True Beginning of Education According to Bhagavad-gītā

Education is meaningful only when it begins with an understanding of the self beyond the body. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that Bhagavad-gītā establishes this essential starting point by immediately instructing that the living being is not the material body. Without this realization, all systems of education remain incomplete.

Education Begins with Understanding the Soul

The first lesson of real education is to know the difference between the body and the soul. Without this knowledge, human intelligence is misdirected toward temporary goals.

• Bhagavad-gita begins education, instruction. Immediately He puts forward that you are not this body. That is the beginning of education.
• As soon as we understand or become convinced that I am not this body, then spiritual education begins.

The Importance of the Correct Beginning

If education does not begin with the understanding of the soul, all further learning is based on a fundamental mistake. Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that a wrong beginning leads to wrong conclusions.

• If people are not educated on this understanding that the soul is different from body, that is . . . The beginning of education is wrong. Therefore whatever further advancement of so-called education is wrong, because the basic principle is wrong.
• Krsna said, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara, tatha dehantara-praptih (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, there is the soul. This is the beginning of education. But there are many learned scholars, they do not believe in the soul. That is the difficulty.

Beginning Education from Early Childhood

Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that spiritual education should begin at a young age. Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, children should be trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very start of life.

• As education begins at the age of five years, similarly, Krsna consciousness, or bhagavata-dharma, should be taught to the children as soon as the child is five years old. That is his (Prahlada) instruction.
• Prahlada Maharaja teaches that immediately, from the beginning of life, as soon as one is four or five years old, he should be educated about Brahman. That is called brahma-jijnasa. Beginning. That is wanted. And for him there is need of guru.

Hearing About Kṛṣṇa as the First Educational Step

Education in Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins with hearing about the Supreme Lord. This hearing purifies consciousness and establishes the foundation for all higher understanding.

• To become educated in the Krsna consciousness movement, this is the beginning - to hear about Krsna, to understand about Krsna.
• Young children should be educated from the very beginning about God consciousness or the science of God. We had the opportunity in our childhood. My father taught.

Conclusion

According to Bhagavad-gītā and the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda, the true beginning of education is self-realization and God consciousness. When education starts with the understanding that one is the eternal soul and that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, all subsequent learning becomes meaningful. Without this beginning, education remains incomplete and misdirected.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Beginning of Education. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.