Cultural Education and Physical Education; True Individuality (2008, Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi) - audio

Cultural Education

Now we have culture and physical, both physical and culture. Both are left.

So 45 minutes and 45 minutes, all right. Good. I don't think much is required now, because many of the things that I have spoken is relevant to culture also.

I first myself have to understand so much how to start up with these children. What method should I take?

See there are many stories given here, so tell those stories. That is the best thing. That’s why, I have this book not in a pedantic manner, you will see that most of this subject chosen can be told in the form of a story right here.

One more thing: when we talk about something very important: heaven and hell - don't go to your past, future, live in your present, then only you will be able to give your best.

It’s a partial statement. I don't preach it as a gospel. It’s not true. Many people say this, but I don't agree with them. You should have circumspection. Totality should be our life also. You see when you tell a child be in the present, present, present means what? It’s not untrue, but merely to say that, is partial. You should be circumspect.

Why do I teach history for example? It’s a big subject when you study history, you are taking the child to the past. Now in the modern times you say that you should be futuristic in your studies. We are also teaching futuristic studies. Now in many universities this subject has come up—studies of the future. Even this book, which I showed you is a study in future.

So it is not true that you should be only concerned with the present. It is a gospel which is given by many people who are according to me, who do not want to tell people the totality of things. These are small little formulas given temporarily, superficially, not comprehensively as the basis of education. That’s why this subject has been taught properly is that there are many small little things which are told to children that are taken up as a gospel of life and their whole life will be determined only on that. Jivan jio aram se jiyo, lekin insaniyat rakho, the whole life can be spent only in this Khushi se raho, lekin insaniyat se raho, whatever you would mean.

If you're not hurting anybody, then it’s anything.

Yes, it’s such an easy life. They do not know their “ought” is connected with the whole universe. They have never thought of it. What ought I to do is connected with the whole universe. This is the point of view which is not available to our young people. It is because this subject is not taught. So all the people today..

Am I hurting you?

No, not at all, I’m listening to you very attentively!

I’m just dramatically asking you. Am I hurting you? I want to see my television, my room. Why do you object to it? Why should I go to sleep? Am I hurting you? I am seeing the television, mother says tomorrow morning to get up early. I am hurting you now mama, don't disturb me. I want to see television, I’m not hurting you and mama has no answer, because they have never thought of this question. You should be able to say yes, yes, I am hurt, you should be able to say yes, I am hurt. What you are doing is not your action alone. What happens to you? What you are doing is a great, supreme concern to me. You are seeing a film today. I don't know what kind of film you are seeing. What kind of thoughts will be thought sown into you, and tomorrow you'll talk to me in a way which is influenced by all those thoughts, it will hurt me, but a good parent should know how to answer that question, should be able to not only answer but should be able to convince the child. Yes, it matters that you are not alone in the world.

Nobody is alone in the world. When I ask that question, am I hurting you? it means that you are alone in the world. Are you? Nobody is in the world alone. It so happens. You are not at all alone. Therefore, this question – “I am not hurting you” is not an answer, but children don't understand it. I am not hurting you. I am doing myself, even if you think that I am hurting, I am hurting myself, so what does it mean hurting yourself. Next morning, when you have a fever, you say now call the doctor. I am to be occupied with you when I should be doing something else. What about that?

Nobody is alone in the world. This proposition should be known to everybody. If you tell children from childhood, then only you can meet this idea of the children. It’s a wrong idea, who says your life is yours?

So shall we do culture now? Yes.

So I want to know the methodology that has to be adopted for culture.. viewing the film Purab Paschim. I didn’t show them this movie thinking that at one point of time in the movie they have criticized the western culture, whereas in the pamphlet which you given me says that we are not only appreciating our own culture, We are also taking into account other cultures.

It is good, let people know that there are many views, then afterwards you can give a lecture that although we saw that, but I should correct your partial view about it. Appreciation of the west does not mean that everything in the west is to be appreciated.

So it just shows an Indian going excessively into the western culture, how it can create a kind of an imbalance. That’s what that movie shows that you are an Indian you're, criticizing India. You are rooted in India, you're criticizing India and you're becoming very extremely western.

Another child brought Namaste London also. It’s quite similar.

No, it is good if you can make list of such pictures.

About Hinsa and Ahimsa?

I mean it’s a good debate by itself and to discuss this question properly, you have to have three important considerations. First of all, the place of destruction in the universe, because very often the word hinsa and destruction are seen to be synonymous. They are not. To destroy something is not hinsa by itself. Destruction is a principle of human life, universal life. There is a constant creation, constant nourishment, constant destruction. Shiva is as important as Vishnu, as important as Brahma. Therefore, in the universal scheme of things, destruction has a place. This is the one standpoint with which we should start, basically we should not equate destruction with violence. If you make a distinction in violence and destruction, many things will fall in the right place.

Gandhi himself says in one of his short articles on ahimsa. He has written seven articles which are very important articles—satya, ahimsa, brahmacharya, asteya, aparigraha, asvada, abhaya. Seven articles he has written and there on each subject has two or three small pages and there he has dealt with these questions at his utmost highest level. So if you want to understand his doctrines, you should understand this particular small book, it is a very small book, but it is the best book available on Gandhian philosophy.

Now he argues very well. He comes with the grip with the question and he says I cannot breathe without killing the germs. Is it a fact? What shall I do? Shall I breathe or shall I not breathe? This is the question he puts up. It’s very interesting, he himself puts up this question, so he says himself that killing or not killing is not the essence of the matter. The essence of the matter is whether you are asakta or anasakta, right. So he has given a correct answer that if you can do any action, not only breathing, even eating for example is destruction. Shall I eat or not? When I talk and give a lecture, I am destroying the ignorance, is it good or not? I’m, destroying, and sometimes I can destroy with a great force when somebody says that this is my view that Islam is the right thing and I vehemently say: no, it is not true. Should I do vehemently or not, there are moments that should be done very vehemently. Why not? Somebody is talking ignorantly and falsely, shall I allow such forces to continue in the world? I should destroy it. So even forceful destruction is not violence.

Now, when you ask the question, what is asakta and anasakta? What does it mean? It is there Gandhi fails to answer. He admits that if destruction were the only thing to be avoided, you can't even breathe and therefore you should stop breathing is not practicable, which is not demanded either. The whole scheme of the world is such that constant creation, constant nourishment, constant destruction, is the very principle of life. Then what is the principle of ahimsa there? So he gives a correct answer. Main point about ahimsa is anasakta. What is it? That is the question, and this is a very difficult question. What is anasakti, therefore he called his book on yoga, on Gita, anasakta yoga. He tries his whole life to define what is anasakta. You cannot be anasakta unless you become universal, cosmic, and all attachments are gone. What does it mean? all attachments gone? Does it mean that I shall have no relationship with you. Shall I not to talk to you affectionately, lovingly, to love and yet not to have attachment? What does it mean? It is here these questions are difficult to answer. He didn't answer these questions. That’s why there is a lacuna. You can't answer all the situations.

As Sri Aurobindo said my Mother India is laid naked on the earth and the monster is feeding himself on the breasts of my mother, what shall be my attitude towards a monster? What should I do? Should I say wonderful, I shall do nothing, anasakta, aspraha, and do nothing about it? What is my action? Should I not take my sword from my sheath and just strike him and finish it on the spot than not do it? This is the idea behind Sri Krishna asking Arjuna. The most important word in Gita is vigata jwaraha. Do all your actions with vigata jwaraha, anasakta. There should be no fever, without fever do an action. It is a very difficult action, unless it becomes supracosmic it cannot happen. That’s why he said whether you talk on the mind level or the supreme level unless you are supracosmic. What is Buddha’s ahimsa? There is a tremendous difference between Gandhi’s consciousness and Buddha’s consciousness. Buddha lived in the transcendental supracosmic consciousness and that silence which is unruffled, there is no reaction at all and yet see the action that he did. So when Sri Krishna says I am not the doer and yet doer of all actions. I am not the doer akartaham and yet all actions proceed from me, in that what are the actions? All actions are at once creation, nourishment and destruction. There is no action without destruction, no action without the birth, no action without nourishment, all the three are the processes of work.

So destruction or not destruction is not the important problem, with what consciousness we are doing. When Sri Krishna told Arjuna, here is Duryodhana, if you don't destroy him, he is going to destroy millions of children of tomorrow, the culture that is going to develop in this country, already it is developed under his impress, he will create only aggressive human beings here and he is not amenable to reasoning. I have told him, I went to speak to him also, and he tried to capture me and put me into prison, so he doesn't want that method at all. Therefore, the only method is vigata jwaraha but destroy you remain absolutely like breathing. What do you do in breathing? You don't want to kill the germs, but you cannot do without it.

But this question which the children raised is a very important question, it should say that every situation should be examined in depth. There is no ready-made answer. The important point is that your consciousness should be non-violent. Do not act out of anger, not act out of hatred. Do not act out of personal interest. Do not act out of prejudice. These are the disabilities of consciousness. Then, if you first of all remove all this, then you ask a question: what is the situation? What does it demand? There are situations where, as your child said that for self-defense, what do I do? even for self-defense sometimes it is not good to retaliate.

Also if you see for example, there is a great statement of Christ: resist not the evil. What does it mean? Evil is on me and he says resist not the evil, so, even if I’m being killed, you should accept it. I am only saying that if you want to study the aim of life, one of the aims which has been given by Christ is this: resist not the evil. You must understand that all these great maxims, they convey something when a child is playing with you and child sometimes slaps you tightly, you'll be hurt even, your eye may be permanently finished, kiss the child. What is that consciousness? There are some moments where you don't resist merely because you are not resisting, the monster becomes a saint, because you are not resisting him. The monster comes to you to kill you. So say yes, it transforms him.

I thought I am discussing with you. You raised the question. No, I am answering your question, my dear, yes, now, let me answer. Wait, wait a minute. I’ll tell you very briefly.

First of all, as far as children are concerned, do you know that Tagore composed two thousand songs. All the two thousand you have got? Good. Have you got translation of them into Hindi?

English.

Hindi also get them done. That’s all right. That is what you should actually select, some of them rim jim, rim, jim, for example, all right. Anyway, some of the poems, now you should create in your children’s love for this music. It’s this music, because Rabindra sangeet people do not realize in our country is unique music. You have, how nice, so kindly make children love it.

How you make them love is a different matter, but make children love this music, specialty of this music is that when you listen to it properly, you feel you come to your home. It is birds returning to the nest and the happiness that you get when you return to the nest. All the songs of Tagore have got this special quality. This is the music is a homecoming bird. You just see again now hear these songs in this way. When you hear his music, you feel you are coming to your nest. You enter into your being. There are strings of your heart which begin to vibrate of your heart, inner heart. It’s no more sensations. It is not feelings, the strings of the heart, they begin to vibrate, the tunes arise as it were from there. That is a specialty of this great music of Tagore, and that is why I would like your children to listen to this music. It’s very important. All right?

Can you teach your children what is the specialty of English poetry? Have you read the book called The Future Poetry by Sri Aurobindo? I think you read that book, your program of life, all right. It’s a very difficult book. Therefore, I’m saying program of your life, then we shall have a seminar here, all right. Yes, not only you, we shall have many teachers I’ll request. She doesn't agree. Actually I want all your teachers to come here.

Now there is a need to have a seminar on future poetry and I’m sure many teachers would like to have their seminars. So anyway, when you come to that point, we shall have seminar here on future poetry, all right, because English poetry has a tremendous potentiality for the future.

I don't know if you have also something of Sanskrit poetry.

There are two three good musical pieces of Sunil that would be very nice. There there are English tunes, English words and there are also Sanskrit words.

Beshi Bhalo, very beautiful.

So one of the students suggested that we could show them some regional language films also with the subtitles.

Good. It’s a good idea. Only that the film should be a good film. That is like many Bengali films. They are very nice like Mahanagar for example. Kapurusha, Mahapurusha is also a very nice film. I have seen many Bengali films, which are very nice, many beautiful Bengali films. You have, I think, Bengali films are the best in India and so much of taste in the holy music. Yes, so much so much beautiful life and children should be able to appreciate it and love it, so it is very good indeed, if you can do it. since context, and with that point of view, that is true right registry. You should tow this suggestion. You keep in mind that when you show a regional films kindly bring out the essence of the film, so the children understand it properly. Yes, to begin with, so that they can appreciate the film or even if you don't tell them in advance afterwards, you ask us questions even then afterwards, you can ask tell me what was the purpose. It can be a good question. Yes, yes, it’s very nice indeed.

Physical Education

This book has got nine parts. The first part is Mystery of the Human Body. I would like every child of your school not only to know anatomy and physiology, but also the mystery of the body, it’s a dimension which is not normally emphasized, and in this particular section what I have tried to bring out is the mystery of the human body. When there is a wound how is it that white corpuscles rush out automatically to heal your body, that there is a mystery there. There is a constant repair of the body going on. It’s a great mystery, the automatic synchronization that is taking place. When I look at you, I have two images of you, but they are synchronized so that I have only one view of your face. Why is it so? It’s a mystery. The mystery of the thumb, for example, thumb is the creation of the whole human civilization. Animals can't create a civilization because they don't have a thumb. It is human beings have got a thumb and thumb makes it possible for you to manipulate things properly. Other animals can't use their fingers properly because they don't have the thumb. In one of the parts it is given here in Alexis Carroll’s book of this mystery, Man—the Unknown. You read that, it’s a very interesting article, Man—the Unknown.

Then next is health and nutrition. Ultimately, what I want in your school is that there should be for every child by the time he comes out of the school class 12, he should be well acquainted with all the nine sections. I know it is not a part of your syllabus, but you do doubt all this by exhibitions and by you can combine with culture department and as a part of the culture this knowledge of the human body is very important. There should be a kind of atmosphere in the school where children do feel that human body is mysterious.

Put up charts and models.

That’s good, but more than charts, you just take one simple fact: like white corpuscles coming at the time of a wound, only one little thing, one wonder of the body. So like that there are many wonders. Each time one wonder you put up and to put all the wonders at one time is to take away the wonder of wonders. If you go on putting wonder after wonder after wonder, then there is a focus upon each wonder, and that is pedagogical. It is more effective, so think of it. All right?

Then the question of health and nutrition. Even such a simple question: define health. What is the meaning of health, absence of disease? That is a big question mark. What is health? I don't know myself, but I’m only asking the question, but what is health? in a sense you might say healthy body is that which doesn't ask the question of what is healthy. What is the meaning of well-being? That is also a question. That is the essence. Well-Being is a question.

So anyway, this is a question which I’ve discussed in this chapter in this whole section. What is health you see. There are many good texts. I have collected together.

About sleep, for example, it’s a very interesting point whether children sleep well or not. Anyway. You should see that importance of sleep, that is why I have given a section on sleep.

Even the idea of fitness of the body is a subtle idea. What is fitness of the body? Everybody has got his own fitness, his own standard of fitness, and there are fitness tests. I don't know you have got fitness tests, there are also standardized tests.

I think you should really create if you as in charge of it, you should create some physical tests, which are determined actually, even if you contact the body, for example - and you ask them what are the Indian fitness standards, they might help you, so kindly contact them.

Oh I see you got it, yes, so you can apply it and then you should see that larger number of children get tests. It is good for a child to know where he stands. It gives a good stimulation to the child, even because many children in India they like games, but they don't like gymnastics and yet gymnastics are very important because gymnastics are very boring and games are very interesting. You gain, you fail, excitement, running etc. In gymnastics, there is no great prize, it is a hard work, push-ups and sit-ups, and so on, so you should get them interested in it. Every child should know actually, what are the different ways by which exercises can be given to the body, and that is the one of the important part, part number four deals with that question: physical education and excellence of the human body, and there you have this gymnastics, athletics, swimming and games both eastern and western and it is here that yoga has its place. It is to attain health, strength and capacity of the body. All that the entire yogic system is based on that. In the western method of physical education, the stress is given on jerks. In Indian system of physical education you relax your muscles, relax your different organs of the body, and then you put every part of the body under a very special kind of stress of pranayama, the breath, so that that part becomes oxygenated, supply of oxygen in different parts of the body, that is the essence of physical yogic exercises.

And that’s helping our endurance work.

Yes, you're right! Yes very much so even in football for example, or in basketball when you have to run at a stretch and almost breathlessly, swimming also requires breathlessness, and there are many aspects of our life, where keeping control over the breath is very important. So here I have given a lot of examples. You see physical education in ancient India, then ancient Olympics and then modern Olympic games. It’s a very good compilation I have made and shown so many Olympic games which have been played and what were the results and so on. It’s very interesting chapter. If you read it and if you bring to the children’s idea, because today, modern children are very interested in Olympics, yes, even information wise, they may not do gymnastics themselves, but they want to know about it. So through that you can inspire children to do it also afterwards, so you see their list of Olympics in recent times and of Olympics events in each discipline, then Asian games also, there was a special program of Asian games.

Then we have given some direct examples, dialogues. This book is not only descriptive book. It is also interesting, stories are given in this book to make physical education interesting. You take out the stories from this book and you narrate them. Some dialogues which are given here also you put up this dialogue and highlight it.

Then body building and strength, and this is, for example, Arnold, there is a good chapter on Arnold, he has given advice to the children, it’s very interesting, you read that Arnold’s advice to students because he became Olympian and the world champion several times. Now, of course he’s a governor in USA. So this man has done a lot of achievements in his life. Many people believe that if you devote a lot of time in your physical education, you may do well in sport, but in life you're a failure because you don't acquire many capacities of life, which is not true.

Then there’s boxing and then there’s crickets, given Here the story of one of the greatest ancient cricketers of India Ranjit Singh. It’s a very interesting story of Ranjit Singh. He was Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, Singh has written in a very beautiful article on him. You make this children of class 9th read that chapter. The whole story is given there of Jam Saheb of Nawanagar. Yes, Ranji trophy is named after him. One of the sentences there is that: alas he is 40 and fat. It was written when he became 40 years old. He became fat, alas he is 40 and fat. It’s a very interesting statement he has made so that children should know that you become 40 but don't become fat. He was the king of cricket in his time. In the whole world he was the king of cricket, but the author says, alas, now he'll no more be there, he’s 40 and fat.

Then even dance is a part of physical education I have shown here and given the story of Anna Pavlova, it’s also very interesting story. You should read that story, and even if you can get the film there is a film available Anna Pavlova, you try to get that film also is very nice.

Then I come to number five, profounder aspects of physical education. How physical education is important for moral education and for spiritual education. They are profounder aspects, it’s not only for health, even for moral education. Physical education is important. So you read this statement of Sri Aurobindo called message that particular chapter gives you the idea of what Sri Aurobindo said upon the profounder aspects of physical education.

And then this chapter, the four austerities and four liberations. That is also very interesting. What is austerity? Our internal idea of India’s physical education is austerity. Development of endurance is a very important aspect of physical education. How much can you endure your hunger, for example, and your pain in life sometimes these endurances are very important, otherwise one slight pain and the child will begin to cry and cannot endure it enough.

Part 6 deals with courage of the handicapped. So what is courage for example? I have given here the example of Roosevelt. Roosevelt became president of India four times of America four times, but he had polio, so he couldn't walk, so how he dealt with his polio. It came up in his life. He was struck by polio.

Even VS Chandrasekhar, the great bowler India ever has produced and he was affected with polio. the greatest bowler ever of India.

So these examples are very interesting and to be given to students. Then there is a beautiful story on Knots on the Counting Rope, that film you should get from Auroville. It is a film on this subject. It is a story of a blind boy. It’s a film of a blind boy who doesn't know that he’s blind and he’s brought up as if he sees, he sees, he didn't know that people can see or cannot see. He thought everybody must be like him, unless he’s told he’s blind, he also believes that everybody must be like him and how he is able to ride the horse, and all that. See it, it’s a very interesting story. You get this film. We have made a film in Auroville, this film, you ask them they'll, send you a copy of it.

Then next chapter is on adventures and achievements and there I have given examples of conquering the Himalayas by Norgay and there is another one from crystal horizon, it’s a story of Messner and another is Callahan from adrift. It’s a story of a man who was traveling by boat and then for days and days he swims, and what a tremendous endurance and capacity, ultimately reaches the shore. It’s a true story. It is not a fiction, so it’s also a very interesting story.

[Some comments about extraordinary bizarre aspects of physical feats.]

That’s what I’m saying. No, it just should not be generalized, because there are many bodies. No, no, there are some bodies which are capable of bearing automatically, they have special bodies. They can have bees all over the body. They are not affected by stings. No, but I would not advocate such a bizarre things. There are some human beings who are capable of doing it because their bodies are insensitive. A very sensitive body may not be able to do it and there it is not incapacity, it’s a greater capacity, sensitivity. No it’s true. There are many people who are insensitive. They don't feel at all anything.

This part eight is very important, body reaching out beyond itself, and there I have spoken of Hathayoga Pradipika, you see, there is a very important point to be made. Yoga does not mean Hathayoga. Yoga is not equivalent to pranayama, it is not asana. If you read the whole of the Gita, karma yoga has nothing to do with pranayama and asana at all, and if children have wrong ideas, they will not see what is yoga in the Gita. Yet it is the supreme yoga which is described there. So we should take out from the minds of the children that there is no yoga until the consciousness of the individual strives to unite with the transcendental. Unless this is done, there is no yoga. Essence of yoga is uniting, uniting what? it is uniting the human consciousness. Pranayama is not yoga, it is simply a physical exercise which is done under the name yoga, but it is people, children should not think that that is yoga. We should make it very clear. Yoga means uniting the consciousness with transcendental consciousness with cosmic consciousness, unless individual, cosmic and transcendental are united there is no yoga, but there are many things which may help you to do it. In that sense, everything in life is yoga, even eating is yoga and sleeping is yoga, talking is yoga, studying is yoga, hearing music is good. Everything is yoga because ultimately everything contributes to your consciousness to be lifted up.

Three modes of Consciousness: Transcendent-Cosmic-Individual

There was this teacher, I think she was the one who asked this question. She said I need to understand consciousness. I hear that you have mentioned the individual consciousness, the cosmic consciousness and the transcendental consciousness. If we would just give it two more minutes and explain them to them to three levels of consciousness. That will be a huge, huge learning for them.

Actually what is individual consciousness? I described a little earlier when I said that the specialty of individual consciousness is a development of 'ought' consciousness. I ought to do this. You really come to understand what is individual. The individuality of the individual is experienced when you face a problem of ought. What should I do, when this question becomes very concrete then you begin to ask: what am I?

Now the individual consciousness is individual because it is a mode. A mode is a mode. There’s a difference between the whole and the mode, the entirety, the globe, for example, you take a circle. Any line that you draw in the circle is a mode, m-o-d-e. The whole circle is a totality. Now in the universe, universe is a totality, imagine a full circle in which each one of us is a mode, so individual is definable in terms of being a specific kind of mode. You and I are individuals because you are a special mode, I am a special mode. You and I come to experiences this mode experience because this mode is not normally experienced and I touch my body is also a kind of experience, but I don't experience what I can call me, the “I” consciousness, the real “I” consciousness, except when I face myself, what is called existential condition.

It’s a very philosophical word—existential. What is existential condition? One of the examples I give normally is a girl being invited by a boyfriend, come to the garden and meet me, for the girl is to decide whether she should go or not. It is an existential problem: if she doesn't go, she loses a chance of getting that boy whom she loves. Perhaps out of shyness, out of many difficulties she may not go. She also has not decided whether she should really build up a connection with that boy or not. If she says yes, it means that it gives a signal to the boy that you are interested in him and then he will try to develop his connection with you. Whether you should allow him to develop that consciousness or not is a question mark? How do you decide what ought you to do? Should you say yes, I will come. Should you say no, I will not come. That condition which is put down is called existential condition where you really experience that you exist as long as you do, because others tell you to do you don't experience it. My father wants me to do it therefore I am doing it, you don't feel the pressure. My teacher has asked me to read, I’m reading it, there’s no pressure, but the pressure of your being comes when everything else depends entirely upon now the decision that you make. That is existential and that comes best when you have the decision regarding “ought”. What ought I to do. Now, as I said in every “ought” you come to decide with some kind of element of universality, I give the example of: you never like to be done unto you what you do not demand others to be done to others.

So this connection between the individual ought and its connection with universal is automatic, and you understand what it really means, universality. These are the first elementary experiences of the individual and the universal is some connection between you and universal. Now, if you examine the universal consciousness itself, you find that that consciousness has no beginning and no end, it’s a specialty of universal consciousness. Let’s have you have the idea of anadi and ananta, vaishvic chetna, universal consciousness, this consciousness of no beginning no end is a specialty of just as individual consciousness has something to do with the mode of consciousness. It’s a specialty of the individual, a mode of consciousness in which there is a centrality when you take an ought, you come to experience your center, which is connected with the universal. Therefore, no individual consciousness is experienced as individual unless it is united with universal in a very special manner, but universal consciousness itself has this special characteristic of having no beginning and no end. You see anything in the universe, it can go to past if you work out the past of the past or the past or the past or the past or the past. It is unending. There is no point where you can say it is now, although we speak of big bang as if it is the first, but then the question is from where that bang came. That question we don't normally ask, but you should ask from where that thing came which exploded? How did that happen? What was before that? That question remains. Consciousness is absolutely timeless and so it is timeless in the sense of eternity which is without beginning and end in that sense timeless, but there is another sense that is now transcendental, which is truly timeless and spaceless in which there is no beginning or end, the question of beginning or end doesn't apply to it, and without that foundation, space and time are not possible.

Now this require a quantum process of contemplation. What I told you just now in three sentences: if you really want to be convinced of it, you should have contemplation of it. Contemplation means you repeat whatever I said now step by step and connect step by step quietly and try to understand it gradually. That is a process of contemplation. As I said, you come to no beginning, no end, from there you jump into there is no beginning or end at all. It’s a jump. There is a kind of a leap. How do you come to that leap? Supracosmic is that leap. Supra, you go beyond the cosmos.

Cosmos is no beginning, no end, but the supra cosmic has also no beginning or end in the sense that it has no time or space at all there. They may not begin, they are rooted in it. They don't begin. So this is the transcendental consciousness and yoga is basically uniting that individual consciousness with the universal and the transcendental. Unless that happens, there is no yoga.

All else is help to yoga and therefore even gymnastics is yoga, it is not only pranayama is yoga even in gymnastics. Actually, it is simply. We give a name to pranayama because of a certain specialty we want to develop, but there is no physical education without pranayama. It is essential in all exercises of physical education Pranayam is involved, so we must make it clear to our children, because our children normally grow up with the idea of yoga. But unless there is this contact of the individual with the universal and transcendental and an effort towards it, there is no yoga, it is only help to yoga and there everything is.. even artists, even hearing Rabindra sangeet is also yoga, everything. There is nothing which is not yoga. The horse riding is also yoga. Listening to music is also yoga.

That’s why Sri Aurobindo says that all life is yoga.

These other things you might say are only part, still may mean that it’s a part of the totality of the heart of yoga. It’s not their heart, it is only introduction to yoga. Other things also can be called introduction. Studying a good book also is yoga. The essence of yoga is concentration, any effort at concentration is yoga. Introduction to yoga is concentration, wherever there is an effort at concentration, is preparation to yoga with awareness, good.

So now the last portion, the perfection of the body. I think you should read this chapter four five times. It’s a greatest essay written on the subject. This is the meaning of perfection of the body, and our children should know that their bodies should grow towards that perfection. This ideal and one day you should put up a good exhibition on perfection of the body after one year. You read this nicely all right, then you tell me if you put up such an exhibition of perfection of the body, I would agree with Anjaliji to come one day to Lucknow all right, so you read this book nicely. All right. And let children share this knowledge which is here.