Albert Einstein once said – ‘Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.’ Learning is indeed a continuous process. One who is always ready to learn and improve his innate capabilities carries himself to such a situation where success embraces him on its own. Such a person becomes a beacon of light for others and generations to come. Socrates, in his old age, found time for learning music and dancing. This shows that there is no age bar for learning. Incessant learning is the virtue of great men. Closing the doors of education implies withdrawal from advancing towards a better stage. Ceasing from acquiring knowledge desists a person from various dimensions of progress and brings him to a standstill.
Ours is such a nation where gaining knowledge or learning has been traditionally emphasized for centuries. This mandate to consistently learn something is the outcome of our ancient erudition’s motivational phrase ‘Charaiveti-Charaiveti’ (keep marching ahead). This teaching to incessantly move assimilates an incisive meaning within it. It says one should
not get stuck in dazzling attractions of this material world; instead, one should continuously move on; here, moving-on does not imply only to proceed ahead but also to be ready to
upgrade one’s position; because this progression in learning is one which takes us to the pinnacle of human life which we call as ‘ultimate goal of life.’
In this reference, one incident is worth quoting. The Mahabharata war was over. The great grandfather Bhishma, in his last phase of life, was waiting for Sun to move in Uttarayan
(the period between winter solstice and summer solstice, considered auspicious in Hindu mythology) to shed his physical sheath. At this time, Shri Krishna asks Yudhishthira for the
initiation of wisdom from his great grandfather. Yudhishthira had attained matured years of age, and hardships in life had taught him so much that nothing more remained to learn, and
this made him feel a bit bizarre to go to dying Bhishma to learn something from him. Even then, he went to Bhishma to attain knowledge from him. This conversation is awesomely
given in Shanti and Anushasan Parvas (chapters) of the Mahabharata epic.
The ability of constant learning explicitly promotes a person towards better conditions in life. Once many co-workers of a successful software developer had withdrawn from their
profession. Stating the reason, this software developer disclosed that his co-workers didn’t withdraw from their work; instead, people stopped assigning tasks to them. He, too, would have faced such a situation if he had not invested a sizable part of his time in learning something new; because this is the law of nature that so long as you are learning, you will stay in the market.
Martha Graham, who was named ‘Dancer of the Century’ by Time magazine, said – “I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or
to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area,
an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”
One valedictory address by a Guru to his disciple after the conclusion of his Veda lessons is worth mentioning. This discourse is compendious of all the skills. It is – ‘Swadhyay Na Pramaditvyam.’ This sermon is cited from the eleventh Anuwak of Taittiriya Upanishad. On the eve of valediction, the Guru, even after the conclusion of education of disciple,
makes him aware never of ceasing from the process of learning.
For ages, our Rishi-Muni knew that whatever is learned can be retained only by consistent practice, and the Guru does not give-up his initiation here and continues to add – ‘Kushlat Na Pramattvyam’ (never stick to laziness in attaining expertise). These two lessons at the time of valediction are indeed the key to living a successful life.
Considering that learning makes a person expert in his field of activity, Aristotle asserted, ‘Learning is an ornament in prosperity, a refuge in adversity, and a provision in old age.’
As there is no age bar for learning, let us start learning today and keep going.