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

208 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch..
science like Mīmāṁsā were so numerous as to necessitate
the coining of a new special term to denote them, we
can reasonably conclude that the number of women
who used to receive general literary and cultural
education must have been fairly large. When in the
course of time the study of philosophy became popular
in the Upanishadic age, women began to take keen
interest in that subject also. Such was the case with
Yājñavalkya's wife Maitreyī; she was more interested
in studying deeper problems of philosophy than in
wearing costly jewels and apparels.¹ In the philo-
sophical tournament held during the sacrificial session
performed under the auspices of king Janaka, it is
interesting to note that the subtlest philosophical
question was asked by the lady philosopher Gārgī
Vāchaknavī.² The question was so subtle and esoteric
in character that Yājñavalkya refused to discuss it in
public. The keen reasoning and subtle cross-exami-
nation of Yājñavalkya by Gārgī shows that she was a
dialectician and philosopher of a high order. Ātreyī
of the Uttara-Rāma-charit was another lady, who was
studying Vedānta under Vālmīki and Agastya.³
Some lady scholars of the age like Sulabhā, Vaḍavā,
Prāthiteyī, Maitreyī, and Gārgī seem to have made
real contribution to the advancement of knowledge, for
they enjoy the rare privilege of being included among
the galaxy of distinguished scholars, to whom a
daily tribute of gratitude was to be given by a
1 Br. Up., II, 4; IV, 5. Cf.—सा होवाच मैत्रेयी। येनाहं नामृता
स्याम् किं तेनाहं कुर्यामिति ।
2 अनतिप्रश्न्यां वै देवतामतिपृच्छसि । Ibid. III, 6, 1.
3 तेभ्योऽधिगन्तुं निगमान्तविद्यां वाल्मीकिपार्श्वादिह संचरामि ।
Act II.