Assertion of traditional yoga in human health and value education

Abstract

Although Education is an instrument as well as a catalyst of social transformation and expected to bring about qualitative change in man’s perception, attitudes, habits, priority and goals, the real sense of values in recent days somewhere missing. Moreover, the present system of education is informationoriented not character-based. It is consumerist in nature and makes one selfish, selfcentered, irreverent and cynical. It sharpens reasons but hardens the heart. It lays little or no emphasis on such basic values as truth, love, honesty, humility, compassion, forbearance and justice. It makes one conscious about one’s rights not duties. The net result is that a strongly individualistic and materialistic culture has taken birth, which promotes self-aggrandizement, nurtures opportunism and chicanery, and generates tension in society. The Renaissance in Europe did not bring about a renaissance of human values. The Reformation altered man’s perception of the sacred and the sacrosanct but did not do away with his inner vide such as lust, greed, anger and the like. The ghost of technological power unwittingly released by man can be contained only by the right kind of education which combines science with spirituality, fitness with health, reasons with faith, prajna with karuna, empirical knowledge with intuition and insight; which keeps both progress and peace as its goals and is helpful in mitigating social evils. Thus, to impart real education for retaining the human health and values in the way of peaceful life, various claims of traditional Yoga - which is an essence of Indian culture - need systematic verification. This piece of research, therefore, may be of imminent significance for reforming real education in the society. Need of Value Education in Modern Era Values are the concepts that describe human behavior. They are desirable ideals and goals, which are intrinsic and when achieved, in fact, evoke a deep sense of the fulfillment. These days in continuous changing conditions, values are left far behind and there is gross erosion of values of individual to keep pace with the society in order to fulfill one’s desire to be at the top. The erosion of human values of truth, co-operation, non violence, peace, love, respect for parents, elders, authority and hard work is leading to the decay of moral and social fabric of society at a speed never witnessed in the history of civilization. Our stress is too much on standards of living and not on standards of life. Though the problem of decreasing values extends to the whole range of human activities, education field is regarded as the proper place to inculcate positive values. The Indian culture is deeply rooted in spiritual and ethical values, unless these values find their way into the life of students, education will lose its significance and will not fulfill its aim. Though we have made progress in knowledge but still we are not above the levels of our past generations in ethical and spiritual life. In some, we have declined from their standards. Today we have been successful in making professionals but not the human beings. Thus, inculcation of human values is to be stressed up on in our system of modern education to prevent and combat world terrorism, tension, diversities, selfcentered vision and violence. Through quality education restoring of humane values (viz., Social, Moral, Spiritual,