Leonardo Da Vinci - Preface

Preface

The task of preparing teaching-learning material for value-oriented education is enormous.

There is, first, the idea that value-oriented education should be exploratory rather than prescriptive, and that the teaching-learning material should provide to the learners a growing experience of exploration.

Secondly, it is rightly contended that the proper inspiration to turn to value-orientation is provided by biographies, autobio­graphical accounts, personal anecdotes, epistles, short poems, stories of humour, stories of human interest, brief passages filled with pregnant meanings, reflective short essays written in well-chiselled language, plays, powerful accounts of historical events, statements of personal experiences of values in actual situations of life, and similar other statements of scientific, philosophical, artistic and literary expression.

Thirdly, we may take into account the contemporary fact that the entire world is moving rapidly towards the synthesis of the East and the West, and in that context, it seems obvious that our teaching-learning material should foster the gradual familiarisa­tion of students with global themes of universal significance as also those that underline the importance of diversity in unity. This implies that the material should bring the students nearer to their cultural heritage, but also to the highest that is available

Horse studies, C. 1503/4

Fourthly, an attempt should be made to select from Indian and world history such examples that could illustrate the theme of the upward progress of humankind. The selected research ma­terial could be multi-sided, and it should be presented in such a way that teachers can make use of it in the manner and in the context that they need in specific situations that might obtain or that can be created in respect of the students.

The research team at the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (sAHER) has attempted the creation of the relevant teaching-learning material, and they have decided to present the same in the form of monographs. The total number of these monographs will be around eighty to eighty-five.

It appears that there are three major powers that uplift life to higher and higher normative levels, and the value of these powers, if well illustrated, could be effectively conveyed to the learners for their upliftment. These powers are those of illumi­nation, heroism and harmony.

It may be useful to explore the meanings of these terms — illu­mination, heroism and harmony — since the aim of these mono­graphs is to provide material for a study of what is sought to be conveyed through these three terms. We offer here exploratory statements in regard to these three terms.

Illumination is that ignition of inner light in which meaning and value of substance and life-movement are seized, under­stood, comprehended, held, and possessed, stimulating and in­spiring guided action and application and creativity culminating in joy, delight, even ecstasy. The width, depth and height of the light and vision determine the degrees of illumination, and when they reach the splendour and glory of synthesis and harmony, illumination ripens into wisdom. Wisdom, too, has varying de­grees that can uncover powers of knowledge and action, which reveal unsuspected secrets and unimagined skills of art and craft of creativity and effectiveness.

Heroism is, essentially, inspired force and self-giving and sacrifice in the operations of will that is applied to the quest

Harmony is a progressive state and action of synthesis and equilibrium generated by the creative force of joy and beauty and delight that combines and unites knowledge and peace and stability with will and action and growth and development. Without harmony, there is no perfection, even though there could be maximisation of one or more elements of our nature. When illumination and heroism join and engender relations of mutuality and unity, each is perfected by the other and creativity is endless.

A study of the life of Leonardo brings to the students a deeper meaning of what we can call 'genius'. Leonardo was more than a genius. Will Durant has remarked that Leonardo represents per­fection of all the great attributes of the Renaisance in Europe. It may be said that Leonardo presented a marvellous example of the evolutionary stage from where superhumanity can gradually emerge. Leonardo's knowledge was vast, and the knowledge had the glow of illumination; his heroism lay in transcending human limitations; and his sense of harmony manifested most visibly in his paintings, such as those of Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks.

Leonardo has been compared by Will Durant with Augustus Caesar, although the latter stood out in the realm of statesman­ship and the former stood out in the field of the vision of the future. But the comparison is just; both the personalities bear a magnificence and majesty of the kinghood of mankind. It is in this light that the monograph should be studied by the reader.

In the whole world there is perhaps no other example of a genius so universal, so inventive, so incapable of contenting himself, so eager for infinity, so naturally intelligent, so far ahead of his century and the centuries which followed. His figures express an incredible sensibility and spirit; they overflow with unexpressed ideas and sensations.

— Hippolyte Taine, 1866