HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT, SPIRITUALITY VERSES MATERIALISM, PRAJA PITA BRAHMA KUMARIS WAY TO SUCCESS, A STUDY BASED ON ISHWARIYA VISHWA VIDYALAYA, PALAKKAD CENTRE, KERALA

Swami Vivekananda defined education as, ‘The manifestation of the perfection already in man’. Perfection denotes the divinity inherent in everyone. The institution becomes truly educational when it turns its attention inward, towards the discovery of the self in relation to the vast, infinite creation of the Divine. Without commitment one cannot progress. One has to face both internal and external challenges with courage and perseverance. Commitment means to allocate time and not to give up when we encounter hurdles. Even a small group of individuals united behind an inspiring vision of as better future and committed to universal values can lead the way to a better world. We have to develop our chances of experiencing success in our physical , emotional social and spiritual life. Significant spiritual concepts have a direct bearing on the formation of values. The concepts of consciousness and the Divine as taught by the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Iswariya Viswa Vidyalaya, Palakkad Centre in the development of a holistic attitude in the individuals could be noted in detail. The Brahma Kumaris Iswariya Viswa Vidyalaya is a new religious movement that has emerged in response to the global crisis in spirituality and values. It has eight lakh students who attend regular classes at its 8000 centres in India and over 143 other countries. Values and spirituality are central to the moral philosophy of human civilization and its legal institutions. Today we face a crisis of values. Conventional education in the present economic framework has become oriented toward acquiring specialized skills and knowledge for the purpose of getting remunerative work. Competition makes us compromise on education about life, values, culture, integrity, and other skills and dimensions of understanding that make a better man or woman who can qualitatively contribute to a civilized world. There is need to develop character, inner strength and the powers of good judgment and discrimination. Unless individuals take the time to think about their values, to form an ethical policy for themselves, and to determine their priorities, they remain ill-equipped to deal with the tests they will face as the years go by. Science is not concerned with whether something is ethically or morally correct, but describes physical, material reality and its laws. Globally we live in a materialist culture which obstructs the development and cultivation of human values. Religion and spirituality are concerned with ethics, morality and meaning in life. BK Jagadish Chander , Hassija said, ”Avoid education in values and invite a colossal disaster. If no steps are taken now, civilized society will soon be ruled by the law of the jungle”.