आत्मगत शिक्षण : लक्ष्य और स्वरूप

Summary

The text discusses the concept of self-directed learning (आत्मगत शिक्षण), presenting it as the core of true education. It argues that the ultimate goal of education is for a student to become their own teacher, internalizing the process of learning and self-improvement. Self-directed learning is described not as a subject to be studied from textbooks or assessed through exams, but as a lifelong practice, a discipline, a philosophy of life, and a continuous process of inner refinement. The text contrasts this with formal education, which it characterizes as creating dependency on external institutions, teachers, and curricula. It criticizes the modern tendency to outsource self-improvement to others, arguing that genuine change can only come from within through personal resolve and effort. The author posits that the current crisis in society stems from this neglect of self-correction in favor of trying to correct others. True education, it asserts, is about purifying one's inner self, much like refining gold from ore, and its ultimate examination is not a written test but the entirety of one's life, judged at the moment of death. The text advocates for a dual approach to learning: one that brings knowledge from the outside in, and another that allows inner wisdom to manifest outwardly. It concludes that while external sources of knowledge are not useless, the essential, often neglected, aspect is the inner journey of self-directed learning, which is the foundation of informal education.