The phrase Adhyatma Vidya Vidyanam means true education is that education which awakens the spirit in man. This true education is regarded as one offering true wisdom. It is only wisdom that endows one with the sense of discrimination which in turn paves way towards having a right attitude to life. This true education is abundant in India, the land of rishis, the seers of eternal truth. Since aeonic times, India has been following the rishi tradition. The literature penned by them has come down to us in the forms of the Vedas, Upanishads, epics, etc. They are a repository of spiritual knowledge that has been passed on to us by the rishis for us to follow. There are many inspiring stories from the Indian mythology stressing the importance of bhakti and its impact on one’s life, society and nation.
The stories of Prahladha, Sabari, Markandeya, Dhruva and Nachiketa from the Bhagavatham, Ramayanam and Mahabharatham are well known to us. Down the ages, we have been witnessing this tradition from bhaktas like Namadeva, Tukaram, Meerabai, Surdas, Kabirdas, etc. Of the three yogas—jnana, karma and bhakti—it is bhakti alone that has led to the triumph in the lives of the aforementioned bhaktas and stands as an evidence to it. If one leafs through the Indian scriptures, one can understand that they promote and instill patriotism. It is evident from all the puranas and the epics. Even the literature created by the bhaktas speaks of the greatness of the Indian culture. Whenever there is a decline in this culture, we have been witnessing the emergence of redeemers (avataras) to defend this culture—the culture that emphasizes on the knowledge that is inside rather than the knowledge outside and asserts that truth is one though the learned call it by many names. To quote, Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanti. It is the inner culture that India has always stood and known for. On the contrary, we find the west stressing on the outward culture and we have been witnessing the repercussions of it, i.e., the collapse of many civilizations.
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