Global educational philosophies shape diverse learning approaches
In a significant development in modern pedagogy, philosopher-musician Devrishi has explored this idea in his philosophical and psychological novel The Krishna Effect, published by Mahagatha. The work- inspired by the Madhya Pradesh government's Shri Krishna Pathey project-presents an alternative pedagogical framework linking the teachings of Shri Krishna to present-day mental, moral, and social challenges. The initiative reflects a broader movement in some universities and schools to integrate spiritual studies into curricula as a way of building life skills alongside academic learning.In practice, sonic philosophy uses rhythmic chanting, Sanskrit verse recitation, or melodic readings as learning tools-aimed at calming the mind, enhancing memory retention, and deepening engagement with content.Educational researchers find parallels in music therapy, linguistics, and cognitive science, where rhythm and melody are shown to improve focus, regulate emotions, and aid long-term recall. Globally, similar traditions exist in Gregorian chants of Europe, drum circle teachings in Africa, and mantra-based meditation in East Asian Buddhist schools.PERENNIALISM (GLOBAL)Centred on the idea of timeless truths, perennialism emphasises classic works of literature, philosophy, and history as the foundation of education. Learning is often text-heavy and discussion-based, with the aim of nurturing intellectual depth and moral reasoning.PROGRESSIVISM (USA, GLOBAL)Championed by John Dewey, progressivism promotes learning through experience. Lessons are often project-based, collaborative, and tied to real-world problem-solving, with the goal of preparing students for active participation in democratic societies.MONTESSORI METHOD (ITALY )Developed by Maria Montessori, this method encourages self-directed exploration in a prepared environment. Specialised hands-on materials and mixed-age classrooms help children develop independence, focus, and curiosity.Waldorf Education (Germany)Founded by Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf education blends academics with arts, crafts, music, and storytelling. Lessons are taught in thematic "blocks," and formal academics are often introduced later, prioritising imagination and holistic growth in early years.Critical Pedagogy (Brazil)advertisementPaulo Freire's critical pedagogy frames education as a tool for social transformation. It encourages students to question societal structures, discuss issues of power and justice, and apply learning toward creating a fairer world.Culturally Responsive PedagogyThis approach tailors teaching to students' cultural backgrounds, ensuring lessons reflect diverse histories, languages, and experiences. Advocates say it boosts engagement, builds identity, and fosters inclusivity.A Shared GoalWhile these philosophies vary in methods-some rooted in ancient traditions, others in progressive reform-they share a common aim: to create learning environments that prepare students not only for exams, but for life. Whether through the rhythm of Sanskrit verses, the rigour of classical texts, or the- Ends
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
What is the Sanskrit effect? How this ancient practice sharpens memory and focus
Credit: canva Scholars from all around the world have repeatedly praised India's ancient tradition of chanting mantras. It has been found that memorizing Vedic mantras can increase the size of our brain and enhance our problem-solving abilities and cognitive skills! Notwithstanding its enormous potential, Sanskrit has become somewhat outdated due to Western influence and the drive to study foreign languages in order to pursue appropriate professional possibilities. Neuroscientist James Hatrzell studied 21 commentators who frequently recited Sanskrit mantras. AIIMS carried out a similar study on Gayatri Mantra and the findings were shocking! A 10% increase in grey matter in both cerebral hemispheres was confirmed by the MRI test results. This experiment was termed as the ' Sanskrit effect '. Let's explore the nuances of this study. A one-of-a-kind study on Vedic pandits To explore the cognitive effects of the language Sanskrit, Dr. James and his team conducted a brain imaging study on 21 Vedic pandits. These pandits had been trained since their early childhood to memorise vast amounts of Sanskrit scripture, as the Shukla Yajurveda and the texts contain over 40,000- 100,000 words, memorised, not just for the content but their pronunciation was perfect, rhythm, pitch and tonal variation were also clear. The MRI scans revealed a fascinating fact. The study compared the brains of these pandits with people who did not undergo the same level of training. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The scans showed: Over 10% more grey matter across both sides of the brain. There was a slight enlargement in the right hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for memory formation and spatial navigation. As well as a thicker right temporal cortex, involved in processing sound, speech patterns, and voice recognition. This study clearly shows that years of structured Sanskrit chanting had rewired and strengthened the key areas of the brain. Why Sanskrit only? Sanskrit is not a language that simply reads; when it is recited with passion and precision, it improves various aspects of the brain and enhances mental focus. Sanskrit is a multi-sensory, cognitive workout. It engages memory, motor control (through mouth and breath). Over time, this kind of training appears to lead to neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to experience. Beyond spiritual significance: A tool for brain health This study does not claim that Sanskrit is a magical language; it just suggests that when learned and recited every day, it could have cognitive benefits for people of all ages. It opens up the possibility of using similar techniques as preventative tools against memory decline, dementia and other age-related cognitive disorders. The world is now dominated by fast consumption and fragmented attention but the focused practice of chanting Sanskrit mantras offer a powerful antidote, not just spiritually but also neurologically. In Dr. Hartzell's words, the 'Sanskrit Effect' is not about mysticism-it's about the brain's incredible ability to grow, adapt, and be shaped by our habits, especially those that involve focused, long-term mental effort. It shows a beautiful meeting point of tradition with science. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Krishna Janmashtami Wishes, , messages , and quotes !
Scroll.in
2 days ago
- Scroll.in
GN Devy explores what we can learn about the Vedic Indo-Aryan language from its use in the Rig Veda
The unique creation of Sanskrit was an unparalleled oral tradition far surpassing instead of creating any orthographic system. More or less the same time when the Indo-Aryan language started evolving its first branch in South Asia were emerging the ancient Greek (1450 BCE), ancient Chinese (1250 BCE), Aramaic (1100 BCE), and Hebrew (1000 BCE). Some other languages, beginning with Egyptian, had already developed their scripts. These include: the Sumerian, Hattic, and Elamite language isolates, Hurrian from the small Hurro–Urartian family, Afro–Asiatic in the form of the Egyptian and Semitic languages, and Indo-European such as Anatolian languages and Mycenaean Greek. Besides, there are some scripts such as the Proto-Elamite script, the Indus script, Cretan hieroglyphs, Linear A, and the Cypro–Minoan syllabary, awaiting to be deciphered. Of course, writing cannot be considered the only proof of the existence of an ancient language. For example, the oldest Avestan texts – the Gathas – are believed to have been composed before 1000 BCE, but the oldest Avestan manuscripts date from the 13th century BCE. The Vedic Indo-Aryan language created literary records in the form of the Vedas, but for generations, it continued to be transmitted entirely orally. Not all oral traditions in human history are mere assemblages of chance stories and songs. Not all oral societies can be dismissed as 'primitive'. The pastoral bands which became the bridge between the Indo-European and India were certainly not primitive. They had already evolved well-organised social conventions, particularly the contract system between the host and the guest (the yajaman system), well-set methods of alliances (marriage within one's 'kula' and 'gotra'), and ritual offerings to divinities. Besides, they had developed remarkable traditions of poetry and myth – which subsequently surface in the epics in Greece and India. David W Anthony observes, 'Their social system was maintained by myths, rituals, and institutions that were adopted by others, along with the poetic language that conveyed their prayers to the gods and ancestors. Long after the genetic imprint of the original immigrant chiefs faded away, the system of alliances, obligations, myths and rituals that they introduced was still being passed on from generation to generation.' The oral poetic creation of the earliest of the Vedic singers, therefore, was not made of a chance and sentimental outburst. It was already rooted in a tradition of myth, cosmology, and a world view. The Rig Veda gave the cosmology, myth, and ritual an unparalleled mechanics of memory. English Indologist Ralph TH Griffith, in his preface to The Hymns of the Rigveda, observes: Rhyme is not used in the Rigveda. The meters are regulated by the number of syllables in the stanza, which consists generally of three or four Padas, measures, divisions, or quarter verses, with a distinctly marked interval at the end of the second Pada, and so forming two hemistiches or semi-stanzas of equal or unequal length. These Padas most usually contain eight or eleven or twelve syllables each; but occasionally they consist of fewer and sometimes of more than these numbers. The Padas of a stanza are generally of equal length and of more or less corresponding prosodic quantities: but at times two or more kinds of meters are employed in one stanza, and then the Padas vary in quantity and length. As regards quantity, the first Syllables of the Pada are not subject to very strict laws, but the last four are more regular, their measure being generally iambic in Padas of eight and twelve syllables and trochaic in those of eleven. The verses are organised, in ascending order, in terms of 'rik' (verse praising a deity), 'sukta' (a small group of mantras or verses), 'anuvak' (a complete section containing several suktas or sub-sections), and 'mandala' (a 'book' as in an epic or a set of suktas). There are ten mandalas, 85 anuvaks, and 1,028 suktas in the Rig Veda (or Rik-veda), constituting a total of 10,552 'mantras'. Scholars tend to think that it may have taken a century or a little longer to develop this vast body of Vedic verses. Since then, for the last 33 centuries, the entire corpus gets recited in Ved-pathshalas (where a disciplined recitation of Vedas is taught from generation to generation) by committing it to memory, literally syllable by syllable, almost entirely in the same way as its original composers – the makers of these richas or the rishis – may have recited them three millennia ago. The architecture of the verses – their meters, syllabic arrangement, caesuras, rhythm – was moulded to make their memorisation possible for any well-trained reciter of the corpus. The amazing mnemonics have hardly a parallel. The ingenuity of its method perhaps can be compared with the method which the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716) invented, in another continent and in another time, for bringing taxonomies used in diverse disciplines under the rubric of a single 'universal knowledge'. However, I would like to add that the analogy is not intended to support any absurd claim about the Rig Veda having anticipated modern computers resulting out of Leibniz's method; it is purely to underscore the remarkable insight which the composers of the Veda had into the nature of human memory. A profound understanding of the interlocking of the poetic meter and the working of memory was the principal feature of the Vedic mnemonics. In order to grasp the genius of the Vedic poets, it may help to mention that English poetry works mainly within five meters: iambic, trochaic, and spondaic having two-syllable feet; and anapaestic and dactylic having three-syllable feet. Compare these with the amazing range of the Vedic meters such as, principally, the Gayatri, Ushnih, Anushtubh, Brihati, Pankti, Trishtubh, Jagati, and additionally, the Atijagati, Shakkari, Atishakkari, Ashti, Atyashti, Dhriti, Atidhriti, Kriti, Prakriti, Akriti, Vikriti, Sanskriti, Atikriti, and Utkriti.
India Today
3 days ago
- India Today
Global educational philosophies shape diverse learning approaches
Education has never been a one-size-fits-all endeavour. Across history and cultures, different philosophies have shaped how we view learning, the role of the teacher, and the purpose of schooling. Some focus on passing down timeless knowledge, others on fostering creativity or critical thinking, and some emphasise emotional well-being alongside recent years, the conversation has expanded further—combining ancient traditions with modern insights from psychology, neuroscience, and pedagogy. Below is a look at several educational philosophies from around the world, including a sound-based approach emerging from India that bridges tradition and PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION (INDIA)Rooted in the Vedic concept of Nada Brahman (divine sound), this approach treats sound, tone, and rhythm as essential to learning. Proponents see texts like the Bhagavad Gita not only as philosophical dialogues but also as musical compositions, where the recitation's pitch, cadence, and melody influence emotional balance and concentration. In a significant development in modern pedagogy, philosopher-musician Devrishi has explored this idea in his philosophical and psychological novel The Krishna Effect, published by Mahagatha. The work- inspired by the Madhya Pradesh government's Shri Krishna Pathey project-presents an alternative pedagogical framework linking the teachings of Shri Krishna to present-day mental, moral, and social challenges. The initiative reflects a broader movement in some universities and schools to integrate spiritual studies into curricula as a way of building life skills alongside academic practice, sonic philosophy uses rhythmic chanting, Sanskrit verse recitation, or melodic readings as learning tools-aimed at calming the mind, enhancing memory retention, and deepening engagement with researchers find parallels in music therapy, linguistics, and cognitive science, where rhythm and melody are shown to improve focus, regulate emotions, and aid long-term recall. Globally, similar traditions exist in Gregorian chants of Europe, drum circle teachings in Africa, and mantra-based meditation in East Asian Buddhist (GLOBAL)Centred on the idea of timeless truths, perennialism emphasises classic works of literature, philosophy, and history as the foundation of education. Learning is often text-heavy and discussion-based, with the aim of nurturing intellectual depth and moral (USA, GLOBAL)Championed by John Dewey, progressivism promotes learning through experience. Lessons are often project-based, collaborative, and tied to real-world problem-solving, with the goal of preparing students for active participation in democratic METHOD (ITALY )Developed by Maria Montessori, this method encourages self-directed exploration in a prepared environment. Specialised hands-on materials and mixed-age classrooms help children develop independence, focus, and Education (Germany)Founded by Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf education blends academics with arts, crafts, music, and storytelling. Lessons are taught in thematic "blocks," and formal academics are often introduced later, prioritising imagination and holistic growth in early Pedagogy (Brazil)advertisementPaulo Freire's critical pedagogy frames education as a tool for social transformation. It encourages students to question societal structures, discuss issues of power and justice, and apply learning toward creating a fairer Responsive PedagogyThis approach tailors teaching to students' cultural backgrounds, ensuring lessons reflect diverse histories, languages, and experiences. Advocates say it boosts engagement, builds identity, and fosters inclusivity.A Shared GoalWhile these philosophies vary in methods-some rooted in ancient traditions, others in progressive reform-they share a common aim: to create learning environments that prepare students not only for exams, but for life. Whether through the rhythm of Sanskrit verses, the rigour of classical texts, or the- Ends
