Nat. Volatiles & Essent.

Oils, 2021; 8(4): 1645-1655

General And Educational Philosophy Of Sri Aurobindo

Ghosh

Dr. Pramila Malik1 , Suman2

1
Associate Professor, Department of Education, BMU, Asthal Bohar, Rohtak
2
Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Education, BMU, Asthal Bohar, Rohtak

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to know the general and educational philosophy of great philosopher Sri Aurobindo
Ghosh. In this study Philosophical and Historical method was used. Books written by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, speeches of
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, articles, newspapers, internet sources, etc. are the main source of data. Aurobindo proposed
that education is nothing but bringing out and nurturing the latent potentialities; integrate oneself with self,
harmonious living of individual with society, country and humanity to make oneself a complete being or integral human
being. He believed that purpose of education is not merely cramming of facts or information because this will lead to
temporal achievement of goals in life but education is making of character, personality and values. He placed high
importance to the indigenous education, language as it will help the child to understand his /her past and connect with
the present so that he /she can progress in the future. He was not against any western education but he believed that
we should learn from western education about their advancement in knowledge. He believed that chief aim of
education is awakening of divinity in the individual. This can be done through yoga, meditation. He had given five
secondary aims of education- physical, spiritual, moral, mental and psyche development which he later called it as
Integral Education. According to him, process of education is the development of one’s physical, vital, spiritual, mental
and psychic aspects of human. He was of the opinion that role of teacher is very minimal in the teaching-learning
process as teaching will corrupt the mind of the child. So he believed that let the child explore the world around us and
blossom on the basis of his/her innate abilities. He firmly believed that each country has a set of own values, culture
and history and it is the responsibility of teachers to make students aware of it and develop them in line with the
values, ideals and traditions.

Key words: Education, philosophy, divine, yoga, spiritual teacher, student, harmony

Introduction

Education entails the harmonious development of the body, mind, and spirit, as well as general
character, behavior, and demeanor training. The concept of education has always evolved with
the passage of time. A society's economic, social, and political structure has also changed. Every

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educator, whether a teacher, a supervisor, or an administrator, is led by a philosophy that he has

developed through a range of educational and social experiences in his own life. This might be a
good or bad ideology. The scope of Indian philosophy is quite broad; it may embrace parts of the
physical, spiritual, and mental worlds that are not visible to the naked eye. Objects that can't be
seen with the eyes can be perceived with intuition, and "intellectual eyes" are utilized to see
abstract things. The Bible speaks of "spiritual vision" or "divine eyes," which are capable of
perceiving even the most abstract objects, and this capacity is attained via years of systematic
instruction and the mercy of God. Perception of both real and abstract objects is thus regarded
important in Indian philosophy.

Justification of the Study

Since independence, our government has formed several commissions and committees to
investigate the educational system. Almost all commissions and initiatives emphasized future
citizens' value-oriented education. Because Sri Aurobindo Ghosh has made significant
contributions to educational thought and practice, the investigator hopes that studying his
educational philosophy will illuminate the path and broaden the scope for full thinking along new
lines, as this thinker has made significant contributions to the meaning and content of Indian
educational philosophy. His innovative ideas will have a significant impact on our current
understanding of the educational process's goals and purpose. All of this leads to the current
research.

Objectives of the Study

• To study the life of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh

• To study the educational philosophy of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh

Methodology

Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was self illuminated philosopher who has delivered his ideas in different
form to create new vision in the listeners. His valuable thoughts have been compiled in the shape
of books, research papers, essays and other web sources. The present study is concerned to the
educational thoughts of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh In this study Philosophical and Historical method
was used. Content analysis was also used to know about the life of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.

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About Sri Aurobindo Ghosh

Aorobindo Ghosh was born to Krishnadhan Ghosh (father) and Swarnalata Devi (mother) on 15
August 1872 in Calcutta in the Bengal province of India. His father Dr. Ghosh wanted to mold him
in the colors of western civilization. Therefore, he was sent to the Irish Christian School in
Darjeeling for his primary education. At the age of 7 he went to study in England. He completed
his education under the patronage of the priest couple there.

Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is based on the belief that the intellectual development of man has
reached its climax. There should be inner and spiritual development ahead of it. If man does not
progress in this direction, then not only will his alternative sequence be blocked but he will also
move towards his downfall. Sri Aurobindo did not consider sense experience as the highest
knowledge, but considered it to be a lower order of knowledge. According to him there are many
degrees of knowledge and the highest order is the spiritual experience which we can attain in this
world.

Aurobindo considered one-sided development of man to be harmful. He laid emphasis on the all-
round development of human beings to build a healthy society. For this he emphasized on the
integration of oriental and western cultures. There is neither a sense of escape from ancient
Indian culture nor blind imitation of western culture in his philosophy. Only an integrated form of
both can develop a better education system.

In 1907, Sri Aurobindo wrote an essay titled 'A System of National Education'. In this, he
explained the concept of his education and said, "In every human being there is some God-given
divine power, something that is his own, which can be moved towards perfection. The task of
education is to identify, develop and use it. The main goal of education should be to fully develop
the inherent power of the developing soul and prepare it for the best work." In another famous
article in 1910, Sri Aurovindo wrote a sentence that became the motto of education. He wrote,
"The first principle of proper education is that nothing can be taught."

It is thus clear that in the view of Sri Aurobindo, knowledge is inherent in the soul of every
person. He considered the conscience as the means of revealing the right education. According to
Sri Aurobindo, there are four levels of the inner being - the mind, the mind, the intellect and the
inner vision. Chitta is actually a past mental condition. When a person remembers something, it is
filtered and stored in the mind. Because of this, working memory sometimes selects some things
according to the need and capacity. Appropriate education and training is required for making

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the right choice. The second plane of the mind can be called the brain. It receives facts from the
senses and gives them the form of thought. Apart from the senses, the brain itself also receives
facts or concepts.

Therefore, training of the senses and the brain is beneficial. The role of 'intellect', the third part
of the conscience, is more important in education. The function of the intellect is to organize the
knowledge acquired by the brain, analyze and synthesize them and reach the conclusion. The
fourth aspect of the inner being is the power of 'introspective perception'. This leads to a direct
vision of knowledge and human beings can also know about the future. But the human
conscience has not yet been able to awaken this power. It is in the stage of development and in
future human can get this inherent power through good education.

AIM OF EDUCATION

All-round development of the child

According to Sri Aurobindo, the aim of education is the all-round development of body, mind and
soul. So that they can use them as tools in realizing the Divine Truth inherent in themselves.
Education helps the students to develop themselves as a whole. They emphasize on the
coordinated development of various aspects of the child's body, life, mind, intellect, soul etc. Sri
Aurobindo writes in Essays on the Gita, "The education of a child should be the expression of
what is best, most powerful, most intimate and life-fulfilling in his nature. The mold in which the
action and development of the mind should be molded is the mold of their intrinsic qualities and
power. He must acquire new things, but he will receive them in the best and most vital form on
the basis of his own development, type and inner strength.”

Education of Atma-Tattva

Sri Aurovindo does not consider the purpose of education to be gathering of information.
According to him the aim of education is to impart self-education or self-education. So that the
human soul can unite with the divine.

Social development of the student

Sri Aurovindo considered the development of social aspect in children as an important goal of
education. They imagine a divine society and a divine human being. According to him the aim of
education is to develop such a complete human being, who develops not only as an individual but
also as a member of the society.

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Education of Nationalism

Sri Aurobindo firmly believed that like human beings, every nation also has a soul, which is the
link between the human-soul and the universal-soul. Sri Aurovindo led the national education
movement going on in the first decade of the twentieth century. Therefore, he wanted to
develop such a national education system which is in line with Indian culture and traditions. He
said that "the education we are in search of is an education appropriate to the Indian soul and
need and nature and culture, not merely an education which has faith in the past also, but
towards the developing soul of India." , has faith in his future needs, in the greatness of his self-
creation and in his eternal soul.

Teaching of Harmony

Sri Aurobindo saw the possibility of a broader harmony among the elements that seemed to be
outwardly opposed. In his thoughts we can easily see the harmony of knowledge, devotion,
action, harmony of Nirguna and Saguna, amalgamation of duality and non-duality. Sri Aurobindo
wanted to take the process of harmony and coordination further for the welfare of mankind
through education. In this way, Shri Aurobindo emphasized on the all-round and coordinated
development of personality through education. He wanted to base education on beauty so that
truth could be realized. Thus the aim of his education was to attain the amalgamated form of
Satya, Shiva and Sundar.

Syllabus

There are three basic principles of Sri Aurovindo in the context of curriculum development:-

1. The child himself learns, the teacher helps him to understand the dormant forces.
2. Curriculum should be designed keeping in mind the specialties of the child. This is
necessary to achieve the great objective of self-realization.
3. The principle of present to future and near to far should be adopted in curriculum
formulation.

Education should be based on 'Swadeshi' principles. Aurobindo used to emphasize on the

coordination of knowledge of East and West - but he believed that Western knowledge should be
taught first by strengthening the foundation of Vidyatri in indigenous knowledge. He says, "The
aim and principle of true national education is certainly not to disregard modern truth and
knowledge, but to lay our foundations on our own faith, our own mind, our own spirit."

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Sri Aurobindo presented a comprehensive five-faced plan of education according to his holistic
ideology. These five aspects are physical, vital, mental, inner and spiritual. These five aspects are
stages of progressive development. Also, after the beginning, the development of each side
continues for life.

Physical Education

The body is the medium of all human actions. In the yoga philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, great
importance has been given to a healthy body. There are three aspects of physical education - (a)
controlling physical activities (b) coordinated development of all parts and activities of the body
(c) eliminating physical defects. For physical development, there is proper arrangement for yoga,
exercise and various types of sports in Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

Meditative Education:

Under meditative education, the practice of strengthening the will-power is made. And the
emphasis is on character building. Both these objectives cannot be achieved by teachings or
lectures. Teachers have to model behavior so that students can imbibe their good qualities. Along
with this, ideals of great men have to be present. The student also acquires these qualities
through self-study and restraint.

Mental Education:

The mind is very fickle, so it is difficult to control it. This work cannot be done by bookish
knowledge or collection of facts. Mental education is essential for building a healthy culture and
for better social relations. According to Shri Mataji, there are five parts of the education of the
mind-

1. To awaken the ability of concentration.

2. To make the mind broad, wide and rich.
3. Setting the highest goal and organizing all the thoughts with it.
4. Keep restraint on thoughts and give up wrong thoughts.
5. To develop mental stability, complete peace and the ability to receive the inspirations
coming from the Supreme Being in the right form.

It is necessary to adopt yoga for mental development. Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama are
helpful in increasing the concentration of the student.

Intrinsic education:

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Under inner education, efforts are made to get answers to those eternal philosophical questions
which have been churning in the human mind since the beginning like what is the goal of life?
What is the reason for the existence of man on earth? What is the relation between man and
eternal being? etc. The complete development of human being cannot be imagined without the
development of the soul. It is only by the development of the soul that man can achieve the goal
of life. Yoga-sadhana is necessary for the development of the soul.

Spiritual Education:

Spiritual education is the highest peak of the education process. Through this, the educationist
establishes a close relationship with the universal authority. According to Shri Mataji, on attaining
spiritual education, "Suddenly an inner door will open and you will all enter into such a light
which will give you assurance of immortality and give a clear feeling that you have always lived
and will live forever." Destruction is of external forms, and with regard to your real being you will
also find that these forms are like clothes, which are thrown away when they become old.

Method of instruction

Sri Aurobindo believed that a student could not be taught anything that was not already
contained in him. The student should have the freedom to learn. It is the duty of the teacher to
create suitable conditions. In the teaching-learning process, the desire and interest of the child is
of utmost importance. The subject in which the student is interested in education should be
taught. Also, the method of teaching should be selected according to the interest of the student.
The teacher should do the teaching work in such a way that the student takes interest in the
lesson and subject being taught.

Sri Aurovindo emphasized the importance of adopting such a method of teaching so that the
student does not consider education as a mere collection of information. He should not insist on
memorization, but develop the skills necessary to acquire knowledge, considering them
important. Powers like understanding, memory, judgment, imagination, reasoning, and thinking
should be developed in students.

Teacher in the Eyes of Sri Aurovindo

A teacher is not just an 'instructor'. His most important function is to help the student to
"understand himself". He is not the one to serve the information to the students, but a guide. The
teacher helps in the development of the creative and creative powers of the students. According
to Maharishi Sri Aurovindo, the teacher should act as the gardener of the national culture. His

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duty is to fertilize the roots of the culture. And by irrigating the roots and making Vidyatri a great
human being.

Student Concept

Sri Aurobindo considers Vidyatri in a disguised form as 'Almighty Chaitanya'. They do not see
Vidyatri only as a body. Along with the body, life, mind, intellect, soul etc. give equal importance
to different aspects. They want coordinated development of all this. Maharishi Sri Aurovindo
considers conscience important in education. As we have already seen, there are many levels of
conscience. The first level of the inner being is called "Chitta". It is a place for the storage of
memories. The second level is called "Mind". It takes information and experiences from the
senses and converts them into concepts and ideas. The third level of the inner being is "intellect".
which is of utmost importance in the education process. It organizes information and knowledge
materials, draws conclusions and makes generalisations. This is how the theory of intelligence is
formulated. The highest level of conscience is "realization". Sri Aurobindo is of the clear opinion
that "the mind cannot be taught anything which is not already present in the child in the form of
dormant knowledge". It is also not charged.

Educational Institutions

After retiring from politics, Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry in 1910. He meditated here.
Gradually, the number of seekers and followers of Sri Aurovindo increased. Sri Aurovindo Ashram
was established here in 1926. From 1940, seekers were allowed to keep children in the ashram.
Seeing the needs of the children, Sri Aurobindo established the Ashram School in 1943.

On January 6, 1952, Shri Maa established the "Sri Aurobindo International University Center"-
which later came to be known as the "Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education". It is an
inseparable part of the Yogashram of Pondicherry because the purpose of yoga and education is
the same-the union of the Atmantattva with the Eternal Universal Being by attaining perfection.
In this way, there is a system of education and research from elementary education to high level.

Since the aim of education is the awakening and development of the self, no artificial distinction
is made in the center of the education of boys and girls. Therefore, in the center of Sri Aurovindo
International Education, there is the same educational program for girls as for girls. Even in
physical education, there is no difference. Despite this, the choices are many, but the basis of
selection is not gender or traditional prohibition but internal taste. In 1968, Shri Mata established
Auroville. It is a wonderful use of collective residence and education of the entire city, rising

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above caste, religion, language, race. It is an expression of faith in the future of man. Auroville is
an attempt to develop a 'New Style' of living which is based on Sri Aurobindo's concept of 'New
Humanity'.

Conclusion

Aurobindo is naturalist and nationalist philosopher whose ideas about education are obtained
from national education proposed in the year 1907 which is the outcome of his educational
philosophy. He proposed that education is nothing but bringing out and nurturing the latent
potentialities; integrate oneself with self, harmonious living of individual with society, country
and humanity to make oneself a complete being or integral human being. He believed that
purpose of education is not merely cramming of facts or information because this will lead to
temporal achievement of goals in life but education is making of character, personality and
values. He placed high importance to the indigenous education, language as it will help the child
to understand his /her past and connect with the present so that he /she can progress in the
future. He was not against any western education but he believed that we should learn from
western education about their advancement in knowledge. He believed that chief aim of
education is awakening of divinity in the individual. This can be done through yoga, meditation.
He had given five secondary aims of education- physical, spiritual, moral, mental and psyche
development which he later called it as Integral Education. According to him, process of
education is the development of one’s physical, vital, spiritual, mental and psychic aspects of
human. He was of the opinion that role of teacher is very minimal in the teaching-learning
process as teaching will corrupt the mind of the child. So he believed that let the child explore the
world around us and blossom on the basis of his/her innate abilities. He firmly believed that each
country has a set of own values, culture and history and it is the responsibility of teachers to
make students aware of it and develop them in line with the values, ideals and traditions. He
called it as Swadhrma. He criticized the modern education as it is inadequate to prepare the
children for wholesome personality. He believed that only education which awakens the
consciousness of individuals will transform the nation socially, economically and politically. That’s
why his thrust on integral education is for developing futuristic citizens-a balance individual
having both traditional and modern.

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Important Works of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh

• Essays on the Gita

• The Life Divine
• The Secret of the Veda
• The Synthesis of Yoga
• The Human Cycle
• The Ideal of Human Unity
• The Foundations of Indian Culture
• The Future Poetry

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