Hari Bol......
7. Listen to Heart - Learning by Unlearning has No Bar ….
In the morning when we go out for work, it is an atmosphere where everyone is in hurry and keeps on moving in his / her own direction. We just wish each other a very good morning or hello and ask how are you and how do you do…..It is a positive vibration. We go all fresh.
A child goes to school. You may find parents with them who go to drop him till the bus stop or the school. We observe that the child talks to his mother on the way. He gets his last moment queries clear before he reaches. He asks or tells his friend if any confusion is left in the mind. In school he gets more knowledge by his teacher. This cycle goes on and moves to college and to university and so on. In the process he clears the doubts. Even when one starts his professional career he is in the process of learning by being trainee. A student comes out of his college / university with some theoretical and bit practical knowledge. When he reaches to the work place he realizes that he is in the ocean. He starts interaction with his team mates may be his senior, counterparts or junior. A person with open mind keeps on going and keeps on learning day by day.
When a child goes to bed his mother, grandmother, tells him many good lessons in form of story. It is in this form he is able to remember easily for whole of his life. Parents will ask a teenager more about his activity of the whole day. They take more care during this age of his as it is a crucial time for him. This teaches us about our traditions. One should grow with tradition. I remember my grandfather used to ask me to wish everyone, whenever I meet. He taught to touch the elders’ feet and take blessings. Though I was young when my grandfather ( I used to call him Pitaji ) passed away but I still remember he used to tell that “ a man is a human being first and his first priority should be to attain humanity and then the desired professional qualification will automatically be achieved “. This is one of the tag line which I try to take care. Do we require an official classroom to learn this, rather any place where you can learn is a classroom.
A child has inclination towards learning. One has to be childish in nature to keep his learning process always young. During learning he has to be fresh so he has to keep the process of unlearning in open mind. The mind has to be open and not blocked else if unlearning is not there then learning cannot take place. Learning is necessary part to keep updated. So there is no age bar for learning. An open mind person tries to learn from everyone he is in contact may be a male, female, young, old, any religion, any cast, any nationality, at any place (school, field, travelling, etc.), at any time, ….. A teacher and a student are not interested to have any bar during learning process as hindrance, rather they try to raise the bar of learning. The whole life is a learning process, whole world is an institution and everyone is a teacher. When Sachin Tendulkar joined the Indian Cricket team he was the youngest and when he retired he was the oldest. He could play for maximum number of years. It was due to his alertness and attitude towards learning new techniques by unlearning the older ones.
Arjuna asks Krishna to take his chariot in the middle of the battlefield. When he sees the opponent army he sees them not as soldiers with whom he has to fight but sees them as relatives. It was due to his emotions overwhelming. He refuses to fight. More than the actual battlefield which disturbed him was a battle which started in his mind was between emotions and reasons of battle. The blindness took over due to his emotions. Arjuna believed Krishna as his friend and guide. He surrendered himself to Krishna. Arjuna Said, “My Dear Krishna, Seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.” Krishna then gave him lessons to lift him out of external and internal battlefield. Krishna took the role of a teacher and made the battlefield (Kurukshetra) as an institution and Arjuna as his student. Krishna is available at any time and at any place for whole of our life as a teacher, guide, friend, parents, and child. He abodes in our Heart. We need to Listen to Heart.
Courtesy : Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ) , Srimad Bhagavad-Gita ( by A. Parthasarathy & www.gitadaily.com ) Chapter 1 : Text 28
