Holistic Development of Personality

Definition: Holistic Development of Personality refers to the combination of qualities that form all
individual’s distinctive characters with complete and balanced growth of an individual in all
dimensions of life — physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual. This provide a collection of inter-
relatable behavioral attitude for an ideal personality, instead of focusing only on academic or career
success. Holistic development nurtures the whole person, helping individuals become well-rounded capable,
and conscious human beings.

 Holistic development of personality explains a man have four tools in their hand. That are
physical, intellectual, social and psychic control or emotional development.
 According to this view it suggested to us, if we consciously use one or two or all tools to
express our inner potentials or qualities, that can create individuals with well-rounded,
capable, conscious human beings.

Definition: According to Swami Vivekananda, a man has four tools physical, intellectual, social,
spiritual and mental. if we consciously use one or two or all tools to express our inner potentials or
qualities, that can create individuals with well-rounded, capable, conscious human beings. But his
view perfect character is that character who have these four physicals, intellectual, social, spiritual
faculties are harmoniously combined.

When we properly conscious about our health, we are conscious about intellectual
development, and keep a discipline in sense organs, we manifest our divinity from emotional
development, we will try to being concern for others, properly develop our spirituality by practicing
moral values and keep a pure mind by providing proper mental food with concentration for our
personality development. Then these all faculties are proper and equally developed this is called
holistic development.

When we assess personality of any person not only by assessing of any one mode of values. A
person belongs to a good personality means that person involves with different action in different
places like as a student, as a peer, as a teacher, as a social member or as a player, as a son or
daughter, as a brother or sister, as a friend, as a family member. They must be maintaining a proper
action with a grammar of behavioral characteristics for every situation and successfully follow them,
then we consider he or she learns a good personality.

The values must be developed for a good personality they are divided by 5 faculties physical,
intellectual, mental, spiritual, emotional. Person who develops all of this faculties properly combined
that person we can say balanced or good personality. Assimilation of such good qualities is needed
for good personality development. Assimilation means resolute practice of such good values or
qualities for all day to night in all situations to build a moral character.
Parameters of faculties of holistic personality:

1. Physical Development—
a. We have two body soft body and hard body. Soft body is মন, বু ি , মমতা. Hard body is
brain, organs etc. not only our soft body but our hard body is important, and our soft
body rests in hard body. This hard body is a container of soft body so this hard body
is urgently needed.
b. First of all, we have a healthy body. Through this body is not permanent but this body
is only instrument to achieve goal. So we keep it healthy.
c. Ramana Maharshi said, “কলাপাতার উপর ভাত রেখ খেত পার িক কলাপাতােক খেত পারেব না”.
So, our body is only instrument that we can use for welfare of world and own self-
realization. There are no other instruments available to reach to our goal.
d. Although it is temporary but using this we can reach to our goal of life.
e. What is physical fitness—
i. Definition of health according to WHO, Health is a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
ii. Definition of Health according to encyclopedia of education, Health is that state
in which individuals are able to mobilize its all resources physical, intellectual,
emotional for its optimal daily dailies.
f. According to Swamiji, If our body is not healthy, then we will not succeed in the
pursuit of knowledge. Because in the process of pursuing knowledge we use our mind
as a tool, and some mind rests in our body. So, body is container of our mind. Healthy
body needed to achieving our goal.
g. A balanced diet with proper nutrients have to be taken with actual amount and timely.
Proper food habit and rest is needed for our physical fitness.
h. Yoga has two school,
i. Hathayoga— mainly focus on how to fit our body.
ii. Patanjali— mainly focus on purity of mental and physical health.
2. Intellectual Development:
a. Why are humans called best creation of nature? Because man has rationality (িবচারেবাধ),
creativity (সৃ জনশীলতা), based on these characteristics human society is always
progressive.
b. What is rationality? It is not achieving degrees or not only highly meritorious or not
only power of memorization. Properly exploration of knowledge is most important
than bookish or formal knowledge. By reviewing the history of human civilization, we
find that human society was suffered more harm from intellect people due to their
improper exploration of knowledge than those without intellect.
c. According to Swamiji intellectual development or growth means perfect application of
our sense organs eyes, ears, tong, nose, skin and mind (চ ু , কণ, িজ া, নািসকা, ক ও মন),
it means sense of discrimination which processes of our cognitive faculty.
d. According to Kathapanisad, your body is just like a chariot; your sense organs just like
a horse they are restless (চ ল) they are all distracted and run towards consumable
things ( প, রস, বণ, গ , শ); the reins (লাগাম) of the chariot’s horses are mind; who
keep the reins to control the horses is intellect (বুি ). So, if intellect hold tightly the
reins of restless senses, then it is possible to perfect application of our sense organs.
e. So, the mind will be trained by intellectual that is sense of discrimination, that means
ability to understand what is good or what is wrong which possess in our cognitive
faculty.
f. How we developed sense of discrimination? Intellect (বুি ) must be pure (িনমল), refined
(পিরমািজত) ও conscience-guided (িবেবকযু ). by help of this conscience-guided intellect
we can judge right-wrong, good-evil, better-pleasure. সৎ (right) is universal truth or
true incidents, অসৎ (wrong) is in which someone’s selfishness is hidden. য়
(conscience) at first suffering but then happiness, য় (pleasure) happiness first but
after that suffering begins. For this sense of discrimination, we need two things,
i. One is assimilation of good ideas, we know definition of education according to
Swamiji, Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain
and runs riot there, undigested, all your life. We must have man-making, life-
building, character-making assimilation of ideas. Education is assimilation of a
certain good ideas. How we assimilate? When we resolute practice a certain
good idea continuously day to night and night to day in every situation or
place, then we can habituate these ideas. At this time sense of discrimination
can be work in a right way and we are able to judge right-wrong, good-evil,
better-pleasure. This process is called assimilation. Pure intellect rises when this
would be conscience guided. Pure intellect is needed for sense of discrimination.
Who always judge right-wrong, good-evil, better-pleasure, their sense of
discrimination is developing, his or her intellect is pure (িনমল), refined
(পিরমািজত) ও conscience-guided (িবেবকযু ).
ii. Another one is prayer. Assimilation of good ideas is not only things to develop
pure (িনমল), refined (পিরমািজত) and conscience-guided (িবেবকযু ) intellect.
th th
According to Gita 10 chapter and 10 verse “ তশাং শততযু ানাং ভজতা ীিতপূ বক
দদািম বু ি েযাগং ং মাম-উেপাযানিত ত”, what is the greatest gift that God gives to a
devotee? Their greatest gift is pure intellect (সৎ বুি ). For pure intellect practice
of good ideas and prayer is needed. What is the prayer? According to
Paramahangsa Gita “তে ৗ হংস চদেয়ৎ” (the almighty God drive me to pure and
 good intellectual development) িতিন অথাৎ য়ং ভগবান আমার বুি েক ভােলার িদেক
কল ােনর িদেক ম েলর িদেক িনেয় চলু ন.
g. Intellectual development is not easy at all. To achieve continuous practice and prayer
must be needed.
h. Our five sense organs always attracted towards the something tempting’s in external
world. Our duty is to regulate those senses by our mind and intellect. We have two
internal regulators or security; they are always sleeping. For that reason, we always
deviated by wrong things. These two securities are Sama (সম) and Dama (দম). Sama
(সম) means discipline of the mind and Dama (দম) means Discipline of the organs. So,
we need to awake this two-security discipline of organ and discipline of mind. Our eyes
always attracted towards any tempting things, this is action, and interaction must be
discipline of organ and discipline of mind. These two interactions we must learn. In
this way perfect application of sense organs is possible.
i. Human excellence does not mean intellectual knowledge development, human
excellence means intuition of knowledge; intuitional development of knowledge means
wisdom ( া), which brings from purity. Intuition means feeling or understanding
which makes you believe or no that something is true without being able to question
why.
j. Human excellence depends on wisdom and to understand No one are happy until all
are happy.
k. Indian philosophy stands on two poles কমফলবাদ, জ া রবাদ. Why we are always hurted?
Mourning ( শাক) means feeling pain (or sorrow) over something that’s already ruined
ন ব েত ক পাওয়া. The human body goes through six stages of change (ষড়িবকার): birth
জ , existence অি , growth বৃ ি , deformation িবপিরনাম, decay য়, and death িবনাশ. We
feel pain and moan because we do not truly understand or accept this reality. We fail
to realize that though the body decays, the soul is eternal. We mistake the body for
the whole of existence, and it is this misunderstanding that brings us sorrow. For this
intellectual development is necessary.
3. Emotional Development:
a. Emotion is related to the feelings of the heart. In many times emotion stimulate to us
for good work. Emotionless can make us selfish.
b. Emotion is needed to broom goods, emotionless make us selfish and ego-centric in
many times.
c. Emotion brings from heart. Emotion is needed but over emotion is harmful. For
controlling emotion intellectual is needed. Patriotism is good but our highest review is
humanity. Over emotion decreased our humanity.
d. For emotional development we need two things,
 i. We must being concern for others, because we should know our life is not for
my alone. Whatever work we do, society plays a big role in it. In all work my
contribution is only 10 percent but contribution of others in our society is 90
percent. They contribute as a bus driver or shopkeeper, housekeeper, or other
services. So, we could not live happily or could not work anything properly by
alone. When we do anything for others like helping older or poor person, it
brings from our heartfelt emotions.
ii. We should increase sympathy and empathy for others. Sympathy means feelings
for someone. You understand that someone is suffering, and you care about
them, but not feel their own emotion yourself. Where empathy means feeling
with someone. You not only understand other’s suffering but put yourself in
their place and feel what they are going through.
e. With emotion we must have rationality or ability to judge right or wrong. Emotion is
needed but over emotion is harmful.
4. Spiritual Development:
a. Manifestation of our calm শা , pure , awakened or wise বু , freeমু inner divinity or
our real nature (স া) is called spiritual development. Our real nature present as a
dormant state within us, for manifestation of them we have to resolute practice of few
good value or qualities.
b. Manifestation of divinity which remains dormant inside of all us by practicing a few
good values like purity, austerity, dispression, self-discipline and tranquility; is called
spiritual development.
c. We have three appearence Devinity, humanity, animality. Appearance of Animality is
found in most of cases, in some time appearance of humanity occurs, but our divinity
appearance remains dormant for all time. Practice of values for appearance of our
divinity are,
i. Purity— If we want to lead a healthy and successful life we must practice and
habituate 4 pure things in our daily life. We should cultivate four virtues চারিট
সৎ — right thoughts সৎ িচ া, right words সৎ বাক , right companionship সৎ স ,
and the reading of good booksসৎ পাঠ. These habits bring peace to the mind,
aid in the formation of noble character, soothe the heart, and purify the soul.
ii. Austerity— In essence, it means self-control or discipline সংযম. That is, it means
avoiding anything excessive. When we speak of “food,” we usually think only of eating,
but in truth, whatever we receive from the world through our five senses is also a kind
of nourishment. Throughout the day, we often engage in many unnecessary activities
or forms of intake that are not good for us. Control over speech, speaking
truthfully, seeing what is pure, listening to noble words, maintaining pure
eating habits, and leading a clean and refined life — all these fall under the
 practice of austerity. If we do not live a life of restraint, it has a serious effect
on our psychology. The true meaning of austerity is to take or consume only as
much as is necessary. Our lives should be disciplined and moderate.
iii. Dispression— Its meaning is detachment. Whenever we receive or possess something,
attachment naturally arises toward it; the process of reducing that attachment is called
dispassion. Whenever attachment forms, suffering arises from the fear or pain of not
obtaining or losing that object. Even if the thing is unnecessary or harmful, our
attachment weakens our power of judgment — and it is then that suffering begins. The
gateway to attachment is speech. Thus, detachment means cultivating such a
state of mind that the absence of something does not cause pain — reducing
excessive attachment to everything around us.
iv. Self-Discipline— We must practice self-descipline, by Sama (সম) means discipline
of the mind and Dama (দম) means Discipline of the organs. Our five sense
organs always attracted towards the something tempting’s in external world.
Our duty is to regulate those senses by our mind and intellect, with the help of
this two securities Sama and Dama. Our eyes always attracted towards any
tempting things, this is action, and interaction must be discipline of organ and
discipline of mind. These two interactions we must learn. In this way perfect
application of sense organs is possible. We can practice self descipline with our
pure intellect, that rises when our intellect would be conscience guided. Pure
intellect is needed for sense of discrimination. Who always judge right-wrong,
good-evil, better-pleasure, their sense of discrimination is developing, his or her
intellect is pure (িনমল), refined (পিরমািজত) ও conscience-guided (িবেবকযু ).
v. Tranquility— Its meaning is equanimity, and it is based on Yoga. Excessive excitement
at praise and anger at criticism are both causes of downfall. Therefore, the mind should
always remain balanced, whether in praise or blame, joy or sorrow. Through the
practice of Yoga, we should strive to keep the mind constantly in a state of
balance; only then will divinity awaken within us. One who can always maintain
equanimity in the mind is a true yogi.
d. According to Swamiji being good and doing good is the conclusion of spirituality.
e. According to Swamiji, we realise and manifest of divinity by controlling our mind by
practicing —
i. Ever-Equanimity সদাসাম তা— Constantly cultivate a pure, calm, and sacred state
of mind. Never allow impurity or negativity to take root in the mind.
ii. Peaceful Mind শা ভাব— The main cause of all unrest is the constant agitation
and intolerance in the mind, especially in response to this digital world.
iii. Mastery of Senses জীেত ীয়তা— discipline of the organs.
 iv. Discerning Mind িবচারশীল মন— Always exercising judgment to distinguish what is
right from wrong, noble from trivial, beneficial from harmful.
5. Another most important faculty is Psychic or Mental Development—
a. Mind is a such matter that is untouchable, unmeasurable, invisible but we can feel
this existence. Nature of this mind is restless and always deviated. When we say ‘my mind’
this statement is correct, and it describe that we are the master of our mind. But we could
not realize it properly because our mind always controls us.
b. So. How we will be able to regulate our mind in a correct or pure way and keep
selfless and pure? According to swami Vivekananda, by concentration we can regulate our
restless mind. Concentration is the key concern to achieve the all knowledge in the world.
c. So, how we able to keep concentrate our mind?
i. Sitting— at first, we have to sit with a straight posture at clean and calm
place, also we have to be clean and calm.
ii. Seeing— we must see our mind by our own mind. We have two mind
observer mind and actor mind. Actor mind is observed by observer mind to observe what
kind of bad thinking or feelings are coming in our mind.
iii. Doing— imagine and keep the mind on any great person or God or mother.
That helps to calm down our mind. Just like a restless mad ox tied with a Banian tree.
iv. Being— Keep the mind on that person for five minutes. At first the mind
could not be stable at that place but if we practice regularly, we are able to keep the
mind concentrated.

d. We aware about physical food and hygiene. But we will be not aware about mental
food and hygiene. Our mental food for best hygiene is সৎ স , সৎ পাঠ, সৎ িচ া, সৎ বাক .

Most important things in Holistic Development of personality are equal development of all these
faculties. Holistic development is equal development of all faculties.

Relation between personality and characteristics.

Personality means combination of qualities which makes individuals distinctive character. Character
and personality both an inherent. Because we know previous name of characters is personality as
well as personality reflects in character. Personality is trained by resolute practices of a few good
values. So, personality and character are two side of same coin. Which can be achieved by resolute
continuous practices of a set of values or qualities, they are physical values for good health,
intellectual values to judge good or bad, emotional values with balanced emotion and unselfishness,
spiritual or moral values, practice of psychological or mental values.

When we assess personality of any person not only by assessing of any one mode of values. A
person belongs to a good personality means that person involves with different action in different
places like as a student, as a peer, as a teacher, as a social member or as a player, as a son or
daughter, as a brother or sister, as a friend, as a family member. They must be maintaining a proper
action with a grammar of behavioral characteristics for every situation and successfully follow them,
then we consider he or she learns a good personality.

The values must be developed for a good personality they are divided by 5 faculties physical,
intellectual, mental, spiritual, emotional. Person who develops all this faculties properly combined
that person we can say balanced or good personality. Assimilation of such good qualities is needed
for good personality development. Assimilation means resolute practice of such good values or
qualities for all day to night in all situations to build a moral character.

So, personality is a combination of few good values that express the character of those
person. personality was developed through resolute practices of some good qualities. So, Personality
and character are interrelated.

Swamiji also provide some values for holistic development that is formula of ‘3 H’. they are head,
heart, hand. Head is our rationality; heart is function of sympathy and empathy; hand is the symbol
of work force. 3 p formula, one is perseverance (অধ াবসায়, েচ া), purity, petio vdns.