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

I, A] VIDYĀRAMBHA SAṄSKĀRA 267
The education of children therefore naturally commenc-
ed not with the learning of the alphabets, but with the
memorising of the sacred hymns, which were the most
valued possession of the Aryans and constituted almost
their entire literature. Under these circumstances, the
Upanayana, which was prescribed at the commence-
ment of the Vedic studies, could be the only ritual to
be performed at the commencement of education.
When and Why Evolved : In the course of time
the Vedic Sanskrit ceased to be the spoken language,
the sciences of exegesis and grammar were developed,
and the art of writing was invented or became known.
Even the memorising of the Vedic hymns required
some previous elementary education. Upanayana
could therefore no longer mark the beginning of educa-
tion and a different ritual called Vidyārambha began
to be recommended for the commencement of primary
education. This must have taken place at a fairly
early date; the fact that the ritual is recommended
only by very late authorities is probably to be explained
by the circumstance that it was for a long time combined
with chaula or tonsure ceremony,¹ This combination was
(Continued from the last page)
the Indus Valley discoveries. There is clear cultural evidence to
show that the art of writing was known in the later Saṁhitā period
(c. 1600-1200 B.C.); see Ojha, Prāchīna-lipi-mālā, pp. 1-16. There is
no evidence to show that the art of writing was known in the early
Vedic period (2500-2000 B.C.). The Aryans were probably ignorant of
that art when they entered India and it may be eventually proved
that they learnt it from the "Indus people."

1. Cf. i वृत्तचौलकर्मा लिपिं संख्यानं चोपयुञ्जीत । Arthaśāstra,
   I. 2 [On prince's education].
   ii स वृत्तचौलश्चलकाकपक्षकैरमात्यपुत्रैः सवयोभिरन्वितः ।
   लिपेर्यथावद्ग्रहणेन वाङ्मयं नदीमुखेनेव समुद्रमाविशत् ॥
   Raghu. III. 7.
   iii [ लवकुशयोः ] निवृत्तचौलकर्मणोश्च तयोस्त्रयीवर्जमितरास्त्रिसो
   विद्याःसावधानेन मनसा परिनिष्ठापिताः ।
   Uttararāmacharit, Act II.