Teaching: Past, present and future

In ancient India, education was imparted in Gurukuls, and teachers were called Gurus. To translate the word Guru as teacher, would, however, be a gross misrepresentation. The Guru of ancient India not only imparted education to the kids but also stood as the symbol of knowledge in the society. The Guru was also the adviser to Kings and other people in the society. The concept of Guru in ancient India is beautifully depicted in this well known Sanskrit sloka:

Guru Brahma Gurur Vishnu

Guru Devo Maheshwaraha

Guru Saakshat Para Brahma

Tasmai Sree Gurave Namaha

Guru is verily the representative of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

He creates, sustains knowledge and destroys the weeds of ignorance.

I salute such a Guru.

As time went by, the above verse met the same fate as that of many ancient things. The words remained, but the meaning was lost.

Free Will, Destiny and D-Will

While delivering a lecture in New York on Jan 10, 1896, Vivekananda said:

There cannot be any such thing as free will. The very words are a contradiction, because will is what we know, and everything that we know is within our universe. Everything within our universe is moulded by the conditions of space, time, and causation. Everything that we know, or can possibly know, must be subject to causation, and that which obeys the law of causation cannot be free.