Characteristics of Student

    One day, when I asked to my roommates, "what are the characteristics of good student?" One of them suddenly replied, ‘One who is topper of the class’. After some time another roommate replied, ‘One who is famous among all teachers’ and after thinking a lot my third roommate replied, ‘One who complete assignments before date of submission’.

    

    What do you think my roommates are right or wrong? What are the real characteristics of student? I know that you got confused, because we never read such question in our college syllabus. This is something out of course. What do you say; really this question is out of course. Then why we called our self as student if we don't no it's characteristics. Let it be, from today onwards we know that what the characteristics of student are. Because somebody already written these characteristics for us. And this somebody is nothing but the sage (ऋषी). They live their life for us, they set examples for us. Therefore they should define as, "ऋषति-गच्छति संसारात पारं दर्शयति इति ऋषि:।" 

(पारं = limit, ऋषति = activeness)

    The characteristics of student were written in our ancient scriptures are as follows, let’s try to understand it.

काक चेष्टा बको ध्यानं, श्वान निद्रा तथैव च ।

अल्पहारी गृह त्यागी, विद्यार्थी पंच लक्षणं ॥

    Oh No! Again Sanskrit, Yes dear brother/sister, because "Sanskrit is not merely alive, it is also a medicine to make the dead alive."

    Let's come to our topic, there are total five essential characteristics of student told in this verse. Now we will see one by one,

1. काक चेष्टा: The efforts (repetitive) of the student should be similar like a crow. Remember story of crow trying to drink water from a pot, to raise the water level, repetitively placing pieces of stone into the pot.
2. बको ध्यानं: The attention of the student should be like a crane (बगळा), which stands for long period of time on one leg, waiting for that fish, and till the end, he keeps his whole focus focused on his goal.
3. श्वान निद्रा: The alertness of the student should be like a dog, who wake up immediately with slight stir, and he is completely alert. Similar the student should be completely alert to grab the opportunities.
4. अल्पहारी: The student should always say as per their requirement, should never say more than necessary. Do not excess anything, because excessive feeding leads to obesity, disease, nuisance and insanity.
5. गृह त्यागी: The student should always go away from comfort zone. If he goes away from pleasant and comfortable place, then his chances of success are greater (तपोवन शिक्षण पद्धती, today's so called hostel life).

    So, these are five characteristics of student given in our ancient scripture from a long time ago. And we know that very well, still we don't follow these characteristics in our life. Why? Had you think about it ever? Answer must be No. Because we are so busy in experiencing pleasure. But when we understand it, we found that we already wasted lots of time and at this moment without sorrow we had nothing left.

    Adi Shankaracharya wrote about human behavior in Charapatpanjarika Stotram. This proves that the psychology of man (student) in 8th century is similar to the man in 21st century. Let's see what he wrote in 8th century, 

बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीरक्त:।

वृद्धस्तावच्चिंतामग्न: परे ब्रह्मणि कोSपि न लग्न:।।

चर्पटपजरिकास्तोत्रम् ।।७।।

Translation: Childhood is involved in play, youth is addicted to women, old age is spent in worrying but no one thinks of good deeds.

    If we compare this with today's situation then in most of the cases we shall find same. Why we are repeating same mistakes. If we believe in quote "Experience is the best teacher". Then why we are not learning from their experiences. Because every time it is not necessary to learn from self experience. Let's take an example of our academics, while solving problems we write 'by Newton's law, by Bernoulli's theorem, etc" and write their already derived formulas, we never derive the same formula to solve the problems because we know that someone already derived it for us to save our time. Similarly, these ancient scriptures, Upanishad, Vedas and Geeta are already derived formulas to simplify our life.

    It's ok, let's see what Adi Shankaracharya told in next verse of Charpatpanjarika Stotram,

नारीस्तनभरनाभिनिवेशं मिथ्यामायामोहावेशम्।

एतन्मांसवसादिविकारं मनसि विचारय वारम्वारम्।।

चर्पटपजरिकास्तोत्रम् ।।११।।

Translation: Do not be seduced by observing a woman's body. Because that body is not different than disorders like blood, flesh, bones, fat, etc. Think about it often and practice good things.

    Oh, these words are so harsh but true. The above two verses from Charpatpanjarika Stotram show our reality. As a student we should understand what good for us. We don't want to become famous and not want to become celebrity, but we just want that our parents should feel proud when they say, 'he is my son' or 'she is my daughter'. And this all happen when we follow good characteristics in our life.

Who is Young? (तरुण कोण?)

What is real definition of young person (तरुण)? It's very simple question but no one properly gave me answer, why this happened? Why today's youth is unable to define their life? And funny thing is that, when someone trying to define तरुण (youth) then their answers are so funny. One of my friend said, तरुण means teenagers and a person whose body started to grow beard. And another friend said, young person means one who enjoys his life without any responsibility.

So what you think they all are right or wrong. However but Vedas say they are totally immature answers.

Now see the conditions of today's youth, they become sickly, helpless, addicted and hedonistic. He attracted towards inducement. The life of today's youth become same like poem of 'Solomon Grundy'.

Solomon Grundy, 

Born on a Monday, 

Christened on Tuesday, 

Married on Wednesday, 

Took ill on Thursday, 

Grew worse on Friday, 

Died on Saturday, 

Buried on Sunday.

That was the end, 

Of Solomon Grundy.

Then who is real young person (तरुण)?

The Philosophy of Vedas (उपनिषद उवाच) explains the real meaning of Youth (तरुण). Definition as per words of  उपनिषद् (Philosophy of Vedas);

                                                 सैषानन्दस्य मीमांसा भवति।

                                                   युवा स्यात्साधुयुवाध्यायक:

                                                    आशिष्ठो द्रढिष्ठो बलिष्ठ:।

                                                   तस्येयं पृथिवी सर्वा वित्तस्य पूर्णा स्यात् ।

                                                      स एको मानुष आनंद:।।

                                                                       तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् ब्रम्हवल्ली २/८

The above verse tells characteristics of ideal young person. But it is in Sanskrit language, means a very big question mark in front of us! Really we all are very hapless we are unable to understand language of our divine father (God).

It's ok, now we continue our topic. So whom we call as young person? As per perspectives of श्रुति(Essence of Vedas) let's try to understand meaning of  young person (Youth, तरूण). Being a young human is more important, it gives pleasure. Therefore youth is classic time of life. If you had ever gone through the story of king Yayati, then you know that when he got chance to asked for something, then he asked for his child's youngness. This shows the importance of young personality.

There is no relation between youth (तारुण्य) and age. Who have developed certain traits in their life they are young people. Youth is an attitude. One hundred and eighty years old Bhishmapitamah is real young person, because he had played the conch before the battle. He lives such a life so that, until the last breath he was young. Now the question is that how to create such attitude? This attitude never gets just by applying fragrant talc powder. But when we try to read, learn and implement live and luminous juice of Upanishads in day today life then we feel that power (not powder) of youth and create such a luminous attitude. To fix this there is only one way that is self-cultivation. Therefore our sage always pronounced स्वाध्यायान्मा प्रमद:।

As Passionateness (उत्कटता) should be in youth also Luminosity (तेजस्विता), asceticism (तपस्वीता) and Aptness (तत्परता) these four qualities be there. Luminosity means braveness. When there is injustice, Ignominy or there is false, at all these places I resist, this attitude is known as luminosity. Young people should be as luminous as Lav and Kush (Children of Ramachandra). The nation which have small, timid, selfish and nomadic youth, how someone call it as nation?  How will it improve? The one who has ambition to grab the sky and powdered the Himalaya he is real young person.

Youth should have asceticism. A sincere person can do penance.  A young person can endure happiness and sorrow, by setting goals in life. Happiness is harder to bear than real hurt. Let's understand the example, there is a boy. He had a heart attack (admitted in hospital).  Luckily he got a million bucks in the lottery but everyone wondered how to tell him this story.  The doctor said, "I will tell the patient slowly. You do not say anything." The doctor spoke to the boy, "Understand, what you will do if you get ten thousand?"  The patient said, "Very good thing will happen."  "What if it was twenty-five thousand?"  "Then I will donate five-seven thousand."  "But imagine what would happen if you got a million bucks?"  The patient said, "Doctor! Fifty thousand of you."  Hearing these words, the doctor's heart was shut.  The doctor knew that the patient had received million bucks in lottery. This is how, doctor unable to endure happiness. Therefore, asceticism is the only name for enduring happiness and suffering. The one whose loyalty lies in happiness or misery is young and the same name is Tapaswita (asceticism). 

In Indian culture we find the great Vibhuti sacrificed for every virtue, for every single goal. Ram went to the forest for the truth.  For fourteen years, Ram gladly went to the forest so that his father's words would not be falsified. Vibhuti like Ram, Laxman, Bharat and Sita have created an Indian culture. In Indian culture, there is no lack of ideals at all. See Hanuman worshiping Bramhachari, Definitely an idol ध्रुव (Dhruv), Child devotee Pralhad, Satyamurthy King Harishchandra, Mahasati Savitri, The gandhari she blindfolds for lifetime. All Indian women which are struggling for equal rights! Please see these sati Gandhari’s equal rights! Really Indian Pantagamy (पतिव्रता) has endless blessings.

Aptness is third important thing should be in life of young people. So, Passionateness (उत्कटता), Luminosity (तेजस्विता), asceticism (तपस्वीता), Aptness (तत्परता) if there four things are there in any person then only he/she called as young. The human happiness is in being young (युवा स्यात्). Therefore a man should always be Young. 

By all these things a man will be young. After becoming young, one can able to enjoy the happiness of human life. All the treasure in this world is belongs to young people only. So try to impliment these things in your life for enjoying the treasure that belongs to you.