Principles and Goals of Integral Education Mother Mirra Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Principles and Goals
of
Integral Education
Principles and Goals
of
Integral Education
as propounded by
Sri Aurobindo and The Mother
and the experiment at
Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education,
Pondicherry
JUGAL KISHORE MUKHERJEE
SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM

PONDICHERRY
First edition 2005
Rs·75.00
ISBN 81-7058-806-5
© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 2005
Publ ished by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publicat ion Department
Pond icherry - 605 002
Website: http://sabda.sriaurobindoashram.org
Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press. Pondicherry
PRINTEDIN INDIA
CONTENTS
Foreword by Vijay Poddar

Why Is This Book Being Written ? v
I. Sri Aurobindo's Seven Principles
of Education
II. The Mother's Eleven Goals of Education 28
III. The Role and Responsibility of the Teachers 44
IV. The Mother on the Method of Teaching 48
V. "Free Progress" in Education 54
VI. Problems in "Free Progress" System 61
VII. Training in the Use of the "Free Progress"
System 76
VIII. SAlCE: Aims and Purpose Behind 85
IX. SAlCE: Courses of Study 94
X. SAlCE: The Status of "Certificates" 105
XI. On Discipline 115
XII. Two Potent Sources of Dilution 123
XIII . SAlCE: The Cradle of a New Humanity 134
"Am I what I ought to be?
Am I doing what I ought to be doing?
Am I progre ssing as much as I should? ..
What should I learn in order to make my next progress?
What infirmity must I cure ?
What shortcoming must I overcome?
What weakness must I get rid of? ..
How can I become capable of understanding
and serving the Divine?"
(CWM, Vol. 12, p. 384)
*
"Supreme Lord, Perfect Consciousness, You alone truly
know what we are, what we can do, the progress we
must make in order to become capable and worthy of
serving You as we want to do. Make us conscious of our
capacities, but also of our difficulties, so that we may be
able to surmount them and serve You faithfully."
(Ibid., p. 381)
(The above two citations, meant for the students and the
teache rs of SAlCE, were formulated by the Mother her-
self.)
Foreword
It is not often realised how important a place Education,

in the true sense of the word, occupies in the life, writings
and work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Sri Aurobindo
was a professor and later Vice Principal at the Baroda Col-
lege from 1897 to 1905. In 1906, he came to Calcutta as the
Principal of the newly founded Bengal National College. At
Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother laid the foun-
dation of a new centre of education, and some of the last
writings of Sri Aurobindo were meant for the Bulletin of
Physical Education.
After Sri Aurobindo left his body in December 1950, the
Mother announced in the beginning of 1951:
"One of the most recent forms under which Sri

Aurobindo conceived of the development of his work
was to establish at Pondicherry an International Univer-
sity Centre open to students from all over the world.
It is considered that the most fitting memorial to
his name would be to found this University now so as
to give concrete expression to the fact that his work con-
tinues with unabated vigour."
And at the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Convention held on 24th

April 1951, the Mother in her inaugural message declared:
"Sri Aurobindo is present in our midst, and with all

the power of his creative genius he presides over the
formation of the University Centre which for years he
ii Principles and Goals ofIntegral Education
considered as one of the best means of preparing the fu-

ture humanity to receive the supramental light that will
transform the elite of today into a new race manifesting
upon earth the new light and force and life.
In his name I open today this convention meeting
here with the purpose of realising one of his most cher-
ished ideals."
What could be more clear and emphatic!

This is how Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Edu-
cation (SAlCE) came into existence. Right from its birth, the
Mother took a direct and personal interest in every aspect of
its growth and development, guiding the teachers and herself
taking classes for children. Nothing was too small or insig-
nificant to deserve her care and attention.
SAlCE is meant to "open the way of the Future to chil-
dren who belong to the Future", as education is one of the
most powerful means of bringing about the supramental
transformation in the world. But then this education is and
has to be very different from what is normally understood
and practised . Drawn by this ideal, more and more individu-
als and groups want to understand the principles of Integral
Education as enunciated by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
and to create educational institutions founded on these prin-
ciples . But the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on
education are not found at one place or in one book. There is
therefore a need to present these writings in a manner which
will be suitable for all types of seekers - Spiritual aspirants
who look upon yoga as education and education as yoga,
scholars who would like to have an intellectual understand-
Foreword iii
ing of the philosophy underlying Integral Education, and

teachers and educationists who aspire to live and practise
its truth.
It is this need which is fulfilled by this book of Shri
Jugal Kishore Mukherjee or Jugal-da as he is ~nown to all of
us who have had the privilege of studying and teaching at the
SAlCE. Jugal-da is eminently suited for this task. A brilliant
student, he joined Sri Aurobindo Ashram as a sadhaka at the
young age of 24. He has been associated with SAlCE from
the beginning for now over 56 years and has been teaching a
variety of subjects. He has also been in charge of the higher
classes of SAlCE, named by the Mother "Knowledge",
looking after the growth and programmes of young girls and
boys, mostly from the ages 18 to 21.
Jugal-da brings to his writings and presentation the
aspiration and luminosity of a spiritual seeker, the heart of
a devotee and the clear analytical mind of a scientist. His
canvas in this book is very wide. He enunciates in depth
the principles and goals of Integral Education, the role and
responsibility of the teachers and explains the basis of the
"Free Progress" system. He also takes up in detail the aim,
the purpose and the courses at SAlCE and gives an inside
view of its practical working. Jugal-da does not hesitate to
bring to light the difficulties and obstacles which have been
and are still being faced, and the deficiencies which need to
be overcome, and the glorious future which awaits us if we
can be true to our ideals and follow the path which has been
opened before us by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
I believe this book will be of great value to teachers and
educationists everywhere and of a very special value to the
iv Principles and Goals of Integral Education
students and teachers of SAlCE. Every seeker can feel here

the presence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother through their
own words, find the answers to his or her questions, and
get the needed guidance, the light and the inspiration for
moving individually and collectively towards the supramen-
tal future.
VIJAY
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Pondicherry
Why Is This Book Being Written?
Why is this book being written? There are several reasons for
that. The very first reason is that it is by now well recognised
that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were not only Mahayogis,
masters of spirituality, they were at the same time great educa-
tionists as well. Both of them, in their diverse writings, fonnu-
lated fundamental principles of education with an altogether
new non-conventional goal in view. The Mother established a
school in Pondicherry in 1943 in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram to
put into practice these principles of education. She gave this
school a wider and higher scope with far-reaching consequences
for the future of humanity, by progressively transforming it into
a University Centre in 1953. This University Centre is currently
known as "Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education"
more familiarly known as "SAlCE", its acronym. Many a novel
and original experiment in education has been conducted in this
"Centre" under the Mother's direct guidance and is still being
conducted under the able supervision of her loving children
drawn from the international community. These experiments
have broken a new pathway in the field of education, for the
building up of a new type of a nobler humanity destined to arise
in the not so distant future. Now, many people in the outside
world, keenly interested in the future welfare of the human race,
are evincing a healthy curiosity about what exactly is going on
in SAlCE. This book will go a long way to meet their need.
The second reason behind the writing of this book comes
from the fact that educationists, college and school teachers,
University Vice-chancellors, and interested intellectuals have
been coining in a regular stream to visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram
to know first-hand the basic guiding principles and the actual
working of SAlCE, with a sincere desire of incorporating, as
vi Principles and GoaLs of IntegraL Education
much as possible and as far as practicable, its organic princi-

ples and practices in other centres of learning elsewhere. After
visiting SAlCE, they almost invariably ask for some literature
which will pinpoint in their mind the fundamental features of
our "Centre of Education". The present book will, we hope, act
as a helpful handbook to these friends in a manageably brief
compass.
Now comes a third but no less important reason. During
the long period when the Mother herself held the reins of "Sri
Aurobindo International Centre of Education", she trained un-
der her own direct guidance many of her children into capable
teachers who would properly understand her principles of edu-
cation, be clear about the true nature of the goal she set before
SAlCE, and honestly and whole-heartedly try to bring that into
fulfilment.
So far so good. But the fact cannot be denied that with the
inexorable passage of time many of these Mother-trained early
teachers have either retired from active service in the "Centre"
or quit their bodies altogether. There is a big void created as a
result. And this almost irreparable void is in the very nature of
things going to increase with the passage of time. What to do
about this matter?
Not only that. Over the years many new teachers, both
Indian and foreign, have joined the "Centre of Education"
without any previous training under the Mother. They may be
quite competent in teaching their academic subjects, but does
that suffice to become genuine teachers of SAlCE, capable of
fulfilling the Mother's expectation?
There is another factor to complicate the matter. This
comes from our own students . After completing their studies
in SAlCE , some of these young people, barely having crossed
their teens, express an aspiration to the Ashram authorities that
Why Is This Book Being Written? VII
they would like to join the Sri Aurobindo Ashram as perma-

nent sadhakas and sadhikas and serve the Mother. Now, the
Ashram Trustees select a few of them to be enrolled as teachers
in SAlCE in different subjects of their academic competence.
And they start teaching young children of our "Centre" with-
out being fully aware of what the Mother actually wanted to
achieve in her "Centre of Education" and what she expected
from the teachers and students here in the task of fulfilling her
goal, or even the principles of education, and the proper method
of teaching she advocated. Many among these novice teachers
may not have studied with meditative attention the numerous
writings of the Mother on every necessary aspect of education.
Each one tries to follow his own ad hoc method. The result
cannot but be confusion leading us slowly but surely away
from all that the Mother and Sri Aurobindo wanted to be done
through their International University Centre. These words are
unpalatable but better to accept them if true, and take remedial
measures in time. The present book is being humbly written and
offered to these young novice teachers to partially fill the lacuna
in their psychological training as teachers of SAlCE.
In fact, quite a few of my former students , turned teachers,
made a request to me to compose a book like this for their per-
sonal benefit. So it can be said that this book of mine too, as so
many of its predecessors, owes its origin to the request of my
dear students.
Now a last question: What credentials have I for writing
a book of such importance? The answer is: Absolutely none,
except, perhaps, the fact that I have been a teacher of this great
Centre of Education for more than fifty-five years, since 1949
till this day (2005), first helping the students in Physics and
Mathematics and subsequently in the study of the Works of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother.
viii Principles and Goals ofIntegral Education
My introduction and explanation end here. With a sense of

trepidation and humility may I now venture to bring this book
to the notice of the reading public for whatever little benefit it
may carry to them. All gratitude to the Mother.
J.K.M.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Pondicherry
April 24, 2005
I
Sri Aurobindo's Seven Principles

of Education
The world knows Sri Aurobindo as a Mahayogi, a great

philosopher, a renowned poet and an accomplished literary
critic. But not many people know that he has been a great
educationist as well. Even those who are aware of the fact
that Sri Aurobindo was a very successful teacher, - first at
the Baroda College during the years 1899 and 1906, then
in the Bengal National College, Calcutta, in the years 1906
and 1907, - have not much cared to study his educational
thoughts and insights or may not even be cognisant of the
other fact that the great propounder of Integral Yoga kept
up a life-long interest in the subject of what true education
should connote and imply. Although Sri Aurobindo had con-
tributed his first thoughts on education as far back as 1894
to the Journal Indu Prakash of Bombay and expressed his
views on the same subject for the last time in 1949 in the
quarterly Bulletin of Physical Education published from his
Ashram, it came as a pleasant surprise to many of his admir-
ers to hear from the Mother in 1951 after the passing of the
Mahayogi that "One of the most recent forms under which
Sri Aurobindo conceived of the development of his work
was to establish at Pondicherry an International University
centre open to students from all over the world." The Mother
was more specific when she revealed on 24 April of the same
year at the inaugural session of Sri Aurobindo Memorial
2 Principles and Goals ofIntegral Education
Convention held in Pondicherry:

upon earth the new light and force and life." (CWM, Vol.
12, p. 112)
All of us know that an integral divine transformation of

human life and existence in all its manifold expression has
been the one consistent and persistent occupation and preoc-
cupation of Sri Aurobindo during the last forty years of his
life. Hence, when we come to know from the Mother, his
spiritual collaborator in the same great enterprise, that the
establishment of a right kind of Centre of Education was
conceived by Sri Aurobindo as "one of his most cherished
ideals" (Ibid. ), we cannot but feel eager to know how educa-
tion can possibly play such a momentous role in the achieve-
ment of a total spiritual transformation of man and his life
- his life outer as well as inner. For, the type of education
that we are habitually acquainted with, that we see practised
around us, does not offer any hope, even the slightest hope,
of accompli shing this great task of human transformation
that Sri Aurobindo, the Integral Yogi has envisaged. Thence
arises our natural curiosity to know more precisely Sri
Aurobindo's idea of genuine education, its essential char-
acter and traits, as well as its method of execution so that it
Sri Aurobindo 's Seven Principles ofEducation 3
may smoothly and infallibly advance towards the fulfilment

of the great and noble task the Mahayogi has assigned to it.
The present essay is a humble attempt to satisfy this curios-
ity, although in brief; for, the short compass of a few pages
cannot possibly do justice to the adequate presentation of
Sri Aurobindo's thoughts in all their multisplendoured rich
significance.
To understand the educational philosophy of Sri
Aurobindo in all its bearings, to comprehend the logical
justification and inter-relation of all its principles and prac-
tices, we must first try to understand the basic Vision of Sri
Aurobindo as regards man, Nature and the world-process .
For, everything, all of Sri Aurobindo's views and formula-
tions, whether literary, philosohical or spiritual, derive or-
ganically from his fundamental world-vision. And education
is no exception to this general proposition. Sri Aurobindo 's
educational outlook is entirely moulded by and draws its in-
spiration from his Integral-synthetic theory of Reality.
After all, this is as it should be. For, sincerity demands
that our metaphysical knowledge, our view of the funda-
mental truth of the universe and the meaning of existence
should naturally be the determinant not only of our thought
and inner movements but of our whole conception of life,
our attitude to it and the trend of all our life-activities.
Now, the integral theory of existence as advanced by Sri
Aurobindo looks upon our earthly existence as a becoming
with the Divine Being for its origin and object, a progressive
evolutionary manifestation with the timeless spaceless Su-
pracosmic as its source and support, the Other-worldly for a
condition and connecting link and the Terrestrial for its field,
with human mind and life for its turning-point of release

towards a highest perfection. It should be noted that the su-
pracosmic Reality is the supreme truth of every individual's
being; to realise it is the highest reach of our consciousness
and we have to realise it if we would be really perfect.
But this highest supracosrnic Reality is not cut off from
the world of manifestation. It is at the same time the cosmic
Being, the cosmic Consciousness, the cosmic Will and life ;
it has put these things forth, not outside itself, but in its own
being as its own self-unfolding and self-expression in the
framework of Time and Space . There is a divine significance
and truth in this cosmic becoming. The manifold self-ex-
pression of the Spirit is its high sense.
Thus, a perfect self-expression of the Spirit is the only
object of our terrestrial existence. But this cannot be achieved
if we do not first grow consciou s of the supreme Truth of our
being; for the direct touch of the Absolute alone can possibly
help us arrive at our own absolute.
But neither is our perfect individual self-expression
feasible if we exclude the cosmic Reality. The individual
will ever remain incomplete, bound within the confines of a
separative ego-consciousness, if he does not open into uni-
versality and thus become universal himself.
It follows that a consciously realised unity of the tran-
scendent, the universal and the individual is an essential con-
dition for the intended fullness of the self-expressing Spirit.
Now, this material world , this earth and this human life have,
as we have noted above, their divine possibility; but that pos-
sibility is evolutionary. A progressive evolution of conscious-
ness is the secret sense of our birth and terrestrial existence .
Earth-life offers the field for a continuously ascending self-

unveiling of consciousness and an adventure of self-discov-
ery. The partial consciousness already evolved upon earth is
a portent for further evolution and must surely develop in the
very nature of things into complete consciousness with all its
attendant accomplishments. A perfected and divinised life is
what the earth-nature has always been seeking.
In its progressive evolutionary development, conscious-
ness appearing upon earth has been at first rudimentary, half
subconscious or just conscious instinct. Advancing step by
step, it developed into intelligence in animal man. Advanc-
ing still further, it has elevated the thinking animal into the
status of a reasoning mental being. But even in his highest
elevation man is still weighed down by a heavy stamp of
original animality. Therefore mental man has still to evolve
out of himself the fully conscious being, a divine manhood
which shall be the next product of evolution .
A great responsibility lies with man; for with his ad-
vent upon the earth-scene, the evolutionary movement has
entered a new phase: it has become conscious of itself. The
proces s of evolution has now the possibility of proceeding
ahead with the conscious and deliberate co-operation of the
species called man. Man should not therefore be satisfied
with the leading of a gloriously opulent intelligent animal
existence. He should become awake and aware of his spir-
itual destiny. An enlightened aspiration, will and seeking
should actuate all his movements . He should offer his par-
ticipating will to the urge of the indwelling Spirit to come
out into the open in full glory.
For man as he now is cannot be the last term of earthly
6 Principles and Goals of Integral Education
evolution. He is too imperfect an expression of the Spirit, his

mind and life too are limited forms and instrumentations. He
is only a transitional being. A greater destiny beckons him
and he should heed the call to the New Adventure. The vari-
ous tasks set before man, the unique species, by evolutionary
Nature may be succinctly described in the luminous words
of Sri Aurobindo:
"Man is there to affirm himself in the universe, that

is his first business, but also to evolve and finally to
exceed himself: he has to change his partial being into
a complete being, his partial consciousness into an in-
tegral consciousness; he has to achieve mastery of his
environment but also world-union and world-harmony;
he has to realise his individuality but also to enlarge it
into a cosmic self and a universal and spiritual delight
of existence.
A transformation, a chastening and correction of all
that is obscure, erroneous and ignorant in his mentality,
an ultimate arrival at a free and wide harmony and lumi-
nousness of knowledge and will and feeling and action
and character, is the evident intention of his nature....
But this can only be accomplished by his growing
into a larger being and a larger consciousness: self-en-
largement, self-fulfilment, self-evolution from what he
partially and temporarily is in his actual and apparent
nature to what he completely is in his secret self and
spirit and therefore can become even in his manifest
existence, is the object of his creation."
(SABeL, Vol. 19, p. 684)
Sri Aurobindo 's Seven Principles of Education 7
The above quotation from Sri Aurobindo, arranged here in

three paragraphs, demands close and attentive perusal from
the readers ; for it puts in a nutshell the whole meaning and
purpose of man's existence upon earth, his role as a biologi-
cal species, and the all-important programme that Nature and
the Divine have set before him. A simultaneous awareness of
man's actuality and his great potentiality makes it clear to us
that a proper educational system has to be developed which,
when rightly conceived and clairvoyantly put into practice,
will help man the individual and man the collective being
to realise the great destiny that is awaiting the race. And,
be it noted, all the principles of education enunciated by Sri
Aurobindo are designed to fulfil that very task.
We have advisedly employed the expression "man the
individual and man the collective being" . For, the insistent
problems of man do not pertain to his isolated individual
existence alone; they urgently concern his group-life too.
Since the beginning of his appearance on earth, man has
always dreamed of establishing a fourfold harmony: (i)
a perfect harmony within his own subjective being, (ii) a
harmony between individual and individual, (iii) a harmony
between an individual and the group or groups of which he
is a part, and finally (iv) a harmony between the different
groups. But the deplorable fact is that all these four types of
harmony have eluded the grasp of man. Even a cursory look
at the affairs of the world and a glancing introspection into
the state of his own inner being cannot but convince any dis-
cerning man that something is terribly amiss somewhere in
his upbringing and education, which has brought him to the
brink of the abyss. All man's agelong efforts at remedying
the situation have inevitably miscarried, because the con-

ventional educationists have not cared to probe the problems
to their depths ; they have mostly confined themselves to the
task of whitewashing the surface and offering palliatives. To
solve the problems of man one has perforce to comprehend
the complexity of his composite nature and provide for the
harmonious fulfilment of all the facets of his being .
It is high time that we renounce the old and effete super-
stition that the mind of man is the same everywhere and can
therefore be passed through the same machine and uniform-
ly constructed to order. There are three things which have to
be taken into account in a true and living education: (i) the
man, the individual in his commonness and uniqueness, (ii)
the nature or people, and (iii) universal humanity. For, as Sri
Aurobindo has pointed out, "...within the universal mind and
soul of humanity is the mind and soul of the individual with
its infinite variation, its commonness and its uniqueness, and
between them there stands an intermediate power, the mind
of a nation, the soul of a people." (SABeL, Vol. 17, p. 196)
And if education is to be a true building or a living evocation
of the latent powers and possibilities of the mind and spirit
of the human being, and not just a uniform machine-made
fabric, it has to take into consideration all the three factors
mentioned above. To quote Sri Aurobindo again:
"... that alone will be a true and living education which

helps to bring out to full advantage, makes ready for the
full purpose and scope of human life all that is in the
individual man, and which at the same time helps him to
enter into his right relation with the life, mind and soul
of the people to which he belongs and with that great to-

. tal life, mind and soul of humanity of which he himself
is a unit and his people or nation a living, a separate and
yet inseparable member." (SABeL, Vol. 17, p. 198)
A further truth that Sri Aurobindo insists upon is that man

is not just a living body somehow developed by physical
nature which has evolved in him certain vital propensities,
an ego, a mind and a reason. Man is not pre-eminently just
a reasoning animal of the genus homo, nothing more than
a thinking, feeling and wilting natural existence, a mere
mental product of inconscient physical Nature. For if such is
the view we take of man - and this view is tacitly adopted
by most of the secularist educationists - , the business of
educating a child cannot but assume an erroneous charac-
ter, both in its meaning and content and in its application .
For, then, education reduces itself to the task of culturing
the mental faculties of the student, training him into an effi-
cient, productive and well-disciplined member of the society
and the State as a political, social and economic being. The
whole life and education of the individual man will, in that
case, be turned towards a satisfaction of his legitimate vital
propensities under the precarious government of a trained
mind and reason and for the best advantage of the personal
and collective ego.
But Sri Aurobindo cannot accept this view of man nor,
therefore, these goals of education as ordinarily envisaged.
He does not, of course , deny that the things alluded to above
do represent aspects of human being and living in their
actuality and must be given due importance in the early
10 Prin ciples and Goals of Integral Education
undeveloped stages of humanity but they are only outward

things, parts of the instrumentation, mere accessories and
never the fundamentals or the whole of the real man. All
these are powers of the soul that manifests through them and
grows with their growth, and yet they are not all the soul.
These remarks naturally lead us to the question: What
then, is man? And what should be the aim and purpose of
his education?
Sri Aurobindo sees in man the individual a soul, a por-
tion of the Divinity enwrapped in mind and body, a conscious
manifestation in Nature of the universal self and spirit ; at
the summit of his ascent man is bound to rise to something
greater than his physical, vital and mental personalities, to
his spiritual being. And therein lies the supreme manifesta-
tion of the soul of man, his ultimate divine manhood, his real
paramiirtha and the highest purusdrtha.
Sri Aurobindo sees in the nation or the people not
merely an organised State or an armed and efficient com-
munity well prepared for the struggle of life and putting all
at the service of the national ego , but a great collective soul
and life that has appeared in the whole and has manifested a
nature of its own and a law of that nature, a svabhdva and a
svadharma , and has embodied it in its intellectual, aesthetic,
ethical, dynamic , social and political forms and culture.
Sri Aurobindo sees in humanity the Universal Spirit
manifesting in the human race, evolving through mind
and life but with a high and ultimate spiritual aim. There
is a spirit, a soul of humanity which is advancing through
whatever struggle and concord towards an ultimate human
unity, a unity which will at the same time preserve a needed
diversity through the varied culture and life-motives of dif-

ferent peoples: a perfectibility in the life of the human race
as in that of the individual is the intended goal of earthly
evolution .
If we take such a view of man and his destiny - and,
of course, this idea may be disputed by many - the only
true education will be that which will be an instrument for
this real working of the Spirit in the mind and body of the
individual and the nation and the human race. And for that
the very first thing the educationist has to do, whether he
be the teacher or the parent, is to approach things from the
subjective standpoint, know accurately and profoundly the
psychology of each child as he grows into manhood and to
base the system of teaching and training on that inner reality
alone. There has to be a new psychic dealing of man with
his own being, with his fellow-men and with the ordering of
his individual and social life. The aim of education should
be to help every individual child to develop his own intel-
lectual, aesthetic, emotional, moral, spiritual being and his
communal life and impulses out of his own temperament
and capacities. Thus the distinctive individual psychology of
the child should be the guide in the matter of his upbringing
and education . For each human being is a self-developing
soul and the sole task before the parent and the teacher is to
enable and help the child to educate himself, to develop his
potentialities and grow freely as an organic being, and not
to knead and pressure him into form like an inert but plastic
material.
In a true education, one should not regard the child as an
object to be handled and moulded by the teacher according
to the conventional ideas or individual interests and ideals of

the teachers and parents. And yet, this is what we have been
doing all the time in the prevalent systems of education with
some cosmetic embellishments here and there. Mostly ig-
noring the individuality of each child, we seek to pack much
stereotyped knowledge into the student's resisting brain, im-
pose a stereotype rule of conduct on his struggling impulses,
and mechanically force his nature into arbitrary grooves of
training and conditioning - all decided upon from above
and outside by authorities entrusted with the charge of
"teaching". This sort of "loading process" cannot fail to
damage and atrophy the faculties and instruments by which
each individual human being is expected to assimilate, grow
and create in his self-chosen fields of endeavour.
Sri Aurobindo invites us to discard the lifeless "aca-
demic" notion that the studying of subjects and the acquir-
ing of this or that kind of information is the whole, or at least
the central purpose in the undertaking called "education".
No, the acquisition of various kinds of information from
outside is only one and by no means the chief of the means
and necessities of education. The central aim of education
should be the training of the powers of the child 's mind and
spirit, the formation or rather the evoking of knowledge and
will from within, and the developing of the capacity to use
knowledge, character and culture for the highest all-round
development of personality. This at least if not more, but
there is much more as we shall presently see when we come
to deal with the education of the future.
We have just spoken inter alia of the process of "evoking
knowledge from within". The idea may perhaps sound queer
Sri Aurobindo's Seven Principles ofEducation 13
to those readers who are not well acquainted with the spir-
itual teachings of Sri Aurobindo, the propounder of the Yoga
of Integral Self-Perfection. Constraints of time and space do
not allow us to elaborate further on this topic here . However,
we may content ourselves with mentioning in brief a few
salient principles that the Master-Yogi has recommended for
making education luminous and efficient.
First Principle: We must know that all knowledge is
within and has to be evoked by education rather than instilled
from outside. In this view the teacher's role is altogether dif-
ferent from what is normally thought of. In Sri Aurobindo's
vision the teacher is not an instructor or task-master; he is
just a helper and guide. "His business is to suggest and not to
impose. He does not actually train the pupil's mind, he only
shows him how to perfect his instruments of knowledge and
helps and encourages him in the process. He does not impart
knowledge to him , he shows him how to acquire knowledge
for himself. He does not call forth the knowledge that is
within; he only shows him where it lies and how it can be
habituated to rise to the surface." (Ibid ., p. 204)
Now, the question is, How to evoke the knowledge that
is within? Sri Aurobindo has adumbrated the process in
chapter III of his opuscule The Brain of India. The inquisi-
tive reader may refer to the relevant passages there. We quote
here only one significant sentence indicating the beneficial
result of the process: "The highest reach of the sattwic de-
velopment is when one can dispense often or habitually with
outside aids, the teacher or the text book, grammar and dic-
tionary and learn a subject largely or wholly from within".
(SABeL, Vol. 3, pp. 336-37)
Second Principle: It should never be forgotten that

every one has his own svabhava and svadharma, his in-
trinsic self-nature and the characteristic turn of his being.
He has something divine in him, "something his own, a
chance of perfection" and fulfilment in whatever sphere
the Divine "offers him to take or refuse." The chief aim of
education "should be to discover it, develop it and use it" to
the maximum extent possible. The teacher should try to help
the child to draw out that in him which is best and noble and
make it perfect for a worthy use. And for this the mind of the
student has to be consulted in its own growth. The teacher
must not seek to hammer the child into the shape desired by
the parent or teacher: the student himself must be induced to
expand according to his own nature. Otherwise, if we try to
disregard the child's svadharma or self-nature and attempt to
bring him up in a way not congenial to his divinely ordained
turn and temperament, the results can only be disastrous to a
great extent. As Sri Aurobindo has warned us:
"There can be no greater error than for the parent to ar-

range beforehand that his son shall develop particular
qualities, capacities, ideas, virtues, or be prepared for
a prearranged career. To force the nature to abandon
its own dharma is to do it permanent harm, mutilate its
growth and deface its perfection . It is a selfish tyranny
over a human soul and a wound to the nation, which
loses the benefit of the best that a man could have given
it and is forced to accept instead something imperfect
and artificial, second-rate, perfunctory and common."
(SABeL, Vol. 17, p. 204)
Third Principle: Every child is, in his characteristic fashion,

full of various samskiiras or impressions both inborn and
acquired. The teacher has to be cognisant of this ground
reality, take the child as he is and begin his teaching from
there. For, the principle of effective and creative teaching is
to "work from the near to the far, from that which is to that
which shall be." Therefore, the teacher in his hasty and rash
ignorance should not try to lift and divorce the child from
his natural soil and milieu and transplant him in an imported
atmosphere. In Sri Aurobindo 's words:
"We must not take up the nature by the roots from the
earth in which it must grow or surround the mind with
images and ideas of a life which is alien to that in which
it must physically move. If anything has to be brought in
from outside, it must be offered, not forced on the mind.
A free and natural growth is the condition of genuine
development." (Ibid., p. 205)
Fourth Principle: Education has to be national but not pa-

rochial and sectarian. A superficial consideration may easily
lead one to believe that to speak of a "national education" is
to talk arrant nonsense . For, is not education something uni-
versal in nature, transcending the borders of any particular
country? Mankind and its needs, one may aver, are the same
everywhere and truth and knowledge also are one and have
no country. How can one then talk of offering any "national"
education to a child?
A deeper consideration will not fail to expose the falla-
cious nature of this line of reasoning . A nation or a people is
not, let us remember, just a geographical unit or an arbitrary

conglomerate or an assemblage of men brought about by
the vagaries of History. A veritable nation is a specific soul-
manifestation of the universal Spirit just as every individual
human being is. It has a uniqueness of its own just as it has
some elements in common with the other nations of the
world. It is expected to play a distinct role in the comity of
nations and bring its own rich contribution to the total multi-
aspected flowering of humanity as a whole.
And, according to Sri Aurobindo, India is such a nation
and if its citizens have to fulfil their intended creative roles
and enrich the composite but harmoniously blended civilisa-
tion of the world, Indians should have a national education
which will be truly "national" in spirit but at the same time
organically imbibing and assimilating every possible posi-
tive and constructive element derived from other national
educational efforts.
Thus Indian "national education" does not mean on the
one hand an obscurantist retrogression to the past forms that
were once a living frame of our culture but are now dead
or dying things, nor the taking over of any foreign patterns
- however suitable to other countries - only with certain
differences, additions, subtractions, modifications of detail
and curriculum and giving it a gloss of Indian colour. A
rightly conceived Indian "national education" will be one
which will be faithful to the developing soul of India, to her
future need, to the greatness of her coming self-creation, to
her eternal spirit. It has to take its foundation on our own be-
ing, our own mind and our own spirit.
Thus, when Sri Aurobindo speaks of Indian national
education, it is then not a question between modernism

and antiquity but between an imported civilisation and the
greater possibilities of the Indian mind and nature, not
between the present and the past, but between the present
and the future, not a return to the fifth century but an initia-
tion for the centuries to come, not a reversion but a break
forward away from the present artificial falsity to her own
greater innate potentialities. (Vide. SABCL, Vol. 17, p. 194)
Fifth Principle: We have to change the focus of our edu-
cational efforts from the "furnishing" of knowledge to the
adequate building up of the faculties of knowedge and the
strengthening of the moral fabric of the student, of each in-
dividual student. We should not try, as we habitually do now,
to erect a huge superstructure of "knowledge" in the mind
of the student without first preparing a solid foundation to
sustain that "knowledge". We have to encourage the student
to have a free play of his intelligent attentive thought on the
subject of his study; we must correct the habit of spoiling his
instruments of knowledge by the adoption of false methods.
We should bear in mind that "Information cannot be the
foundation of intelligence , it can only be part of the mate-
rial out of which the knower builds knowledge, the starting-
point, the nucleus of fresh discovery and enlarged creation.
An education that confines itself to imparting knowledge, is
no education." (SABCL, Vol. 3, p. 331)
Therefore, instead of thinking that our task is over
once we provide the student with an ever-increasing store
of knowledge and skill in various fields of study, we have
to devise a great and unique discipline involving a perfect
"education" of the soul and mind of the child and for that we
have first to find the secret of success in a profound knowl-

edge of the working of consciousness in man. The teacher
must know how to train and develop in the child his various
faculties of memory, imagination, perception, reasoning,
judgment, concentration, etc., which help to build the edifice
of thought and knowledge for the knower. These faculties
must not only be equipped with sufficient tools and materi-
als supplied from outside but clairvoyantly trained to bring
into play fresh materials and to use skilfully those of which
they are in possession.
The teacher has to know how to handle and develop the
innate powers of the four layers of man's mind or antahkara-
nos (i) Chitta or the basic storehouse of memory, (ii) Manas
or mind proper - the so-called 'sixth sense', (iii) Buddhi or
intellect - the real instrument of thought, and (iv) Bodhi or
the faculty of direct knowledge.
The teacher has to fulfil another important task. Since the
foundation ofthe ever-growing structure of knowledge can be
sustained with solid stability only if the student is provided
with a sufficient fund of energy-sufficient to bear the de-
mands of a continually growing activity of the memory, judg-
ment and creative power, - the teacher should be capable of
helping the child to discover the source of infinite energy
and tap its resources as and when the demands arise. For, we
should not forget that "The source of life and energy is not
material but spiritual, but the basis, the foundation on which
the life and energy stand and work, is physical.... To raise up
the physical to the spiritual is Brahmacharya, for by the meet-
ing of the two the energy which starts from one and produces
the other is enhanced and fulfils itself." (Ibid., p. 334)
Sixth Principle : It needs no emphasising that the devel-

opment of the intellect and the culture of mental faculties
alone cannot enable the child to grow into full manhood.
His eth ical-aesthetic nature too has to be developed at the
same time . When we say so, we are surely not referring to
any conventional "moral training" with the help of moral
text-books lifelessly imparted by the teacher who acts as
a "hired instructor" or a "benevolent policeman" without
any correspondence with his own personal conduct. That
sort of moral training cannot but make the child insincere
and a hypocrite, mechanically and artificially professing
high things but never caring to put them into effective prac-
tice. As Sri Aurobindo has pointed out: "You can impose
a certain discipline on children, dress them into a certain
mould, lash them into a desired path, but unless you can
get their hearts and natures on your side, the conformity to
this imposed rule becomes a hypocritical and heartless, a
conventional, often a cowardly compliance." (SABeL, Vol.
17, p. 209)
Yet it is an axiomatic truth that the education of the
intellect divorced from the perfection of the moral and emo-
tional nature is patently injurious to human progress. But
this perfection can be brought about in the child's nature
only if the teacher becomes perfect in the matter and sets a
living personal example before his student. He should act as
a wise friend and guide and helper to the student and draw
the latter to the right path of development by silent but potent
suggestion, and the best method of suggestion, let us repeat,
is the personal example of the teacher. To be worthy of bear-
ing the title, a "teacher" should be able to help a child under
his tutelage to develop in himself the following qualities:

Thirst for knowledge, purity of thought and feeling and
action, courage, ardour, nobility, beneficence, skill, industry,
good taste , balance, sense of proportion, lofty strength and
steadfastness of will, self-discipline, etc.
In Sri Aurobindo's words: "The children should be helped
to grow up into straightforward, frank, upright and honour-
able human beings ready to develop into divine nature."
These last few words, "ready to develop into divine
nature" , lead us to the consideration of the seventh and last
principle , the principle of future education.
Seventh Principle: We cannot stop at the borders of
ordinary humanity with all its basic insufficiencies and limi-
tations. And education cannot be allowed to confine itself
to the sole task of catering to the needs of the sensational,
economic, rational or political man. Commercialism has
been the bane of modern civilisation; a sensational activism
is still its driving force . Modern education has not been able
to redeem the sensational man who still lives in the vital sub-
stratum, but only wants it to be stimulated from above. As a
result, thought and art and literature have been cheapened,
and talent and genius have been made to run in the grooves
of popular success.
Or, at times , education is given another dimension, and
its main object and form are conceived to be not so much
cultural but scientific, utilitarian and economic. The value of
education in that case lies not so much in the building up of a
noble specimen of humanity but in the preparation of the ef-
ficient individual unit to take his appointed place in the body
of the economic organisation.
Sri Aurobinda's Seven Principles of Education 21
Or, at its best, education is planned to tum the mostly

infrarational human being into a rational creature , and the
disordered human group into a rationalised human society.
But this hope has been belied; right information and right
training alone have not been able to solve the problems of
man. For, as Sri Aurobindo has so aptly observed: "; .it has
not been found in experience, whatever might have once
been hoped, that education and intellectual training by itself
can change man; it only provides the human individual and
collective ego with better information and a more efficient
machinery for its self-affirmation, but leaves it the same un-
changed human ego." (SABeL, Vol. 19, pp. 1057-58)
Where do we go then from here? And how to come out
of this cul-de-sac? What is needed for that is a large and pro-
found view of human life and destiny, and a solid foundation
in a rightly conceived education different in nature and scope
from what it is now. We must penetrate down to the funda-
mentals with an effort of clear, sound and luminous thinking
and know precisely what are the fundamentals and what the
accessories of true education . If our new educational venture
has to succeed when others of the past or even of the present
have failed in the task of the regeneration of man, it has to
disengage itself from all ambiguities and be clear about its
essential sense, its primary aim and basic procedure .
About the pitfalls inherent in starting new educational
experiments without precise clarity about the basics, what
Sri Aurobindo has remarked with some poignant wit is
worth pondering .
"To be satisfied with a trick of this kind is to perform a

somersault round our centre of intellectual gravity, land

ourselves where we were before and think we have got
into quite another country, - obviously a very unsatis-
factory proceeding.
...nothing is easier than to start off on a false but spe-
cious cry or from an unsound starting-point and travel
far away from the right path on a tangent that will lead
us to no goal but only to emptiness and failure." (SABCL,
Vol. 17, pp. 192,193)
The basic assumptions guiding the new education of the

future,-and those are not mere intellectually cogitated
assumptions but wise insights born of spiritual experience,
- are, in an adaptation of the language of Sri Aurobindo:
(1) All life, even the vital and material life, is indeed a
manifestation of the universal Power in the individual but
veiled in a disguising Maya, and to pursue the lower life for
its own sake is to persist in a stumbling path and to enthrone
our nature's obscure ignorance and not at all find the true
truth and complete law of existence. (Vide, SABCL, Vol. 13,
pp.549-50)
(2) "... the pursuit of intellectual, ethical and social stan-
dards, the mind that insists on salvation by the observance
of... moral law, social duty and function or the solutions of
the liberated intelligence, is... indeed a very necessary stage"
of human development, but it is not the complete and last
truth of existence. "The soul of man has to go beyond to
some more absolute Dharma of man's spiritual and immortal
nature." (Ibid., p. 550)
(3) One has to rise beyond the mere terrestrial preoccu -
pation ; for, a supreme and arduous self-fufilment by self-ex-

ceeding is the goal of human endeavour. The spiritual life is
a nobler thing than the life of external power and enjoyment.
The thinker is greater than the man of action but the spiritual
man greater than the thinker. The soul that lives in God is
more perfect than the soul that lives only in outward mind or
only for the claims and joys of thinking and living matter."
(Vide, SABCL, Vol. 14, p. 70)
(4) Once the individual has built the substructure, when
he has paid his debt to society, filled well and admirably his
place in its life, helped its maintenance and continuity and
taken from it his legitimate and desired satisfactions, there
still remains the greatest thing of all, his own self, the inner
being, the soul which is a spiritual portion of the Infinite,
one in its essence with the Eternal. This self, this soul he has
to find, he is here upon earth for that. He has to come out of
his ego-imprisonment and become a universal soul, one with
all existence. Then two different possibilities will open up
for him: he can either act in divine liberty for the good of
all living things or else turn to enjoy in solitude the bliss of
eternity and transcendence. (Vide, SABCL, Vol. 14, pp. 114,
115)
(5) But not a withdrawal into supracosmic transcend-
ence nor a dwelling in some supraterrestrial heavens, but an
attainment of divine perfection of human being and living
here upon earth is the central aim of our existence. "All life
is a secret Yoga, an obscure growth of Nature towards the
discovery and fulfilment of the divine principle hidden in
her which becomes progressively less obscure, more self-
conscient and luminous , more self-possessed in the human
being by the opening of all his instruments of knowledge,

will, action, life to the Spirit within him and in the world."
Mind , life and body are the means of this growth, but they
can find their last perfection only by opening out to the
Divine . The education of the future should be designed to
help man in fulfilling this ideal of integral perfection. (Vide,
SABCL, Vol. 21, pp. 590, 591)
So we see that education changes its meaning and
content in Sri Aurobindo's vision of the education of the
future. The revealing and finding of the divine Self in man
should, in Sri Aurobindo's view, be "the whole first aim of
all its [the spiritualised society 's] activities, its education, its
knowledge, its science, its ethics, its art, its economical and
political structure." (SABCL, Vol. 15, p. 240)
But how to fulfil this aim? Surely not by any external
manipulation of human nature or through the artifice of ex-
ternally contrived education and social machinery. No social
machinery can possibly cut human mind and life into perfec -
tion, for mind and life are only instruments of the soul and
unless this soul is given a lead in the matter, nothing tangible
or permanent can be achieved. Every teacher has to realise
that there is a soul or psychical entity in every individual
behind his physical-vital-mental parts and this represents the
fundamental truth of his existence, the individual self-mani-
festing divinity within him. He should know that the evoca-
tion of this psychical entity, the real man within, is the most
rewarding object of education and indeed of all human life if
it would find and live according to the deepest truth and law
of its own being.
And what will be the contribution of this psychic being
if it is made to come out into the open? Sri Aurobindo as-

sures us:
" It is not yet realised what this soul is or that the true
secret, whether with child or man, is to help him to find
his deeper self, the real psychic entity within. That, if we
ever give it a chance to come forward, and still more if
we call it into the foreground as ' the leader of the march
set in our front,' will itself take up most of the business
of education out of our hands and develop the capacity
of the psychological being towards a realisation of its
potential ities of which our present mechanical view of
life and man and external routine methods of dealing
with them prevent us from having any experience or
forming any conception." tIbid., p. 28)
Will the elite of today pay any heed to these words of Sri
Aurobindo? Most probably not. Because the ideas may
seem to them too outlandish and the hope of changing hu-
man nature by this inner means too chimerical a dream. But
whether they believe it or not, Sri Aurobindo assures us that
what is demanded of us is not something altogether distant,
alien to our existence and therefore radically impossible.
For "what has to be developed is there in our being and not
something outside it: what evolutionary Nature presses for,
is an awakening to the knowledge of self, the discovery of
self, the manifestation of the self and spirit within us and the
release of its self-knowledge , its self-power, its native self-
instrumentation ." (SABeL, Vol. 19, p. 1059)
And this possibility can surely enter the domain of
26 Principles and Goals of IntegraL Education
practicability if only we can shake off from us the disabling

clingings of past notions and habits and arm oursel ves with
an active faith and robust optimism in the divine possibility
of man. What is necessary for the success of this new educa-
tional venture of the future, for the birth of a new humanity,
is that "there should be a tum in humanity felt by some or
many towards the vision of this change, a feeling of its im-
perative need, the sense of its possibility, the will to make it
possible... and to find the way." (Ibid., p. 1060)
Is it too much to expect in this Hour of God that some
of us who are actively involved in the task of finding the
right kind of education for the children of the future, admit
the new truth revealed by the Master-Yogi, tum our minds
to this "new knowledge of oneness, and world and God and
soul and Nature, a knowledge of oneness, a knowledge of
universal Divinity" (SABeL, Vol. 13, p. 575) and make this
new knowledge and vision the sole motive of all our action
for the sake of the divine fulfilment upon earth?
Let us close this long essay on Sri Aurobindo's thoughts
and insights on education by quoting a significant passage
from the Master-Yogi who has been a distinguished educa-
tionist at the same time:
"This is an hour in which, for India as for all the world,

its future destiny and the tum of its steps for a century are
being powerfully decided, and for no ordinary century,
but one which is itself a great turning-point, an immense
tum-over in the inner and outer history of mankind . As
we act now, so shall the reward of our Karma be meted
out to us, and each call of this kind at such an hour is at
once an opportunity, a choice, and a test offered to the

spirit of our people. Let it be said that it rose in each to
the full height of its being and deserved the visible inter-
vention of the Master of Destiny in its favour." (SABeL,
Vol. 27, pp. 506-07)
II
The Mother's Eleven Goals of Education
It is by now well known that the Mother has given the world
a well-structured integral philosophy of education. This
philosophical vision is unique in many respects - both in its
objectives and in its method of implementation. Thus, a cen-
tre of learning established anywhere in the world but draw-
ing its inspiration from the Mother's educational teachings
cannot but be basically different from most other schools
and colleges found elsewhere. For the aim of true education
should be, in the Mother's view, to give the students a chance
to distinguish between the ordinary life and the life of truth
- to see things in a different way. And the teacher's mis-
sion should be to open the eyes of the children to something
which they will not find in conventional schools.
To crave for money and worldly recognition or to be
engrossed in the pursuit of "career-building" must not be the
characteristic trait of the students educated in the Mother's
way. For, as she has said, the aim of education is not to pre-
pare someone to "succeed" in life and society but to increase
his perfectibility to its utmost. Here are some of her words
addressed to the students:
"Do not aim at success. Our aim is perfection. Remem-

ber you are on the threshold of a new world, participat-
ing in its birth and instrumental in its creation. There is
nothing more important than the transformation. There
The Mother's Eleven Goals of Education 29
is no interest more worthwhile." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 120)
If the students are made aware of these basic truths, it can-

not but be that certain definite traits will mark out the pupils
studying under the benign influence of the Mother 's phi-
losophy of education. But what are these traits? We have the
answer in the Mother's own delineation:
"To learn for the sake of knowledge, to study in order to

know the secrets of Nature and life, to educate oneself
in order to grow in consciousness, to discipline oneself
in order to become master of oneself, to overcome one's
weaknesses, incapacities and ignorance , to prepare one-
self to advance in life towards a goal that is nobler and
vaster, more generous and more true..."
(Ibid., pp. 353-54)
The purpose of the present paper is to draw the attention of

the readers to some of the principal educational goals envis-
aged by the Mother. She has spoken a lot and written much
on educational matters and has left us detailed instructions
concerning all possible aspects of a truth-based education . A
judicious study of her published guidance brings into clear
focus eleven well-defined goals that an educationist should
keep in view while seeking to discharge his responsibility
towards his students. The students on their part should as-
siduously try to attain these eleven educational goals. For
even a small measure of success in this field will adequately
equip them to face life and its problems with their heads high
and hearts free.
What follows is a succinct account of the eleven edu-

cational goals envisaged by the Mother in her writings on
education .
First Goal: To Live in the Right Way

A teacher 's primary responsibility to his students is to
help them in a meaningful way to mould their thinking and
living along right lines. Instead of confining himself solely
to the task of teaching an academic subject, he should try by
all possible means to turn the attention of his pupils from the
undesirable rut of ordinary living and make them conscious
of the true raison d'etre of man's existence upon earth. A
student should be helped to grow up as ajijnasu, a "questing
consciousness", who loves to think and reflect and ask deep
questions such as, "Why am I here? Why is there an earth at
all? Why are there men? Why do I live? What is the purpose
of life?"
The teacher should be vigilant that his students do not
get attached to the mode of ordinary human living. But what
do we mean by "ordinary human living"? The Mother has
characterised it in the following words:
"[This] is the attitude of men in general: they come into

life, they don't know why; they know that they will live
a certain number of years, they don't know why; they
think they will have to pass away because everybody
passes away, and they again don't know why; and then,
most of the time they are bored because they have noth-
ing in themselves, they are empty beings and there is
nothing more boring than emptiness ; and so they try to
The Mother's Eleven Goals ofEducation 31
fill this by distraction, they become absolutely useless,

and when they reach the end, they have wasted their
whole existence, all their possibilities - and everything
is lost." (CWM, Vol. 7, pp. 313-14)
And what is then the right way of living? To make the point
clear we may be permitted to refer to what the Mother said
in answer to a question put to her:
" It is not a question of preparing to read these works or

other works. It is a question of pulling all those who are
capable to do so, out of the general human routine of
thought, feeling and action; it is to give all opportunities
to ... [the students] to cast off from them the slavery to
the human way of thinking and doing; it is to teach all
those who want to listen that there is another and truer
way of living, that Sri Aurobindo has taught us how to
live and become a true being - and that the aim of the
education ... is to prepare the children and make them fit
for that life." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 117)
So this is the first educational goal set by the Mother: To live

in the right way.
Second Goal: To Acquire a Mould ofAspiring Conscious-

ness
The students should not degenerate into actuality-bound,
"practical-minded", unprogressive human beings possessing
nothing else but a dull and coarse common sense. Instead,
they should be helped to develop in themselves the spirit of
adventurous optimi sm and to look towards all that is high

and wide and noble and true. It would be the sacred task of
the teachers to instil into their students an unquenchable ar-
dour and intensity of aspiration, an inner enthusiasm for the
glorious unknown and for the undreamt-of perfection, the
will to conquer the future, the will always to look ahead and
to want to move on as swiftly as one can towards - what will
be. The students should be helped to discern between the
fugitive joys and superficial pleasures ordinary life can offer
and the marvellous things that life, action and growth would
be in a future world of perfection and truth . They should be
aided to cultivate within themselves the certitude that what
belongs to the future is essentially true and not the fossils of
the present.
In short, the "Students' Prayer" as formulated by the
Mother should be a living reality with every student and cor-
respond to his actual state of aspiration. Here is that Prayer:
"Make of us the hero warriors we aspire to become . May

we fight successfully the great battle of the future that is
to be born, against the past that seeks to endure; so that
the new things may manifest and we be ready to receive
them."
Third Goal: To Develop the Zeal for Perpetual Progress

One of the principal tasks before a teacher is to instil
into his students a thirst for continuous learning and uninter-
rupted progress. Instead of passing one's time as somnolent
children , the students should develop a learning attitude,
what may be called a "state of progress", in which one can
learn and make progress at every moment. For, when one is

indeed in such a frame of consciousness, one is prompted
from within, before every situation and circumstance of life,
to ask oneself: "What is it that I should learn from this par-
ticular circumstance? What progress should I make to over-
come myself? What is the weakness that I must eliminate?
What is the inertia that I must conquer?"
While speaking about the beneficial effects of such an
attitude of learning and progress, the Mother has said:
..... everything, no matter what, the least little circum-

stance in life, becomes a teacher who can teach you
something, teach you how to think and act.... Your at-
titude is so different. It is always an attitude which is
awaiting a discovery, an opportunity for progress, a
rectification of a wrong movement, a step ahead, and
so it is like a magnet that attracts from all around you
opportunities to make this progress . The least things can
teach you how to progress." (CWM, Vol. 6, p. 154)
This, then, is the third educational goal: to inculcate in the

students an insatiable urge for progress.
Fourth Goal: To Learn to Concentrate and Forget One's

Ego
The Mother has remarked that the essential worth of
a person may be judged by the power and quality of his
concentration. Now, the fact is that an average student's na-
ture suffers from the disability of an inert subjection to the
impacts of things and demands as they come into the mind
pell-rnell, without order or control. His habitual attention

is a haphazard imperfect one, managed fitfully, irreguarly,
with a more or less chance emphasis on this or that object
according as they happen to interest him at the moment. It
is the teacher's responsibility to help the student overcome
this "restless, leaping , fickle, easily tired, easily distracted"
movement of his consciousness, which usually creates a kind
of haziness in the brain, something cloudy, like a fog some-
where. The student should be trained in the art of gathering
all his attention and focussing all his energies upon whatever
he is doing at the moment .
At the same time, the student should be taught how to
forget his little ego and petty self-infatuation. He should be
helped to become what he is himself doing and not remain
the small person complacently looking at himself doing it.
About this aspect of education, here is what the Mother has
said:
"One may... do what one does as a consecration to the

Divine, altogether disinterestedly, but with a plenitude,
a self-giving, a total self-forgetfulness: no longer think-
ing about oneself but about what one is doing .... If, in
oneself, one succeeds in becoming what one does, it is a
great progress. In the least little details. one must learn
this... When you are at school, you must become the
concentration which tries to catch what the teacher is
saying... You must not think of yourself but only of what
you want to learn... And the best way is to be able to
concentrate upon what one is doing instead of concen-
trating upon oneself." (CWM, Vol. 4, pp. 363, 364, 365)
The Mother 's Eleven Goals of Education 35
So, this is the fourth educational goal envisaged by the

Mother: how to increase the power of concentration and
forget one's little ego and its petty interests.
Fifth Goal: To Know Oneself and to Choose One's Own

Destiny
The Mother has said: "... the finest present one can give
to a child would be to teach him to know himself and to mas-
ter himself." (CWM , Vol. 12, p. 167)
And this is what she means by "knowing oneself" and
"mastering oneself":
"To know oneself means to know the motives of one's

actions and reactions, the why and the how of all that
happens in oneself. To master oneself means to do what
one has decided to do, to do nothing but that , not to lis-
'ten to or follow impulses, desires or fancies ."
(Ibid. , p. 167)
Hence the Mother's emphatic advice to all those entrusted

with the task of educating young children:
"Essentially, the only thing you should do assiduously is to

teach them [the students] to know themselves and choose
their own destiny, the path they will follow; to teach them
to look at themselves, understand themselves and to will
what they want to be. That is infinitely more important
than teaching them what happened on earth in former
times, or even how the earth is built, or even... indeed, all
sorts of things which are quite a necessary grounding if
you want to live the ordinary life in the world..."

(CWM. Vol. 8. p. 182)
Sixth Goal: To Overcome the Tyranny of Lower Desires

While dealing with their students. the teachers are often
confronted with the spectacle of the youngsters and adoles-
cents being constantly harassed by blind desires of many
kinds. The problem is compounded hundredfold because of
the fact that most often the students cannot sufficiently dis-
tinguish between a genuine need and a mere desire-impulse.
They are apt to take all their desires for need s or necessities
and plunge themselves into these with passionate abandon.
It is the teacher who has to step in here and help his
students to tum their attention from all undesirable pulls and
orient their desire-impulses into the right kind of channels.
Here is the Mother's advice concerning this important is-
sue:
"In fact •... one should begin by shifting the movement

[of desire] to things which it is better to have from the
true point of view. and which it is more difficult to ob-
tain.... For example. when a child is full of desires . if
one could give him a desire of a higher kind - instead
of its being a desire for purely material objects. you un-
derstand. an altogether transitory satisfaction - if one
could awaken in him the desire to know. the desire to
learn. the desire to become a remarkable person ... in this
way. begin with that. As these things are difficult to do.
so. gradually. he will develop his will for these things."
(CWM. Vol. 6. p. 413)
To come out of the prejudicial habit of always hankering

after a trivial something or the other, becomes the sixth edu-
cational goal in the Mother 's philosophy of education .
Seventh Goal: To Make the Enlightened Reason the Gov-

ernor of Life
Young people mostly live by impulses; they are not
"reasonable" creatures. They have to be carefully taught
how to control the imperious urges of their impulses and
obey only those which are in conformity with their deep-
est aspiration and the luminous ideals they wish to follow
in life. The students should develop in themselves a kind
of mental discernment whose role it will be to govern the
rest of the being. Of course, in the further development of
the being towards spiritual illumination the reason itself has
to be transcended and be replaced by intuition. But that is
miles and miles away. Also, we should never forget what Sri
Aurobindo has said in this connection :
"It is not by becoming irrational or infrarational that

one can go beyond ordinary nature into supernature; it
should be done by passing through reason to a greater
light of superreason. This superreason descends into
reason and takes it up into higher levels even while
breaking its limitations ; reason is not lost but changes
and becomes its own true unlimited self, a coordinating
power of the supernature ." (SABeL, Vol. 20, p. 269)
The following words of the Mother should act as a guiding

light so far as this particular question is concerned:
"Of course, it is well understood that reason is not the

supreme capacity of man and must be surpassed, but it
is quite obvious that if you don't have it, you will live
an altogether incoherent life.... The least thing will upset
you completely and you won't even know why, and still
less how to remedy it. While someone who has estab-
lished within himself a state of active, clear reasoning,
can face attacks of all kinds, emotional attacks or any
trials whatever.... Well, reason can stand back a little,
look at all that, smile and say, 'Oh! no, one must not
make a fuss over such a small thing.'
If you do not have reason, you will be like a cork on
a stormy sea." (CWM, Vol. 8, p. 184)
To make the enlightened reason, the liberated intelligence

free from the slavery to vital impulses and physical appe-
tites, the governor of life is, then, the seventh educational
goal envisaged in the Mother's philosophy of education.
Eighth Goal: To Be Self-disciplined

In the Mother's view, the education of children should
be based on a principle of genuine freedom and a glad and
spontaneous choice on the part of the students; rules, regu-
lations and restrictions should be reduced absolutely to the
minimum.
But why should it be so? What is its necessity and justi-
fication? The Mother answers:
"... from the spiritual point of view this is infinitely more

valuable. The progress you will make because you feel
within yourself the need to make it, because it is an

impulsion that pushes you forward spontaneously, and
not because it is something imposed on you like a rule
- this progress, from the spiritual point of view, is infi-
nitely greater. All in you that tries to do things well, tries
to do it spontaneously and sincerely; it is something that
comes from within you, and not because you have been
promised rewards if you do well and punishments if you
do badly. Our system is not based on this."
(CWM, Vol. 6, p. 431)
But the question may arise: What is the place of discipline in

this type of free system of education? The answer is: There
must be discipline but of another order. For, freedom does
not mean either whimsicality or lax waywardness. The es-
sential and all-important difference lies in the fact that in
the system of education envisioned by the Mother, instead
of exacting from the students an externally imposed con-
ventional discipline of ordinary institutions, the teachers are
expected to help their pupils to have an inner self-discipline
set by themselves, solely for the love of progress and perfec-
tion, their own perfection, the perfection of their being and
nature.
The acquisition of this excellent virtue of spontaneous
self-discipline constitutes the eighth educational goal that
has to be set before the students.
Ninth Goal: To Help Every Individual Child to Blossom

One of the most basic goals in the Mother's system of
education is to attend to the inner needs of every individual
student. The education imparted should not be impersonal

and group-oriented. It has to be sensitive to the total person-
ality of each individual child. Therefore the task of a teacher
teaching in the Mother's way becomes much more exacting
than that of the teachers in the conventional schools. As the
Mother has said:
"The teacher should not be a book that is read aloud, the

same for everyone, no matter what his nature and char-
acter. The first duty of the teacher is to help the student
to know himself and to discover what he is capable of
doing....
The old method of the seated class to which the
teacher gives the same lesson for all, is certainly eco-
nomical and easy, but also very ineffective, and so time
is wasted for everybody." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 369)
To be a successful teacher teaching in the right way as rec-

ommended by the Mother, one should scrupulously refrain
from stereotyping his manner of teaching, from making it
the same for all the students. There should be great flexibility
and clairvoyance on the part of the teacher. He should not
make any fixed rules or theories beforehand and apply them
more or less blindly, irrespective of the needs of individual
students. He should remember that each case is different and
requires a different procedure.
Tenth Goal: To Develop Genuine Individuality

The Mother has always insisted that the students should
be patiently helped to disengage their true nature from the
opaque covering of foreign influences pouring in upon them

all the time from outside. They should be their own selves
and not act the spurious selves with which they identify
themselves without even knowing it. The Mother has re-
ferred on many an occasion to the absolute necessity of this
process of "individualisation", Here are, for instance, some
relevant passages from what she spoke to a group of students
on 28 July 1954:
"... at least ninety-nine parts of an individual's character

are made of soft butter... on which if one presses one's
thumb, an imprint is made.
Now, everything is a 'thumb' : an expressed thought,
a sentence read, an object looked at, an observation of
what someone else does, and of one 's neighbour's will.
And all these wills... [are] intermingled, each one trying
to get the uppermost and causing a kind of perpetual
conflict within....
"So one is tossed like a cork on the waves of the
sea.... One day one wants this, the next day one wants
that, at one moment one is pushed from this side, at an-
other from that, now one lifts one's face to the sky, now
one is sunk deep in a hole . And so this is the existence
one has!" (CWM, Vol. 6, pp. 256-57)
Hence arises the necessity of helping the students discover

their true nature and essential individuality which can stand
as a rock of self-defence against any undesirable invading
influence.
Let us close our discussion of the tenth educational goal
by quoting some significant words of the Mother:
"First one must become a conscious , well-knit, indi-

vidualised being, who exists in himself, by himself,
independently of all his surroundings, who can hear
anything, read anything, see anything without changing.
He receives from outside only what he wants to receive;
he automatically refuses all that is not in conformity
with his plan and nothing can leave an imprint on him
unless he agrees to receive the imprint Then one begins
to become an individuality!" (Ibid., p. 257)
Eleventh Goal: An All-round Development of All the In-

struments
It may be stated without much ado that the basic Vision
that should permeate all educational effort is that the earthly
life is the destined field of a progressive self-manifestation
of the Spirit and that the students, as everybody else, should
prepare themselves as instruments, as perfectly as possible,
to express adequately and without any distortion or diminu-
tion the divine Will in the world;
Now, the mind, the heart, the vital and the body are the
four instruments of manifestation of the Spirit Thus, there
is the mental being which produces thoughts, the emotional
being which produces feelings, the vital being which pro-
duces the power of action and the physical being that acts
and gives form to everything else. Now, the basic duty of a
teacher is to help his students in the task of developing these
four instruments to as great a perfection as practicable . The
mind, the heart, the vital and the body should be cultivated,
The Moth er 's Eleven Goals of Education 43
educated and trained. They must not be left like shapeless

pieces of stone. In the Mother's words:
"When you want to build with a stone you chisel it;

when you want to make a formless block into a beautiful
diamond, you chisel it. Well, it is the same thing. When
with your brain and body you want to make a beautiful
instrument for the Divine, you must cultivate it, sharpen
it, refine it, complete what is missing, perfect what is
there." (CWM, Vol. 5, p. 48)
We have discussed in brief eleven distinct educational goals

set by the Mother before the students. But what is the best
way of attaining these goals? It goes without saying that a
great responsibility devolves upon the teachers in this mat-
ter. For, they are the direct intermediaries and instruments
for the fulfilment of the great Vision. And it is surely not by
acquiring technical competence in the subjects they are to
teach that the teachers can expect to be successful in the task
of discharging the sacred responsibility they bear towards
their students. No, there is only one way out and that is for
the teachers to put into practice what they are supposed to
preach. And it should be clearly understood as the Mother
has pointed out, that "each one, whatever his worth and ca-
pacity, can and must progress constantly to realise an ideal
which is much higher than the present realisation of huma-
nity.... The main thing is to keep the certitude that whatever
may have been accomplished , one can always do better if
one wants to." (CWM , Vol. 12, pp. 358-59)
III
The Role and Responsibility

of the Teachers
It is by now clear to our readers that Sri Aurobindo Inter-

national Centre of Education is not just an ordinary school ,
college or university having for its sole aim the excellent
training of its alumni in various academic subjects. The
Mother has placed before it very high extra-academic goals .
Indeed these goals are its real raison d 'etre: academic excel-
lence and competence in various disciplines of knowledge is
only a necessary but no more than a complementary achieve-
ment.
Now the fact cannot be overstressed that to help in the
fulfilment of the real aims of SAlCE, it will not do for the
members of its teaching staff to be only equipped with suffi-
cient knowledge in their respective academic subjects . They
have to be a special type of human beings. indeed, seriously
practising sadhakas and sadhikas. They have to be imbued
with a burning aspiration to belong to the emerging human-
ity of the coming future and set a constant living example of
all that the Mother would like to be realised in the life of its
students. In other words, a great and onerous responsibility
lies on the teachers of this Centre of Education and without
their sincere and whole-hearted co-operation, its aims and
purposes cannot be brought into fulfilment. Hence, on many
an occasion , the Mother has sharply drawn the attention of
these teachers to what she expects of them and what they
The Role and Responsibility ofthe Teacher 45
have to grow into . Here are a few passages from the Mother's
writings touching on various aspects of this question.
(1) "And if, among these teachers and instructors, some

are not worthy of their post, because by their character
they give a bad example, their first duty is to become
worthy by changing their character and their action;
there is no other way." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 360)
(2) Question: "Mother, don't you think that to become

a teacher or an instructor here, especially for the little
ones, it is necessary to have lived in the Ashram for a
certain length oftime?"
The Mother's Answer:

"It is a certain attitude of consciousness which is nec-
essary-and unfortunately, living even several years in
the Ashram does not always lead to this right attitude.
Truly speaking, teachers should be taken on trial to
see if they can acquire this right atti tude and adapt them -
selves to the needs of their task." (Ibid., pp. 366-67)
(3) Question : "Mother, what do you mean by 'a certain

attitude ofconsciousness' ? "

"The attitude of consciousness which is required is an
inner certitude that, in comparison with all that is to be
known , one knows nothing; and that at every moment
one must be ready to learn in order to be able to teach.
This is the first indispensable point.

There is a second one. It is that outer life, as we
know it, is a more or less illusory appearance and that
we must constantly keep a living aspiration for the
Truth." (Ibid., p. 367)
(4) "Whatever imperfections the teachers and instruc-

tors here may have, they will always be better than
those from outside. For all who work here do so without
remuneration and in the service of a higher cause. It is
clearly understood that each one, whatever his worth or
capacity, can and must progress constantly to realise an
ideal which is still much higher than the present realisa-
tion of humanity.
But if one is truly eager to do one's best, it is by
doing the work that one progresses and learns to do it
better and better.
Criticism is seldom useful, it discourages more than
it helps. And all goodwill deserves encouragement, for
with patience and endurance, there is no progress which
cannot be made.
The main thing is to keep the certitude that what-
ever may have been accomplished, one can always do
better if one wants to." (Ibid., pp. 360-61)
(5) "Teachers must not be absent on the days and at

the times oftheir classes. If a person is obliged to have
external activities during school-hours , he cannot be a
teacher." (Ibid., p. 193)
The Role and Responsibility ofthe Teacher 47
(6) Question: "Mother, You have said that the teacher

must be a discerning psychologist, a Guru. You know
very well that we arefar from being all that. The teachers
being what they are, how should the system ofeducation
be organised in order to improve our way ofteaching ?"
The Mother 's Answer:

"By doing what they can, knowing that they have every-
thing to learn. In this way they will gain experience and
do things better and better. That is the best way to learn ,
and if they do it in all sincerity, in two or three years
they will become experts and will be truly useful.
Naturally, work done in this way becomes really in-
teresting and makes the teachers as well as the students
progress." (Ibid. , pp. 376-77)
(7) Question : "Mother, You said the other day that

there were teachers who were not capable, and that they
should stop teaching. What is the criterion for assessing
the capacity ofa teacher ?"

"First, he must understand, he must know what we want
to do and understand well how to do it.
Secondly, he must have a power of psychological
discernment in dealing with the students, he must under-
stand his students and what they are capable of doing.
Naturally, he must know the subject he is teaching....
But the most important thing is that he must have
psychological discernment." (Ibid., p. 378)
IV
The Mother on the

Method of Teaching
It is by now well known to most educationists and even to

the general public that Sri Aurobindo International Centre
of Education established in Pondicherry by the Mother of
the Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a unique institute of learning
distinguished in many significant ways from most other nor-
mal schools and colleges. The Mother wanted it to function
with very great aims and purposes behind it. It is not merely
a highly efficient academic training which is in view here.
Above everything else, how to help the students to grow into
consciously aspiring men and women of the future , well,
this was the central goal behind its founding. Now, it is quite
clear that the full and successful realisation of this noble
goal demands the concurrence of three components: the
teachers , the students and the proper method of teaching. The
teachers should be well aware of the real nature of their
task; the students on their part should well understand why
they have come to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram to pursue their
studies in its school; and the proper method of teaching
should be adopted here which will help in the flowering of
the young boys and girls to the maximum extent possible.
If even one of the three components is deficient in func-
tioning, the attempt before the "Centre" is bound to fail and
in course of time it cannot but degenerate into one amongst
a million conventional institutions of learning . In the present
Mother on the Method of Teaching 49
paper we propose to concentrate our attention on the third

component, the method of teaching, and clearly indicate
what the Mother wanted it to be and what pitfalls she wanted
her "Centre" to avoid if it would be of service to her in the
fulfilment of her goal. For that the best course would be to
meditate on some of the passages from the Mother 's writings
touching upon this aspect of the problem.
(I) "There is one thing that I must emphasise. Don't try

to follow what is done in the universities outside; Don 't
try to pump into the students mere data and informa-
tion. Don't give them so much work that they may not
get time for anything else. You are not in a great hurry
to catch a train. Let the students understand what they
learn. Let them assimilate it. Finishing the course should
not be your goal. You should make the programme in
such a way that the students may get time to attend the
subjects they want to learn. They should have sufficient
time for their physical exercises. I don't want them to be
very good students, yet pale, thin and anaemic .... [The
students'] progress will not be just in one direction at the
cost of everything else. It will be an all-round progress
in all directions." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 170)
(2) On general education and specialisation:

A proposal was made by some teachers that the students
should give up some subject s in order to concentrate on
those they wished to learn. Here is the Mother's comment on
this proposal of specialisation:
"That depends . It cannot be made the general rule; for
many of them [the students] it would not be much use.

They have not reached a stage where they would be able
to concentrate more on certain subjects if they have
fewer subjects to study. The only result would be to
encourage them to slacken - the very opposite of con-
centration! - and it would lead to a waste of time.
The solution does not lie there. What you should
do is to teach the children to take interest in what they
are doing - that is not the same thing as interesting the
students! You must arouse in them the desire for knowl-
edge, for progress. One can take an interest in anything
- in sweeping a room, for example - if one does it with
concentration, in order to gain an experience, to make a
progress, to become more conscious." (Ibid., p. 171)
(3) "Most teachers want to have good students: students

who are studious and attentive, who understand and
know many things, who can answer well.... This spoils
everything. The students begin to consult books, to
study, to learn. Then they rely only on books, on what
others say or write, and they lose contact with the super-
conscient part which receives knowledge by intuition.
This contact often exists in a small child but it is lost in
the course of his education.
For the students to be able to progress in the right
direction, it is obvious that the teachers should have
understood this and changed their old way of seeing
and teaching. Without that, my work is at a standstill ."
(Ibid.)
Mother on the Method a/Teaching 51
(4) "It is not so much the details of organisation as the

attitude that must change.
It seems that unless the teachers themselves get
above the usual intellectual level, it will be difficult
for them to fulfil their duty and accomplish their task."
(Ibid ., p. 172)
(5) Question : "R was absent today... and I found, after

the class, that he has Your permission to stop coming to
my class and take woodwork instead."

"He told me he liked much better to do manual work
instead of studies. I thought he was right in his instinct
and his choice was the best for his nature. So I gave him
the permission required." (Ibid. , p. 186)
(6) Question : "Should we put the children of each

category together? "

"That has both advantages and disadvantages. The
grouping of students should be made according to the
resources at our disposal and the facilities we have.
The arrangement should be flexible so that it can be
improved upon if necessary." (Ibid ., p. 372)
(7) "All studies, or in any case the greater part of stud-

ies consists in learning about the past, in the hope that it
will give you a better understanding of the present. But
if you want to avoid the danger that the students may

cling to the past and refuse to look to the future , you
must take great care to explain to them that the purpose
of everything that happened in the past was to prepare
what is taking place now, and that everything that is
taking place now is nothing but a preparation for the
road towards the future, which is truly the most impor-
tant thing for which we must prepare ." (Ibid. , p. 169)
(8) "It is by cultivating intuition that one prepares to live

for the future." (Ibid.)
(9) "Think rather of the future than of the past." (Ibid.)
(10) "You must be very careful to see that there is no

overlapping in the lessons that you teach. Your subjects
are related to each other. If two teachers begin to speak
on the same point, naturally there will be some differ-
ence in their points of view. The same thing seen from
different angles looks different. This will bring confu-
sion in the young minds of the students and they will
start comparison amongst the teachers, which is not
very desirable. So each one should try to take up his
own subject without wandering about in other subjects ."
(Ibid ., p. l86)
(11) "It is not through uniformity that you obtain unity.

It is not through uniformity of programmes and methods
that you will obtain the unity of education.
Unity is obtained through a constant reference,
Mother on the Method a/ Teaching 53
silent or expressed, as the case demands, to the centr al

ideal , the central force or light, the purpose and the goal
of our education.
The true, the supreme Unity expresses itself in
diversity. It is mental logic that demands samene ss. In
practice, each one must find and apply his own method,
that which he understands and feels. It is only in this
way that education can be effective ." (Ibid., p. 172)
(12) Question: "If we are to have a new system [of edu-

cationJ, what exactly will this system be ?"
The Moth er 's An swer:

"It will be put into practice in the best way possible, ac-
cording to the capacity of each teacher." (Ibid. , p. 176)
v
"Free Progress" in Education
"Free Progress" is a key concept of immense import in the

educational vision of the Mother. But what does she mean
by this free progress of an individual student at SAlCE? She
was once specifically asked this question. One of her chil-
dren asked her: "Mother, would you please define in a few
words what you mean essentially by 'free progress'?" The
Mother answered:
"A progress guided by the soul and not subjected to

habits, conventions or preconceived ideas." (CWM, Vol.
12, p. 172)
The first part of the Mother's answer makes everything ab-

solutely clear. But, in practice, the problem becomes acutely
difficult for the teachers, the students, the parents and the
guardians, indeed for everybody. For how many among the
students are aware of their soul, far be it to be always guided
by their psychic being in choosing at every moment the spe-
cific line of their progress in life?
But luckily the second half of the Mother's answer pro-
vides a direction for us. To realise one's soul and be guided
by it alone is surely the ultimate accomplishment, siddhi;
but before that many more preparatory steps have to be
taken which are within everybody's reach, if one is sincere
and persistent in one's effort. One of these steps is to grow
"Free Progress" in Education 55
into a truly rational being who seeks after truth at any cost
and whose reasoning intelligence is made really free and is
no more under the subjugation of his physical and vital in-
stincts, desires and passions. "Mono... prana-sarira-neta",
"Mind should be the leader of the vital and the physical" ,
and not the other way round. When the case is different, one
is apt to confuse licence and waywardness with freedom, and
the lower nature's weaknesses and urges with the soul's will.
Indeed, our psychological constitution is highly complex; it
contains not only the psychic prompting at its profoundest
centre, but here, there, everywhere in it many other urges
and impulses push us at every moment to act as involuntarily
moved blind unconscious puppets. To be so guided is surely
not what the Mother designates as being guided by one's
soul. Hence the very first task before the teachers and the
parents is to teach their students and wards how to become
conscious of the detailed functioning of their psychology
and be watchful masters of their own movements. Here is
a long passage from the Mother's writing which is worth
quoting . Every teacher should ponder over the implications
of what the Mother has said here if he would like to prepare
his students to become fit candidates for making their free
progress genuine and effective. This is what the Mother said
concerning the proper bringing up of the children and young
adults:
"It is an invaluable possession for every living being to

have learnt to know himself and to master himself. To
know oneself means to know the motives of one's ac-
tions and reactions, the why and the how of all that hap-
pens in oneself. To master oneself means to do what one

has decided to do, to do nothing but that, not to listen to
or follow impulses, desires or fancies.
To give a moral law to a child is evidently not an
ideal thing; but it is very difficult to do without it. The
child can be taught , as he grows up, the relativity of all
moral and social laws so that he may find in himself a
higher and truer law. But here one must proceed with
circumspection and insist on the difficulty of discover-
ing that true law. The majority of those who reject hu-
man laws and proclaim their liberty and their decision to
'live their own life' do so only in obedience to the most
ordinary vital movements which they disguise and try
to justify, if not to their own eyes, at least to the eyes of
others . They give a kick to morality, simply because it is
a hindrance to the satisfaction of their instincts.
No one has a right to sit in judgment over moral and
social laws, unless he has taken his seat above them;
.one cannot abandon them, unless one replaces them by
something superior, which is not so easy.
In any case, the finest present one can give to a child
would be to teach him to know himself and master him-
self." (Ibid., p. 167)
Now, once this preliminary psychological training (of know-

ing himself and mastering himself) is well grounded in the
psychology of a student, the teachers can well take the risk
and grant him sufficient freedom to discover himself and
govern and shape his own destiny following his inner urge;
for he is marked for the future. When a few teachers com-
..Free Progress" in Education 57
plained to the Mother once that most of the students would

not be able to utilise the freedom offered to them but would
rather misuse and waste their time and energy, she forcefully
declared:
"In spite of what one might think, the proportion of

very good students is satisfactory. If out of 150 students,
there are 7 individuals of genuine value , it is very good."
(Ibid. , p. 173)
In any case, the Mother would want that for the proper
flowering of an individual student with all his potentialities
and possibilities coming out into open realisation, the free
progress system of education needs to be adopted. Instead
of a teacher deciding everything for his students, even what
he benevolently considers good for them , he should afford
all scope to the students themselves for revealing their perso-
nalities and the deeper urges and capabilities of their being;
and then and only then guide them along those lines with
their full and joyous collaboration at every step of the educa-
tional adventure. Here are some guidelines from the Mother
destined for the teachers in the matter of the fulfilment of
this sacred but onerous task .
(l) "The teacher must find out the category to which

each of the children in his care belongs. And if after
careful observation he discovers two or three excep-
tional children who are eager to learn and who love
progress, he should help them to make use of their
energies for this purpose by giving them the freedom of
choice that encourages individual growth.

The old method of the seated class to which the
teacher gives the same lesson for all, is certainly eco-
nomical and easy, but also very ineffective, and so time
is wasted for everybody." (Ibid., p. 369)
(2) "I said we should give freedom of choice to excep-

tional children because for them it is absolutely indis-
pensable if we truly want to help them to develop fully.
Of course this freedom of choice can be given to all
the children, and after all it is a good way to find their
true nature; but most of them will prove to be lazy and
not very interested in studies. But, on the other hand,
they may be skilful with their hands and be willing to
learn to make things. This too should be encouraged. In
this way the children will find their true place in society,
and will be prepared to fulfil it when they grow up.
Everyone should be taught the joy of doing well
whatever he does, whether it is intellectual , artistic or
manual work, and above all, the dignity of all work,
whatever it may be, when it is done with care and skill."
(Ibid., pp. 369-70)
(3) "What is important is to give the children the chance

to see and judge for themselves." (Ibid., p. 371)
(4) "[The age at which the freedom can be given to the

children] depends on the case. Some children are fully
developed at the age of fourteen or fifteen. It is different
for each one. It depends on the case." (Ibid.)
"Free Progress" in Education 59
(5) 'The teacher must not be a machine for reciting les-

sons , he must be a psychologist and an observer." (Ibid.)
(6) 'The school should be an opportunity for progress for

the teacher as well as for the student. Each one should
have the freedom to develop freely." (Ibid., p. 169)
(7) Question: "How are we to teach the children to or-

ganise the freedom that You give us here?"
The Mother's answer:

"Children have everything to learn. This should be their
main preoccupation in order to prepare themselves for a
useful and productive life .
At the same time, as they grow up, they must dis-
cover in themselves the thing or things which interest
them most and which they are capable of doing well.
There are latent faculties to be developed. There are also
faculties to be discovered.
Children must be taught to like to overcome dif-
ficulties, and also that this gives a special value to life ;
when one knows how to do it, it destroys boredom for
ever and gives an altogether new interest to life.
We are on earth to progress and we have everything
to learn." (Ibid., p. 368)
(8) "To love to learn is the most precious gift that one
can make to a child , to learn always and everywhere."
(Ibid., p. 167)
(9) "... if the individual can progress at his maximum the

group will necessarily benefit by it." (Ibid., p. 182)
VI
Problems in "Free Progress" System
If we adopt the system of "Free Progress" in imparting edu- -

cation to the students in our school, some basic problems
arise and confront the teachers and the organisers, and they
demand satisfactory solutions. Here, for example, is one of
them which was placed before the Mother:
Question: "Mother, when we attempt to organise the

children into categories based on their capacity for
initiative, we see that there is a mixture of levels of
achievement in various subjects. That makes the work
very difficult for certain teachers who are in the habit of
taking ordinary {conventional] classes in the old classi-
cal way. {How 10 solve this problem ?J"
The Mother' s Answer:

"We are here to do difficult things . If we repeat what
others do, it is not worth the trouble; there are already
many schools in the world.
Men have tried to cure the ignorance of the masses
by adopting the easiest methods. But now we have
passed that stage and humanity is ready to learn better
and more fully. It is up to those who are in the lead to
show the way so that others can follow." (CWM, Vol. 12,
p. 373)
Then a second question followed which was equally impor-

tant:
"Mother, how do You conceive the organisation of

our education, to enable the children to discover their
capacities and then follow the path of their individual
development? "

"That is what we are trying to do here. It depends on the
teacher. I do not have a theory one could put down on
paper....
But doing it well depends on the teacher, on the
trouble he takes, and on his power of psychological
understanding. He must be capable of recognising the
character and possibilities of the student, so that he
can adapt his teaching to the needs of each individual."
(Ibid., pp. 373-74)
The Mother was more explicit about what she meant by

"category of children" . She said:
"The categories of character.

In assessing the possibilities of a child, ordinary
moral notions are not of much use. Natures that are
rebellious, undisciplined, obstinate, often conceal quali-
ties that no one has known how to use. Indolent natures
may also have a great potential for calm and patience.
It is a whole world to discover and easy solutions
are not of much use. The teacher must be even more
Problems in "Free Progress" System 63
hardworking than the student in order to learn how

to discern and make the best possible use of different
characters." (Ibid., p. 375)
Here is another practical problem and the Mother's clinching

reply to it:
Question: "In this method of work, the teacher must

devote sufficient time to each one individually. But the
teachers are few in number. How can we respect the
needs of each one as fully as possible and at the same
time satisfy all those who askfor help?"

"One cannot make a theory. It depends on each case, the
possibilities and circumstances. It is an attitude which
the teacher must have and apply as well as he can, and
better and better if possible ." (Ibid., pp. 377-78)
Now follow two significant questions, the second one being

a ticklish one, and the Mother's answers to them are quite
illuminating.
Question: "The education we are given here at present

differs little from the education that is given elsewhere.
This is precisely why we should try here to educate the
latent and spiritual faculties ofthe student. But how can
we do this in school?"

"This cannot be done by any external method. It de-
pends almost entirely on the teacher's attitude and con-
sciousness . If he does not have the vision and the inner
knowledge himself, how can he transmit them to his
students?" (Ibid ., pp. 174-75)
Then the Mother adds:
"To tell the truth, we rely mainly on the all-sur-
rounding atmosphere charged with spiritual force,
which has an effect even if it is not perceived or felt."
(Ibid. , p. 175)
Now the puzzling question of a particular teacher who

wrote: "'Free Progress' education being essentially an edu-
cation governed and guided by the soul of the individual, I
am, as a teacher in our school, confronted with a serious per-
sonal problem of apparent contradiction. I don't even know
whether I have a soul, but as a teacher I am expected to help
the students and 'insist on the growth of their soul' - some
light, please."
The Mother 's An swer:

"The contradiction comes from the fact that you want
to 'mentalise ' and this is impossible. It is an attitude,
an inside attitude mostly but which governs the outside
action as much as possible. It is something to be lived
much more than to be taught." (Ibid., p. 176)
Problems in " Free Progress " System 65
One Specific Problem:

The Problem of the Multitude
If one adopts the "Free Progress" System in any Centre of

Education , the organisers and those in charge of teaching are
bound to encounter a serious problem, the problem of an in-
ordinately large number. Normally, many, many students are
apt to enrol in any particular school and even in any particu-
lar class. How to cater to the individual needs of this huge
number and help them adequately and effectively in their
particularised individual growth and development? Does it
not seem well-nigh impossible?
Luckily the problem is not so intractable in practice as
it seems at first. For the number of outstanding students de-
serving really free progress in a class or in the whole school
is not actually very large. The preponderant majority of the
normal run of students are not eager for self-determined in-
dividual progress nor are they capable of effectively working
under their own discipline: they require the spur of imposed
discipline coming from some outside authority like their
teachers and guardians if they would at all utilise their avail-
able time and energies in the proper way.
So the totality of the students in a school or in a class
will automatically get sorted out in two categories: the
category of lethargic, psychologically "asleep", normal
students and a second category of a relatively few "awak-
ened" children who are meant by Nature to be children of
the new future and who require special attention from their
illumined teachers to bring out in full all their latent or hid-
den potentials and possibilities. As this second category of
students is not unmanageably large, these students can be

easily attended to. But adequate care should be taken to se-
lect specially qualified teachers for this purpose, equipped
in every respect, intellectual , moral, psychological and even
spiritual. Any and every individual merely competent in his
academic subject or subjects will not be able to do the job at
all; he or she would, on the contrary, damage the interests of
the students and stunt their true development.
The upshot of all this preliminary discussion is that
every centre of education should provide for two types of
classes, the classical, conventional, fixed system for the
majority of the students, and the "Free Progress" classes
for the limited few who show by their nature and behaviour
that they are the shining lights of the future. The teachers
a
should possess' keen and clairvoyant discerning power to
judge rightly which of his students belong to which category
and send them to the class suited to them. There should not
be any fixity or permanence in this matter: there should be
adequate and fool-proof arrangement for periodic transfer
of any particular student from one type of class to the other.
Everyone should be given adequate opportunity to reveal
his real capacity and worth and migrate to the educational
milieu which will help him in his flowering.
. With all the extraneous constraints under which it has
to function, a normal educational centre that is under out-
side management may not find it feasible to adopt this dual
system of classes suggested here. Be that as it may, we at
SAlCE should have no hesitation in this matter and venture
to introduce it among our students who are residing in the Sri
Aurobindo Ashram and basking in the invisible but effective
spiritual ambience of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

For the clear understand ing of the readers, we append
below a few relevant passages from the Mother's writings on
education which will throw a helpful light on all the aspects
of the problem and on how to deal with them.
The Mother Speaks :
(I) "The classes as a whole may be reorganised so as to

fulfil the needs of the majority, that is to say, of those
who, in the absence of any outside pressure or imposed
discipline , work badly and make no progress.
But it is essential that the present system of edu-
cation in the new ["Free Progress"] classes should be
maintained, in order to allow outstanding individuals
to show themselves and develop freely. That is our true
aim. It should be known - we should not hesitate to
proclaim it- that the whole purpose of our school is
to discover and encourage those in whom the need for
progress has become conscious enough to direct their
lives. It ought to be a privilege to be admitted to these
Free Progress classes.
At regular intervals (every month, for example) a
selection should be made and those who cannot take
advantage of this special education should be sent back
into the normal stream." (Ibid., p. 173)
(2) "The criticisms made in the report apply to the teach-

ers as much as to the students. For students of high ca-
pacity, one teacher well versed in his subject is enough
-even a good textbook, together with encyclopae-

dias and dictionaries would be enough. But as one goes
down the scale and the capacity of the student becomes
lower, the teacher must have higher and higher capaci-
ties: discipline, self-control, consecration, psychologi-
cal understanding, infectious enthusiasm, to awaken in
the student the part which is asleep: the will to know, the
need for progress, self-control, etc." (Ibid., pp. 173-74)
(3) "Just as we organise the school in such a way as to be

able to discover and help outstanding students, in the same
way, the responsibility for classes [in the "Free Progress"
System] should be given to outstanding teachers.
So I ask each teacher to consider his work in the
school as the best and quickest way of doing his Yoga.
Moreover, every difficulty and every difficult student
should be an opportunity for him to find a divine solu-
tion to the problem." (lbid., p. 174)
At times, if the circumstances so demand, a teacher may

adopt the two systems simultaneously for one of his classes.
Here is a question from a teacher placed before the Mother
concerning his dual psychological tendencies and the novel
solution suggested by Her.
(4) Question: "1 have observed two contradictory kinds

ofideas in myself: one kind infavour ofindividual work,
another in favour ofgroup work."
Problems in "Free Progress " System 69

"Isn' t it possible to divide the class time into two parts
(equal or unequal according to the need) and to tryout
both systems? This would give diversity to the teaching
and provide a wider field for observation of the students
and their capacities." (lbid. , p. 183)
Once a suggestion was made that the two systems might

preferably be combined for all the students irrespective of
their individual character variations and the classes fused.
The Mother answered in detail:
(5) "All of them [teachers of contrary opinions] are both

right and wrong at the same time .
First of all it seems that after the age of seven, those
who have a living soul are so awake that they are ready
to find it, if they are helped. Below seven this is excep-
tional.
There are great differences among our children.
First there are those who have a living soul. For them
there is no question. We must help them to find it.
But there are others, the ones who are like little
animals. If they are children from the outside, whose
parents expect them to be taught - for them the ["fixed"]
classes are suitable. It is of no importance.
The problem is not whether to have classes and pro-
grammes or not. The problem is to choose the children.
Up to the age of seven, children should enjoy them-
selves. School should all be a game, and they learn as
they play. As they play they develop a taste for learning,
knowing and understanding life. The system is not very

important. It is the attitude of the teacher that matters.
The teacher should not be something that one endures
under constraint. He should always be the friend whom
you love because he helps and amuses you.
Above the age of seven, the new system [of "Free
Progress" classes] can be applied to those who are
ready, provided that there is a class where the others can
work in the ordinary way. And for that class the teacher
should be convinced that what he is doing is the right
method. He should not feel that he is relegated to an
inferior task." (Ibid., p. 184)
The Mother explains elsewhere why there should be provi-

sion for both types of classes. Here is the passage:
(6) "There are some things that we cannot do [here in

our Centre of Education]. For example, if we wanted to
bring up all the children by the new method, we would
have to take them all on trial for one or two months, find
out those who can follow, and send the others back to
their families ....
We must therefore produce the solution within.
There are children who don't like the new method -
responsibility worries them. I have received intimation
of this in letters from children. We can only leave them
as they are." (Ibid., p. 185)
One last point. To bring up a particular individual through

proper education to the fullest flowering of all his potenti-
Problems in " Free Progress" System 71
alities in every field of his total being and nature is not at

all an easy or simple task. And there is not a single rigidly
fixed method for that which has to be mechanically applied
to produce the required result. Therefore patience and plas-
ticity and creative, adaptive and innovative skill are greatly.
needed on the part of every single teacher put in charge of
the upbringing of the children. He should not be dogmatic in
his approach to education and look askance at other fellow
teachers for their own separate ways of teaching. We con-
clude the discussion of this very important point by quoting
here some relevant passages from the Mother's writings.
(7) "Everyone, without exception , without exception,

should know that he is not someone who knows and ap-
plies what he knows. Everyone is learning to be what he
should be and to do what he should do." (Ibid., p. 185)
(8) "I have read with satisfaction what you say about your
work and I approve of it for your own work.
But you must understand that other teachers can
conceive their own work differently and be equally right."
(Ibid.)
(9) "When people do not agree, it is their pettiness, their

narrowness which prevents them from doing so. They
may be right in their idea... but they may not be doing
the right thing, if they don't have the necessary open-
ing." (Ibid., p. 184)
(10) "I take this opportunity to assure you that spiritual

72 Prin ciples and Goals of Integral Education
progress and the service of Truth are based on harmony

and not on division and critic ism." (Ibid. , p. 185)
(11) "Progress lies in widening, not in restriction.

There must be a bringing together of all points of
view by putting each one in its true place, not an insist-
ence on some to the exclu sion of others." (Ibid.)
(12) "True progress lies in the widening of the spirit and

the abolition of all limits." (Ibid., p. 186)
Now a few more extracts from the Mother's writings which

will offer to all the teachers of SAlCE much food for deep
contemplation:
(13) 'T o the teachers and students [of SAlCE]:

The ["Free Progress" System] classes are in accord with
the teachin g of Sri Aurobindo.
They lead towards the reali sation of the Truth.
Those who do not understand that are turning their
backs on the future." (Ibid ., p. 175)
(14) "The old method of teaching is obviously outdated

and will be gradually abandoned throu ghout the whole
world.
But to tell the truth, each teacher, drawing his inspi-
ration from modem ideas, should discov er the method
which he finds best and most suited to his natur e."
(Ibid., p. 182)
(15) "Ordinary classes belong to the past and will gradu-

ally disappear. As for the choice between working alone
or joining the ["Free Progress"] classes, that depends on
you. Because to teach and to conduct a class one must
move away from theory and intellectual speculations to
a very concrete application which has to be worked out
in all its details." (Ibid., p. 182)
(16) "Learning to teach while taking a class is certainly

very good for the would-be teacher, but certainly less
useful for the students." (Ibid ., p. 183)
All that has gone before concerns equally the method of

teaching: in the old conventional "fixed class" method or
the system of "Free Progress" based on the fullest scope
given to the realisation of the talents, swadhannas and the
potentialities of individual students. But one thing should
be made absolutely clear. A student of SAlCE, to whichever
stream of classes he may belong, must not forget even for a
moment that he is studying in a Centre of Education built by
the Mother and bearing the hallowed name of Sri Aurobindo.
It is not just another school, maybe more efficient in its aca-
demic teaching, and having for its sole goal the building up
of good and well-qualified citizens of the country. No, surely
that is not its purpose. The two first essays of this present
book ("Sri Aurobindo's Seven Principles of Education" and
"The Mother's Eleven Goals of Education") have made it
unambiguously clear what the Mother and Sri Aurobindo
basically expect from every student of their Centre of Educa-
tion established in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry,
irrespective of the system under which he or she is trained .

These fundamental goals should always be kept in view and
these should guide and animate all his efforts here at all
times , whatever may be the academic subjects he has been
studying in the Centre. If a particular student radically strays
away from this indicated Path , he will find himself a misfit
here and bring trouble both to himself and to other students
in SAlCE. But what to do with such wayward children? Let
these words of the Mother remove our doubts and misgiv-
ings .
(17) Question: "Should those who are much attracted

by the pleasures of ordinary life,... come to study in our
school? For, as a rule, one feels that this is why most of
our students go out during the holidays, and every time
they come back they need quite a long time to readjust
themselves here."

"Those who are strongly attached to ordinary life and its
agitation should not come here , for they are out of their
element and create disorder.
But it is difficult to know this before they come, for
most of them are very young, and their character is not
yet well formed .
But as soon as they are caught in the frenzy of the
world , it would be better, for themselves and for others,
that they return to their parents and their habits." (Ibid.,
p. 361)
(18) "We want here only children that can be considered

as an elite. The organisation must be made for them.
Those who cannot fit in, they have only to go after a one
year trial." (Ibid., p. 181)
VII
Training in the Use of

the "Free Progress" System
(A few practical words to the students)
The Mother favoured the "Free Progress" System of educa-

tion for the outstanding students for the full flowering of
all their potential and for the development of their true swa -
dharma , self-nature. But it is not very easy on the part of an
untrained average student to utilise the methodology of free
progress in the right way. For example, in the Higher Course
of SAlCE, where the free progress system is in full operation
since 1968, it is found that many students fumble in practice
in making the proper choice. For, there, an individual stu-
dent has full freedom to choose (i) the subjects of his study,
(ii) the teachers whose active help he would solicit for his
studies, and (iii) the way he would like to be taught a particu-
lar subject, in a Comprehensive, Major or even in a Minor
way. Also , the student has complete freedom to initiate the
study of a new subject at any time of the academic session,
or even give up the study of a subject with a particular
teacher under whom he was studying till then. Now, all
these operations the stude nt has to carry out in the "free"
way, that is to say, as a psychologically "free" individual and
not as someone who acts under the bondage of his passing
impulses or extraneous motives. Egoistic desires, whims and
idiosyncracies should have no say in the matter. But this is
what happens mostly in practice if the student is not previ-
Training in the Use ofthe "Free Progress" System 77
ously shown what is actually meant by "exercising one's free

choice".
But a student may at this point raise the puzzled query:
"Am I not already 'free'? Am I not acting all the time in my
daily life as a free individual? And if so, what is this queer
proposal of training me in freedom?"
If we ask the student at this point: "Will you please give
me a few examples of your free actions?" he may perhaps
promptly answer: "Well, I took two slices of bread at break-
fast this morning. I went to my friend's place this evening
and spent half an hour chit-chatting. I saw a film on TV last
night. I have taken up Physics as one of my subjects of study
and not Chemistry or Biology. I have decided to study Ger-
man as a foreign language and that with the assistance of,
say, Manimala-di and not of the other five available teachers
in the Higher Course; etc. Are not these apt examples of free
actions of a free individual?"
We are sorry to point out that none of these instances
exemplify "free" actions . All of these have arisen out of the
conscious, semi-conscious or even subconscious prompting
of various factors beyond one's deliberate control. One has
acted in most of the cases of one's daily life as the puppet of
various urges and impulses beyond one's conscious control.
To act freely one has first to "know" oneself and "master"
oneself. Without having sufficient training in these two psy-
chological operations, it is vain to expect that one can use the
"Free Progress" system in the right and convenient way.
To remove any possible lingering doubt in the mind of
the students, let us cite two concrete examples, which, we
hope, will make the point unambiguously clear.
First Example: Let us imagine that on one sultry sum-

mer day of May, in the scorching heat of the mid-day sun,
a bullock-cart driver is driving his beast of burden along a
pitch road of Pondicherry. The famished animal appears to
be terribly tired. Saliva is trickling down its muzzle. Tears
are flowing from the comers of its eyes. Incapable of draw-
ing the cart fast, the bullock slows down. Being angry and
exasperated, the cart-driver gives the animal two hard lashes
and it immediately gathers speed and even trots for some
time.
Now our question is: Has the beast of burden gathered
its speed voluntarily of its own "free" will and deliberate
decision? The students will answer, and that too promptly,
"Surely not - it is the alien will of the cart-driver which is at
the root of the accelerated speed of the bullock." Very good.
Now let us go to a second more sophisticated example .
Second Example: Imagine for a moment that a few of
us, myself and a number of students have been sitting in a
particular classroom and seriously discussing a philosophi-
cal topic. Suddenly, a tiny whining boy appears in the room
and starts crying at a loud pitch and thereby disturbs our
discussion.
I appeal to the tiny tot four or five times to stop crying or
to go away from our classroom. But the boy, being a sample
of egoistic human consciousness, has already .developed a
budding personal vanity and self-importance and does not
want to tolerate any contradiction coming from any quarter.
Its spontaneous tendency is to oppose it. It has developed
no psychological freedom to curb this tendency. And I take
this fact into consideration and decide to adopt a roundabout
Training.in the Use ofthe" Free Progress" System 79
stratagem to stop the child from crying and disturbing us, by

"frying him in his own oil"; that is to say, I seek to utilise one
of his own weaknesses as a thorn to take out a second thorn.
Let me elucidate.
The boy is still in our room and crying all the time in a
loud voice in spite of everybody's repeated appeals to him to
stop whining.
Suddenly I take a counter pose and command the tiny tot
in a stem voice: "Look fellow, you have to cry very loudly
for five long minutes without a moment's respite. Start ; start
without delay. We won't allow you to go out of this room un-
til you have carried out my order. Start crying, I say, without
any further delay."
The boy may get puzzled for a moment but then his self-
pride becomes active with redoubled force. In his egoistic
blindness, he cannot see through the game I have been play-
ing and vehemently protests: "No, I will not cry ; I cannot
bear carrying out at anybody else's order. I am free and as a
free being I decide to become silent and quit this place ." And
our purpose is adequately served .
Now the question is: Did the boy stop crying of his own
free will, exercising his own free choice? Surely not. He
acted as a slave to my will without knowing it at all. And that
is precisely our situation all the time during our daily life if
we have not learnt how to know and master all our psycho-
logical movements . And that exactly is what is needed if a
student would like to fulfil his function as a participant in
the "Free Progress" classes of SAlCE. But how to prepare
oneself for this important and interesting task? Let us pro-
ceed to the elaboration of this training procedure although
necessarily in brief.
Man's psychological field is always subject to various
psychological factors like urges and influences, desires and
tendencies, promptings and drives, half-known or secret,
open or camouflaged, and all these coming from inside one-
self or from the world environment outside. These various
forces combine and jostle together to form a psychologi-
cal resultant like the polygon of forces in Physics; and the
resultant is at the root of man's actions and reactions. So
we are all the time just like puppets , although we vainly
pride ourselves on our claim to act always as free agents . To
become really free, before acting or reacting, or before tak-
ing any decision whatsoever in any matter, we have to look
within and analyse carefully the nature of this driving resul-
tant. We have to ask ourselves a set of three questions: What?
How? and Why? What is the exact character of the resultant
that is trying to push me to any particular action or reaction?
And, then, how did the resultant arise in me, gain in intensity
and seize me in its grasp? Finally, and this is the most crucial
question: why did this particular resultant appear in me at
this moment to push me inexorably to its active manifesta-
tion? In other words, why did I think in this way, or feel in
this way now? On analysis, I shall find that my psychologi-
cal consciousness on the surface will be prompt enough to
furnish an explanation which will be pleasant and justifiable
so that my action or reaction or decision may seem to myself
proper and right. And, as a result, I stick to my decision of
the moment and carry it out in practice. But this will not do
if I would like to act and react as a genuinely free being and
not as a slave to my hidden psychological forces. And for
Training in the Use of the "Free Progress" System 81
that, we have to clearly understand another interesting psy-

chological phenomenon. Let us clarify the point.
To simplify matters, let us point out that an individual
human being, a mental creature but inheriting his physical-
vital nature and evolutionary animal propensities, is always
pulled by two contrary urges: (i) an urge towards pleasures,
happinesses and satisfactions of all sorts, a felicific ten-
dency; and (ii) an elan towards the discovery of what is right
and good at that moment and in that given situation, a truth-
seeking drive. These two types of urges are almost always
in conflict and fight to gain control of the dynamic will of
the individual, to make him act out the resultant. The Upan-
ishads have declared that the manomayapurusah prana-sa-
rira-neta, "mind is the leader of the vital and the physical" .
But in fact, it is not so. Instead of being the leader, it is most
often led by the physical and vital pushes and passions. And
as the function of the mind is to justify and give reasons, it
seeks to side with the promptings of the body and the vital
and rationalise them by all means.
To make our exposition easy and simple and confine it
to a reasonably short compass, let us broadly generalise and
define "mind" as the truth-seeking faculty of man, and the
"vital" as the "pleasure-hunting" factor in the same human
being. These definitions are not correct definitions at all and
will not apply on all occasions and in every situation but let
us ignore that point for the moment and keep to the rough
nomenclatures as given above. Let us recapitulate before we
proceed further: Mind - the faculty that seeks to know what
is right and good and true; Vital - the faculty hunting after
pleasures, happinesses and satisfactions. The vital is, by our
simplistic definition, supposed to be blind and impetuous;

whereas the mind is considered to be poised, discriminatory
and rational. Now these two faculties in man quite often
come into conflict in the affairs of daily life and the dealings
of an individual. Man's behaviour and nature and the mode
of his actions and reactions are mostly governed and shaped
by the outcome of the conflict between these two opposing
contenders. And this typifies one's actions and decisions at
five different levels of human behaviour. These may be suc-
cinctly described as follows:
1. The vital is active and dominant, and the mind is
silent and passive. Result: the individual is, in a given situ-
ation, completely driven by the psychological resultant and
there is no "freedom" at all.
2. Mind tries to wage a semblance of fight and then
buckles and allows the vital to go on its wayward track. Man
continues to act as a slave.
3. Mind, instead of fighting, justifies the case of the
pleasure-seeking vital and the individual smoothly glides
downhill. Surely this is not the manner of a "free" man.
4. Mind offers a successful battle and holds its ground
and keeps the vital at bay. Result: the individual does indeed
what he thinks to be right at that moment but the recalcitrant
vital goes on strike and withdraws all the energy and happi-
ness from the being, which is surely not a desirable state.
5. Mind becomes, not only the successful "leader" but
the "converter" of the vital, so much so that the latter finds
genuine happiness in collaborating with the mind and giving
its complete adhesion to all that the "senior brother" decides.
And this is what is needed.
Training in the Use ofthe "Free Progress " System 83
And the student wishing to derive the maximum advan-

tage from the "Free Progress" system of education should
train himself assiduously and persistently to come to this
fifth stage of his psychological functioning and act as a har-
monised homogeneous being at all times and act and react
rightly and with illumined deliberation before every event
and in all circumstances.
And for that he has to keep a well-defined and well-for-
mulated central goal of life before his eyes at all moments
of his daily life. He should not live his life in an ad hoc
way like an errant wave on the surface of the sea. And at
every moment he should judge with reference to the goal
what he should do or not do in a given situation. And this
should apply in his academic field also: for example, what
subjects should he seek to study and under which teachers
and in which way? Should he give up a particular subject at
any particular moment of the Academic Session or, perhaps,
should he initiate the study of a new subject with the previ-
ous teacher himself or with an altogether new teacher? etc.
In other words, everything should be done by him as a truly
"free" individual as our discussion before has shown and not
mechanically in a puppet-like fashion or in the unconscious-
ly manipulated way like the crying child of our analogy be-
fore. And if he can do this always and that too sincerely and
consistently, he will deserve to be reckoned as a fit member
of the Mother's "Free Progress" Classes. Otherwise the
unimaginably great amount of freedom granted to him will
come to nothing and, in actual practice, he will completely
misuse this freedom and continue to act under the goad of
his whims and fantasies or under the involuntary constraints
of all that is in vogue around him .

Here ends our short delineation of the training proce-
dure meant to turn an ordinary average student into one who
fully deserves to participate in the framework of the "Free
Progress " system as defined by the Mother.
VIII
SAlCE: Aims and Purpose Behind
Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education established

by the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry
and popularly known under its acronym, SAlCE, has now a
reputation all over the world as an educational institution of
excellent teaching tradition, being animated at the same time
with very high and noble man-making ideals. This is not just
a college or university of the ordinary genre, may be of an
excellent quality. It has been founded by the Mother with a
particular end in view and that characterises its functioning,
also the motives and aspirations of its students and teachers.
But what is this special goal that SAlCE has set before itself
through all these long years since its founding about sixty
years back?
The Mother established in December 1943, in the town
of Pondicherry and under the auspices of the world-re-
nowned Sri Aurobindo Ashram a primary school for some
children of a few devotees and disciples. In 1953 she extend-
ed its scope and converted it into a University Centre with
much more profound and far-reaching goals before it. This
Centre, originally named as "Sri Aurobindo International
University Centre" was later given the designation of "Sri
Aurobindo International Centre of Education". In popular
parlance the educationists and others know it as "SAlCE".
To go back in history, we may recall that after the pass-
ing of Maharishi Sri Aurobindo, the great prophet of the Life
Divine, on December 5, 1950, the Mother revealed:
"One of the most recent forms under which Sri

Aurobindo conceived of the development of his work
was to establish at Pondicherry an International Univer-
sity Centre open to students from all over the world.
It is considered that the most fitting memorial to his
name would be to found this University now so as to
give concrete expression to the fact that his work con-
tinues with unabated vigour." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 111)
After that a convention of distinguished educationists from

India and abroad was held in Pondicherry in April 1951 and
the Mother herself opened this Memorial Convention with
these significant words:

upon earth the new light and force and life.
In his name I open today this convention meet-
ing here with the purpose of realising one of his most
cherished ideals." tIbid., p. 112)
Such were the prophetic words of the Mother, the lifelong

divine collaborator of Sri Aurobindo in his unique mission
of transfiguring humanity. Now, Sri Aurobindo is no longer
SAlCE: Aims and Purpose Behind 87
in his physical body: the Mother too has left her physical
frame in 1973. More than thirty years have passed since
then. The teachers and students of the early days have, in
course of time, left the Centre of Education; new teachers
and students have taken their place. In future others will
come and replace them in their tum . And this is the inexo-
rable law of life. But one thing should remain steady and
constant through all the changes of outward circumstances:
we are, of course, referring to the aims and purpose set by
the Mother behind the establishment of Sri Aurobindo Inter-
national Centre of Education. Otherwise, it will be a great
tragedy for all concerned. It is therefore the sacred duty of
all the teachers, students and organisers of Sri Aurobindo In-
ternational Centre of Education to keep vividly alive in their
memory and consciousness these aims and ideals and make
a persistent and sincere effort to realise them in practice even
if it be in a small measure. For, as Krishna has emphatically
stated in the Gita, svalpam apyasya dharmasya trayate ma-
halo bhayat . "Even a little of the practice of this principle
will save us from great peril."
As an effective means of fulfilling this task, we append
below some passages from the Mother which will act as a
ready reminder to the teachers and students of SAlCE so
that, in the medley of their various distracting activities of
daily life, they may not forget what the Mother expects
from them as students and teachers of this great Centre
of Education which has been founded to fulfil one of Sri
Aurobindo 's cherished dreams. Surely we owe him at least
this much of gratitude .
(1) Question : "What is the real purpose, the aim of our

Education Centre? Is it to teach Sri Aurobindo 's works?
And these only? And all or some of these ? Or is it to
prepare the students to read Sri Aurobindo 's works and
Mother's? Is it to prepare them for the Ashram life or
also for other 'outside ' occupation ? There are so many
opinions floating around... on what basis can we work
without any real sure knowledge? I pray, Mother, give
us your guidance."

"It is not a question of preparing to read these works or
other works . It is a question of pulling all those who are
capable to do so, out of the general human routine of
thought, feeling and action; it is to give all opportunities
to those who are here to cast off from them the slavery
to the human way of thinking and doing; it is to teach all
those who want to listen that there is another and truer
way of living, that Sri Aurobindo has taught us how to
live and become a true being-and that the aim of the
education here is to prepare the children and make them
fit for that life.
For all the rest, the human ways of thinking and
living, the world is vast and there is place out there for
everybody.
It is not a number that we want - it is a selection; it
is not brilliant students that we want, it is living souls ."
(lbid. , pp. 117-18)
(2) "It should be known and we should not hesitate to

say openly that the purpose of our school is to discover

and encourage those in whom the need for progress has
become conscious enough to orient their life." (Ibid., p.
118)
(3) "For us, however, this particular endeavour is one

among many; it is only one movement in our Sadhana.
We are engaged in many other things. To bring one
particular item of work to something like perfection
requires time and means and resources which are not at
our disposal. But we do not seek perfection in one thing,
our aim is an integral achievement." (Ibid., pp. 118-19)
(4) "There are people who write wanting to join our

University and they ask what kind of diploma or degree
we prepare for, the career we open out. To them I say:
go elsewhere, please, if you want that; there are many
other places, very much better than ours, even in India,
in that respect. We do not have their equipment or mag-
nificence. You will get there the kind of success you
look for. We do not compete with them. We move in a
different sphere, on a different level." (Ibid ., p. 119)
(5) "But this does not mean that I ask you to feel su-
perior to others . The true consciousness is incapable of
feeling superior. It is only the small consciousness that
seeks to show its superiority.... Rise above all that. Do
not be interested in anything other than your relation
with the Divine, what you wish to do for Him. That is
the only thing interesting." (Ibid. )
(6) "To develop the spirit of service is part of the train-

ing here and it completes the other studies." (Ibid. , p.
120)
(7) "The aim of education is not to prepare a man to suc-

ceed in life and society, but to increase his perfectibility
to its utmost." (Ibid.)
(8) "Do not aim at success. Our aim is perfection.

Remember you are on the threshold of a new world,
participating in its birth and instrumental in its creation.
There is nothing more important than the transforma-
tion. There is no interest more worthwhile." (Ibid.)
(9) Not a religious education but a spiritual education.

The Mother elucidates: "You must not confuse a reli-
gious teaching with a spiritual one.
Religious teaching belongs to the past and halts
progress.
Spiritual teaching is the teaching of the future
- it illumines the consciousness and prepares it for the
future realisation.
Spiritual teaching is above religions and strives to-
wards a global Truth.
It teaches us to enter into direct relations with the
Divine." (Ibid.)
(10) Question: "Why are we here in the Sri Aurobindo

Ashram ?"

"There is an ascending evolution in nature which goes
from the stone to the plant, from the plant to the animal,
from the animal to man. Because man is, for the mo-
ment, the last rung at the summit of the ascending evolu-
tion, he considers himself as the final stage in this ascen-
sion and believes there can be nothing on earth superior
to him. In that he is mistaken. In his physical nature he
is yet almost wholly an animal, a thinking and speaking
animal, but still an animal in his material habits and
instincts. Undoubtedly, nature cannot be satisfied with
such an imperfect result; she endeavours to bring out a
being who will be to man what man is to the animal, a
being who will remain a man in his external form, and
yet whose consciousness will rise far above the mental
and its slavery to ignorance.
Sri Aurobindo came upon earth to teach this truth to
men. He told them that man is only a transitional being
living in a mental consciousness, but with the possibility
of acquiring a new consciousness, the Truth-conscious-
ness, and capable of living a life perfectly harmonious,
good and beautiful, happy and fully conscious. During
the whole of his life upon earth, Sri Aurobindo gave all
his time to establish in himself this consciousness he
called supramental, and to help those gathered around
him to realise it.
You have the immense privilege of having come
quite young to the Ashram, that is to say, still plastic and
capable of being moulded according to this new ideal
and thus become the representatives of the new race.
92 Principl es and Goals ofIntegral Education
Here, in the Ashram, you are in the most favourable

conditions with regard to the environment, the influ-
ence, the teaching and the example, to awaken in you
this supramental consciousness and to grow according
to its law.
Now, all depends on your will and your sincerity. If
you have the will no more to belong to ordinary huma-
nity, no more to be merely evolved animals; if your
will is to become men of the new race realising Sri
Aurobindo's supramental ideal, living a new and higher
life upon a new earth, you will find here all the neces-
sary help to achieve your purpose; you will profit fully
by your stay in the Ashram and eventually become liv-
ing examples for the world." (Ibid., pp. 116-17)
(11) "From the worldly standpoint, from the point of

view of result achieved certainly things can be done bet-
ter. But I am speaking of the effort put in, effort in the
deepest sense of the word.... With that effort in your work
the Divine is satisfied; the eye of the Consciousness that
has viewed it is indeed pleased. Not that from the human
standpoint one cannot do better." (Ibid., p. 118)
(12) "An outside view may find many things to criticise

and criticise much , but from the inner view what has
been done has been done well. In an outside view, you
come with all kinds of mental , intellectual formations
and find there is nothing uncommon in what is done
here. But thereby you miss what is behind: the Sadhana.
A deeper consciousness would see the march towards a
realisation that surpasses all. The outside view does not

see the spiritual life; it judges by its own smallness."
(Ibid., p. 119)
(13) "We are not here to do (only a little better) what the
others do.
We are here to do what the others cannot do be-
cause they do not have the idea that it can be done.
We are here to open the way of the Future to chil-
dren who belong to the Future.
Anything else is not worth the trouble and not wor-
thy of Sri Aurobindo's help." (Ibid., p. 113)
(14) "We are here to do better than elsewhere and to

prepare ourselves for a supramental future. This should
never be forgotten. I appeal to the sincere goodwill ofall
so that our ideal may be realised." (Ibid., p. 114)
Here ends our section on the aims and purpose of the

Education Centre the Mother established in Pondicherry
in the name of Sri Aurobindo and which is still functioning
there and will continue to function till its destined goal is
achieved.
IX
SAlCE: Courses of Study
It is well understood by most educationists that in Sri

Aurobindo International Centre of Education there cannot be
any fixed syllabus for all the students of the same academic
level, for "Free Progress" is the favoured norm there and in
the free progress of the students it is inconceivable that dif-
ferent students , studying under the guidance of teachers of
their choice and pursuing the lines of their own development ,
will have to be bound by the same fixed quantum of sylla-
bus. But what about the nature of the Courses themselves ?
Is there any bias there in favour of some particular genre of
studies? Is there any negative feeling, if not any pronounced
antipathy, towards certain other courses and subjects? These
quest ions arise because of some valid considerations. Let us
elucidate.
Everybody is well aware of the fact that Sri Aurobindo
Ashram in Pondicherry is a reputed spiritual institution
known allover the world for its distinctive brand of the
Integral Yoga, Puma Yoga. Many hundreds of sadhakas and
sadhikas permanently residing there are seriously practising
this integral way of self-development and self-transforma-
tion. And Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education
is an indivisible integral part of the Ashram organisation
and culture . Hence it is obviously expected that a religious-
spiritual bias will definitely be at work in choosing the
courses of study in the "Centre" and there will be a natural
SAlCE: Courses ofStudy 95
downgrading of the common non-spiritual secular subjects .

But is it really so? Of course, those who are somewhat know-
ledgeable automatically reject the idea of any pronounced
religious training there. For they know that the teachings and
world-philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are far
removed from the propagation of any credal religion and its
tenets: what they emphasise is an experiential spiritual out-
look on life and the world-existence. And when such is the
situation in fact, it is quite expected that the Ashram's Centre
of Education will concentrate on "spiritual Courses of stud-
ies" in its Curriculum and neglect, if not actually denigrate,
subjects like various branches of materialistic sciences and
such other exotic secular disciplines which grip the interest
of normal men of the world. But it may come as a surprising
revelation to many when they come to know that the case is
quite different and all subjects , even the most mundane, are
taught to the students in this International Centre of Educa-
tion with equal interest and enthusiasm. But why so? Why
the cultivation of these subjects in an avowedly spiritual
Ashram institution?
A similar problem puzzled many Ashramites when in
the mid-forties of the last century the Mother introduced in
Sri Aurobindo Ashram a full-fledged programme of physi-
cal education, ostensibly for the young school children but
actually open to all the inmates of the Ashram, even to the
veteran sadhakas and sadhikas of quite an advanced age.
Sports and Physical education activities in Sri Aurobindo
Ashram? What an anomaly! And Sri Aurobindo supporting
the Mother in her new initiative! It was difficult to reconcile
the two things on the part of many old-day sadhakas and
sadhikas of whom the vocal and forceful spokesman was no

other person than the famous Dilip Kumar Roy who went so
far as to write many a letter to Sri Aurobindo pointing out to
him the oddity of the situation and asking for some clear ex-
planation. Sri Aurobindo did not mind the tone of the letters
addressed by his beloved disciple. He was compassion and
love incarnate and explained patiently in letter after letter
the genesis and the development of physical culture in the
Ashram. He even wrote two long highly luminous articles
on physical education and justified its appearance in his
spiritual Ashram: These articles were published at that time
in the Ashram Journal, Bulletin ofPhysical Education. Inter-
ested readers may look through these two articles and gain
much insight. (The articles have been reprinted in SABeL,
Vol. 16.)
Be that as it may, let us revert to our original discus-
sion. The question that was raised was whether there is any
compatibility between the spiritual nature of Sri Aurobindo
Ashram and the enthusiastic study of "secular" subjects in
its "Centre of Education". The answer is: Not only com-
patible but actually necessary. But how? To comprehend
the answer properly, we must know the basic tenets of Sri
Aurobindo's world -vision.
In the normal conception of traditional ascetic spiritu-
ality, Matter and Spirit are antithetical; love of the earthly
existence and a truly spiritual realisation are not compatible.
To have one, one has to renounce the other. But in Sri
Aurobindo's Yoga-philosophy, the Supreme One has at the
same time a triple aspect, an aspect of transcendence, a
second aspect of world-immanence, and a third one of indi-
viduationin every living sentient being. To know and realise

him integrally, one cannot exclude any of these aspects; one
has to realise him integrally everywhere . The world is not
cut off from the Supreme; it is His own manifestation in
infinitely multiform ways. To seek Him, find Him, and rec-
ognise His manifestation in Time and Space as beyond Time
and Space, and in every object and in every creature, even
in every phenomenon, is the valid goal of human existence.
Everything else is a part of this achievement.
And if it is so, all life can and should become the field
of Yoga; of course, if it is approached appropriately. The
Divine manifestation is everywhere; He is peeping through
everything but from behind an opaque veil created by our
separative egoistic ignorance or Avidya. To lift this veil and
see face to face the One who is Many, also to penetrate His
manifold manifestation through phenomena of different
categories and marvel at its infinite richness with spiritually
ecstatic delight, should be the right object behind the study
of various subjects. Thus it is not the subject as such but
the spirit and the attitude behind its study that changes the
quality of everything. There are not two different types of
subjects, secular and spiritual; there are only two different
types of knowledge, secular and spiritual, lower and higher;
and this depends on how one approaches the study and in-
vestigation of a particular subject. The same subject offers
us ordinary worldly knowledge if we study it in one way but
leads us to spiritual knowledge if, instead, we investigate it
in a different way. Thus SAlCE does not exclude, on prin-
ciple, any particular subject from its study Course ; it only
shows how to study it in order to lift it to a higher level.
After this preliminary introductory discussion of the truth

behind, let us quote some passages from the writings of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother, which will make clear to our read-
ers' mind what courses of study are offered to the students in
Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and why.
(1) "To unite East and West, to give the best of one to
the other and make a true synthesis, a University will be
established for all kinds of studies . Our school will form
a nucleus of that University." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 218)
(2) 'The division between 'ordinary life' and 'spiritual

life' is an outdated antiquity." (lbid. , p. 403)
(3) A teacher complained to the Mother that [what,

according to his estimation, were] trivial and useless
things were being taught [to the students...]

"Your difficulty comes from the fact that you have still
the old belief that in life some things are high and others
low. It is not exact. It is not the things or the activities
that are high or low, it is the consciousness of the doer
which is true or false .
If you unite your consciousness with the Supreme
Consciousness and manifest It, all you think , feel or do
becomes luminous and true. It is not the subject of the
teaching which is to be changed, it is the consciousness
with which you teach that must be enlightened." (Ibid. ,
p.175)
(4) Question : "Up to the secondary level, it is under-

stood that the children are too young to know about
Yoga and to decide whether they want to take up Yoga
or not. So the education to them is education and noth-
ing else.
But for the Higher Course [here the students ' ages
vary from eighteen to twenty-one}, I think, it must be
made clear that only those who are here for Yoga can be
admitted as members of this Course - then the educa-
tion becomes Yoga.
If Mother gives Her directive on this point, it will
make things very clear to many ofus."

"It is not quite like that. In all the sections, Primary,
Secondary and Higher Course, the children will follow
yogic methods in their education and prepare and try to
bring down new knowledge. So all the students can be
said to be doing Yoga.
A distinction must be made, however, between
those doing Yoga and the disciples . To be a disciple
one has to surrender and the decision to do so must be
full and spontaneous. Such decisions have to be taken
individually - when the call comes - and it cannot be
imposed or even suggested ." (Ibid., pp. 179-80)
(5) Question: "Sri Aurobindo, in one of his letters, has

written about the young people and their readiness for
sadhana. I enclose a copy of this letter for you to see.
[See SABCL, Vol. 24, pp.1615-16.] I should like to
know from you [,Mother,] if the warning given by Sri

Aurobindo in this letter against enthusiastically com-
municating to the young people the ideas and feelings
about spiritual life should be kept in mind while speak-
ing to our students in the class? Is there a danger of
'lighting an imitative and unreal fire' in them as Sri
Aurobindo says here?"

"This quotation is splendid and very, very useful.
Certainly the warning given by Sri Aurobindo must
be strictly kept in mind when speaking to the young
people who are bound to change their mind easily.
In class you must remain very objective." (Ibid., pp.
192-93)
(6) "Do not divide what is one. Both science and spiri-
tuality have the same goal- the Supreme Divinity. The
only difference between them is that the latter knows it
and the other not." (Ibid., p. 248)
(7) Question: "We discussed the future. It seemed to me

that nearly all the teachers were eager to do something
so that the children could become more conscious of
why they are here [in Sri Aurobindo Ashram as students
of its Centre of Education). At that point I said that in
my opinion, to speak to the children of spiritual things
often has the opposite result. and that these words lose
all their value."
Mother commented at this point:

" 'Spiritual things' -what does he mean by 'spiritual
things'? .. Spiritual things .... They [the students] are
taught history or spiritual things, they are taught science
or spiritual things. That is the stupidity. In history, the
Spirit is there; in science, the Spirit is there - the Truth
is everywhere. And what is needed is not to teach it in a
false way. but to teach it in a true way. They cannot get
that into their heads." (Ibid., p. 403)
"Mother, wouldn't it be better if the teachers were to

concentrate solely on the subjects they are teaching , for
you are taking care ofthe spiritual life? "
The Mother 's Rejoinder:

"There is no 'spiritual life ' ! It is still the old idea, still the
old idea of the sage. the sannyasin, the... who represents
spiritual life, while all the others represent ordinary life
- and it is not true. it is not true. it is not true at all.
If they still need an opposition between two things
- for the poor mind doesn't work if you don't give it
an opposition - if they need an opposition. let them take
the opposition between Truth and Falsehood. it is a little
better ; I don't say it is perfect , but it is a little better. So.
in all things. Falsehood and Truth are mixed everywhere:
in the so-called ' spiritual life' .... in those who think they
represent the life divine on earth. all that - there also,
there is a mixture of Falsehood and Truth.
It would be better not to make any division....
For the children, precisely because they are chil-
dren, it would be best to instil in them the will to con-

quer the future, the will to always look ahead and to
want to move on as swiftly as they can towards... what
will be..." (Ibid., p. 404)
Let us close this section on Study Courses in SAlCE with

three passages from Sri Aurobindo's The Synthesis of Yoga,
which will make the position of his Integral Yoga-philoso-
phy unambiguously clear.
(1) "The spiritual life does not need, for its purity, to
destroy interest in all things except the Inexpressible or
to cut at the roots of the Sciences, the Arts and Life. It
may well be one of the effects of an integral spiritual
knowledge and activity to lift them out of their limita-
tions, substitute for our mind's ignorant, limited, tepid
or trepidant pleasure in them a free, intense and uplifting
urge of delight and supply a new source of creative spiri-
tual power and illumination by which they can be carried
more swiftly and profoundly towards their absolute light
in knowledge and their yet undreamed possibilities and
most dynamic energy of content and form and practice .
The one thing needful must be pursued first and always;
but all things else come with it as its outcome and have
not so much to be added to us as recovered and reshaped
in its self-light and as portions of its self-expressive
force." (SABeL, Vol. 20, pp. 134-35)
(2) "This then is the true relation between divine and

human knowledge; it is not a separation into disparate
fields, sacred and profane, that is the heart of the differ-

ence, but the character of the consciousness behind the
working. All is human knowledge that proceeds from
the ordinary mental consciousness interested in the
outside or upper layers of things, in process, in pheno-
mena for their own sake or for the sake of some surface
utility or mental or vital satisfaction of Desire or of the
Intelligence. But the same activity of knowledge can be-
come part of the Yoga if it proceeds from the spiritual or
spiritualising consciousness which seeks and finds in all
that it surveys or penetrates the presence of the timeless
Eternal and the ways of manifestation of the Eternal in
Time." (Ibid., p. 135)
(3) "A Yoga turned towards an all-embracing realisa-

tion of the Supreme will not despise the works or even
the dreams, if dreams they are, of the Cosmic Spirit or
shrink from the splendid toil and many-sided victory
which he has assigned to himself in the human crea-
ture.... The mental and physical sciences which examine
into the laws and forms and processes of things, those
which concern the life of men and animals, the social,
political, linguistic and historical and those which seek
to know and control the labours and activities by which
man subdues and utilises his world and environment,
and the noble and beautiful Arts which are at once work
and knowledge, - for every well-made and significant
poem, picture, statue or building is an act of creative
knowledge, a living discovery of the consciousness,
a figure of Truth, a dynamic form of mental and vital
self-expression or world-expression, - all that seeks,

all that finds, all that voices or figures is a realisation of
something of the play of the Infinite and to that extent
can be made a means of God-realisation or of divine
formation. But the Yogin has to see that it is no longer
done as part of an ignorant mental life; it can be ac-
cepted by him only if by the feeling, the remembrance,
the dedication within it, it is turned into a movement
of the spiritual consciousness and becomes a part of its
vast grasp of comprehensive illuminating knowledge."
(Ibid., pp. 132-33)
x
SAlCE: The Status of "Certificates"
There is much confusion reigning in the minds of people,

both inside SAlCE and in quarters outside, as regards the
question whether this particular educational Institution of
the Mother's creation issues "Certificates" to its "success-
ful" students or not. Some swear by the Mother 's well-
known declaration that Sri Aurobindo International Centre
of Education established in Pondicherry does not issue any
Certificate nor does it confer any degree or diploma to the
successful candidate after proper academic examination . But
there are others who affirm equally strongly that they per-
sonally know many cases where the alumni of SAlCE have
secured lucrative jobs or have entered other institutions of
higher learning on the basis of some "papers" issued to them
by SAlCE . And these "papers" they call "Certificates". Both
the affirmations have some truth behind them. But, then,
how to resolve this apparent contradiction? The present arti-
cle has for its aim the removal of confusion in this matter and
the putting forward of the facts as they have evolved over the
years and now prevail in SAlCE.
In the early forties of the last century there were barely a
few children in Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Later on, a few more
came from outside, mostly children of disciples and devo-
tees of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and started residing in
the Ashram. For the education of these very young children
the Mother established a school in the Ashram with the name
i06 Principles and Goals ofintegral Education
of "Sri Aurobindo Ashram School". Of course, there was no

question of giving any "Certificates" to these tiny tots.
As these children grew up in age and some of them de-
cided to go away from the Ashram to lead an ordinary world-
ly life outside, the question arose whether they should be
given some official certificate of recognition to enable them
to pursue their higher education elsewhere. As the Mother
had established her education Centre with a very high and
different end in view, she decided that giving of certificates
and degrees would be going counter to her principles of
education. Later on, someone asked the Mother for some
clarification and she explained her position quite at length.
Here are some relevant portions of the Mother's reply and
the original question that was put before her.
Question: "Why are no diplomas and certificates given

to the students of the Centre of Education? ..

"... mankind has been suffering from a disease which
seems to be spreading more and more... it is what we
may call 'utilitarianism' . People and things, circum-
stances and activities seem to be viewed and appreci-
ated exclusively from this angle. Nothing has any value
unless it is useful. Certainly something that is useful is
better than something that is not. But first we must agree
on what we describe as useful-useful to whom, to
what, for what?
For, more and more, the races who consider them-
selves civilised describe as useful whatever can attract,
SAlCE: The Status of "Certificates" /07
procure or produce money. Everything is judged and

evaluated from a monetary angle. That is what I call
utilitarianism. And this disease is highly contagious, for
even children are not immune to it.
At an age when they should be dreaming of beauty,
greatness and perfection, dreams that may be too sub-
lime for ordinary common sense, but which are never-
theless far superior to this dull good sense, children now
dream of money and worry about how to earn it.
So when they think of their studies, they think
above all about what can be useful to them, so that later
on when they grow up they can earn a lot of money.
And the thing that becomes most important for them
is to prepare themselves to pass examinations with suc-
cess, for with diplomas, certificates and titles they will
be able to find good positions and earn a lot of money.
For them study has no other purpose, no other inter-
est.
To learn for the sake of knowledge, to study in or-
der to know the secrets of Nature and life, to educate
oneself in order to grow in consciousness, to discipline
oneself in order to become master of oneself, to over-
come one's weaknesses, incapacities and ignorance, to
prepare oneself to advance in life towards a goal that is
nobler and vaster, more generous and more true... they
hardly give it a thought and consider it all very utopian.
The only thing that matters is to be practical, to prepare
themselves and learn how to earn money.
Children who are infected with this disease are out
of place at the Centre of Education of the Ashram. And
J08 Principles and Goals of Integral Education
it is to make this quite clear to them that we do not pre-

pare them for any official examination or competition
and do not give them any diplomas or titles which they
can use in the outside world.
We want here only those who aspire for a higher
and better life, who thirst for knowledge and perfection,
who look forward eagerly to a future that will be more
totally true.
There is plenty of room in the world for all the
others." (CWM, Vol. 12, pp. 353-54)
So this was the deeper and essential reason, and not any
arbitrary whim, which was at the basis of the decision why
Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education decided at
first to refuse giving any degrees, diplomas or certificates.
But things took a different turn after some years. The story
or history behind was quite interesting.
In the sixties of the last century there grew among the
Indians a sudden interest in the philosophy and Yoga of Sri
Aurobindo and along with that a vivid curiosity about Sri
Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. People started visiting
the Ashram in great numbers and in a regular and steady
stream. Many of them became devotees and disciples of the
dual Gurus of the Integral Yoga and practising sadhakas and
sadhikas.
Now, quite a few of these devotees felt an urge to send
their children to Pondicherry to be educated in the Ashram's
"Centre of Education"; for they sincerely felt that there
could not be a better place elsewhere in India where their
wards could be given a better man-making education than in
SAlCE: The Status of "Certificates " 109
Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It so happened that the Mother gra-

ciously admitted many children, in every academic session
to Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. And this
process continued year after year. These children grew up in
the Ashram atmosphere under the Mother 's direct guidance
and blossomed into a new type of human beings in many as-
pects of their education, personality and character. But there
was a small snag here.
Among the earlier groups of students of the "Centre
of Education" quite a few used to stay back in the Ashram
after their study period was over, sometimes because their
parents were residing in the Ashram as its sadhaka inmates.
But for these new groups of children the case was different.
Their parents were indeed devotees of Sri Aurobindo and
the Mother but they lived the life of householders elsewhere
in other parts of India. They had sent their children to the
Ashram, only to be educated in the Ashram School, and
there the matter ended. A number of these parents wanted
to withdraw their children to their own places after their
schooling was over; and most of these children too thought
in the same way. And that created a ticklish problem for both
the students and their parents. For them, a proper education
meant the acquisition of degrees , diplomas and certificates.
Especially for securing a good job in a Government De-
partment or even in the Private Sector, a good degree was
considered essential. But according to the norm of SAlCE,
these students who were educated in the Ashram School
could not have any degrees or certificates. In the job market
outside they were considered ineligible. It could be said that
their parents felt that their Ashram-educated children were
very much handicapped in one very important respect : they

lacked the basic means of procuring a lucrative livelihood.
Of course, there was no problem for those few children who
decided to join the Ashram as sadhakas and sadhikas after
their education period was over. But what about the rest who
constituted the preponderant majority?
It so happened that many of these perplexed parents
brought the nature of their acute problem to the notice of
SAlCE authorities and even prayed to the Mother for an ap-
propriate solution. Then, of course with the tacit assent of
the Mother, the Education Department of the Government of
India was approached to help in some way the resolution of
this practical problem.
The Government of India sent three different Commis-
sions to SAlCE on three different occasions, interacted with
the teachers there, and intimately mingled with the students
of the Ashram Centre of Education . They carefully assessed
the quality of education imparted in this Centre of learning.
The members of the Commissions apprised themselves at
the same time of the great value of the various novel aspects
in which the Ashram students were being brought up.
The Commissions were highly satisfied with all that
they saw and assessed in this unique centre of learning and
recommended accordingly to the Government of India in
New Delhi for necessary steps.
In due course the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govern-
ment of India issued a gazetted notification in 1962 which
solved the problem in a great way. The Government notifi-
cation officially recognised "the successful completion by
'full students' of the Higher Course of Sri Aurobindo Inter-
SAlCE: The Status of "Certificates" 111
national Centre of Education, Pondicherry, as equivalent to

the First Degree of a recognised Indian University (i.e. B.A.
or B.Sc.) for purposes of appointment to services and posts
under the Central Government." SAlCE would thus have its
own autonomy as regards the courses of study and its own
specific way of assessment of the academic worth of its stu-
dents when they completed their studies there. It would not
be affiliated to any other Centre of Learning and would not
be bound by the rules and regulations of any other institu-
tion. The only thing that it would have to do in order to help
its outgoing students procure employment would be to issue
to them a paper indicating therein that they had "success-
fully" completed the study as per the norms of Sri Aurob-
indo International Centre of Education and subscribed to the
evaluation procedure of the authorities there. Now, it is this
simple paper which popularly has acquired in the mind the
name of a "certificate". It has nothing to do with the "Cer-
tificate" as issued by other recognised Centres of Learning .
Confusion has been unnecessarily created in the minds of
people because of the similarity in appellations.
Be it noted that the initial Central Governmental notifi-
cation authorised the employment of SAlCE students only in
jobs under the Government of India. But the intrinsic worth
and competence, smartness and all-round development of
these students drew the attention of other institutions and or-
ganisations as well very soon and in course of time the initial
trickle of employment turned into a voluminous flood. We
mean to say that various State Governments and Private Sec-
tor undertakings too opened their doors of employment to our
"successful" students. Not only that; this opening widened in
course of time from the employment sector to the fields of

higher education; various Universities and other institutes of
higher specialised learning allowed access to our students
for further studies. Such indeed was the worth and acumen
shown by SAlCE students in actual practice. There were
many initial hurdles but they were very soon successfully
crossed. Parents residing outside and their children were
both very happy with this development; for the problem they
had faced in the beginning was now adequately solved. But
a hitch arose from another quarter, from some of the teach-
ers of SAlCE, - and many of them were quite senior. They
sincerely felt that this development was not compatible with
the basic principle of this Centre . Did not the Mother herself
declare at one time that this Centre of Education would not
prepare students for any official examination or competi-
tion and would not give them any diplomas or titles which
they could use in the outside world? These teachers felt that
although no degrees or titles were even now given to our
students, some "paper of recognition" of their worth was be-
ing issued to them in the new dispensation. Was it not going
against the Mother's open declaration? They had a lurking
suspicion that the whole development might have been due
to the good-willed but nonetheless ill-conceived idea of the
top functionaries of the Centre of Education. So, why not ask
the Mother herself what her own personal opinion was about
this "certificate" affair. And one of them actually formulated
the question and placed it before the Mother.
And the Mother gave a most illuminating reply which
threw light not only on this specific question but on many
other serious issues of life and sadhana. We quote below
SAlCE: The Status of "Certificates" 113
that sufficiently long reply of the Mother which was dated

29.7.61. There was a short introductory note which too we
are reproducing below for everybody's knowledge.
(" This message of the Mother has been written in
answer to a question relating to certificates which one of
the teachers had placed before her.")
"Truly speaking, I have no opinion. According to the

truth-vision, everything is still terribly mixed, a more
or less fortunate combination of light and darkness, of
truth and falsehood, of knowledge and ignorance, and
so long as decisions are made and action is carried out
according to opinions, it will always be like that.
We want to give the example of an action that is
carried out according to the truth-vision, but unfortu-
nately we are still very far from realising this ideal; and
even if the truth-vision is expressed, it is immediately
distorted in its implementation.
So, in the present state of things, it is impossible to
say: this is true and this is false, this leads us away from
the goal, this leads us nearer to the goal.
Everything can be used for the sake of progress ;
everything can be useful if one knows how to use it.
The important thing is never to lose sight of the
ideal you want to realise and to make use of every cir-
cumstance for this purpose.
After all, it is always preferable not to make any de-
cision for or against things, but to watch events as they
develop, with the impartiality of a witness, relying on
the divine Wisdom which will decide for the best and do
what is needful." (Ibid., pp. 322-23)
N.B. - This message of the Mother was originally written

in French.
So, the question of the so-called certificate was settled

for the time being after the Mother made her position clear.
And the "successful" students, - successful according to the
norms set by SAICE,-continued to receive the requisite
"paper". Of course, there were some ups and downs in be-
tween. We need not go into the history thereof. for that will
serve no useful purpose here. Let us only mention that when
the question came up again after the Mother 's passing in
1973, a few senior teachers of SAlCE wanted to revert back
to the original position and stop altogether the by-then-es-
tablished tradition of giving some "paper" to the successful
students. Nolini-da, the seniormost and most respected dis-
ciple of Mother and Sri Aurobindo, and Andre-da, Mother's
son and the de-facto Director of the Centre of Education de-
cided in favour of continuing the system with, of course, the
proviso that the so-called certificate could be issued only to
the really deserving students. And the procedure continues
till this day.
This short paper in this section of this book will, we
hope, clear all doubts in many people's mind.
XI
On Discipline
A student who has been properly trained in the art of employ-

ing in the right way the principle of "Free Progre ss" cannot
but be automatically disciplined. And what is pleasing is that
this discipline will come from within himself, a happy and
highly beneficial self-discipline, and not something imposed
upon him from outside by an alien authority, be he a teacher,
a parent or a guardian . This imposed discipline cannot but
stunt the free growth of a child and hamper the spontaneous
flowering of his inborn personality.
Especially, if a particular student is trained to appreciate
genuine beauty, - and by beauty we do not mean at all con-
ventional physical beauty with all its cosmetic appendages,
but the beauty of thoughts and feelings and sensations and
behaviour, - ninety per cent of the task of disciplining him
is already achieved. For he has not to be guided any more
from outside with a stem set of "dos and don'ts", the default
of which will carry its own requisite punishment; but the
healthy sense of an inner beauty and harmony of the student
will automatically dissuade him from indulging in any un-
beauteous action or reaction. And that is one of the desirable
side-effects of the "Free Progress" System of education.
However, all the students may not be at once up to the
mark of the teachers ' expectation. For them, here are some
words, words of admonition and warning:
It seems necessary to draw once again the attention of
the students to the capital role that discipline should play in

our " Free Progress " system ofeducation. One has the right
to be 'free ' or even the possibility of becoming truly 'free '
only if one is perfectly disciplined. Without genuine disci-
pline, even the slightest self-control becomes impossible and
one becomes all the time a mean slave ofone's impulses and
fantasies. But with discipline, you students have here all the
opportunity for becoming constantly progressive.
Never forget that we want here. in our Centre of Edu -
cation which bears the name of our Master, Sri Aurobindo,
only those students who aspire after a truly higher and bet-
ter life, who have thirst for knowledge and perfection, and
ardently look towards a glorious future oftruth.
We remind you once again that students here have the
great possibility ofmaking a genuine progress, internally as
well as externally. But it is evident that ifthe general attitude
and behaviour ofa particular student leaves much to be de-
sired, this will prove that he does not deserve to participate
in the framework of "Free Progress '', or still more. he does
not deserve to be here.
Here are some words of the Mother:
"Discipline is indispensable to physical life ....
Discipline is indispensable to progress. It is only when
one imposes a rigorous and enlightened discipline on
oneself that one can be free from the discipline of others."
(CWM, Vol. 12, p. 382)
Here is a question specifically placed before the Mother:
"Mother, what are the rules of conduct You consider
indispensable in our community? "
On Discipline 117

"Patience, perseverance, generosity, broad-mindedness,
insight, calm and understanding firmness, and control
over the ego until it is completely mastered or even
abolished." (Ibid., p. 375)
On Discipline
(Mother's Words to the Teachers)
The Mother spoke or wrote about the necessity of discipline

much more to the teachers than to the young students. Be-
cause she did not like that the teachers themselves would not
follow a discipline which they would like to impose upon
their students, hoping all the time that mere admonition on
their part would do the magic trick, when in fact the result
would be exactly the reverse. We deem it proper to give be-
low some of the significant words addressed by the Mother
to the teachers of SAlCE so that an all-round effort could be
made towards discipline from both the sides, the side of the
teachers as well as from that of the students.
(I) "Constraint is not the best or the most effective

principle of education . The true education should open
out and reveal what is already there in these developing
beings. Just as flowers open out in the sun, children open
out in joy. Obviously joy does not mean weakness, dis-
order and confusion, - but a luminous kindliness that
encourages what is good and does not severely empha-
sise what is bad. Grace is always closer to the truth than
justice." (Ibid ., pp. 193-94)
(2) "Generally speaking, above the age of twelve all

children need discipline." (Ibid., p. 194)
(3) Question: "Some teachers believe that you are op-

posed to discipline."

"For them, discipline is an arbitrary rule that they impose
on the little ones, without conforming to it themselves. I
am opposed to that kind of discipline." (Ibid.)
(4) Question: "So discipline is a rule which the child

should impose on himself. How can he be led to recognise
the need for it? How can he be helped to follow it?"

"Example is the most powerful instructor. Never demand
from a child an effort of discipline that you do not make
yourself. Calm, equanimity, order, method, absence of
useless words, ought to be constantly practised by the
teacher if he wants to instil them into his pupils." (Ibid.)
(5) "The teacher should always be punctual and come to

the class a few minutes before it begins, always properly
dressed. And above all, so that his students should never
lie, he must never lie himself; so that his students should
never lose their tempers, he should never lose his tem-
per with them .... These are elementary and preliminary
things which ought to be practised in all schools without
exception." (Ibid., pp. 194-95)
On Discipline 119
(6) "One can be in psychological control of the children

only when one is in control of one's own nature." (Ibid.,
p. 195)
(7) "Be very calm and very patient, never get angry;
one must be master of oneself in order to be a master of
others." (Ibid .)
(8) "If you cannot keep discipline amongst the children,

don't beat or shout or get agitated - that is not permis-
sible. Bring down calm and peace from above and under
their pressure things will improve." (Ibid.)
(9) "You are a good teacher but it is your way of dealing

with the children that is objectionable.
The children must be educated in an atmosphere of
love and gentleness.
No violence, never.
No scolding, never.
Always a gentle kindness...." (Ibid., p. 196)
(10) "...the teacher must be the living example of the

virtues the child must acquire." (Ibid.)
(11) "The children must be happy to go to school, happy

to learn, and the teacher must be their best friend who
gives them the example of the qualities they must ac-
quire.
And all that depends exclusively on the teacher.
What he does and how he behaves." (Ibid.)
(12) "It is not with severity but with self-mastery that

children are controlled." (lbid., p. 196)
(13) "I must tell you that if a teacher wants to be respec-

ted, he must be respectable." tIbid., pp. 196-97)
(14) "I have always thought that something in the tea-

cher's character was responsible for the indiscipline of
his students." (Ibid., p. 197)
(15) "The most important is to master yourself and

never lose your temper. If you don't have control over
yourself, how can you expect to control others, above
all, children, who feel it immediately when someone is
not master of himself?" (Ibid.)
(16) "One rule which must be rigorously applied:

It is absolutely forbidden to hit the children - all
blows are forbidden, even the slightest little slap or the
so-called friendly punch. To give a blow to a child be-
cause he does not obey or does not understand or because
he is disturbing the others indicates a lack of self-control,
and it is harmful for both teacher and student." (Ibid .)
(17) "Disciplinary measures may be taken if necessary,

but in complete calm and not because of a personal reac-
tion." (Ibid.)
(18) Question: "How far do you consider it the duty ofa tea-
cher or an instructor to impose discipline on the students?"
On Discipline 121

"To prevent the students from being irregular, rude or
negligent is obviously indispensable; unkind and harm-
ful mischief cannot be tolerated.
But as a general and absolute rule, the teachers and
especially the physical education instructors must be a
constant living example of the qualities demanded from
the students; discipline, regularity, good manners, cour-
age, endurance, patience in effort, are taught much more
by example than by words. And as an absolute rule:
never to do in front of a child what you forbid him to
do." (Ibid., pp. 363-64)
(19) "For the rest, each case implies its own solution,
and one must act with tact and discernment.
That is why to be a teacher or an instructor is the
best of all disciplines, if one knows how to comply with
it." (Ibid., p. 364)
(20) "Naturally, as the consciousness and intelligence

develop in the children, it is more and more through
them that we can deal with the children." (Ibid., p. 379)
(21) "A child ought to stop being naughty because he

learns to be ashamed of being naughty, not because he is
afraid of punishment.
In the first case, he makes true progress.
In the second, he falls one step down in human con-
sciousness, for fear is a degradation of consciousness."
(Ibid., p. 364)
The last two sayings of the Mother sum up everything essen-

tial in the matter and let us close this section at this point.
XII
Two Potent Sources of Dilution
More than sixty years have passed since the Mother estab-
lished the Ashram School with a very high goal in view
- the goal of building up a new type of humanity and pre-
paring the children for a glorious future. At first, she herself
held the reins. The students and the teachers, the parents and
the guardians, all understood sufficiently well the aims and
the mission of this unique Centre of Education . But after
the Mother's physical withdrawal from the scene, a distinct
change has come in on all fronts, slowly and imperceptibly
at first but markedly and quite fast in recent years. Let us try
to understand how this state of affairs has come about.
In the earlier phase of SAlCE, most of the parents who
sent their children here for their education left them to the
Mother's care. As a result the overall influence on their
young and sensitive children was very wholesome. These
young students imbibed the ideals of the place quite smooth-
ly. But in recent times things have been somewhat different.
We are constrained to state that many parents and guardians
today do not much care to understand fully the implication
of the "Students' Prayer" and of the "Declaration" given
by the Mother to the students of her Centre of Education.
For the benefit of the readers we are quoting here those two
documents of supreme importance:
Students' Prayer
"M ake of us the hero warriors we aspire to become. May

them ."
6 January 1952
Declaration
(Th e Mother indicated that repetition of the statement

below, a hundred or a thousand times each day, until
it becomes a living vibration, would help the student to
instil in himselfthe right will and motive for studying.)
"To be repeated each day by all the students:

It is not for our family, it is not to secure a good
position , it is not to earn money, it is not to obtain a
diploma, that we study.
We study to learn , to know, to understand the world,
and for the sake of the joy that it gives us."
(CWM, Vol. 12, p. 202)
Well, these two documents of the Mother have not been fully
taken to heart by many of us, especially the students. These
words have not yet become a living part of our vision and
consciousness. They are a far, almost inaudible, sound to the
ears and heart and consciousness of the majority of present-
day students of SAlCE.
Two Potent Sources of Dilution 125
This is about our students. But what about the parents

and guardians? We are sorry to say so but it is a fact that
many of the parents are sending their children to SAlCE
with other motives than what the Mother had envisaged.
They are eager to send their chilren here because they know
that the education is ludicrously inexpensive, not taxing their
budget at all and that to come out of SAlCE with a so-called
"Certificate" is a passport for their children to secure good
jobs. How can we then expect that these students with their
dream s of money and job and social position will co-operate
in the fulfilment of the Mother 's ideal of building up suc-
cessful hero warriors of the future.
This is the first source of dilution corrupting our present-
day students-surely not all of them but a large number
without doubt-and this has its origin in the undesirable
influences transmitted to them in a steady stream from their
parents and guardians.
Now about the second potent source of dilution : this
comes from the apparently innocuous factor of the Annual
Vacation in SAlCE. Let us elucidate.
As distinguished from other centres of learning, Sri
Aurobindo International Centre of Education does not be-
lieve in giving periodic long vacations to its students. Study,
according to its principle, should be the main occupation and
preoccupation of the students and it should be a continuous
and uninterrupted one. We have no Puja vacation, no summer
vacation, no Christmas vacation or any other long vacation
of the same genre. We have no occasional holidays either to
celebrate religious or national festivals. Except for the Sun-
days and the first day of every month (called the "Prosperity
Day" when the inmates of Sri Aurobindo Ashram collect

their monthly requirements), and, of course , the "Darshan
Days", SAlCE has no holidays earmarked for its students .
Classes continue throughout the year in two sessions every
day (first, from 7-45 a.m. to 11-30 a.m., and next, from 1-50
p.m. to 4.00 p.m.). And in the absence of any other holidays
and vacations, they have sufficient time at their disposal to
make a thorough and sustained study of their self-chosen
subjects. The proficiency they acquire is naturally of a very
high order. Also, what is more important, their exposure to
the Ashram atmosphere and to the basic values of SAlCE as
formulated by the Mother, becomes thorough and continu-
ous. But there is a single exception .
There is one long annual recess-from November 1
to December 15. This long period was originally arranged
with a particular purpose in view. The students used to pre-
pare themselves collectively for a many-sided cultural pro-
gramme on the 1st December and a demonstration of physi-
cal education activities the very next day, on the 2nd. Almost
all the students stayed back in the Ashram during this period
and there was no interruption in their life-style .
And then things began to change , slowly and almost
imperceptibly at first, but in later years more clearly. We
mean to say that by and by the students of SAlCE stopped
participating in the Annual Day programmes in the Ashram ;
instead, they felt it more desirable to go to their parents' or
relatives' places elsewhere and come back only before the
actual re-opening , for the next academic session beginning
on the 16th of December. In recent times, many more have
taken to this habit. And in this they are encouraged by their
Two Potent Sources ofDilution 127
parents and guardians. And the adverse psychological conse-

quence of this long absence on the consciousness of the stu-
dents is easily imaginable. Outside, in their respective places
of temporary sojourn, these students are exposed to many
undesirable influences and they actively imbibe other value-
systems which are current in ordinary worldly life but poles
apart from the values which the Mother's vision of a new
education wanted to instil in their growing consciousness.
When they come back to the Ashram after this long break
to resume their studies in Mother's School, they almost feel
like fish out of water and, what is still more ruinous, they
potently disturb the atmosphere of SAlCE and knowingly or
unknowingly corrupt the other students.
Now, how to neutralise the bad effects of these two
sources of dilution: the negative influences of a particular
category of parents and guardians, and the adverse exposure
to submerging outside values the students imbibe during their
long sojourn in an alien milieu? We have no answer to offer
here. We can only refer our sympathetic readers to some of
the passages from the Mother's writings concerning this twin
problem.
THE MOTHER ON PARENTS AND GUARDIANS
(1) Question: "What is the role ofparents or guardians

in the Ashram? How should they contribute to a better
education 0/ their children?"

"Here, the first duty of the parents or guardians is not to
contradict either by word or example the education that

is given to their children.
In a positive way, the best thing they can do is to
encourage the children to be docile and disciplined."
(CWM, Vol. 12, p. 367)
(2) Question: "There are several children here who are

sent by their parents just for their education. The idea
that they are only students and that they will go away
from here after their studies, is already firmly fixed in
their minds.
Once we know that these children have a clear idea
of what they want to do, is it not better to advise them
officially to go and study elsewhere? Or, because they
have already been accepted, should we allow them to
continue their studies and finish them here? "

"Unfortunately, there are many parents who send their
children here not because they think that they will have a
special education here but because the Ashram does not
ask money for their studies; and consequently parents
. need to spend much less money here than elsewhere.
But the poor children are not responsible for this
transaction, and we must give them a chance to develop
fully if they are capable of it. Therefore, we accept them
if we see a possibility in them. And it is only when they
clearly show that they are incapable of benefiting from
their education here that we are ready to let them go if
they want to." (Ibid., p. 362)
Two Potent Sources of Dilution 129
(3) "But there is one thing, one thing which is the main dif-
ficulty: it is the parents . When the children live with their
parents I consider that it is hopeless, because the parents
want their child to be educated as they were themselves,
and they want them to get good jobs, to earn money - all
the things that are contrary to our aspiration ....
The parents have such a great influence on them that
in the end they ask to go away to a school somewhere
else.
And that, of all the difficulties - all of them - that
is the greatest: the influence of the parents. And if we
try to counteract that influencethe parents will begin to
detest us and it will be even worse than before , because
they will say unpleasant things about us.
That is my experience. In ninety-nine cases out of
a hundred the children have taken a bad tum because of
the parents." (Ibid., p. 434)
(4) "This seems indispensable to me. We should write a

circular letter saying: 'Parents who want their children
to be educated in the ordinary way and learn in order
to get a good job, to earn their living and have brilliant
careers, should not send them here.'
We should... And that is very important." (Ibid .)
(5) "... there are many, many parents who send their
children here because it is less expensive than anywhere
else. And that is worse than anything, worse than any-
thing . We should ... we should... we must absolutely tell
them: 'If you want your children to be educated in order
130 Principles and Goals of1ntegral Education
to have a brilliant career, to earn money, do not send

them here.' " (Ibid.)
(6) "There were some children who were doing very

well and were very happy. They went to their parents
for the holidays and came back completely changed and
spoiled. And then if we tell them that, it will be even
worse because their parents will tell them, 'Oh, these
people are bad, they are turning you against us.' So...
the parents must know that before they send them [their
children]." (Ibid., p. 435)
(7) "The danger is not the children, it is not laziness, it is

not even that the children are rebellious: the danger, the
great danger is the parents." (Ibid.)
(8) "Those who send their children here should do it

knowingly, they should do it because it is unlike any-
where else. And there are many who won't come .... And
those who come only because it is less expensive, well,
they will stop sending them [their children)...
I would like the attitude of our school to be made
known to people before they send their children, be-
cause it is a pity when the children are happy and the
parents are not; and that creates situations that are ri-
diculous and sometimes dangerous." (Ibid.)
TwoPotent Sources ofDilution 131
THE MOTHER ON HOliDAYS
(1) Question: "Mother, every year we give a special

prize to the best students of groups ofAJ and A2. This
year there is a boy who has worked very well through-
out the year, but now he has gone home for the holidays
and hasn't taken part in the [Annual J Demonstration of
December 2. Do you think he should still be given the
prize for this year?"

"All depends on how he left: whether it was to obey his
parents or whether he wanted to go himself. If he wanted
to leave, whatever his outer merit, it would perhaps be
better not to give him the prize, because that would
mean that we attach no importance to the inner attitude
and to the student's understanding of the aim we pursue,
that is, to prepare the men of tomorrow for the new crea-
tion." (CWM, Vol. 12, pp. 365-66)
(2) Question: "Mother, why and how does one lose

one's spiritual gain by going outside? One can make a
conscious effort and your protection is always there, is
it not ?"

"To go to one's parents is to return to an influence
generally stronger than any other: and few are the cases
where parents help you in your spiritual progress, be-
cause they are generally more interested in a worldly
realisation .
Parents who are chiefly interested in spiritual re-
alisation do not usually ask their children to go back to
visit them." (Ibid., p. 161)
(3) Question: "Some children ask me what is the best

way of spending their holidays here [in the Ashram}. "

"It is an excellent opportunity to do some interesting
work, to learn something new or [work on] some weak
points in their nature or their studies.
It is an excellent opportunity to choose some oc-
cupation freely and thus discover the true capacities of
their being." (Ibid., p. 358)
(4) Question: "Mother, do you approve of students go-

ing to spend their holidays at home or elsewhere?"

"Rather, one could say that what the children do during
their holidays shows what they are and how far they are
capable of profiting from their stay here. Thus , the case
is different for each one and the quality of his reaction
indicates the quality of his character.
Truly speaking, those who would rather stay here
[in the Ashram] than do anything else, are ready to take
full advantage of their education here and are capable of
fully understanding the ideal they are taught."
(Ibid., pp. 358-59)
Two Potent Sources ofDilution 133
Here ends the Section on "Two Potent Sources of Dilution."

XIII
SAlCE: The Cradle of a New Humanity
The preceding chapter may have sounded a rather depressing

note. But this is just a passing aberration. The dark clouds
are bound to float away after some time. The true destiny of
SAlCE is great and glorious! It is fixed by divine dispensa-
tion and cannot be checkmated by any agency, human or
occultly hostile . The real purpose of this unique educational
Centre is to help in the building up of a new humanity. The
Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the life-long Tapasya of
the Mother and Sri Aurobindo have for their central aim the
transformation of ignorant, imperfect and all-suffering hu-
manity into a race of divine men, and on a far lesser scale the
goal set before SAlCE, the Mother's dream institution, is to
help its students to grow into a new type of humanity freed
from many of the current flaws and weaknesses associated
with the race everywhere on the globe. This vision is clearly
and unambiguously encoded in the "Students' Prayer" given
by the Mother to the students of Sri Aurobindo International
Centre of Education. The Prayer is as follows:
"Make of us the hero warriors we aspire to become. May

them."
SAlCE: The Cradle ofNew Humanity J35
Some words, expressions and phrases are quite signifi-

cant in this particular prayer meant for our students. These
are: hero warriors; to fight successfully ; aspiration; enduring
past; future; new things. All these expressions should make
it quite clear to all our students why they are here in Sri
Aurobindo Ashram, studying in SAlCE, and what the
Mother expects from them. It is not brilliant careers, pros-
perous lives, social renown, lucrative jobs, great scholarship
and things of that sort which they are preparing themselves
for here in this unique institution , but to be candidates for the
new humanity that is sure to emerge in the future. This they
should never forget. Mother is there to help them always in
fulfilling this task. But they, on their part, have to make a
constant and sincere effort to make Mother's Grace effec-
tive. We append below some passages from the Mother's
writings which should act as beacon lights to our students
and as sure guidelines. With this help, they have to shape
their actions and reactions in course of their daily life if they
would like to be true children of the Mother and be fit to
belong to the new humanity which is the dream-vision of
the Mother and Sri Aurobindo so far as the ultimate product
of SAlCE is concerned. But before that it is worth recalling
here what the Mother said to some of our students when they
recited before her the "Students' Prayer" on one particular
occasion .
"I am very pleased to hear the ideas and sentiments you

have expressed just now and I give you my blessings .
Only I wish that your ideas did not remain as mere
ideas, but became realities. That should be your vow,
to materialise the ideal in your life and character. I take

this occasion, however, to tell you something that I have
wanted to tell you for a long time. It is with regard to
your studies. Naturally there are exceptions, but it is the
exceptions that give force to the rule. For instance, you
asked for leave today. I did not think you required more
relaxation . Your life here is organised on a routine of
almost constant relaxation. However, I agreed to your
request. But the way in which you received the 'good
news' pained me. Some of you even seemed to consider
it a victory. But I ask, victory of what, against what?
The victory of inconscience against the joy of learning
and knowing more and more? The victory of unruliness
against order and rule? The victory of the ignorant and
superficial will over the endeavour towards progress and
self-conquest?
This is, you must know, the very ordinary movement
of those who live in the ordinary condition of life and
education. But as for you, if you wish to realise the great
ideal that is our goal, you must not remain content with
the ordinary and futile reactions of ordinary people who
live in the blind and ignorant conditions of ordinary life.
It looks as if I were very conservative when I say
so, still I must tell you that you should be very careful
about outside influences and ordinary habits. You must
not allow them to shape your feelings and ways of life.
Whatever comes from an outside and foreign atmos-
phere should not be permitted to jump into you - all
that is mediocre and ignorant. If you wish to belong to
the family of the new man, do not imitate pitifully the
SAlCE: The Cradle ofNew Humanity 137
children of today and yesterday. Be firm and strong and

full of faith; fight in order to win, as you say [in your
prayer), the great victory. I have trust in you and I count
upon you." (CWM, Vol. 12, pp. 153-54)
Students of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education,

never forget these reassuring words of the Mother: "I have
trust in you and I count upon you ." Show your gratitude to
her by sincerely trying to fulfil her expectation. Act and re-
act, and behave, always and in all circumstances, as genuine
students of the Mother 's Dream Institution. Do not consider
SAlCE as a replica, may be a brilliant one, of other conven-
tional centres of learning. Never forget the unique aims and
purpose that led to its establishment and put all your effort
for their realisation.
Now the passages from the Mother's writings which, we
hope, will prevent you from being derailed from the right
Path. Victory to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother!
The Mother Speaks:
(1) "We want to show to the world what must be the new
man of tomorrow. Is this the example that we will set
before them ?" tlbid., p. 154)
(2) "I insist on the necessity of having good manners.

I do not see anything grand in the manners of a gutter-
snipe." (Ibid., pp. 154-55)
(3) "Do not mistake liberty for licence and freedom for
138 Principles and Goals of1ntegral Education
bad manners: the thoughts must be pure and the aspira-

tion ardent." (Ibid. , p. 155)
(4) Question: "Isn't this immense freedom we are given

[here] dangerous for those who are not yet awake, who
are still unconscious? How can we account for this good
fortune we have been given?"

"Danger and risk form part of all forward move-
ment. Without them, nothing would ever move; besides,
they are indispensable in forming the character of those
who want to progress." (Ibid.)
(5) "Discipline is indispensable to be a man, without

discipline one is nothing but an animal....
One begins to be a man only when one aspires to a
higher and truer life and accepts a discipline of transfor-
mation.
For this one must begin by mastering one 's lower
nature and one's desires. (Ibid., p. 156)
(6) "When a child wants to impress you by telling you

stories of the wealth of his family, you must not keep
quiet. You must explain to him that worldly wealth
does not count here [in this Ashram], ...that you do not
become big by living in big houses, travelling by first-
class and spending money lavishly. You can increase
in stature only by being truthful, sincere, obedient and
grateful." (Ibid., p. 159)
(7) "Lord, we pray to Thee:

May we understand better why we are here,
May we do better what we have to do here,
May we be what we ought to become here,
So that Thy will may be fulfilled harmoniously."
(Ibid., p. 126)
(8) "Let our effort of every day and all time be to know
You better and to serve You better." (Ibid.)
(9) "You who are young, are the hope of the country.
Prepare yourselves to be worthy of this expectation."
(Ibid., p. 122)
(10) "...your future is in your hands . You will become

the man you want to be and the higher your ideal and
your aspiration, the higher will be your realisation, but
you must keep a firm resolution and never forget your
true aim in life." (Ibid.)
(11) "If the growth of consciousness were considered as

the principal goal of life, many difficulties would find
their solution." (Ibid., p. 123)
(12) "Only those years that are passed uselessly make

you grow old.
A year spent uselessly is a year during which no
progress has been accomplished, no growth in con-
sciousness has been achieved, no further step has been
taken towards perfection.
Consecrate your life to the realisation of something

higher and broader than yourself and you will never feel
the weight of the passing years." (Ibid., p. 122)
(13) "It is not the number of years you have lived that
makes you grow old. You become old when you stop
progressing.
As soon as you feel you have done what you had to
do, as soon as you think you know what you ought to
know, as soon as you want to sit and enjoy the results of
your effort, with the feeling you have worked enough in
life, then at once you become old and begin to decline ."
(Ibid., p. 123)
(14) "When, on the contrary, you are convinced that what

you know is nothing compared to all which remains to
be known, when you feel that what you have done is
just the starting-point of what remains to be done, when
you see the future like an attractive sun shining with the
innumerable possibilities yet to be achieved, then you
are young, however many are the years you have passed
upon earth, young and rich with all the realisations of
tomorrow." (Ibid.)
(15) "For a happy and effective life, the essentials are

sincerity, humility, perseverance and an insatiable thirst
for progress. Above all, one must be convinced of a
limitless possibility of progress. Progress is youth; at a
hundred years of age one can be young." (Ibid.)
SAlCE: The Cradle ofNew Humanity J4 J
(16) "To know how to be reborn into a new life at every

moment is the secret of eternal youth." (Ibid., p. 124)
(17) "The work we do is not done with the expectation

of something in return, but simply to help the progress
of humanity." (Ibid., p. 363)
(18) "What a child should always remember:

The necessity of an absolute sincerity.
The certitude of Truth's final victory.
The possibility of constant progress with the will to
achieve." (Ibid., p. 150)
(19) (Adapted):
(i) An ideal child does not become angry when things
seem to go against him. (ii) Whatever he does, he does it
to the best of his capacity and keeps on doing in the face
of almost certain failure . (iii) He always thinks straight
and acts straight. (iv) He does not get disheartened if he
has to wait a long time to see the results of his efforts . (v)
He faces the inevitable difficulties and sufferings with-
out grumbling. (vi) He never slackens his effort however
long it has to last. (vii) He keeps equanimity in success
as well as in failure . (viii) He always goes on fighting for
the final victory though he may meet with many defeats.
(ix) He knows how to smile and keep a happy heart in
all circumstances. (x) He does not become conceited
over his success, neither does he feel himself superior to
his comrades. (xi) He appreciates the merits of others.
(xii) He observes the discipline and is always honest.
/42 Principles and Goals of Integral Education
(xiii) He has faith in the future which is rich with all the
realisations that are to come, full of beauty and light.
(xiv) He is full of love for all those who are around him.
(xv) He is full of confidence in the Divine Grace.
(Vide ibid., pp. 150-52)
(20) "The true wisdom is to be ready to learn from what-

ever source the knowledge can come.
We can learn things from a flower, an animal, a
child, if we are eager to know always more, because
there is only One Teacher in the world - the Supreme
Lord, and He manifests through everything."
(Ibid. , p. 129)
(21) "When you feel that you know nothing then you are
ready to learn." (Ibid.)
(22) "You see, my child, ... you are too busy with your-
self. At your age I was exclusively occupied with my
studies-informing myself, learning, understanding,
knowing. That was my interest, even my passion ....
My mother was perfectly right and I have always
been very grateful to her for having taught me discipline
and the necessity of self-forgetfulness in concentration
on what one is doing .
I have told you this because the anxiety you speak
of comes from the fact that you are far too busy with
yourself. It would be far better for you to attend more
to what you are doing ..., to develop your mind which
is still very uncultivated and to learn the elements of
knowledge which are indispensable to a man if he does

not want to be ignorant and uncultured." (Ibid., p. 130)
(23) "I told you that to yield like that to the impulses of
the vital was certainly not the way to control it." (Ibid.,
p. 132)
(24) "Force yourself to study and your depression will

go away." (Ibid.)
(25) "Studies strengthen the mind and tum its concen-

tration away from the impulses and desires of the vital.
Concentrating on study is one of the most powerful
ways of controlling the mind and the vital; that is why it
is so important to study." (Ibid., p. 133)
(26) Question : ..... intellect is like a mediator between

the true knowledge and its realisation down here. Does
it not follow that intellectual culture is indispensable
for rising above the mind to find there the true know-
ledge ?"

"Intellectual culture is indispensable for preparing a
good mental instrument, large, supple and rich, but its
action stops there.
In rising above the mind, it is more often a hindrance
than a help, for, in general , a refined and educated mind
finds its satisfaction in itself and rarely seeks to silence
itself so as to be surpassed." (Ibid. , pp. 138-39)
(27) "All that you know, however fine it may be, is no-
thing in comparison with what you can know, if you are
able to use other methods." (Ibid., p. 139)
(28) "The best way to understand is always to rise high

enough in the consciousness to be able to unite all con-
tradictory ideas in a harmonious synthesis.
And for the correct attitude, to know how to pass
flexibly from one position to another without ever losing
sight even for a moment of the one goal of self-conse-
cration to the Divine and identification with Him."
(Ibid.)
(29) "One must learn always not only intellectually but

also psychologically, one must progress in regard to
character, one must cultivate the qualities and correct
the defects; everything should be made an occasion to
cure ourselves of ignorance and incapacity; life becomes
then tremendously interesting and worth the trouble of
living it." (Ibid., p. 124)
(30) "... become my ideal child aware of your soul and

the true goal of your life." (Ibid., p. 127)
Let us conclude this last paper on "SAlCE: The Cradle of a

New Humanity" with the following admonition of our Sweet
Mother:
"Now, what the intellect has understood let the whole
being realise. Mental knowledge must be replaced by
the flaming power of progress." (Ibid., p. 141)

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Principles and Goals

JUGAL KISHORE MUKHERJEE

SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM

Foreword by Vijay Poddar

It is not often realised how important a place Education,

"One of the most recent forms under which Sri

And at the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Convention held on 24th

"Sri Aurobindo is present in our midst, and with all

considered as one of the best means of preparing the fu-

What could be more clear and emphatic!

ing of the philosophy underlying Integral Education, and

students and teachers of SAlCE. Every seeker can feel here

much as possible and as far as practicable, its organic princi-

they would like to join the Sri Aurobindo Ashram as perma-

My introduction and explanation end here. With a sense of

Sri Aurobindo's Seven Principles

The world knows Sri Aurobindo as a Mahayogi, a great

Convention held in Pondicherry:

"Sri Aurobindo is present in our midst, and with all

All of us know that an integral divine transformation of

may smoothly and infallibly advance towards the fulfilment

with human mind and life for its turning-point of release

Earth-life offers the field for a continuously ascending self-

evolution. He is too imperfect an expression of the Spirit, his

"Man is there to affirm himself in the universe, that

The above quotation from Sri Aurobindo, arranged here in

the situation have inevitably miscarried, because the con-

"... that alone will be a true and living education which

of the people to which he belongs and with that great to-

A further truth that Sri Aurobindo insists upon is that man

undeveloped stages of humanity but they are only outward

diversity through the varied culture and life-motives of dif-

to the conventional ideas or individual interests and ideals of

Second Principle: It should never be forgotten that

"There can be no greater error than for the parent to ar-

Third Principle: Every child is, in his characteristic fashion,

Fourth Principle: Education has to be national but not pa-

not, let us remember, just a geographical unit or an arbitrary

education, it is then not a question between modernism

have first to find the secret of success in a profound knowl-

Sixth Principle : It needs no emphasising that the devel-

his tutelage to develop in himself the following qualities:

Or, at its best, education is planned to tum the mostly

"To be satisfied with a trick of this kind is to perform a

somersault round our centre of intellectual gravity, land

The basic assumptions guiding the new education of the

pation ; for, a supreme and arduous self-fufilment by self-ex-

being by the opening of all his instruments of knowledge,

if it is made to come out into the open? Sri Aurobindo as-

practicability if only we can shake off from us the disabling

"This is an hour in which, for India as for all the world,

once an opportunity, a choice, and a test offered to the

The Mother's Eleven Goals of Education

"Do not aim at success. Our aim is perfection. Remem-

is no interest more worthwhile." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 120)

If the students are made aware of these basic truths, it can-

"To learn for the sake of knowledge, to study in order to

The purpose of the present paper is to draw the attention of

What follows is a succinct account of the eleven edu-

First Goal: To Live in the Right Way