| Narayanshrama Tapovanam |
 |
The
word 'Ashram' (
in Sanskrit) stands for an abode
of learning or education. It is a pity that even after
50 years of independence; many of us are prone to
associate constricted religiosity with the word and
dispose of the institutions under such name as engaged
in some sectarian practices. Of course, it is only
a corollary of the widespread ignorance with which
we often stamp our great Bharatiya (Indian) culture
as 'Hindu Religion'.
More than the theoretical knowledge of different subjects,
education in our country always meant man-making --
purification, fortification and transformation of
personality in the holy association of the Teacher,
so that the student would become fit to course victoriously
through the vicissitudes of life and attain fulfillment.
And Ashrams were the institutions imparting such education.
The most important factor underlying the legendary greatness
of ancient Bharat was these honored seats of learning - the
Ashrams - where the saintly Teacher used to empower the students
with lofty values and visions that would guide them throughout
their life and make them worthy citizens. The Teachers were not paid employees. Neither
was there any Central Board of Education or University Grants
Commission. The saintly Teachers pursued their role with utmost
dedication out of their own integrity, their devotion to Truth
and the Nation, sometimes undergoing abject privation. There
were more than thousand kingdoms in India, ruled by different
kings. But the subjects and values taught in different Ashrams
all over the country were identical. Can we imagine such a
widespread but uniform education system which was born solely
out of the greatness of the Teachers and the society?
Now we clamour so much about the havoc done to our education
by centuries of foreign domination. We criticize the present
education system for burdening the students with information,
for ignoring value-inculcation and character-building. But
we perhaps fail to realize that character-building can take
place only in the association of men of character. An Ashram
is an educational institution for value-orientation and personality-development
depending basically on the virtues and greatness of the Teachers. "Learning",
according to Indian tradition means "becoming" and the institutions
where such learning was available were called Ashrams.
Narayanashrama Tapovanam, founded in 1963 by Poojya Swami
Bhoomananda Tirtha, on the picturesque slope of Pandavagiri
in Trichur district, Kerala, has been disseminating this deepest
form of education for the past four decades. Attaining spiritual
fulfillment and embracing Sannyaasa at a very young age, Swamiji
dedicated his life to the task of spreading wisdom and inculcating
values in our society. "Even very few Indians remember",
Swamiji says, "that Sannyaasa stands for wisdom and education.
Traditionally a Sannyaasin is supposed to be exclusively devoted
to the pursuit of wisdom. A seeker embraces Sannyaasa when he
has transcended all forms of worship and ritual".
Throughout these four decades, Swamiji has been roving all
over the country and abroad enlightening people, inspiring
rationale, and laundering the society off its intellectual
servitude and religious superstitions - an illustration of
his own pronouncement that a Sannyaasin is a moving university.
Countless students, householders and professionals, who have
had the opportunity to listen to his enlightening discourses
or to interact with him about their personal, professional
or social problems, bear testimony to the great transforming
power of real education imbibed from a Knower. Only such real
experiences prove the opening statement of Mundakopanishad
: Brahmavidya sarvavidya-pratishtha - The science of supreme
Reality forms the foundation of all other sciences. After
independence, our country has chosen the motto "Satyam
eva jayate - Truth alone triumphs" from Mundakopanishad,
but it has ignored what the same upanishad says in its very
first verse!
Simultaneous with Swamiji's ever-increasing schedule of travel
and dissemination, his humble abode, Narayanashrama Tapovanam,
also has grown in its dimension. Apart from catering to the
needs of the continuous stream of visiting seekers of knowledge,
peace and virtues, the Ashram has been conducting regular
discourses, classes, discussions, annual retreats, summer
Gurukula for children, and publishing various books as well
as a monthly journal called "Vicharasetu - The Path of
Introspection". The journal is in its 33rd year of publication
and has worldwide circulation. Participation in improving
rural hygiene, habitat and education has also been increasing
every year. Since l983, Swamiji along with other Sanyasins
has brought a spirituo-cultural revival in Kerala by leading
mass-movements for freeing the society of a number of social
as well as religious evil practices and superstitions.
The uniqueness of Narayanashrama Tapovanam lies in its mission
of making Brahmavidya available to all as a great positive
strength in making their life blossom well in all respects.
"Far from taking one away from life and activities, as
may be the common belief, Brahmavidya pursuit helps man excel
in whatever he does," says Swamiji. Brahmavidya imparts
an impersonal vision which makes man universal - a lover of
one and all. The list of talks delivered in various institutions
- management institutes, schools, research centres, training
centres and other professional bodies - will give one a better
understanding of the necessity of such educative exposures.
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| Temple constructed
under the leadership of Swamiji on top of Pandavagiri
Hill |
Village welfare & Socio-cultural reformation
Although the direct beneficiaries of Swamiji's educational
mission were spread all over the country, the Ashram being
located in a rural set-up, it naturally became an important
organ in contributing to the cultural as well as economic
welfare of the villages around. Apart from generating cultural
awareness through talks, discussions and summer classes for
children, the Ashram has been playing an active and supportive
role in making sanitary toilets and bathrooms, wells, bore-wells,
repairing individual houses and schools, helping the poor
unemployed youth to generate self-employment, extending support
for medical treatment, children's education, etc.
During the period of l983-92, the Ashram along with other
partners has virtually brought socio-cultural revolution in
Kerala, by organizing mass-movements, educating people through
writings and meetings, to stop some of the derogatory practices
prevailing in the name of religious festivals. Stopping the
barbarous practice of 'thookam' in Elavoor Puthankavu: Temple,
stopping the vulgar indulgence in lewd singing during Kodungallur
Bharani festival and removing caste discrimination in Panchavadya-seva
in Guruvayoor Temple, are the landmarks in this endeavour.
More than the specific events, these movements have wrought
a revolutionary change in the attitude of people by educating
them to cultivate a rational view towards the established
socio-cultural and religious practices and values.
