“Bhagavat Gita” – The Meeting Point for An American Scholar , An Australian Expert and an Indian

The Chinese word for "crisis" 

School Psychology Programme in Pondicherry

A couple of days ago, upon invitation from the Organizers of a “Five Day Training Programme in School Psychology” for the Government School Principals and Teacher Educators of the Union Territory of Pondicherry, I joined the team of National and International Experts in School Psychology. Prof. G.B.Thakur, former Chairman NCTE and a phenomenal personality , Prof. Bill Pfol, President, International School Psychology Association and Professor, Western Kentucky University, USA and Ms.Coosje Griffith, a practitioner of school psychology in Western Australia with a very good reputation.

I was the part of the training team and was invited to speak on Indian School Education System, Right to Education Act and the Policy Dimension of School Education.

The audiences were school principals with more than three decade of service in schools in and around in Puducherry.

Indian School Education’s Condition

I was almost to suffer a heart attack that none of the participants have ever seen a copy of India’s National Education Policy, 1986 and its amended version of 1992. When Prof.Bill Pfol was speaking about Policy Advocacy in US on School Psychology and Ms.Coosje Griffith was speaking about “a definitive School Policy” as a guideline for a program of action plan, it is a sad reality that our Teachers are kept in dark about the National Education Policy, 1986, that is the guiding light for Indian Educational System! At least we lack the developed countries by six to seven decades in knowledge growth! I wish to write about this in a separate occasion and hence reserve my comments on the same.

An Interesting Piece of knowing Chinese Word for Crisis

            In course of our conversation, I found I was talking more on Western Thinkers like Maslow, Freud, Jung and Prof. Bill was speaking more on Eastern Thinkers and the Oriental cultures and Ms.Coosje, the Australian versatile person and a sweet person was almost obsessed with Tagore as she was quoting him in and out.

            It was in that encounters, Prof.Bill Pfol introduced me about the Chinese word for Crisis. Popularized in a public speech by JFK in 1959, in a convocation address, where he mentioned as follows:-

When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters.

One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.

( Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_word_for_%22crisis%22) and also there are some counter arguments for the same http://pinyin.info/chinese/crisis.html).

            Mentioning the above, Prof. Bill Pfol, asked me if there is any Indian equivalence for the Chinese Expression of Crisis.

            I after making a quick references, replied Prof.Bill as follows:-

Regarding the Indian response for Crisis:

This is my understanding that I also cross checked with some good friends who have a great depth in Indian Philosophy and Mysticism.

You would be surprised to note that according to Hindu Traditions, our acts and deeds are outcome of our own actions ( Karma). (You can find the correlation of Einstein’s third law of motion – Every Action has an equal and opposite reaction). Further, there is nothing called Good or Bad, Crisis or Bliss since this world itself is an illusion (Maya- which goes hand in hand with the word “void” of Ecclesiastes of the Old Testament).

Therefore, the question of crisis management or rejoicing is to be treated alike by a stable human ( Sithapragnyan), as Bhagavat Gita, the sacred Text of Hindus say. With these backdrop, I would like to draw your attention to what “Acceptance Theory of Hindu Tradition to whatever happens”, is elicited in the summation of Bhagavat Gita called “ Gita Saaram” ( ‘saaram’ means essence). It is as follows:-

The ‘Gita Saaram’, or the wordings which Lord Krishna told to Arjuna during Kurushetra War is translated in English as below.
Whatever has happened is for good.
Whatever is happening is going on well.
Whatever will happen will also be good.
Why are you repenting for whatever you have lost?
Have you brought anything with you that you have lost?
Have you produced anything that is destroyed?
Whatever you have gained, you have taken it from here.
Whatever you gave, you have given it here.
Whatever belongs to you today, belonged to someone yesterday,
And It may belong to someone the day after.
“Change is the Rule of Nature”. 

            This is the absolute essence of a Hindu way of encountering Life/World.

I wish you this mail would have given you some clarity. If not, please get back to me.

Sincerely,

Sd/-

However, on a deeper thinking I wonder whether the ‘Gita saram’  is a deliberate construction for consoling the weak and the meek and do not have nothing to do with people who are deeply self motivated. Does it not enforce “Status Quo” or a standstill of all activities and simply enforce an implicit discipline to accept things as they are? Does it not sound that it addresses the “Losers” or does it really caution a victorious person not to be complacent?

In any case, When Hinduism itself is a democratic institution that even accommodated atheism as a part of it ( Choonyavadh – again reminds me few selective portion of of Ecclesiastes of the Old Testament),  does this ‘Gita Saram’ really a part of the understanding of Gita? Because, I am alarmed at the mechanic approach it applies to human liberation and slavery, both alike! I started thinking on it seriously wish you also join me, despite our other chores and expected functions to fulfill all our existential needs!

            How beautiful is this world of Ideas?

(I again sound a caution to the readers that I have given the treatment of Bhavat Gita for this very particular context and not the whole idea of society, caste and divisions)