Sanskrit Words for a Teacher (1)
The Meaning of the Sanskrit word अध्यापक adhyāpaka
In order to understand what the word अध्यापक adhyāpaka means in Sanskrit one has to know the root words from which this word is derived. अध्यापक adhyāpaka is the one who does अध्यापन adhyāpana which ordinarily means teaching. The word अध्यापन adhyāpana is a causal word of अध्ययन adhyayana which in Sanskrit usually means learning or reading or studying.
The distinctiveness of this word is that it not only refers to learning or reading or studying but it explains what exactly is meant by learning.
The word अध्ययन adhyayana is constituted of three components: अधि adhi, अय् ay and अन ana. ‘अधि adhi’ here is a prefix, and as a prefix it means above, over, beyond etc. The next component ‘अय् ay’ is a root-sound (connected with the root इ i) which means ‘to go’. The third component ‘अन ana’ is a nominal suffix which turns a verbal root into a verbal noun. So, the word अध्ययन adhyayana means, ‘going above or beyond’.
Therefore, अध्ययन adhyayana or learning in its root sense means ‘to go beyond all through which the knowledge is acquired, and enter into a realm higher than the mind, so then one can come in direct contact with the Light and the Truth’. This leads to the attainment of true knowledge.
The word अध्यापन adhyāpana which means teaching or instructing is a causal form of the same root from which we get the word अध्ययन adhyayana. The causal forms always give the sense of making someone do something. From this point of view अध्यापन adhyāpana is not mere teaching or preaching or instructing but making or helping or guiding or facilitating someone who has the aspiration to attain the true knowledge.
So, in Sanskrit, a teacher is called अध्यापक adhyāpaka whose sole business is not to teach or preach or instruct or advise, but to guide or help or facilitate the aspirant attaining the true knowledge by transcending the limitations of instruments through which one learns. This was the ancient idea of true education or teaching and learning.
अध्यापक adhyāpaka is the one who takes the aspirant beyond knowings and makes him attain knowledge. Knowing is all about the outer studies. According to the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram:
“It is everything that can be learnt through the study of outer phenomena and in all fields of mental activity, all that can be learnt by material observation and technical studies in different subjects, scientific, artistic, philosophical, literary; in fact all that the human mind has produced through the external study of life and things: all that can be found in books, all that can be found through the direct study of Nature and all that can be found by reasoning, deduction, analysis and all the speculative activities of the human mind.
“…But if you want to attain true knowledge, that is, spiritual knowledge, which can be obtained only through identification, you must *go beyond* this reason and enter a domain higher than the mind, where one is in direct contact with the Light either of the Overmind or the Supermind. And Sri Aurobindo says this, that so long as you are in the mental field, reason helps you, it is your helper, your guide; but if you want to have true knowledge by identity, reason becomes a limitation and a bar. That is not to say that you should lose it! But it must be subordinated to your movement of ascent. Sri Aurobindo does not tell you to become unreasonable, he says you must pass beyond reason into a higher Truth and Light.” [Complete Works of the Mother, 8:358–59]
-Sampadananda Mishra
PS: This is the first note in the series. There will be a number posts in this series explaining various other Sanskrit words for a teacher.
