Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

Ancient Concepts, Sciences & Systems

ANCIENT INDIAN EDUCATION

of the mental waves as a result of which the individual merges in the universal, the union (Yoga) of the individual soul with the oversoul.

MAIN SUBJECT The main subject of study was the Veda. Three steps were followed- shravana, manana and nididhyasana.. Shravana, was listening to the words or texts as they were uttered by the teacher. The students would repeat the verses after the teacher until they mastered them. This was followed by manana, deliberation or reflection on the topic taught which resulted in his intellectual apprehension. The third step in the process was nididhyasana (meditation) leading to the realisation of truth after its intellectual appreciation. In these domestic schools, the teacher admitted as many pupils as he found fit and could instruct. There might be pupils who wished to continue as students for life, dedicated to the pursuit of learning and religion. Such students were known as nasthika brahmacharis. They wandered about the country seeking to expand their knowledge by contact with sages and master minds. Formal education ended with the ceremony called samavartana (graduation) whcih marked the end of the austerites imposed upon the student. The brahmachari emerging from his room at midday, took a luxurious bath and decked himself in ornaments. He was now called a snataka that is one who had bathed. After the ceremony, the snataka was permitted to return home and become a householder. There were also institutions for advanced study known as parishads. The most famous parishad of the times was the Pancala parishad which was patronised by the philosopher-king, Pravahana Jaivali, who daily attended its sittings. Besides these residential schools, circles of wandering scholars devoted to philosophical discussions and academics for advanced study, there were assemblies of learned men gathered together by kings at their courts. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad describes a conference of philosophers - the earliest of its kind in the world - which was convened by the philosopher - king Janaka of Videha at his court with the intention of codifying the floating mass of philosophical speculation into a regular and scientific system. Among the participants there were eight principal philosophers - Uddalaka, Aruni, Asvala, Artabhaga, Bhujyu, Ushasta, Kahoda, Vidayadha Sakalya and the woman philosopher, Gargi Vachaknavi. The most learned of all was Rishi Yajnavalkya. King Janaka announced that he would award the royal prize to the philosopher who would answer the most difficult and perplexing questions that were put to him. Gargi publicly challenged his wisdom by posing two perplexing questions but Yajnavalkya successfully answered them. From the end of the Vedic period to the beginning of the Gupta period, the Vedic scheme of education of the three upper classes of Aryan society was expanded and systematised. The tradition of sending the boys to live with the teacher after the Upanayana ceremony continued. The method of teaching continued to be oral. The pupil should pay no fee to his teacher in advance but at the end of his studies he should offer something according to his means or to the teacher's desire. The Brahmanas studied the four Vedas

If you don't earn knowledge (Vidya) in the first quarter of life; if you don't earn money in the second quarter of life; if you don’t acquire righteousness in the third quarter what will you do in the fourth quarter of your life? The main aim of the ancient Indian system of Education was the union (yoga) of the individual soul with the Oversoul. The Vedic literature — the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads — contain the roots of this system of education whose schools were located away from the din and bustle of towns and cities, in the woods and forests of India. India's civilisation thus began as a rural and not a urban civilisation. The forest, not the town, is the well-spring of its highest thought. A branch of Sanskrit sacred literature is aptly named Aranyankas, "Forest books", works composed by sages residing in the forests. The home of the teacher (guru) was the school. The pupil (sishya) was admitted after a solemn ceremony known as Upanayana (the thread ceremony) or initiation which lasted three days. He became a dvija or twice-born ready to begin his spiritual life as a brahmachari or religious student. Vedic education was confined to children of the three upper castes. The brahmans had access to all knowledge. The kshatriyas, princes and sons of chiefs and nobles, were trained in arms and the sciences needed to fit them for government. Craftsmen received and imparted vocational education through their caste guilds. Women, who enjoyed equal status with men in the sphere of education in the Rig Vedic period, were admitted to full religious rites and educational facilities. It was possible for a boy to receive education from his father. Learned fathers were gurus to their sons. The minimum age for the upanayana in the case of brahmans was eight, for kshatriyas it was eleven and for vaishyas it was twelve. The maximum age limit was 16 for brahmans, 22 for kshatriyas and 24 for vaishyas. There were also different seasons for different classes. For brahmans the upanayana was in spring, for kshatriyas it was summer and vaishyas it was held in autumn. For those who would be householders the studentship was for a period of 12 years. After that they could spend two months every year in the house of the teacher. For those who did not want to become householders, the studentship could continue lifelong. The student lived with his teacher as a member of his family. He performed household duties like collecting fuel for cooking. He looked after the teacher's house and cattle. Another duty of the brahmachari was to go out and beg for alms twice a day in the morning and evening and give the alms to his teacher. The student was expected to show the utmost reverence to his teacher, attend to all his needs and obey all his commands implicitly. The educative value of these practices was that they produced in the pupil a spirit of humility and of the mind as an instrument for acquiring knowledge. The aim of education was citta-vritti-nirodha- control