By Bal Ram Singh, PhD
According to the Vedic knowledge, every being and non-being is either free or at least trying to become free. In terms of thermodynamics, the term used for such a freedom is called entropy. At times entropy is aptly referred to as a measure of randomness or chaos. It is not necessarily either random or chaotic, rather it is the view of the observer to see things random when one does not know the cause (karan), kriya (action), and karma (objective) of something, especially with limited reach of the sensory knowledge based on physical perception, emotional feelings, or even mental exercises.
The more evolved a being or non-being is in terms of mind, the more independent freedom one exercises. Human mind is considered the most evolved, and thus it become more difficult to predict their behavior. Amongst humans, the teachers are considered the most knowledgeable, and thus free and independent. Even the university system currently in place recognizes the academic freedom the its faculty. In Indian knowledge system, teachers or gurus are considered (Skanda Purana) at par with the supreme brahm.
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णु र्गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः।
गुरु साक्षात परब्रह्मा तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः।।
GururBrahma GururVishnu GururDevo Maheshwaraha
Guru Saakshaat ParaBrahma Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha
Guru is the Creator (Brahma), Guru is the Preserver(Vishnu), GuruDeva is Destroyer(Maheshwara)
Guru is the absolute (singular) Supreme himself, Salutations to that Sri Guru
The meaning can also be turned around to say the Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, or ever the Parbrahm act as guru to teach us all something, thus the position of being guru is more important than these deities themselves.
Gurus being the highest intellectuals display the highest level of freedom and independence, and therefore run their own schools known as gurukulas, but with the need of time collaborate with each other to advance the knowledge system. As part of this system, there is a formal framework of communication that must be considered while considering the effective communication necessary for teaching the pupils for them to become independently creative.
According to the Indian system to explain the origin of speech, there are four stages of speech – para, pashyanti, madhyama, and vaikhari.
In Vedic view the universe exists at the para and apara levels. Media is the transmitter of information that originates internally at para level or externally at the apara level. For humans, the para level passes through pashyanti (darshan), madhyama (thoughts), and vaikhari (speech), and at the apara level it originates in shabda (sound) and passes through akasha, vayu, agni, jala, and prithvi elements of the panchmahabhuta. This knowledge is well known in Vedic tradition, and is thus not a new thing in India.
At the para level it passes through pashyanti (darshan or vision), madhyama (thoughts), and vaikhari (speech). According to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Science, speech or language ultimately arises from the basis of speech, which is pure consciousness or the Self.
Maharshi Yogi concept of Unified Field Theory that adds three very important dimensions of communication to Jakobson’s diagram of the communication act: the level of consciousness of the speaker; the level of consciousness of the listener; and the quality of the environment in which communication takes place.
In addition to creating an emotional contact or communicating a message, the quality of speech, it seems, is influenced by the consciousness of the speaker and can influence the consciousness of the listener, not just through imparting information or affecting the feelings, but through enlivening some degree of the Unified Field at the basis of the listener’s consciousness.
When this is possible, the communication is not only nourishing for the listener, but the nourishing effect rebounds to the speaker, and spreads out into the environment, creating an effect in the collective consciousness. This is normally experienced in music and dance performances, where audience either overtly, such as clapping, or in a subtle way through their body language (attentive, sitting at the edge of chair, etc.) influence the performer.
Orme-Johnson in Consciousness-Based Education: A Foundation for Teaching and Learning in the Academic Disciplines proposes that the communication needs to be at the vaikhari, madhyama, pashyanti and para levels for this interactive influence at the consciousness level.
However, that may not be entirely possible in mass communication, where the viewers or audience are not actively interacting at the verbal level to share their views. Large classrooms also limit this interaction, and thus the need of a independent Guru, who imparts the knowledge individually.
