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

242 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
masses. In the sphere of higher education specialisation
was carried to too great an extreme ; the logician, the
mathematician and the rhetorist, for instance, did not
possess much knowledge of the problems and achi-
evements of one another. The preservation of ancient
literature and culture was the main concern of the
educational system ; it was unable to produce many
scholars who could substantially enrich it. The
creative vein in the Hindu intellect could still be seen
in the realm of poetics. and to a less extent, in those
of philosophy, literature and astronomy. It was how-
ever quite feeble, compared to its strength and achieve-
ments in the preceding ages. The situation deteriorat-
ed further by the growing self-conceitedness of the
scholars of the age and their refusal to benefit by the
knowledge and experience of outsiders. They had no
longer a free, open and enquiring mind ; they would
refuse to accept what was not in consonance with the
views of sacred scriptures. This stood in the way of
progress in sciences like astronomy and medicine,
history and geography. During the medieval times
great importance was attached by Indian Pandits, as
by Jesuitical scholars, to the cleverness and skill in
mere wordy warfare ; a person was hailed as a great
scholar if he could perceive distinctions where none
existed and silence his opponent by a brilliant display
of the resources of a well trained memory. Depth of
scholarship thus often went unrecognised and shallow
and unscrupulous debators could often pose as great
scholars. The general state of affairs regarding education
further deteriorated during the period 1200-1800 A. D.
owing to the growing impoverishment of Hindu society
and the withdrawal of active state encouragement to
its educational system during the period of Muslim
ascendancy.