Guru Purnima

 Today, 31st July, is Guru Purnima

My advice to youth is : while ordinarily respect should be given to gurus, one must not blindly accept whatever they teach. You should also study the subject and use your own head and critically examine whether what the guru has taught is correct.

 While many teachers in our schools, colleges, universities and Institutes are indeed learned and competent, others are not, and were probably appointed for extraneous considerations. Such incompetent teachers treat teaching as any other job for filling their stomachs. Many of them hardly know their subject, so what will they teach ? In fact they may do do great harm to students.

 I remember when I was a student of philosophy  in Allahabad University ( from 1963-1965 ) my teachers taught me that the difference between the 6 classical systems of Indian philosophy, or shatdarshan,  viz. Nyaya, Vaisheshik, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimansa and Uttar Mimansa ( Vedanta ), and the 3 non classical ones, viz. Buddhism, Jainism and Charvak, was that the former rely on the authority of the Vedas while the latter do not.

 But when I had passed out of the University and did my ''svadhyaya'' I came to know that what my teachers had taught me was not correct.. The first 4 of the 6 classical systems, viz. Nyaya, Vaisheshik, Sankhya and Yoga, do not rely on the authority of the Vedas. It is only the last two, viz. Purva Mimansa and Uttar Mimansa which rely on the authority of the Vedas, the Purva Mimansa, placing emphasis on the Brahman part of the Vedas ( which lay down the method of performing the various Vedic yagyas ), while the Uttar Mimansa ( or Vedanta ) placing emphasis on the Upanishad part of the Vedas.

 I may also add that when I was a Judge in Allahabad High Court ( 1991-2004) several cases came before me of Principals or teachers in schools or colleges in U.P. facing criminal charges of having embezzled the school or college building funds, scholarship funds, etc. Many teachers hardly come to their institution for teaching, while drawing their full salary from there, and spend most of their time running coaching classes at home or elsewhere.charging heavy fees. Only students who attend the coaching class will be given good marks.

 Can such teachers be respected ?