Life is just not the length and breadth of years. It is a journey done with meaning and purpose. Human efforts are just not required for only bread and butter, but for higher faculty enhancement like love, truth, empathy, inclusiveness, non violence, humanism, freedom etc. Stuffing the mind with varied information and ideologies whether secular or religious is not the real education. Training the hands for food and protection, nurturing the heart for love and empathy and grooving the brain for intellect and wisdom is the real education. According to neuroscience reptilian brain is the most primitive brain. It is associated with survival instincts. Food, sleep, self preservation and procreation are the basics of the reptilian brain. It is our brain stem. The mammal brain followed the reptilian brain.

 

This brain is the emotional seat. It is the limbic part of the brain. The latest brain is the human brain. It is the rational and thinking part of the brain. It is known as the cerebral cortex. Human life is the interplay of these three types of brains taken together, survival, emotional and rational. Indian seers have gone much ahead and visualised an intuitive brain which is the product of the highest level of focus and concentration. This type of brain starts knowing the deeper and mysterious dimensions of life. Saints, prophets, philosophers and scientists are gifted with the intuitive brain. Indian philosophy has visualised the fourth dimension of the human consciousness which is called Turiya Avastha or Unmani Avastha, the nonmind state of the consciousness. This is a mysterious concept. The other three states of the consciousness are Jagrata or awake, swapna or dream and sushupt or sleep. The fourth dimension of the consciousness is the state of pure consciousness without any taint or thoughts. Yoga aims at elevating our consciousness from lower to higher levels of existence. According to the Yogic Philosophy, the purpose of human life is to realise consciousness in its pure form. This is the highest seat of bliss and ecstasy.

 

When our consciousness is established in this state, all worldly boundaries collapse and a unified sense of limitless and infinite vision unfolds. This state of consciousness is found in the lives of spiritual and highly evolved persons of the world across the ages. The Indian tradition of the education system was based upon this comprehensive concept of evolved consciousness. Teachings of the sage Vashista to Lord Ram in the celebrated text Yoga Vasistha are the epitome of treasure. In the Ashtavakra Geeta the sage Ashtavakra has revealed these secrets to King Janaka.The counselling of Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the Geeta has covered all the aspects of the journey of human consciousness. Upanishads, Yoga Sutras, Tantra, etc, are all directed towards the realisation of this ultimate dimension of human existence. The Buddhist literature is the superfine example of the revelation of the secrets of the trajectory of human consciousness. The Jain texts are full of materials on the subject. The entire saint literature from the north to the south and from the west to the east exemplifies the essence of the journey of human consciousness. Thus the Indian tradition has been in the search of the fourth type of the brain , other than reptilian, mammal and human.