college days. It just preys and feeds on you. And in hindsight, it destroys the joy of learning. Such an important point, that let us not be jealous of each other during the learning process. Dear brothers and sisters, whom I had been jealous of, please forgive me :(
I think once you have imbibed the essence of this mantra, learning would be such a joyous experience :) and such peace :)
Why is it relevant today? Well, as I see it, our education system has always rated scholarship higher than learning. I have always felt the strain of One-up manship, jealousy, rat-race for the limited quality education resources in our system. In some sense, this has been pushing a few us in trying to excel in our chosen (??) pursuits. What I have seen is the legacy of such training process lingers in for a long time. It manifests in our relationships, our actions, in our workplace long after the spirit of competition has served its need :)
The essence of the shloka also comes out nicely brings out the section of "Maitreem bhajata.." (Maitreem Bhajata - Text, Maitreem Bhajata - MS), specifically in the context of "Spardham tyajata" ...."Give up competition and jealousy", especially in the context of learning :) So, its time to enjoy the meaning of such lofty ideas :)
Salutations to all my teachers and the wonderful people I had as companions in my journey as a student :)
thanks for the wonderful post! also curious, the image of the dancing nataraja is splendid. where from?
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