Section 1 : introduction

SWAmi ViVeKAnAnDA
the eDuCAtioniSt PAr exCellenCe

Swami VivekanandaHis Life and Personality

regal, majestic figure of commanding presence, vast learning and deep insight, Swami Vivekananda was barely
30 years old when he created a stir at the Worlds Parliament
of Religions in Chicago in 1893. Three and a half years later,
when he returned to India, his homeland, he was as a colossus of strength, courage, confidence, love, and manlinessthe
embodiment of the ideal of the man-making and characterbuilding education he propagated.
Swami Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta on 12
January 1863 in Kolkata, in a respectable middle-class family.
His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney, and a lover
of arts and literature. Although liberal-minded, Vishwanath
was skeptical about religious practices. On the other hand,
Narendras mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was a pious, kindhearted lady, devoted to the Hindu traditions. The influence
of each of his parents on Narendra was different, yet together
they provided a congenial atmosphere for the precocious boy
to grow into an energetic young man with high ideals.
During his formative years, he developed extraordinary
mental abilities which some people either misunderstood or
ignored, but which others appreciated and recognized as signs
of an outstanding individual. As a child he liked to play at
meditation and would easily become engrossed. Once when he
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m y i de a of educ at ion
was seated thus in meditation along with some of his friends,
the sudden appearance of a cobra slithering across the floor
drove all the children out of the room except Narendra, who
remained absorbed in meditation.
Narendras power of concentrationof fixing his mind
on one thing while detaching it from everything elsewas
remarkable. In his later life he once shot in succession, twelve
eggshells bobbing up and down on the water of a river, although he had never fired a gun before! No less striking was
his self-control. He remained calm and unruffled, no matter
how dramatic the situation he was in.
Ever since childhood, Narendra had great admiration for
wandering monks, and he liked to think that one day he
himself would become a monk. But his ambition only became
evident during his college days at the Scottish Church College. He began to search out scholars and spiritual leaders
in order to question them. But none of them could satisfy
him. It was from Prof. William Hastie, principal of his college that he heard for the first time of Sri Ramakrishna, the
saint of Dakshineswar. His meeting with Sri Ramakrishna in
November 1881 proved to be a turning point in his life. About
this meeting, Narendranath said:
He [Sri Ramakrishna] looked just like an ordinary man, with
nothing remarkable about him. He used the most simple language and I thought, Can this man be a great teacher?I
crept near to him and asked him the question which I had
been asking others all my life: Do you believe in God, Sir?
Yes, he replied. Can you prove it, Sir? Yes. How? Because I see Him just as I see you here, only in a much intenser
sense. That impressed me at once. I began to go to that
man, day after day, and I actually saw that religion could be
given. One touch, one glance, can change a whole life.1
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Sri Ramakrishnas life was one of spiritual experience and
achievement. He also discovered some truths of great significance to all of us today. About this Sri Ramakrishna said:
I have practiced all religionsHinduism, Islam, Christianityand I have also followed the paths of the different
Hindu sects. I have found that it is the same God towards
whom all are directing their steps, though along different
paths.2
Sri Ramakrishna carefully guided Narendra and a band
of other young dedicated disciples, and the Master chose
Narendra as the leader of the group. After the Masters passing
away, these young devotees gathered together in a dilapidated
house in Baranagore, a northern suburb of Kolkata, which
became the first centre of the Ramakrishna Order. With a
total rejection of material possessions and an unshakable
commitment to their Master and his teachings, they endured
unbelievable privations and devoted themselves to spiritual
practices.
Travelling throughout the length and breadth of India,
mostly on foot, Narendra was trying to work out a purpose
for his life. While on the road, he often faced starvation and
frequently found himself with nowhere to stay. To Narendra,
this was an opportunity to study India and its needs at first
hand. He observed that his country possessed a priceless
spiritual heritage, but had failed to reap its benefit. The weak
points were poverty, caste, neglect of the masses, oppression
of women and a faulty system of education. How was India
to be regenerated? He came to the conclusion:
We have to give back to the nation its lost individuality
and raise the masses. Again, the force to raise them must
come from inside.3
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Narendranath Datta had by this time been transformed
into Swami Vivekananda, and he had found his lifes mission.
Taking a broad look at the early part of his life we can see
that there were four influences that formed his personality
and philosophy:
1.

India was then under British rule and was experiencing

an upheaval in its cultural life. British rule had brought
India into the world community, and English education
and modernization had brought new hope. Yet, reflecting
on the actual result of all this, Vivekananda said, A few
hundred, modernised, half-educated, and denationalised
men are all that there is to show of modern English Indianothing else.4 In his youth, Narendra became fascinated with the Evolutionism of Herbert Spencer, and
translated Spencers book on Education into Bengali for
Gurudas Chattopadhyaya, his publisher.5 It is also said
that Narendra exchanged correspondence with Herbert
Spencer for some time.6 But, alongside his study of Spencer and other Western philosophers, he also delved deep
into Indian Sanskrit scriptures.

2. Sri Ramakrishna, the saint of Dakshineswar, had a profound influence on his contemporaries who were considered the builders of modern India. He was practically
illiterate and spoke in a rustic dialect, yet the spiritual
depth and power of his teachings impressed intellectual giants such as Friederich Max Muller. In Swami
Vivekanandas estimation, his Master fully harmonized
the intellectual, emotional, ethical, and spiritual elements
of a human being and was the role model for the future.
3. Swami Vivekanandas family also provided a strong moral
and cultural foundation to his life. Due in great part to
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his upbringing, his tastes were eclectic and his interests
wide. In fact, the desire for knowledge that he had acquired in his youth prompted him later to gather as much
as he could wherever he waswhether in India or in the
West.
4. Equally important, if not more so, was the Swamis
knowledge of India based on his first-hand experiences
acquired during his wanderings throughout the country.
His pilgrimages transformed him. He became a true lover
of humanity and became endowed with the quality of
sarvabhutahite rath (being devoted to the welfare of all
beings).7
At about the same time that Vivekananda completed his
tour of India, he was asked to represent Hinduism at the
Worlds Parliament of Religions, to be held that year (1893)
in Chicago. Vivekananda also felt that this might give him an
opportunity to do something for his country. So he agreed to
go. When the Parliament of Religions convened in September
1893, Vivekananda created a sensation. While other delegates
spoke of their own faiths and creeds, Vivekananda spoke of
the God of all, the source and essence of every faith. His call
for religious harmony and acceptance of all religions brought
him great acclaim. When the Parliament was over, he went on
a lecture tour in the Midwest and the East coast of the United
States. People in large numbers, particularly intellectuals,
came to hear him speak wherever he went, thus fulfilling his
Masters prediction that he would some day become a world
teacher.
Vivekanandas tour of the United States also had a revitalizing effect on India. Previously, those who had gone to the
West from India were full of apologies for the state of their
country. He was not. He always spoke about his country with
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pride and respect. Thus, his work in the West instilled selfrespect and self-confidence in the Indian psyche and helped
India in its search for identity. It also helped to overcome
the stereotypes and deep-rooted prejudices about India in
Westerners minds.
After giving up his lecture tour, the Swami started giving
free classes on Vedanta and Yoga in New York. This resulted
in the founding of the Vedanta Society there. In the summer
of 1895 he sailed for England at the invitation of E. T. Sturdy
and Henrietta Muller. His lectures there were quite successful.
In December 1895 Vivekananda returned to the United States,
where he continued his classes in New York and also lectured
in other cities, and then returned to Europe again in April
1896. In May 1896, the Swami met Max Muller and his wife
at Oxford. At the end of December 1896, Vivekananda sailed
to India from Europe.
When the news broke that Swami Vivekananda was returning to India, people all over the country prepared to give
him a heros welcome. The Swami arrived in South India in
January 1897 accompanied by three of his Western disciples.
Wherever he went, addresses of welcome were presented and
multitudes gathered to see him. In Vivekanandas response
to these addresses, he indicated that he had a plan in mind to
help uplift the masses. In fact, as early as 24 December 1894,
he had written in a letter:
My whole ambition in life is to set in motion a machinery
which will bring noble ideas to the door of everybody, and
then let men and women settle their own fate.8
On 1 May 1897, a few months after his return to Kolkata,
the Swami set his plan in motion when he founded the Ramakrishna Mission. This was the beginning of an organized
movement to help the suffering masses through educational,
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cultural, medical and relief work. Within a few weeks of
the founding of the Ramakrishna Mission, one of Swami
Vivekanandas brother disciples, Swami Akhandananda, was
passing through Murshidabad in Bengal and was struck by
the pitiful condition of the people there, who were suffering
from a famine. He immediately started relief work. Since then
the Ramakrishna Mission has continued to come to the aid of
those suffering from natural or man-made calamities.
It may not be out of place to mention that in a speech
made in 1993, Federico Mayor, Director-General of unesco,
stated:
I am indeed struck by the similarity of the constitution of
the Ramakrishna Mission which Vivekananda established
as early as 1897 with that of unesco drawn up in 1945.
Both place the human being at the centre of their efforts
aimed at development. Both place tolerance at the top of
the agenda for building peace and democracy. Both recognize the variety of human cultures and societies as an
essential aspect of the common heritage.9
About two years after Vivekanandas return to India, the
centre, which his brother disciples had managed while he was
in the West, was transferred to a large piece of land at Belur,
across the river from Kolkata. This became the headquarters
of the Ramakrishna Mission. Vivekananda emphasized that
the aim of the mission was man-making, and he wanted
it eventually to develop a university as part of its mission.
About this time the Swami received a letter requesting him
to head the Research Institute of Science that Sir Jamshedji
Tata had set up, but he declined the offer as it conflicted with
his spiritual interests.10
In June 1899, he returned to Europe with one of his brother
disciples and also Sister Nivedita, an Irish disciple. After a
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short stay in London, Vivekananda sailed for New York. A few
months later he left for California where a series of lectures
and classes led to the founding of the Vedanta Society in San
Francisco. He eventually returned to New York, but in July
1900 went to Paris, where he stayed for three months. During
this time he participated in the Congress of the History of Religions held in connection with the Universal Exposition.
The Swami returned to Kolkata on 9 December 1900. For
the most part he spent his last days at the Belur centre, training his young followers and guiding the organization. He
expected his followers to be exemplars of an ideal type of
human being, and he inspired them by saying:
Tell me what you have done. Couldnt you give away one
life for the sake of others? Let this body go in the service of othersand then I shall know you have not come
to me in vain!11
On 4 July 1902, he was more vigorous than he had been for
a long time, and he busied himself with various activities. In
the evening he meditated and left his body, as he himself had
predicted, in a high yogic state. He was only 39 years old.

EducationWhat It Means
Sister Nivedita used to say that those who knew Swami
Vivekananda understood that he was one who had experienced in his own life all the truths about which he spoke.
This is equally valid when he addressed the subject of education. Swamiji knew that education plays a vital role in curing
the evils in society, and is critical in shaping the future of
humanity. Although Vivekananda did not write a book on
education, he contributed valuable thoughts on the subject
that are relevant and viable today. In order to understand his
thoughts, we should first consider his oft-quoted definition of
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education: Education is the manifestation of the perfection
already in man.12
Vivekanandas definition of education is one of remarkable insight. First of all, the word manifestation implies that
something already exists and is waiting to be expressed. The
main focus in learning is to make the hidden ability of a
learner manifest. As Vivekananda said, what a man learns
is really what he discovers, by taking the cover off his own
soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.13 According to
the Vedanta philosophy, knowledge is inherent in a human
being, like a spark in a piece of flint, and all that is needed
is the strike of suggestion to bring it out. Manifestation
indicates spontaneous growth, provided the impediments, if
any, are removed.
Next in importance in the Swamis definition of education
is the expression already in man. This refers to a human beings potential, which is the range of the abilities and talents,
known or unknown that he is born with. Potential speaks of
the possibility of awakening something that is lying dormant.
Israel Scheffler, in his book Of Human Potential, considers
three aspects of this:
(a) the capacity to acquire a specific characteristic or to become someone who possesses it. For instance, we might
say, Amal has the capacity to become a Maradona, the
world-famous soccer player;
(b) the propensity is an attribute which indicates what a person
is likely to do when the opportunity comes and freedom
of choice is available. It suggests something about a persons motivation. For example, Rabindranath Tagores
propensity, expressed in his Gitanjali, indicates his strong
aspiration to discover the wonder behind this creation;
and
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(c) the capability means a persons motivation and efficiency in
working towards an intended outcome. It refers to something more than a persons capacity to perform. Rather, it
is a persons strength and capacity to get rid of obstacles
to his learningsuch as lack of motivation or obstacles
in his environment.
Thus, these three conceptscapacity, propensity and capabilityemphasize three aspects of education, respectively:
(a) That which makes learning possible;
(b) The development of learning; and
(c) Self-development or self-empowerment.
A child has many potentials of variable worth, and they
may create mental conflict within him. Therefore, he has to
learn to choose which he should try to develop, and which he
should minimize, counter, or ignore. Then again, as his chosen
potentials start to unfold, they should be supervized in order
to achieve their harmonious and purposeful development.
The word perfection in the Swamis definition of education
is also very significant. We can see that every act connected
with learning, training, etc., is part of a process directed towards an end. The English word perfect implies completion,
or something being made whole. The Greek word teleics is
translated as perfect, and suggests the idea of attaining a goal
or an end. Drawing on these meanings, one may conclude that
perfection in educational parlance is the goal of actualizing
the highest human potential.

The Goal of Education

The goal of educationgeneral or ultimateis essentially
laid down by society and therefore varies from society to
society. Even as every society tries to keep pace with the con18

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temporary world, societies with a stable and older tradition
cherish some higher goals of everlasting value. Taking into
consideration the vast experience of the Indian civilization,
Vivekanandas use of the word perfection needs to be viewed
at two levels:
1. Perfection in the metaphysical sense implies the realization of the souls own ever-perfect nature. The Vedanta
philosophy says that a human being is not born a sinner, nor
is he necessarily a victim of circumstances. The main cause of
his suffering is his ignorance of his true nature. Explaining
the implications of this, Vivekananda once said:
The Light Divine within is obscured in most people. It is
like a lamp in a cask of iron, no gleam of light can shine
through. Gradually, by purity and unselfishness, we can
make the obscuring medium less and less dense, until at
last it becomes transparent as glass.14
2. At the empirical level, the concept of perfection has
to address the various problems human beings encounter in
society. As Swami Vivekananda said:
The education which does not help the common mass of
people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which
does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lionis it worth the name?
Real education is that which enables one to stand on ones
own legs.15
Education, he said, must provide life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.16 The ideal of
this type of education would be to produce an integrated
personone who has learned how to improve his intellect,
purify his emotions, and stand firm on moral virtues and
unselfishness.
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There are two levels of values designated by the ancient
Indian scriptures, par vidy (spiritual values) and apar
vidy (secular values). This division is merely for practical
convenience; otherwise vidy, or learning, is a continuum,
leading one towards the ultimate goal which according to
Vivekananda is complete freedom of the soul.
Vivekananda also observed that, if education is to serve the
entire human being, in all his or her dimensions, the pursuit
of knowledge will be a lifelong process. Even an illustrious
person like Sri Ramakrishna said, from his own experience,
As long as I live, so long do I learn. At the empirical level,
todays knowledge explosion can keep people engaged for
their entire lives. Therefore, education must be considered a
continuous and lifelong process.

Education and Social Justice

So far, our discussion of Vivekanandas ideas on education
has been a simplistic analysis centring round his definition of
education. However, this fails to do justice to some of his ideas
on related issues, such as the relationship between education
and society, between education and the teacher, between the
professed goals of education and the goals actually achieved,
and so forth. It is apparent, therefore, that Vivekanandas
deep concern for social justice has not been so far reflected
in our definition.
To this end, we can probe further into the expressions
manifestation and already in man, bearing in mind the
situation in India in those days. In explaining the term
manifestation, the Swami quoted part of one of the yoga
aphorisms of Patanjali (4.3)Tatah kshetrikavat (therefore the
obstructions)that is to say, just as a farmer breaks the barriers to a course of water, which thereafter flows by its own force
to irrigate his fields, so also a persons inherent power will
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spontaneouslymanifestitselfwhenexternalandinternalobstacles,ifany,areremovedatthepropertimebytheteachers
ortheeducationsystem.Suchobstaclesareofvariouskinds.
Externalobstaclesmightbeintheformofunfairdistribution
ofeducationalresourcesandopportunities,inequalitiesin
economicdevelopmentandsocio-politicalinstability;whereas
internalobstaclesmighthavetodowiththedynamicsofthe
educationsystem,suchastheteacher-studentrelationship,the
studentscapacitytomakepersonaljudgementsortoadaptto
changes,andthestudentsmentalorphysicalcapacities.
Inordertotackletheseobstacles,theeducationsystem
shouldtakeontworesponsibilities:
(a) It should help a person build a healthy and dynamic
frameofmindtoenablehimtomeetthechallengesof
life;and
(b)Itshouldtrytoprevent,throughpropertrainingofits
presentstudents,anyfutureevilsinpeopleandsociety
whicharelikelytofurthercomplicatetheproblemsof
humanbeings.
Atthesametime,however,theteachersandthedesigners
ofeducationsystemsmustalwayskeepinmindtheVedantic
ideathatwhatsoevergoodorbadimpressionsamindcarries,
ahumanbeingisessentiallypureanddivine,andarepository
ofimmensepossibilities.
InVivekanandasview,educationalconcernsrelatedtoa
personsinteractionwithsocietyshouldreceivedueattention.
Thepurposeofsocietyistohelpsecurethewell-beingof
humanbeings.Inreality,however,humanbeingsfrequently
findthemselvesentrappedinasocietythatthreatenstheir
freedom,afreedomessentialfortheireducationalgrowth.An
idealsociety,accordingtoVivekananda,shouldprovidethe
resourcesaswellastheopportunityforeachofitsmembersto
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develop his or her potential to the maximum. Education must
embrace the whole society, with special attention to those who
are most in need of it and who, for one reason or another, are
unable to avail themselves of the existing facilities.

Training the Mind

Vivekananda concurred with contemporary thinkers when
he asserted that the mindthe chief instrument of learning
deserves more attention than it had earlier received. Training
the mind should be a students highest priority, and not simply
the accumulation, the memorizing and the repeating of facts.
In the long run, stuffing ones mind with information, technical skills and useless trivia only creates more problems if ones
mind is not nourished and strengthened and made healthy.
Yet training of the mind in all its aspects is conspicuously
absent in todays education.
Learning to concentrate the mind was the focus in the
Swamis scheme. He said:
To me the very essence of education is concentration of
mind, not the collecting of facts.17
In doing anythingsuch as thinking, working with the
hands, etc.the better the power of concentration the better
the outcome will be. And this power of keeping the mind on
the task can be improved. Training the mind to concentrate
on a specific subject has several stages, the primary one being learning how to collect the mind and preventing it from
running hither and thither. The student trains his mind to be
more attentive and more mindful.
Next, the student must learn how to detach his mind from
distractions that impose themselves in spite of himself. Then,
simultaneously, he must direct the mind to the desired subject
and focus the full force of his mind on it. To give an example:
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a convex lens gathers sunlight and focuses it on one point
to burn a piece of paper. Likewise, when a mind becomes
concentrated, it acquires tremendous power and is able to
unlock the mysteries of the subject it is focused upon.
Similarly, the Swami also wanted students to cultivate willpower. According to him, will-power is developed when the
current and expression of will are brought under control and
become fruitful.18 Will-power is necessary not only to conduct
the learning process, but also to strengthen ones character.

Culture and EducationThe Teacher and the Pupil

Every society has its outer aspect called civilization, and
also its inner aspect called culture. In both of these a child
is moulded and educated so that the beliefs and practices of
his forefathers are carried on and not forgotten. Nevertheless,
as Vivekananda says:
It is culture that withstands shocks, not a simple mass of
knowledge. Knowledge is only skin-deep, as civilization
is, and a little scratch brings out the old savage.19
A society is forever adding to its learning and culture. To
the brilliant mind of T. S. Eliot, education was but a manifestation of culture. He said, The purpose of education, it seems,
is to transmit culture; so culture is likely to be limited to what
can be transmitted by education.20
Similarly, Vivekananda observed that, through education,
a child becomes cultured and his behaviour is moulded accordingly, and he is thus guided towards his eventual role in
society. In this process, several agentssuch as his parents,
peers and teachersassist him. But nowadays, as formal education has become more and more institutionalized, teachers
are expected to play a more significant role. A teacher needs
to help a student learn how to think, what to think, how to
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discriminate and how to appreciate things. This is not just
a matter of intellectual manipulation. This kind of teaching
requires moral conviction and the courage to continuously
pursue ones own course at all costs. The teacher must not
only possess the knowledge he is to transmit to the student,
but he must also know how to transmit it. And in addition to
the content of the teaching, what the teacher gives or transfers, to be truly effective, must possess some other elements.
For instance, the teacher should share with the students the
conviction that they are both truly one Spiritat the same
time cultivating in the student, a feeling of dignity and self
respect.21As Vivekananda said:
The only true teacher is he who can immediately come
down to the level of the student, and transfer his soul to
the students soul and see through the students eyes and
hear through his ears and understand through his mind.
Such a teacher can really teach and none else.22
In a favourable ambience such as this the process of uncovering23 the veil of ignorance works smoothly.
On the students side, in order to facilitate manifestation
of his innate strength and knowledge, he should cultivate the
spirit of raddhthat is, faith in himself, humility, submission and veneration for the teacher. This is also necessary to
create a favourable environment for learning. The Taittiriya
Upanishad (1.11.2) gives the instruction: chrya devo bhavalet
the teacher be your deva (i.e. a person fit to be worshipped
or highly honoured). The teacher-pupil relationship, based
on respect and mutual trust, is the cornerstone of the edifice
of Vivekanandas scheme of education. The Upanishads also
advocate this. Before starting the lesson, the teacher and the
pupils were to pray together so that they would mutually benefit and be strengthened by the teaching/learning process.
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Character Education and Universal Values

Vivekanandasguru,SriRamakrishna,usedtosaythat
mnushneedstobecomemn-hushthatis,amanneedstobecomeatrueman.Healoneisaman,hesaid,whosespiritual
consciousnesshasbeenawakened.24FollowinghisMaster,
Vivekanandaemphasizedthattheidealofalleducation,all
training,shouldbethisman-making.Lamentingoverthe
prevailingsystemofeducation,hesaid:
wearealwaystryingtopolishuptheoutside.Whatuse
inpolishinguptheoutsidewhenthereisnoinside?The
endandaimofalltrainingistomakethemangrow.25
Inordertorectifythedefectsintheexistingsystem,mans
limitedviewofhimself,onwhichtheexistingsystemofeducationisbased,needstobereconsidered.Ahumanbeingis
notsimplyacompositeofbodyandmind.Heissomething
more.AccordingtotheVedantaphilosophy,ahumanbeing
hasfivesheaths,orcoverings:thephysicalsheath,thevital
sheath,thementalsheath,theintellectualsheath,andthe
blissfulsheath.Todayseducationcanatbesttouchthefirst
foursheaths,butnotthelastone.Secularknowledge,skills,
andmoralvaluesmaytakecareofthefirstfoursheaths,but
spiritualknowledgeisessentialforthefifth.Moreover,it
shouldbenotedthatthefifthsheathisthereservoirofbliss,
knowledge,andstrength,andallthesheathsareactivated
bythefifth.
Thereisnodoubtthattodayseducationneglectstraining
ofthemindinallitsaspects,butitalsoneglectsthespiritual
sideofhumanbeings.Peoplesmindsarenotdirectedto
higherpursuitsoflifewiththeresultthattheirhiddenpotentialsarenotrevealed.Onlywhenwisdom,peace,strength,
unselfishness,lovingconcernforothersandothervirtues
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become evident is a person transformed from a sensuous being
to a true human being.
A tremendous explosion of knowledge without commensurate wisdom, plus immense power not tempered with discrimination, has made education today a potential source of
danger. This is a serious problem looming large on humanitys
horizon. As Vivekananda observed:
Intellect has been cultured with the result that hundreds
of sciences have been discovered, and their effect has been
that the few have made slaves of the manythat is all the
good that has been done. Artificial wants have been created; and every poor man, whether he has money or not,
desires to have those wants satisfied, and when he cannot,
he struggles, and dies in the struggle.26
In order to counterbalance this uneven development,
Vivekananda strongly recommended the adoption of a spiritual and ethical culture, and he looked upon religion as
the innermost core of education.27 But by religion he did
not mean any particular religion. Religion to him meant
the true eternal principles that inspire every religion. This
is what touches the heart and has the potential to effect
desirable changes in ones motivation. It also gives mental
strength and broadness of outlook. Discussing the practical implications of morality, Swami Vivekananda once
observed:
What is meant by morality? Making the subject strong by
attuning it to the Absolute, so that finite nature ceases to
have control over us.28
Thus, in order to be worthwhile and effective, education
must be rooted in religionor, to be precise, in the science
of spirituality, and evidently not in dogma.
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Character-building was fundamental in Vivekanandas
educational scheme, as against career-orientation, which occupies centre-stage in todays education. A person is what his
thoughts have made him. Explaining this the Swami said,
Each thought is a little hammer blow on the lump of iron
which our bodies are, manufacturing out of it what we want
it to be.29 That is why one finds that the focus of the Swamis
educational thoughts was on assimilation of man-making,
character-building ideas.
Everything a person does, every thought, every move,
leaves an impression on the mind. Even when it is not outwardly apparent, it is strong enough to work beneath the
surface. A persons character is determined by the sum total
of these impressions. When a large number of these impressions come together, they form a habit. This then becomes a
powerful force, for character is but repeated habits. This is
why, through the acquisition and repetition of desirable habits,
ones character can be remodelled.
The people one associates with, good or bad, contribute
much to the development of ones character. In fact, their
impact is greater than that of didactic teaching. That is why
Swami Vivekananda said: Words, even thoughts, contribute
only one-third of the influence in making an impression; the
man, two-thirds.30 He therefore desired that the teachers
life and personality should be like a blazing fire which could
have a positive influence on the pupils in his care. Exposure
to exemplary role models, particularly when they are teachers, and also to wholesome curriculum materials that impart
culturally-approved values to the young, is critical to character
education.
Character-building education might focus on teaching
what is right and wrong. But simultaneously, or alternatively,
it should teach how to decide what is right and wrong. It
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m y i de a of educ at ion
has been rightly argued that participation in discussions of
morality is more instructive than simply hearing about it. In
any case, teachers should be moral exemplars if the classroom
and the school are to serve as arenas for the teaching of ethics.
The students then have the experience of being part of a group
of people who take moral values seriously, and this helps them
imbibe moral values spontaneously.
The present education system has overemphasized the cultivation of the intellect at the cost of the general well-being
of humanity. To check this dangerous trend, Vivekananda
strongly recommended all-round development of human beings. In one of his lectures he expressed the desire that all
men were so constituted that in their minds all these elements
of philosophy, mysticism, emotion, and of work were equally
present in full! That is the ideal, my ideal of a perfect man.31
And the Swami expected that the education systems would
be suitably designed to produce such wholesome human beings. Interestingly, the unesco report Learning to Be published
in 1972, while defining the aim of education, echoed this same
idea. It reads: The physical, the intellectual, emotional and
ethical integration of the individual into a complete man is a
broad definition of the fundamental aim of education.32

The Education System and the Poor

So far we have discussed education primarily in the
context of the society that already benefits from education.
Vivekananda, however, was a genuine friend of the poor and
the weak, particularly the helpless masses of India, and he
was the first Indian leader who sought a solution to their
problems through education. He argued that a nation was
advanced to the extent that education and culture reached
the masses. Unless there was uniform circulation of national
blood all over the body, the nation could not rise. He insisted
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t h e educ at ion is t Pa r e xcel l ence

that it was the duty of the upper classes, who had received
their education at the expense of the poor, to come forward
and uplift the poor through education and other means. In
fact, the Swamis mission was for the poor. He once said,
There must be equal chance for allor if greater for some
and for some lessthe weaker should be given more chance
than the strong.33
The trend in recent years has been to shift the responsibility
for education from the family, religious institutions, private
charities and so forth, to public authorities, particularly the
State. Yet, in spite of this shift to the State, education has
hardly reached the most underprivileged. As they are often victims of malnutrition, poor hygienic conditions and
overcrowded housing, they can hardly take advantage of any
half-hearted opportunity that is offered.
Vivekananda felt that alienation of any kind from the
masses of society, who are mostly poorwhether it be alienation through learning, through wealth or through force of
armsweakens the leadership of a county. Therefore, for a
sustainable regeneration of India, if not for anything else, top
priority must be given to educating the masses and restoring to them their lost individuality. They should not only
be given education to make them self-reliant, but also ideas,
moral training and an understanding of their own historical situation so that they can work out their own salvation.
Furthermore, they must be given culture, without which there
can be no hope for their long-term progress.
The Swami was particularly worried about the degradation
of women in India. He was emphatic that women must be
educated, for he believed that it is the women who mould
the next generation, and hence, the destiny of the country.
In Vivekanandas educational scheme for India, the uplift
of women and the masses received the highest priority,
29

m y i de a of educ at ion
and his ideas approximated to Paulo Freires concept of
Conscientization.34

Conclusion
There have been many changes in the field of education
since Swami Vivekananda passed away more than one hundred years ago, but not as many changes as in other areas of
society. One such noticeable change in education is that it is
now engaged in preparing human beings for a new type of
society, and it is trying to create a new type of human being for
it. Interestingly, Swami Vivekananda had envisioned a society
with a new type of human being in whom knowledge, action,
work, and concentration were harmoniously blended, and he
proposed a new type of education for achieving this.
The right to education for everyone, guaranteed by the Constitution of India, was Vivekanandas dream, but it is still a far
cry from its goal. His idea of continual or lifelong education,
however, has been adopted in many countries already. Moreover, because of the adoption of continuous education in these
countries, our idea of what constitutes success and failure has altered, raising new hope for the weak, underprivileged section of
these societiesthe very people who for various reasons cannot
complete their education when they are young. Vivekanandas
cry for the uplift of the downtrodden masses, particularly of the
long-neglected women, has evoked a favourable response from
different quarters, but societies tailor education to meet their
own needs, thereby often robbing the weak of their freedom to
determine their own destiny. Unless radical changes are made
in all societies the poor will never be able to raise themselves.
This was a major concern of the Swami.
There is a remarkable similarity between Vivekanandas
thoughts and actions a century ago and the present concerns
of unesco.
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t h e educ at ion is t Pa r e xcel l ence

His commitment towards universal values and tolerance,

his active identification with humanity as a whole.
The struggle in favour of the poor and destitute, to reduce
poverty and to eliminate discrimination against women
reaching the unreached.
His vision of education, science and culture as the essential instruments of human development.
The idea that education should be a lifelong process.
And the need to move away from rote learning.

Himself a visionary and an original thinker, Vivekananda

pointed out in his first public lecture in Asia, on 15 January
1897: But education has yet to be in the world, and civilizationcivilization has begun nowhere yet.35This is true. If we
consider civilization to be the manifestation of the divine in
human beings, as Vivekananda conceived it to be, no society
has made much progress so far. This is why we find that mildness, gentleness, forbearance, tolerance, sympathy and so
forththe signs of a healthy civilizationhave not taken root
in any society on an appreciable scale, although we prematurely
boast of a global village. The lack of basic necessities among
the underprivileged all over the world is no less striking than
the lack of morality among the educated privileged ones. To
squarely meet this great challenge, Vivekananda prescribed
man-making and character-building education.36 For this
reason, if not for anything else, Vivekanandas thoughts on
education ought to be seriously re-examined today.

References and Notes

1. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama,
Kolkata [hereafter, CW] 4. 179.
2. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, SriRamakrishnaMath,Chennai
[hereafter, Gospel] p. 35.

31

m y i de a of educ at ion
3. CW. 6.255.
4. CW.8.476.
5. Datta, B. 1993. Swami Vivekananda, Patriot-ProphetA Study.
Kolkata:NababharatPublishers.pp.88,286.
6. Gambhirananda, Swami. 1996. Yuganayak Vivekananda, 3
volumes(inBengali),Kolkata:UdbodhanKaryalaya,Vol.
I,p.74.
7. Bhagavad Gita,5.25.
8. CW.5.29.
9. SpeechbyFedericoMayor,Director-Generalofunesco,on
the occasion of the Exhibition and Seminar in CommemorationoftheCentenaryofSwamiVivekanandasappearanceat
the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893, given at unesco
Headquarters,8October1993.
10. Vivekananda inspired Sir Jamshedji Tata to set up this
educationalschemewhentheyhadtravelledtogetherfrom
YokohamatoChicagoontheSwamisfirstvisittotheWest,
in1893.
11. Romain Rolland, The Life of Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel,trans.E.F.Malcolm-Smith(Kolkata:AdvaitaAshrama,
1992),p.166.
12.CW.4.358.
13. CW.1.28.
14.CW.7.21.
15. CW.7.147-148.
16.CW.3.302.
17. CW.6.38.
18.CW.4.490.
19.CW.3.291.
20.G.H.Bantock,T. S. Eliot and Education.London:Faber&
Faber, 1970, p.86.
21.Srimad Bhgavatam,3.29.27.
22.CW.4.183.

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t h e educ at ion is t Pa r e xcel l ence

23. CW. 1.28.
24.Gospel,851.
25.CW.2.15.
26.CW.1.414.
27.CW.3.182;5.231.
28.CW.2.137.
29.CW.7.20.
30.CW.2.14.
31. CW.2.388.
32.Edgar Faure et al., Learning to Be, Paris: unesco, 1972,
p. 156.
33.Letters of Swami Vivekananda,p.255.
34. Paulo Freire (1921-1997) of Brazil, one of the best known
educatorsofourtime,developedateachingsystembased
on an educational process that focuses on the learners environment.AccordingtoFreire,thelearnermustbeawareof
thehistoricalsituationinwhichheissituated,andhemust
understandhowtheknowledgeheacquiresrelatestohimself
and to the society he lives in. Freire laid emphasis on building
criticalawarenesstoenableapersontoreadandwritenot
words, but true realityi.e. to understand true reality. Critical
awarenessbuildingdoesnotstopatreflectionbutincludes
actiononthatreflection.Vivekanandaalsobelievedthata
personisthemakerofhisowndestinyandpropereducation
can help him achieve this.
35.CW.3.114.
36.Inthisconnectionwecancitetheviewsofsomehistorians.
WillandArielDurant,intheirThe Lessons of History,said,
Evolution in men during recorded time has been social rather
thanbiological:ithasproceedednotbyheritablevariationsin
the species, but mostly by economic, political, intellectual and
moralinnovationtransmittedtoindividualsandgenerations
by imitation, custom or education (Will Durant and Ariel
Durant,The Lessons of History,NewYork:Simon&Schuster,
1968,p.34).

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