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TWO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PRACTICES at MAYAPURA, WEST BENGAL Examples of Community Sustainability Development Indicators

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TWO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PRACTICES at MAYAPURA, WEST BENGAL Examples of Community Sustainability Development Indicators TWO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PRACTICES AT MAYAPURA, WEST BENGAL Examples of Community Sustainability Development Indicators John Doherty SÖDERTÖRN STUDIES ON RELIGION 9 Two Religious Education Practices at Mayapura, West Bengal Examples of Community Sustainability Development Indicators John Doherty Södertörn University The Library SE-141 89 Huddinge www.sh.se/publications © John Doherty Cover image: Sukadeva Goswami, © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. Graphic form (cover/layout) Jonathan Robson & Per Lindblom Stockholm 2017 Södertörn Studies on Religion 9 ISBN 978-91-88663-15-3 Abstract This study looks into religious education practices at a traditional pilgrimage site in rural India as indicators of community sustainable development. Potentially, a role model for countless similar sites can be evinced, a contri- bution to the international development aim of eradication of poverty. By a religious-diversity survey at a public primary school and participant-obser- vation in private scriptural study, secularization theory is contrasted with religious identity. The Caitanya Vaisnava heritage is a traditional form of Hinduism with a long history of peaceful Hindu and Muslim coexistence at Mayapura, West Bengal. The study shows that tangible community de- velopment and religious education are compatible if not mutually neces- sary. It is evident that religious education and its impact on community could be added as themes to the international discourse on Sustainable Development Indicators. Keywords: Bhagavatam, community sustainable development indicators, dham (divine residence), religious education, jnana (theoretical knowledge), vijnana (applied knowledge), diversity, secularization, Caitanya Vaisna- vism, vichar (study from various perspectives). Contents Abstract.....................................................................................................................3 Contents....................................................................................................................4 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................5 Acronyms..................................................................................................................6 Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.....................................................................................7 Foreword...................................................................................................................9 Preface .................................................................................................................... 10 Aim and Need of this Essay................................................................................. 11 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 12 Research Questions/Method triangle ................................................................ 13 Outline.................................................................................................................... 14 Background............................................................................................................ 14 Theory .................................................................................................................... 22 Method................................................................................................................... 26 Investigation.......................................................................................................... 30 Angle 1: BI RE – Hindu communalism or religious diversity?................. 30 Angle 2: ISKCON Mayapura Daily Bhagavatam Class – Qualitative Content Analysis: RE with tangible community impact?.......................... 40 Content Analysis................................................................................................... 51 Topics ..................................................................................................................... 51 Angle 3: RE at Mayapura as Community Sustainable Development Indicator – Past, Present, Future................................................................... 67 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 87 Literature................................................................................................................ 89 Appendix 1 – CARDIPS survey at BI result ........................................................... 93 Appendix 2 – Recurrent Themes in the ISKCON Bhagavatam Classes and Categorization............................................................................................................. 97 Appendix 3 – Sri Mayapur Vikas Sangha – CSDI Project.................................... 98 Appendix 4 – Community Sustainable Development Indicators Project........ 101 Acknowledgements My thanks to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for providing the grant that enabled me to attend Sida’s Partership Forum minor field study (MFS) preparatory course on international de- velopment discourse in Härnösand in August, 2015 as well as to travel to India, primarily Mayapura, West Bengal from October, 2015 until March, 2016 in order to research the material for this MFS. I am also indebted to the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) and Östersjöstif- telsen at Södertörn University Stockholm, for the materials and use of the Cultural and Religious Diversity in Primary Schools (CARDIPS) survey. I thank the faculty members of Södertörn University’s Department for the Study of Religions, School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, espe- cially Senior Lecturer Willy Pfändtner and Professor Jørgen Straarup. I am grateful to the staff and students at the Bhaktivinode Institute (BI) in Maya- pura for cooperating in my survey and to seventy-seven attendees at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Mayapura Bhagavatam class who kindly allowed me to interview them. I thank the ISKCON Mayapura managers, too numerous to mention except that Stephen Raisz/Pancaratna dasa deserves special thanks, for sharing with me their time and information. Thanks to UCLA linguistic anthropology doctoral-candidate Teruko Vida Mitsuhara for taking time in the midst of her own Mayapura field study to carefully read my manuscript and give pertinent comments. The illustrations and captions (except for Mt. Meru which is public domain) are courtesy of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), all rights reserved. (The photos are by the author, except Radha Madhava, accessed on mayapura.com 23/05-2016.) 5 Acronyms BI – Bhaktivinode Institute BBT – Bhaktivedanta Book Trust CARDIPS – Cultural and Religious Diversity in Primary Schools CBEES – Centre for Baltic and East European Studies CSDI – Community Sustainability Development Indicators DFID – Department for International Development (UK) GPU – Global Politics for Development (Utveckling in Swedish) ISKCON – International Society for Krishna Consciousness MFS – Minor field study OCHS – Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies RE – Religious education RSS – Rastriya Svayamseva Sangh – (Indian National Volunteer Corp) Sida – Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SMVS – Sri Mayapura Vikas Sangha (Development Association) SDI – Sustainability Development Indicators TOVP – Temple of the Vedic Planetarium 6 Glossary of Sanskrit Terms acarya – one who teaches, especially by example acintya-bhedabheda – the doctrine of inconceivable oneness and difference simultaneously. ahimsa – non-violence anumana – inference aroha – induction atma – self avatar – divine decent bhakti – loving devotion darsan – vision dharma siksya – religious education dham – divine residence dhamvasi – resident of the divine residence diksya – spiritual initiation harikirtan – congregational chanting of the name of Hari (Vishnu) japa – individual mantra recitation, counted on beads jnana – theoretical knowledge kali yuga – the present age of quarrel kartik – the lunar month occurring in October/November katha – recitation kavya – classical Sanskrit poetry kirtan – congregational chanting laukika – ordinary, mundane mahamantra – the Hare Krishna mantra mahatma - spiritually advanced person mangal arati – early morning temple worship mayavadism – the doctrine that the world is maya (illusion) mukti - liberation murti – temple idol nivista – attentive listening parikram – circumambulation pilgrimage pramana – evidence, testimony pratyaksya – empirical perception prema bhakti – supreme loving devotion sadhana – practice of spiritual exercises sadhu sanga – spiritual association sakhis – girl friends 7 samadhi – mausoleum sampradaya – disciplic succession tradition samsara – cycle of repeated birth and death satyagraha – truth tenacity sabda – spiritual sound sruti – the original four Vedas smriti – Vedic corollaries Shaivism – worship of Shiva shaktism – goddess worship siksya – instruction sridham – divine residence tattvavada – the doctrine of dvaitavada (duality) taught by Madhva (1238–1317) Vaisnava – worshiper of Vishnu vichar – study from various perspectives vijnana – applied knowledge yuga – four ages of mankind yukta vairagya – balanced renunciation 8 Foreword In 1970, I read Mahatma Gandhi’s Experiments with Truth,1 wherein Gandhi, in his late colonial context, advocated both political and humani- tarian ideals, including vegetarianism, legitimized by ancient Sanskrit terms,
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