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

IX] FEMALE EDUCATION 209
grateful posterity at the time of the daily prayer
(Brahmayajña).¹
Effect of Buddhism on Female Education : The
eventual permission, which the Buddha accorded to the
admission of women to his Church, gave an impetus
to the spread of education and philosophy among the
ladies of the aristocratic and commercial communities.
Like Brahmavādinīs, several ladies in Buddhist
families also used to lead a life of celibacy, with the
aim of understanding and following the eternal truths
of religion and philosophy. Some of them even went
outside India to countries like Ceylon and became
famous there as teachers of the holy scriptures.
Among the authoresses of the Therī-gāthā, who were
believed to have attained salvation, 32 were unmarried
women and 18 married ones. Amongst the former,
Subhā, Anopamā and Sumedhā belonged to very rich
families, and are said to have been wooed by princes
and rich merchants ² When so large a percentage of
girls was leading a life of celibacy in pursuit of religion
and philosophy, it is but natural that the general
average of intelligence and educatioh among them
must have been fairly high.
How Girls were educated : Let us now try to
find out the agencies for imparting female education
during this period. We have already seen that for
a long time family was the only educational institution,
and even boys used to receive education only from
their fathers, uncles or other elders. The same
naturally was the case with girls. When however
later Smṛitis like Yama³ lay down that none but
1 As'. G. S., III. 4. 4.; S'a. G. S., IV. 10. 3.
2 Horner, Women under Primitive Buddhism, Chap. II.
3 पिता पितृव्यो भ्राता वा नैनामध्यापयेत् परः ।
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