The School at Manav Kendra

Kent Bicknell, Principal of the Sant Bani Ashram School, reports on the working of the Manav Vidya Mandir, the ‘Temple of Human Knowledge’

God was the center, and all other knowledge was by that. They became doctors, they could discourse on subjects, they could give lectures – math, science, everything was done – but the center was the religion of God; not a particular religion, but about God. This university is in ruins but I have seen it. It is Nalanda – near Benares.

– How many years ago was that?

About two thousand.¹

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 God-centred education, a reality in India two thousand years ago, continues today at Manav Vidya Mandir – Temple of Human Knowledge – the elementary school located at Manav Kendra in Dehra Dun, India, and founded by the Master Kirpal Singh Ji.

The foundation for a Spiritual Educarests on the premise that God is in all. As God is in all, we are all One and our actions must reflect this. The knowledge gained through education must be used to help others. The Master’s words,

The best education is that which teaches us that the end of knowledge is service,²

are reminiscent of the ancient wisdom of Nalanda:

Once Huen Tsang put a question to Shil Bhadra, the head of Nalanda University:

What is knowledge?

He replied,

My child, knowledge is perception of the principles or laws of life. And the best principles or laws of life. And the best principle of life is fellow feeling – sharing with others what you have.³

Manav Kendra is built on a three pillared platform, two of which centre on service: man-making, man service, and land service. The school itself is a model of service. A free education is provided for about 80 local children, only a handful of which are from initiate families. Muslim and Hindu sit together as one. Expenses, including meals for many of the children, are borne by the Satsang. The real criterion for admission is that the child would otherwise have no opportunity for an education of any type.⁴

Some students are just beginning their education at age 14 or 15. The Master serves these children as He serves all of His children.

It is not surprising to find that the motto of Manav Vidya Mandir is Love, Light, and Service; an extract from the school’s Prospectus accurately describes the necessary environment for fruition of that motto:

The atmosphere surrounding the school is peaceful and picturesque, which inspires in the child a love of nature. The songs and teachings of the Saints and scriptures of all races and religions lead the child to think of the Creator and develop his intellect and Spiritual Power. … The education is imparted by trained, efficient, and affectionate teachers, whose behaviour sets an example for the students.⁵

Two important teaching processes may be noted in the above. The first is that of direct instruction through studying various scriptures and Saints; and the second is that of indirect learning through exposure to the environment and to the teaching staff. Direct instruction is thus reinforced by example; theory and practice go hand in hand.

Miss Sati Bhojwani, the Principal of Manav Vidya Mandir, explained the application of this method in some detail. A certain amount of time each day is devoted to moral instruction:

Today I was telling them silence is a strength. If they’re silent, they’ll have more strength. This is how we carry on … And for geography, I don’t stick to their textbooks only. Suppose we are studying the life of a Saint, say Mira or Mohammed. I show the children pictures and the place on the map where the Saint was born, and the places where He went. This is how we carry on with geography as well as history, and moral instruction also.

Question: Generally there will never be any violence?

After all, they are children, they do quarrel sometimes … A child says, ‘He teased me.’ I say, ‘Now if he teased you, is there any wound on your body? If he has teased you, let it be, why do you worry about it? Some say they were abused. I say, ‘even abuses, if he spoils his mouth and his mind, it doesn’t affect you.’ I make them realise that.⁶

The children receive more direct instruction when Master visits the school, as He frequently does. He talks to the children about the value of Love and respect for parents, and the necessity of telling the Truth. These lessons are reinforced through dramatisation of the lives of Saints, as well as through the singing of bhajans – the beautiful sweet songs that the children sing – sometimes for Master – every day.⁷

Are the children absorbing what they are given? My experience – as well as that of numerous other Westerners who have visited the school – confirms that they are. The children greet visitors with joyous sparkling smiles, and one senses a love and respect for their teachers and all other elders. All the children enjoy doing service, and many come to Manav Kendra a couple of hours before school so that they can help out in the langar or free kitchen. They split wood for the cooking fires, help clean the big pots, prepare vegetables, and other tasks. There is no requirement; they simply come early and stay late in order to serve.

The following incident demonstrates further the children’s ability to synthesize: My four-year old son, Christopher, was playing with some toy trucks and a tractor he’d brought from the States. A group of five or six school children came by on their way to school. They stopped, intrigued by the toys, and soon all were busily engaged with cars, trucks, roads, etc. Suddenly two boys began to argue heatedly over the tractor. I intervened, simply saying,

Prem (love) … ahimsa (non-violence),

which is about the extent of my Hindi. The two boys looked at me, stopped fighting, and then, during an exchange of rapid-fire Hindi, I heard the words ahimsa and prem echoed; and the two went on playing happily until schooltime.

In considering the Spiritual Aspect of the educational scheme at Manav Vidya Mandir, little mention has been made of the curriculum. Children receive a well-balanced education which includes art-work, sewing, agriculture, and physical education.⁸ The academic program is regulated by the Education Dept. of Utar Pradesh. Certain texts are prescribed, and periodically the children must take standardised tests sent by the Education Dept.

Manav Vidya Mandir’s educational scheme is relatively simple. A normal elementary school curriculum is enriched with a direct presentation of high ethical and Spiritual Ideals as gound in all religions. These latter take on meaning and depth as the staff, and subsequently the students, live up to them. The crux of the matter lies in doing what the Master wants us to do. When the children and staff of Manav Vidya Mandir presented the Master with a beautifully made birthday card, He returned it with an unexpected donation from His own pocket.

He wrote on the bottom of the card,

Be good, do good, and be One.

Miss Sati Vijay – a school staff member – and I were looking at His inscription when suddenly Sati Ji said,

You know it applies to us also, Vijay, not just to the children.

We all laughed, but how very true her words are. Given that knowledge, the quest becomes to live up to it.

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Footnotes: 1) Miss Sati Bhojwani, Principal, Manav Vidya Mandir. From a conversation with the author. 2) Kirpal Singh, ‘Toward the New Education,’ Sat Sandesh / September 1972. 3) Ibid. 4) This is due to financial constraint – the Manav Kendra School children are from very poor families. 5) Prospectus and School Rules, Manav Vidya Mandir. 6) Miss Sati Bhojwani, from a conversation with the author. 7) Anyone interested in a cassette recording of these bhajans should contact the author at Sant Bani Ashram. 8) The physical education program expresses a healthy attitude toward competition. Recently the school held some junior olympics with different kinds of races, etc., and prizes for the winners. Miss Sati explained that the purpose was to get each child to try and do his or her best. There is no question of pride over victory or despair over defeat – one simply tries his best. The grand finale to the olympics was a musical chairs contest involving all of the staff. One can imagine how much the children enjoyed seeing their teachers and principal running around the chairs, scrambling for a place to sit each time the music stopped!