Institutions offering Higher Studies in Bhagavad Gita & Scriptures!
A girl devotee (Name hidden on request) asked like this:
“radhe radhe prabhuji!! I am a final year master degree(science) student. My parents are urging me to do phd. am not at all interested in these material sciences. i like to study our vedic scriptures. Is there anything that i can do as my parents wish and for my wish? that is am asking that whether Bhagavad gita or any other vedic scriptures are under study in colleges as docterate? Sorry for my ignorance prabhuji!! pls guide me prabhuji!! and if u put in ur site, pls hid my name. thank you!!”
REPLY:
Before explaining the need to do spiritual education, Let me give some institutions that allow P.hD in Spiritual Scriptures like Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavatam, etc (in general, Sanskrit Scriptures):
(What if Devotee Students show more interest in devotion than studies? READ HERE!)
Key institutions offering or supporting such doctoral research include:
(i) Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (School of Indian Heritage).
(ii) Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Ph.D. in Philosophy / Spirituality).
(iii) Sri Venkateswara University (Oriental Research Institute, Tirupati).
(iv) Some other public universities in India with Sanskrit/ Philosophy departments (such as University of Madras or Banaras Hindu University).
(v) Central Sanskrit University, under Ministry of education, Govt of India runs Masters degree courses in Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam using Srila Prabhupada’s books.
You can search using Search Engines.
Let us read now the necessity of learning both the material studies and Spiritual Studies:
Simply speaking, if your clear goal is to make the research of the scriptures as your full time activity, you can study only Bhagavad Gita.
(USING OUR STUDIES AS SERVICE TO KRISHNA! SIMPLE TIPS! READ HERE!)
However, there is no guarantee that you will get money sufficiently to run your life.
If you are settled in a temple or a sathsangha and are sure to stay there for ever, you can do so without bothering about material education.
Even in the above cases, if you are forced to go for material job in the middle, you may find it difficult.
I never advise the student devotees to quit their studies for learning about Krishna and Scriptures. In fact, I have not encouraged those who show less interest in studies after starting to follow devotion to Krishna. You must study if your parents are ready to support you. There are lakhs of students who have no money and support to study, in this world.
(15 tips to avoid loss of interest in studies and life because of devotion! READ HERE!)
I have read in newspapers that some students in my state have got outstanding marks in their Plus two exams, and got a seat in a medical college, but, they could not join because of not having money. But, you have everything, but, you hesitate to study.
Compare their and your positions. You are better than them in material status. Material education is useful for managing your body till it is alive. Spiritual Learning is useful for managing the atma to make it eligible to get relieved from material bonding.
Who said material education is useless? Only because of material education, you learnt languages, basic calculations, basic awareness and the nature of materialistic people. So, material education has helped you to learn the ABC of material life.
As said above, material education is to maintain your body and body related affairs such as family, diseases, house, etc. Unless you learn well and start earning, you can not maintain your life and you may have to be dependent on others for everything, even for a cloth, napkin, etc.. So, never develop a hatred in learning material education. If your situation permits you to study the doctorate, you are fortunate. So, do it.
(Will hating the family and performing devotion please Krishna? READ HERE!)
One thing you should keep in mind. Material education is for your body, but, there is a spiritual education for atma. It is feeding Krishna Consciousness to the atma to make it blissful.
Bhagavad Gita is the basic text book for that spiritual education for atma. Srimad Bhagavatham, Nectar of devotion, etc., are the higher learnings in this spiritual education for athma.
You should compulsorily undergo that spiritual education also. But, the convenience is, you can learn this education for atma even while doing your material education for body. You should not skip both the material and spiritual education. Without material learning of ABC, how can you read the books of spiritual education?
(How can a student excel in devotion and studies simultaneously? READ HERE!)
So, my advice to you and all the student devotees is:
Do very well in your studies and devote atleast 30 minutes to one hour daily for learning about Krishna and His preaching. You need not go to any courses for Bhagavad Gita. There are sathsanghas like ISKCON that teach Bhagavad Gita every sunday and hear Bhagavad Gita lectures there. There are hundreds of videos by Srila Prabhupada and also learnt devotees on Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures. You will get more tips to learn Bhagavad Gita from them.
After getting a job and getting married, this spiritual education will help you to lead a recommended Krishna Conscious life. The material education will help you to lead this Krishna Conscious life without the difficulty for money.
It will be nice and wise arrangement. Won’t it be?
Do follow my advice about quitting studies to learn Bhagavad Gita & Scriptures.
(WHY FOLLOWING DEVOTION NEGLECTING PARENTS IS WRONG? – CASE STUDIES! READ HERE!)