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

XI] ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES 255
and as a result we find remarkable creative activity in
the domain of theology, philosophy, philology, grammar,
logic, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, etc., down to
about 500 A.D. Indian achievements in many of these
fields were remarkable, judged either by the contem-
porary or by the absolute standard Scholars from
China, Korea, Tibet and Arabia used to visit India in
order to learn what she had to teach in the realms of
religion, medicine, mathematics and astronomy.
It Becomes Receptive and Imitative later : To-
wards the beginning of the 9th century A.D., the
creative vein in the Indian intellect got fatigued after
an intense activity of more than 2,000 years.¹ Hindu
intellect had probably become old and no longer possess-
ed the energy necessary to open out new paths of
thought and action. Probably the heritage of the past
became so great that all the ability of scholars was
engrossed in preserving it. As also was the case in
Europe down to the 16th century A.D., the habit of
looking back to the past for inspiration and guidance
became quite common ; it began to be instinctively felt
that not much could be expected from the present. The
golden age of inspiration had gone, no new achieve-
ments were possible, the best that the age could do was
to preserve, expound or comment upon the masterpieces
of the past. Hindu educational system was unable to
create minds powerful enough to rise above the influence
of these theories. For the last one thousand years and
more, the Hindus have been writing only digests and
commentaries on the works of earlier periods. Creative
activity has come to a practical standstill.
Similar Condition in Europe : Here also we have
to add that the spirit of the times was unfavourable for
the formation of independent minds and intellects both

1. The creative phase of the Greek or the Roman intellect
   lasted for about 1,000 years only.