PEDAGOGICAL RELEVANCE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA IN CONTEMPORARY TEACHER EDUCATION UNDER NEP 2020

The Bhagavad Gita, is universally renowned as the precious jewel/ Kohinoor of ancient India’s spiritual wisdom that is timeless, classless and formless. It is revered as on zenith of all philosophical texts, that provides insights into human cognition, social reconstruction, ethics of duty, karmic philosophy, human values etc. It serves as a vital catalyst for developing well balanced, emotionally intelligent, spiritually aligned, ethically just and highly spirited teacher educators. With the official announcement and approval of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, by the Union Cabinet of India on July 29, 2020. The policy provides different timelines for its various recommendations, with the overall goal of a complete transformation of the education system at all levels by around year 2040 in India. It emphasizes holistic, value-based, multidisciplinary education that is based on ancient Indian knowledge system, revisiting the timeless principles of the Bhagavad Gita becomes particularly relevant in The present paper delves into the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita’s philosophy into teacher education programs, enhancing the spiritual, moral and physio-emotional dimensions of future teachers. The Bhagavad Gita offers a evolutionary framework for human growth and development that aligns remarkably well with the three domains of learning identified in modern educational psychology-Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor. Its teachings not only promote intellectual clarity but also nurture emotional maturity and disciplined Karma or action, making it deeply relevant to teacher education. It further proposes pedagogical applications based on experiential learning methodology rooted in Gita’s teachings and their alignment with modern educational practices based on “Nishkam Karma” or “Action without desire for reward.” That emerge from its core ethical teachings on altruistic deeds standing on the strong pillars of righteousness (dharma), selflessness, and spiritual wisdom. It can be meaningfully adapted and applied at all stages of education as per school education structure (5+3+3+4 Model) of NEP 2020. This structure comprised four stages: the Foundational stage for children aged 3 to 8 years, the Preparatory stage for those aged 8 to 11 years, the Middle stage for learners aged 11 to 14 years, and the Secondary stage for adolescents aged 14 to 18 years.