प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

VI] HIGHER LITERARY EDUCATION 163
Sanskrit; when however Prakrits and vernaculars
developed, their help was also occasionally taken¹.
Testimony of Chinese Pilgrims: Indian teachers
were past masters in the art of explanation and
exposition; students from distant countries like Korea
and China used to brave the dangers of the perilous
journey to India, not because they wanted to learn by
rote the scriptures of their religion, but because they
were anxious to hear the exposition of obscure
metaphysical passages which could be heard nowhere
else. What Yuan Chwang valued in his Indian
teachers was not their capacity to recite the sacred
texts, but their remarkable ability in explaining obscure
passages and offering illuminative suggestions on
doubtful points.² About his Indian gurus, I-tsing says,
'I have been always very glad that I had an opportunity
of aquiring knowledge from them personally, which I
*should otherwise have never possessed.'*³
The Place of Debates: Since early times, debates
and discussions have always played an important part
in the literary training of students. The Vedic
literature refers to such literary combats and describes
how the victors were suitably honoured (R. V., X. 71).
This Vedic tradition continued throughout the later
history. Śāstrārthas or learned debates were constantly
held in colleges where students of literature, poetics,
philosophy and logic were called upon to defend their
own propositions and attack those of their opponents.
The training in debates made students ready-witted
and developed their powers of speech.

1. संस्कृतैः प्राकृतैर्वाक्यैर्यः शिष्यमनुरूपतः ।
   देशभाषायुपायैश्च बोधयेत्स गुरुः स्मृतः ॥
   Vishnudharma quoted by V.M.S., p. 72 (Jivanand's editio
2. Beal, Life, pp. 76, 154, 160
3. P. 185