As

Co-Owners of the Activities undertaken towards attainment of Pūrṇapramati

in regards to

A Path to Financial Sustainability

for

Pūrṇapramati – A Center for Integrated Learning

Hanumān Jayanti

Plava Chaitra Pūrṇima, Śaka 1943

अच्युताय नमः अनन्ताय नमः गोविन्दाय नमः

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Dear Parents/Guardians/Wellwishers,

At the outset, we pray for the good health and prosperity of all.

We are all aware that the pandemic that started in Cāndramāna Vikāri, extended itself all through Śārvari and is now raging even in the early part of this new year Plava. Śārvari refers to darkness/night and Plava – means a boat/a sail. As it is said, Hope springs eternal!  Even as the turbulence from the dark night continues, we do hope that the sail towards greener pastures will be possible in a short time and the next couple of years to come – Śubhakṛt and Śobhakṛt – with the auspiciousness and radiance inherent in the names will indeed turn out to be so. It is a matter for our collective satisfaction that we all have been able to overcome the dark night of Śārvari with vigilance and effort. The sail towards greener pastures indeed requires our own collective efforts that are appropriately aligned. With the experience of Śārvari behind us, we can be confident that if we act collectively with mutual support, we shall indeed sail through.

It is appropriate to briefly recount the salient events and experiences of Śārvari for Pūrṇapramati, for, our memories are indeed overwhelmed with the many things that happened and are happening:

1. We learnt to ensure that the learning of students did not suffer, even during the strict lockdown. It is indeed a matter of pride that the teachers and staff at Pūrṇapramati have forgone their summer vacation to adapt to the new normal of the world, that is, to take online classes using such tools as Zoom/Google Meet etc. and make sure that they do all that is needed to keep students’ engaged. It is apt to point out that the students’, especially the ones in tenth standard of academic year 2019-20 CE, who, inspite of all the distress and distractions, were able to focus, without taking anything away from the dedication of their teachers, to ensure that they performed to their potential in the Karnataka State Board Examinations. All the students deserve to be appreciated for taking things in stride and most importantly making the best of what is available to them.
2. The academic year 2020-21 CE marked the eleventh year of Pūrṇapramati’s existence – and we took our first step into expanding the education at Pūrṇapramati, formally, from Pre-Primary to Pre-University Education. We see this expansion to continue with the continued contribution and support of the community of parents, guardians and well-wishers.
3. An epoch-changing event that happened during the academic year 2020-21 CE is the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of Rama-Mandira at Rama-janma-bhoomi in Ayodhya. More importantly, Parama Pūjya Śrī Śrī Viśvaprasanna Tīrtha Svāmī-Ji (Member, Sri Rama Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust) , who continuing the path tread by His Guru, our Founder and inspiration, the widely revered Śrī Śrī Viśveśa Tīrtha Svāmī-Ji, gave this clarion call: “Our aim is not building Rāma Mandir alone. Our priority is establishing Rāma Rājya.” You are aware that the yearly theme chosen in this pandemic year was ‘Śrīmadrāmāyaṇam’. It is indeed a matter of great joy that our students have been initiated to recite, learn, narrate as well as reflect on the Śrīmadrāmāyaṇam of Valmiki.
4. The pandemic meant that some of the earlier spaces rented to conduct classes had to be released from our possession – some owing to the decision by the landlord, others as a matter of cost-cutting measure. In order to be ready to conduct in-person classes for everyone, a new academic building named Vaijayanta (close to Satyam) has been rented which is spacious and can accommodate all the students from 1^st Standard to PU. The interiors of Vaijayanta require furnishing and this has not yet happened.
5. The involvement of the parents/guardians to ensure that education at Pūrṇapramati could sustain, whether it be in terms of trusting the judgements made by the Pūrṇapramati administration or in assisting themselves and their children to get accustomed to the new mode of learning or providing the necessary monetary support to sustain activities – this has been exceptional. We are aware of the pain some parents had to undergo, but that did not deter the education of their wards owing to the generous support of other parents who were forthcoming to assist us in meeting the costs associated with running Pūrṇapramati.

On the Śrī Rāmā Navami,  Parama Pūjya Śrī Śrī Viśvaprasanna Tīrtha Svāmī-ji, speaking on how we can move from our current state of affairs towards Rāma Rājya, pointed out that every person in our country ought to turn into Śrī Rāma who is none other than Dharma personified (रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः) and went on to refer to the second verse of the following śloka:

अजरामरवत्प्राज्ञो विद्याम् अर्थञ्चचिन्तयेत् ।

गृहीत इव केशेषु मृत्युनाधर्ममाचरेत् ॥

Acquire education and wealth as if one is immortal. Act as per Dharma as if one’s hairs are held by the (God of) Death.

The spirit of acting as per Dharma in relation to our various roles at Pūrṇapramati has made us reflect deep. Since this reflection is built on the contemplation of at least the previous ten years since the inception of Pūrṇapramati, it gave us a greater clarity on the yajña-bhāvana for the attainment of Pūrṇapramati.

The path to turn into Śrī Rāma in our case, we realize is through Vāyuputra Hanumān. The best exemplar that we could ever imagine of Pūrṇapramati is Hanumān, who is described as kāryasādhaka by Śrī Rāma himself.

Pūrṇapramati – the educational institution – has identied paramparā bīja-rakṣā as a necessary requirement for realizing the attainment of Pūrṇapramati. The reasons are not far to seek. The word paramparā refers to that which is passed on from teacher to a student /parent to a child continuously for generations in an unbroken manner. Living in times where the breaks in the various (Indic)  paramparā-s are more apparent than are the continuities, it calls for nothing short of a collective yajña that can re-invigorate and re-generate, where necessary, the vitalities in them. Re-generation, necessarily calls for the knowledge of the seed (bija). In a world where alienation from roots has become commonplace, the protection of the seed is not just imperative but for us who care for our inheritances, it becomes obligatory. By definition, kāryasādhaka gets the task accomplished. Creating kāryasādhaka-s is a task that can be taken up by people who are kāryasādhaka-s themselves.Pūrṇapramati has been fortunate to have the presence, guidance as well as association of several people (including from amongst the parents/guardians/well-wishers) who are kāryasādhaka-s at different levels.

It is apt to bring to your attention the Brāhmaṇa indexed 11.3.3 of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa

(दीर्घसत्रं वाऽएष उपैति। यो ब्रह्मचर्य्यमुपैति।) where it is asserted that the proper observance of Brahmacharya Āśrama is akin to the performance of a dīrgha satra yāga. Brahmacharya Asrama and education at a Gurukula are synonymous. Here, the reference to the dīrgha satra yāga is very insightful. Satra yāga is different from other yāga-s in the sense that it can have multiple yajamāna-s (owners). It is performed by a collective, and further it can run for years together, some times even for thousands of years (which is when it gets

the attribute: dīrgha), with possibilities for substitution of yajamāna-s over time.

The bīja-rakṣā of each parampara calls for a different Satra yāga with suitable yajamāna-s who own the performance of the same as well as enjoy the fruit of it. The collection of all such Satra yāga-s put together maybe termed as a Vidyā Satra Yāga which is what we term as the yajña-bhāvana for the attainment of Pūrṇapramati. Even as one maybe a yajamāna for one Satra yāga, there indeed are important roles to play as a member of the social polity that enables these yāga-s.

Pūrṇapramati – A Center for Integrated Learning, as an Institution with its existence over

eleven years now has grown with a number of initiatives directed at enabling integrated learning in students. This is done by bringing people who foresee possible ways by which Sciences, Śāstra-s, Kalā-s, Arts can engage with one another for betterment on a single platform and thus create a space as well as scope to think of the yajña-bhāvana outlined above. This task is an ongoing one.

The running of Pūrṇapramati, with the support of all concerned: parents/guardians of the students, students, teachers, staff members and all the well-wishers — is a necessary first step in this. In a social environment where the cost of working on ‘alternate’ idea of education is increasing by the day, the current structure of the school has been nurtured by dedicated set of parents who share the concerns of the Institution and have played a great role in enabling the running of the Institution over the past so many years. The Institution too, has been careful to verify the alignment of the preferences and aspirations of the parents towards the education of their wards before admitting students. Moreover, as administrators, we are committed to never deny any student who is aligned with the aspiration towards the attainment of Pūrṇapramati, education at Pūrṇapramati – A Center for Integrated Learning. The resources at our command always put a severe constraint on  how far we can translate this commitment to action. 

The Gurukula run by Pūrṇapramati – Ānandavana – has five-acres of land and a few living spaces – where you all are aware, is installed the first Mṛttika Vṛndāvana of  Śrī Śrī Viśveśa Tīrtha Svāmī-ji. This is the most memorable thing that has happened in the entire Śārvari as far as Pūrṇapramati is concerned. It is said that the source of nīti is adhyātma. Ānandavana acts the source of strength and inspiration for all activities at Pūrṇapramati – A Center for Integrated Learning, Bengaluru.

You are also aware that over the eleven years of existence of the Pūrṇapramati in Bengaluru, it has run on rented buildings and the only asset that it has is the goodwill generated in the society from kindred souls. Going into the twelfth year of existence, it is strongly felt that keeping in mind the plans for future as well as the potential carried by the ideas discussed above in our current context, to have a campus of our own is indeed an important requirement.

In the light of the above background, this note is being shared to convey the manner in which artha is accrued to meet the needs to run Pūrṇapramati. We have always been on the look out for like-minded friends, donors and possible patrons and even as this remains to be an on-going engagement, and we are clear about the following: That the dravya being raised from the parent/guardian for their child’s education that was being taken as Tuition Fees (meaning that it is the amount collected by schools/colleges to educate a child) that aligns with the common understanding of the current nature of schooling, it is in essence seen by us as the dravya fuelling a yajña that is being undertaken for paramparā bīja-rakṣā. With a common shared understanding of the yajña-bhāvana, we can indeed do away with the use of the term: ‘Tuition Fees’.  

The move from Pūrṇapramati – A Center for Integrated Learning to Pūrṇapramati – the educational institution all of whose activities are directed towards Vidyā Satra Yāga in itself is a huge task akin to a separate preliminary yajña. The fruit of the Vidyā Satra Yāga will be the attainment of Pūrṇapramati (like Hanumān) which is the path towards turning into Śrī Rāma, and thereby on the path towards realizing Rāma Rājya.

The preliminary yajña needs great resources combined with great effort and we are constantly engaged in meeting the requirements to sustain it. This is possibly to seen as another satra yāga that creates conducive conditions for the conduct of the Vidyā Satra Yāga. As it is said in the tradition: sarvē satra yajamānāḥ, all those who perform the yāga are yajamāna-s. If the sense of this ownership, that is, of the sense of being a yajamāna were found to be wanting in any of those who are performing it, then it necessarily has a detrimental impact on the desired fruition of the yajña.

The yajña needs dravya. Tuition fee remains the largest contributor to the finances of majority of current day educational institutions. The financial resources needed for the running of educational institutions have increased disproportionately owing to a number of changes in the life and living of people and making a comprehensive account of the causes for the increase and the reasons that are given to justify the same is a task which requires a separate document altogether. In spite of the vast unknowns involved in making sense of this disproportionate rise in the cost of education, it would not be an over-statement to suggest that the working of  Pūrṇapramati is an example of an effort to bring in sanity to this vexing challenge of rising costs in education by way of giving a definite direction to the way finances are utilized. The factuality of this assertion could be verified by anyone who goes through the accounts and operations at Pūrṇapramati.

When we look at the requirements in front of us (an outline of which is given to you in the preceding pages) and calculate the costs in terms of the average cost per student per annum – that comes out to be an order more than the existing tuition. We are clear that all of it cannot be raised from tuition as well. In the absence of any land-grant or a huge endowment, to keep fuelling the yajña, it is important for us to share with you all – who are the key sources for providing us with the dravya needed, about the nature of costs that we are envisaging. It appears to us that at least a minimum 5% rise in terms of the previous academic year’s tuition fee is what could at best be passed on to all the parents. It is a matter of our principle that we have never penalized any student who align with our desire for paramparā bīja-rakṣā in the past for the non-payment or partial payment of tuition and we believe that with the support of all those who are capable of supporting us in this yajña, we could do away with the conception of tuition from Pūrṇapramati and the focus is only on arranging for the dravya that continuously sustains the yajña and the yajña-bhāvana.

Over and above the tuition that we collect along with the inclusion of the 5% rise per annum, taking fully into account the substantial concessions, waivers that we hand out to needy parents as well as those who we educate as a matter of fulfilling our Ṛṣi Ṛṇa, we notice that we fall short of a minimum of Rupee Fifty Lakhs per annum over the next four academic years from 2021-2025 CE to be able to sustain and meet the potential inherent in the yajña and the yajña-bhāvana.

Since we consider you as co-owners of the yajña and the yajña-bhāvana, we welcome all your constructive suggestions, improvements as well as criticisms. We look forward to your continued support and pray that the extended darkness caused by Śārvari be removed as soon as possible. And may we be able to persist with our Dharma irrespective of the times with the blessings of our Guru-s.

या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥

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For more details, contact

Purnapramati

No. 80/A, 12th Cross, Girinagar

Avalahalli, Bengaluru-560085

Tel : 080-26743040

Mob : 7259040610/9972450853

Email : info@purnapramati.in