Shanti Vidya Mandir

Educational Initiatives: The objectives of Shanti Mandir’s educational initiatives are to §         make education accessible to the economically challenged; §        establish institutions for education and research that will interpret and adapt to contemporary needs and contexts the profound knowledge of Vedic scriptures; §         promote the use of such knowledge, towards creating a society in which values implicit in Satyam Shivam Sundaram – the most sublime in the intellectual, emotional and physical aspects of human life – will dominate human thought and behavior. Shanti Mandir believes that true education is not about acquiring or imparting academic knowledge alone. It is about building human capacities, such that all people are enabled to fulfill their sublime potential – their divine destiny. It is about holistic human development, a basic right of everyone. Two streams of Shanti Vidya Mandir are the Sanskrit School and General School. The Sanskrit School helps young persons to develop proficiency in the Sanskrit language as a prelude to a rounded and authentic exposure to the Vedic teachings through classroom study on subjects relevant to the times. It also offers opportunities to practice and further enhance this learning through Vedic practices such as chanting, worship and meditation. As such, the mode of education is academic and experiential. Since the school provides free education, board and lodging, and its curricula demand tremendous rigor and discipline, selection of students is based on well-conceived criteria.  What the school looks for is quality rather than numbers. Each student has to prove a high level of determination and genuine interest before qualifying for enrolment.  Acharya Shyam Sunder Jha, a retired Sanskrit professor, leads the faculty. The school also invites visiting academics and specialists. After 10 years’ study, students earn a degree from Sampooranand University, Varanasi – an ancient seat of Vedic learning. The school also provides a stipend to take care of students’ other needs so students need not seek financial support from their families or elsewhere. The General School was started in September 2003 to provide free supplementary tuition to help economically challenged children in the local communities surrounding the Magod ashram. These children are already enrolled with recognized schools. In their after-school hours, they attend Shanti Vidya Mandir classes and receive individual attention in various subjects to improve performance at their regular school.  Academic tuition is supplemented with arts, crafts and sports to encourage rounded personality growth. Alongside improving their academic scores, SVM aims at sowing the seed of sattvic ambition in the students’ minds to learn about Indian culture and the invaluable knowledge that it harbors. Before the children leave for home, they are served a light snack.

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