Nation differs but not philosophers!

My teacher, Mr. Yogesh Pratap Singh, once asked one of my friends, “Are you Plato or Aristotle? Cite the sources from where you have got these materials, in foot notes”. These two names, which he articulated that day, were the names of those philosophers, who were above the methodology of ‘cut and paste’ or simply acknowledging the original sources. To say it frankly their writings is said to be the philosophical one. Here in this small piece of combination of lexis,we have neither tried to give footnotes to their writings nor had attempted to do something like St. Thomas Aquinas (Christianizing Aristotle by claiming that, what “the philosopher” has said is same as in Bible). A humble endeavor has been made to find out the link or resemblance in the writings of Plato and Aristotle in the Indian version of thinking, ideas, values and concepts. Exclusively, we have dealt with Plato, who was talking about “city-states”, which was both the creation of man's power to organize, and the place of imperfections. A living reality, which invite betterment .

Plato’s “city-states” or “Rama Rajya” in Ghandian version is the ideal state, which is based on justice and all the citizens are happy, who were living therein. The prime force in the republic was ‘character’ or ‘education’. One of the underlying three points in Plato’s ideal republic was that, the unity of the State is maintained not merely by laws and rules but by the guardian's character and the general educational system that produces the guardians and others. Plato was of the opinion that power is to be held by a systematically produced and educated body of experts. The system will produce citizens of good character who in turn will produce children better than themselves, and so forth. Law has a limited role and should not hinder the rulers: ‘good men need no orders…’

Education is also taken as the essential aspect in the Indian society unlike in the city-states. Then the question arise what type of eduction... Oh! to be very frank, education does not mean finding solution to the question 4x²y"+4xy'+ (x-1/36) y = 0 nor learning “Game rules” from Prof. N.L.Mitra, but an intelligence elevated by honour, purified by sympathy and stimulated by a sense of duty to the community at large. Education makes people responsive and responsible. It is also emphasized in the expression “jyanena hinaha janaha pasubhi samana”, Human devoid of education is not a human at all. Training of the intelligence to control the passion was the part of education in the city states unlike "Brahmacharya" or let’s says “Samjitendriya” in India. Controlling passion, emotion and senses is also included in the major 5 elements for education in “Sasthras”. The job of the educator is to provide the conditions in which the right mind can develop its fullest capacities. The educational institution imposes same and single set of value in city-states. In India we have also the similar or identical system of learning. We have the concept of "Para Vidya" and "Apara Vidya". The "Apara Vidya" was all about transcendental knowledge or wisdom. (Sa Vidya ya Vimuktaye-Wisdom or knowledge is that which leads us to "Mokshya" or Salvation).

There also developed a system, where those who have attained the knowledge will forward the same to the society at large. In the Indian society we also have the same kind of system. In the stage of "samnyasa", the person have to dispense or make the knowledge reach the mass, what he had achieved or what truth he have realized throughout his life time. They will show others the path to follow (i.e "Margadarshana"). Plato is of the opinion that those who have completed their education will become the guardians or warriors.

Plato is of the opinion that those rulers or guardians should think of the mother earth because they were fashioned in the depths of the earth. They must think of others as their brothers, born of the same earth. This idea is deeply rooted in the Indian ways of thinking. We have five types of debts or "Rinnas" viz. are Matri Rinna, Pitra Rinna, Deva Rinna, Rishi Rinna and Samaja Rinna. Among these Rinnas, Samaja Rinna (the debts of the society) is the greatest debt and the primary duty of man is repaying the Samaja Rinna or the Rastra Rinna. In India we have the principle of “Idam Sariram Rastraya Swaha, Idam Na Maama” -this life is not for me but for the humanity.

Let's see the views of philosophers, regarding the way of attaining "truth". The aspect in which the Indian system is not with, and sometimes with agreement to Plato is that, Plato says a few of the masses could be able to realize the truth. To realize the truth one has to transcend from the material world. In other words to reach the truth, to ascertain what is truely natural and good for humanity, we need to surpass the empirical situation, where we find ourselves in. In the Gita also,Sri Bhagavan has said,"The seers whose sins have been wiped out, whose doubts have been dispelled by Knowledge, whose disciplined mind is firmly establised in the Self and who are activily engaged in the service of all beings, attain to the beatitude of Brahman" (Lavantye Brahmanirvanmrushya Kinakalmashya, Chhindhaydha Jatatmanaha Sarvabhutahite Rathya 5/25) On the other hand Aristotle, the only person to whom St. Aquinas Thomas had considered the “philosopher” was of the view that we need not have to go beyond the time and space count. Aristotle has tempered the Platonic idealism and rationalism by paying greater deference than his teacher (Plato) to the actual conditions of social reality and the imperfections of men and institutions in his philosophy. According to him everyone can attain or realize “the truth”. In the Gita it is said, "O mighty armed one (Arjuna) it is difficult... but it can be done by practise." (Avyasena tu Kaunteya Bairagena cha guhya 6/35)Apart from this there are thousands and one explanation in this point. It will be very much clear from one of the popular sayings ‘Swimming is only learned in water.’

Nation differs but not philosophers! If differs, then our perception. We do not accept what our seers, philosophers has said thousands and thousands years ago. But we accept, recognize and consider the same as the Bible, when others acknowledge that…