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

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 33
hundreds of students in subjects like philology, grammar,
astronomy and civics, in addition to Veda, religion and
philosophy (Mbh., I: 91). In the Jātakas (e. g. No. 438)
we sometimes come across the stories of teachers leaving
cities like Benares and retreating to Himalayan forests
with a view to be free from the disturbances from the
city life. They were confident that the villagers around
would supply their few and simple wants. But in the
majority of cases Gurukulas were located in villages or
towns. It will be seen that such was the case with most
of the educational centres that would be described in
Chapter V. This was but natural, for teachers were
usually householders. Care however was taken to locate
Gurukula in a secluded place or garden¹, and in holy
surroundings. The case of Buddhist Universities like
Nālandā or Vikramaśīlā and of Hindu _agrahāra_² settle-
ments was peculiar; they were like modern University
towns of Oxford, Cambridge or Benares Hindu Univer-
sity, independent educational settlements, where arrange-
ments were made for the lodging and boarding of
students who flocked in hundreds and thousands. They
combined the advantages both of the town and forest life.
The Importance of the Family, Pre-birth Period:
Association and imitation begin to influence the student
not only from the time of his joining a school or Guru-
1 At Benares during the 17th century, students and teachers used
to repair to adjoining gardens and orchards for the purpose of
study. This practice is presupposed by the Go. Br., I. 2. 1-8
where it states that students should enter the village only for
necessary work like begging alms, etc.
2 This word denotes village consisting only of Brahmana scholars,
who were assigned its entire revenues for the purpose of their
maintenance. It may therefore be compared to a settlement of
teachers, each of them being engaged in teaching some students
free of charge.
3

34 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
kula, but from his early childhood; ancient Indians
therefore attached great importance to the family in their
scheme of education. They held that the child begins to
receive influences that mould its character and determine
its efficiency right from the time of its conception. If
Prahlāda became a deep devotee and Abhimanyu a skilful
warrior, the reason was the influence indirectly exercised
upon them by Nārada and Kṛishṇa respectively, when
they were still to be heralded in this world. It was
believed that the impressions, which would be conveyed
on the mind of the expectant mother, would be automati-
cally transmitted to the mind of the child to be born. The
mother therefore was advised to devote herself to the
study and contemplation of the achievements and biogra-
phies of great national heroes and heroines, so that she
may herself get a child that may be a worthy successor of
theirs.
Family and the Pre-School Period: We have
seen already that the preservation of the national culture
was one of the important aims of education and the family
was expected to cooperate with the school in its realisation.
The ambition of the child was first fired and its imagina-
tion set aglow not by the lessons it received in the school
but by the stories it heard from its mother and grand-
mother. Well known is the part which the home influence
played in shaping the career and firing the imagination of
heroes and saints like Shivājī and Rāmadāsa. Multiplica-
tion tables, noun declensions and some metrical rules
about grammar were taught at home to the child during
its early childhood in all cultured families. The home
thus not only prepared the child for the school, but also
supplemented its work.
The Role of the Family in the Pre-Historic Times:
In pre-historic times, i. e. before about 1000 B. C., the

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 35
family played a still greater part in the educational
system. At that early period, the professional teacher
was yet rather rare; so generally the father was the usual
teacher and the home the usual school. Several examples
are preserved in Vedic and Upanishadic literature of
fathers themselves teaching their own sons.¹ Nay, the
father himself was to begin the Vedic education, because
it was he and he alone who was regarded as eligible for
teaching the Gāyatrī Mantra to the boy; recourse was had
to another teacher only if he was unavailable for the
purpose. In course of time, owing to greater specialisa-
tion that became inevitable, home education became
possible only in the case of a few cultured families.
Remaining families were however expected to take prompt
steps to send the children to a teacher or a school at the
proper time and supervise their lessons at home if neces-
sary. Supervision of the education of the family wards
was one of the most important duties of its head.²
Family and the Female Education: In the case
of the education of girls, the family played an important
part. We do come across rare cases of girls being educat-
ed at boarding schools or colleges; for instance, we read
in the drama Mālatīmādhava how Kāmandakī was educated
at a college along with Bhūrivasu and Devarāta (Act I).
These cases were however exceptional, for there was a
general prejudice against sending girls outside for their
education. Dharmasūtras insist that they should be taught
at home by their male guardians like the father, the
brother or the uncle. This was of course possible only in

1. Prajāpati was the teacher of his sons, Devas, Asuras and Men,
   Br. Up. V. 2.1. Āruni had initiated his son Śvetaketu in the
   study of philosophy. Br. Up., VI. 2. 1; Ch. Up., V. 3.
2. Rv., I, 24

36 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
well-to-do and cultured families. Home, of course, was
the main centre of the education of girls in the domestic
science.
Nature vs. Nurture ; some Western Views: What
is the relative importance of nature and nurture in the
scheme of education has been a question of great contro-
versy since early times. Are human beings born with
their mental, moral and intellectual characters and faculties
rigidly predetermined, or can these be modified by educa-
tion, and if so, to what extent ? As is well known,
different answers are given to this question by different
educationalists in the west also. Plato, for instance, held
that human mind is like a skein, that has to be only
unravelled in this world ; all knowledge is contained in a
man, he has only to be reminded of it. Darwin, Galton
and Ribot attach great importance to the role which here-
dity plays in our nature and Shopenhauer held that human
character is inborn and unalterable. Herbert and Locke
on the other hand maintain that it is not nature but nurture
that determine our destiny. We come into this world with
minds as empty as our bodies are naked ; it is the training
which we receive and the environments in which we live
that determine our character and capacities.
Vedic Age believed more in Nurture: As may
be expected, there is no unanimity of views among ancient
Indian thinkers also about the relative importance of
nature and nurture. A young people, fortunate to have
a series of successes, naturally feel that there is nothing
impossible or difficult for man. Vedic Aryans belonged
to this category and their age therefore did not much
believe in heredity or natural endowments. This is em-
phatically expressed in one of the hymns of the Atharva-
veda, where we are told that given proper education,
everything can be accomplished. Even Indra owes his

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 37
supremacy among the gods not to any penance or previous
merit, but to his proper training during his studenthood.¹
A few centuries later we find a patriarch praying that
some of his sons should become good priests, others brave
warriors and the rest successful merchants (S. Br., X.4.1.10).
Obviously he did not much believe in heredity and held
that a good deal depended upon proper training and
education.
Karman Theory; Growing Faith in Nature: In
the course of time, however, the supreme confidence that
was placed in nurture began to weaken to a great
extent. When the Aryans settled down in a less
spectacular and more peaceful life and began to
investigate more carefully the phenomena of life around
them, they began to feel that man is not entirely an
architect of his own fortune, and that the powers and
capacities with which he is born determine the scope of
his prospects and activity to a considerable extent. The
doctrines of Karman and Rebirth, which were unknown
in the Vedic age, became universally accepted in the course
of time, swinging the pendulum considerably in favour of
nature as against nurture. It began to be averred that the
deeds (Karman) in previous lives, rather than the training
in the present one, will determine whether our intellect is to
be bright² and moral propensities strong. The development
of the caste system on hereditary lines did not strengthen
the hands of the advocates of nurture; it began to be
argued that the efficiency of a person as a priest or a
warrior does not so much depend upon the training he
receives in this life as upon the inherent qualities with
which he is born as a consequence of his Karman in

1. इन्द्रो ह ब्रह्मचर्येण देवेभ्यः स्वराभवत् । V. 1. 19.
   2, बुद्धिः कर्मानुसारिणी ।

38 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
previous births. The Karman determines the qualities
and characteristics, and God assigns birth in that particu-
lar caste in which they would be most needed. As a
natural consequence of these theories, educationalists
began to aver that nature is more important than nurture;
a bamboo tree cannot blossom into a sandal one simply
because it is assiduously watered and manured and planted
upon the Malaya mountain.¹ If you have no natural
capacity, education cannot create it; a mirror can show
reflection only to one who has the eyesight.² A conscientious
teacher imparts education as assiduously to a brilliant as
to a dull student; there is however a world of difference
as to the results. One shines forth in the world of scholars,
while the other hardly succeeds in making any appreciable
progress. Glass alone can reflect solar rays, not a piece
of earth, howsoever polished.³ This view is similar to
that of Plato who has pointed out that education is not
like putting sight into blind eyes; it is only turning the
eyes to light.
The Function of Nurture: Though natural en-
dowments thus play a great part, it was realised that they
exist only in a potential condition in our childhood and
would not flower into perfection unless they are properly
¹ अंतःसारविहीनस्य सहायः किं करिष्यति ।
मलयेपि स्थितो वेणुर्वेणुरेव न चंदनः । S R.B, p. 41.7.
² यस्य नास्ति स्वयं प्रज्ञा शास्त्रोक्तं किं करिष्यति ।
लोचनाभ्यां विहीनस्य दर्पणः किं करिष्यति । Ibid, p. 40.1.
³ वितरति गुरुः प्राज्ञे विद्यां यथैव तथा जडे
न च खलु तयोर्ज्ञाने शक्तिं करोत्यपहन्ति वा ।
⸰ भवति च पुनर्भूयान्भेदः फलं प्रति तद्यथा
प्रभवति मणिर्बिम्बोद्ग्राहे न चैव मृदां चयः ॥ II.
Uttararāmacharit, II. 4.

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 39
developed by training and education. One may be born
in a Brahmana family on account of his past good Karman;
one may be also endowed by nature with the qualities of
a Brahmana like self-control and love of learning. Still
he will be not a whit higher than a Shudra if he does not
receive proper sacraments (Sanskāras) and gets the neces-
sary education.¹ Past Karman may determine the mental
and intellectual qualities of an individual. But they will
deteriorate if he does not receive proper education, and
improve, though within a limited degree, if he gets the
benefit of good training under a competent teacher. That
nature can thus be considerably modified by nurture seems
to have been the considered opinion of ancient Indian
educationalists from about the beginning of the Christian
era. This view is similar to the theory of Stern who
sought to effect a compromise between the extreme posi-
tions of Galton and Locke by maintaining that man is born
with tendencies, which are conditioned by heredity but
which are transformed into the qualities of human
personality through a process of development and training.
The Influence of the Caste System: The caste
system has been an important feature of Hindu society
for a long time and has naturally exercised considerable
influence on the theory and practice of education in ancient
India. Let us try to find out its extent. It is usually
held that it had rigidly determined the professions and
made the teaching line a monopoly of the Brahmanas.
We shall however find that Kshatriya teachers of Vedic
and philosophical subjects existed down the 6th century
B. C. and that the keen intellect of the Brahmana com-
munity was for a long time utilised to further the bounds
¹ जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्काराद्द्विज उच्यते ।
विद्यया याति विप्रत्वं त्रिभिः श्रोत्रिय उच्यते ॥

40 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.

of human knowledge in several branches of non-Vedic
studies. It was only in later times that religious and
literary education came to be confined to the Brahmanas
and professional and industrial training to non-Brahmanas.
Caste System once Flexible: The caste system
has got a long history and has undergone many changes
and vicissitudes during the last three thousand years. It
was formerly much less rigid than now. Interdining is an
anathema to an orthodox Hindu today. Dharmaśāstra
writers like Manu (IV. 253) and Āpastamba (II. 1.3-4)
however permit a Brahmana to take his meals in the house
of a barber, a milkman and a tenant and employ a Shudra
cook even for preparing the sacred sacrificial food. Inter-
caste marriages, which are still not permissible under the
Hindu law, were allowed by the majority of Smṛitis,
provided the bridegroom belonged to a higher caste. In
the realm of educational theory and practice also, we
should therefore not be surprised if we find that some of
the later theories were not subscribed to or followed in
earlier times.
Non-Brahmanas as Vedic Teachers: It is well-
known that the Smṛitis have laid down that Brahmanas
alone should impart Vedic education. In the earlier period
however such was not the case. There is evidence to
show that non-Brāhmanas also sometimes used to become
Vedic teachers; rituals have been prescribed to enable
them to shine in that line.¹ This need not cause any
surprise, for some Kshatriyas figure among the composers
of Vedic hymns also; the whole of the third book of the
Rig-veda is a composition of the various members of the
•¹ Cf. योऽब्राह्मणो विद्यामनूच्य नैव रोचेत स एतांश्चतुर्होतॄन् व्याचक्षीत ।
एतद्वै देवा'नां ब्रह्म निरुक्तं यच्चतुर्होतारस्तदेनं निरुच्यमानं प्रकाशं गमयति ॥
K S., IX. 16

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 41
Kshatriya Viśvāmitra family. In the Upanishadic period
Kshatriyas took an important part in the development of
philosophy and were the exclusive custodians of many
esoteric doctrines, which Brahmanas could learn only from
them and not without some difficulty.¹ There are several
cases of Brahmanas approaching renowned Kshatriya
teachers like Aśvapati, Janaka and Pravāhaṇa Jaivali as
humble students of philosophy and religion.² We should
therefore note that the caste system succeeded in making
Vedic and religious education a monopoly for the Brah-
manas only at about 300 B. C. Nor was it a lucrative
monopoly in practice; it was a monopoly to beg.
The income of even the most famous Vedic teachers was
a precarious one and compared very poorly with the gains
of a successful merchant or a captain.
Brahmanas as Teachers of Non-Vedic Subjects :
Smṛitis lay down that Brahmanas should not follow the
professions of Kshatriyas and Vaishyas except in times
of difficulties. This would naturally imply that Brahmanas
did not figure as teachers in military or commercial lines.
How could one become a teacher in a profession which
one was not expected to follow ? For a long time, how-
ever, Brahmanas were following a number of non-Vedic
pursuits and professions and also figuring as their teachers.
What can be more incompatible with the Brahmanical ideal
of piety and religiousness than the military profession ?
And yet we find Brahmanas figuring as teachers of the
military science. The Pāṇḍava and Kaurava heroes, who
fought so bravely in the Mahābhārata war, were not
trained by any Kshatriya teacher; their preceptor, Droṇā-
chārya was a Brahmana. Brahmanas, who were trainers

1 Ch. Up., V. 3. 7; Br. Up. II. 1.15
2 Br. Up. II. 1.14, IV.1.1, Ch. Up. IV. 4.1, etc

42 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
of horses and elephants, are mentioned in Smṛitis (Manu,
III. 162). Jātakas also show that at Taxila, Brahmanas
used to impart education in several practical professions
like the military art, medicine and snake charming etc.
both to Brahmanas and Kshatriyas.¹ Dhanurveda lays
down that Brahmanas are as eligible to be the teachers of
the military science as Kshatriyas (1.4). Being as a rule
more intelligent than members of other castes, they must
have shone in these lines also, as for instance was the
case with Droṇāchārya. It was only in later times, from
c. 500 A.D. onwards, that Brahmanas ceased to be teachers
of useful arts and professions owing to the growing rigour
of the caste system. This was rather unfortunate, for it
prevented the utilisation of the intellect of one of the most
intelligent classes in society for expanding the boundaries
of knowledge in the domain of practical sciences.
Caste System and Curriculum, Domination of
Vedic Studies: Let us now find out the influence the caste
system exercised on the curriculum. A perusal of the
relevant rules of the Smṛitis produces the impression that
Vedic studies must have dominated the course prescribed
for the Brahmanas. It has been emphatically laid down
that all Brahmanas should devote twelve years to Vedic
studies after their Upanayana. Such, however, was not
the case in actual practice. Only a small section of the
Brahmana community,—possibly not more than its one-
fifth,—used to devote itself to Vedic 'studies, when new
branches of knowledge like grammar, philosophy, law and
classical Sanskrit literature came to be developed. For the
preservation of the Vedic literature, the services of only
a small section of the community were necessary; the rest

¹ खत्तियमानवा ब्राह्मणमानवा च तस्सेव संतिके सिप्पं उग्गण्हितुं गच्छंति ।
Asadisa J. No. 181; see also Thusa J. No 338.

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 43
were required to memorise the few Vedic Mantras neces-
sary for daily religious purposes and encouraged to devote
their main energy to the development of new branches of
knowledge like philosophy, grammar, and classical Sanskrit
literature, where they were able to make substantial
contributions, which still continue to be highly valued both
in India and abroad.
Vedic Studies of the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas;
According to the Smṛiti rules, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas
also had to pursue Vedic studies after their Upanayana.
These however were never deep or prolonged. In some
Jātaka stories, we no doubt read that some princes used
to study all the three Vedas as well as eighteen practical
sciences¹; in the Mahābhārata also we find that the
Kaurava princes are represented as experts in Veda,
Vedānta and the various branches of the military science
(I. 118 and 133). A perusal of the relevant passages shows
that the writers of the above works were more anxious
to enumerate all the known branches of knowledge and
represent them as being mastered by their heroes, than in
narrating the actual state of affairs in their contemporary
times. We have seen already that the Brāhmaṇas, who
did not intend to follow the theological career, contented
themselves with the knowledge of only a few Vedic hymns;
Kshatriyas and Vaishyas must have done the same; in
later life they had no prospect of becoming Vedic teachers,
and for their military or commercial career Vedic educa-
tion was not useful or necessary. Vedic and philosophical
studies were included in early times in the curriculum of
the prince, but they were left out in the course of time.
From about the beginning of the Christian era, the

¹ Cf. सोळसवस्सपदेसिको हुत्वा तकसिलायां सिप्पंउग्गण्हित्वा तिण्णं वेदानं पारं
गत्वा अट्ठारसानं विज्जट्ठानं निष्फत्तिं पापुनाति । Dummedha J. No. 50.

44 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
Upanayana ritual began to fall into disuse in the case
of the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas and this naturally gave
a great set back to their Vedic education.¹ Gradually they
were reduced to the position of the Shudras and completely
debarred from the Vedic education by about 1000 A. D.
(Alberuni, II. p. 136)
Vedic Education and the Shudras: Sacred texts
have laid down in very emphatic terms that the Shudra
should be rigorously excluded from the Vedic education
and rituals. This injunction has been always carried out
in practice.² The carpenter no doubt is declared to be
eligible for Upanayana and Vedic studies in some early-
texts. He however was at that early period a member of
the Aryan and not the Shudra community. The exclusion
of the Shudras from the Vedic studies undoubtedly ap-
pears as unjustifiable to us at present, but there were
peculiar circumstances that necessitated this step in early
times. The art of writing was not utilised for the purpose
of preserving the Vedic texts for a long time. The Aryan
theologians believed that if there was the slightest mistake
in the accent or the pronunciation of the Vedic Mantras,
a disaster would inevitably issue.³ As the Vedic Sanskrit
1 Hence the observation of Dalhana, a medieval writer at,
Suśruta, Śārīra, X, 52, यथावर्णमिति ब्राह्मणात्त्रयीं राजन्यो दण्डनीतिं वैश्यो
वार्तामिति ।
2 यथेमां वाचं कल्याणीमावदानि जनेभ्यः । ब्रह्मराजन्याभ्यां शूद्राय चार्याय
च स्वाय चारणाय च ॥ Vaj. Sam. XXVI, 2 is taken by some as referring
to the admission of the Shudras to the Vedic education. This, how-
ever, is very questionable interpretation; कल्याणी वाक् refers to the
preceding stanza, which it is prayed here, may be applicable to the
whole of humanity.
3 Cf मंत्रो हीनः स्वरतो वर्णतो वा मिथ्याप्रयुक्तो न तमर्थमाह ।
स वाग्वज्रो यजमानं हिनस्ति यथेन्द्रशत्रुः स्वरतोऽपराधात् ॥
Pāṇinisikshā, v. 52.

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 45
was not the mother tongue of the Shudras, it was feared
that Vedic hymns would be transformed out of recognition,
if they were transmitted orally in Shudra families from
generation to generation. In the eyes of the theologian,
this would be a great disaster. Later on when female
education began to lag behind, and women as a class ceased
to be educated in Sanskrit, it is interesting to note that the
Brahmana theologians did not flinch from placing their
own mothers, wives and daughters in the category of the
Shudras and declaring unhesitatingly that they also were
unfit for Vedic studies. Theological animus or pride was
thus not at the root of the exclusion of the Shudras and
women from the Vedic education. Nor did it amount to
a total denial of religious education; for women and
Shudras were permitted to get religious enlightenment
from the study of Smṛitis, Epics and Purāṇas.
Conclusion: It will be thus seen that with the
exception of the exclusion of the Shudras from the Vedic
education, the caste system for a long time did not result
in restricting professions to particular castes. This was
but natural. Teaching may be a fit profession for
Brahmanas, but if some of them were intellectually
inferior, their birth could not impart to them the necessary
efficiency as teachers. Even a Brahmana writer therefore
is constrained to observe that dull Brahmana children
should follow the profession of the Kshatriya or the
Vaishya.¹ Ambitious Brahmanas also could not be pre-
vented from following the military profession, where
glittering prizes awaited the successful adventurer. A
Brahmana priest of holy Benares is to be seen sending his
son to Taxila to learn archery, because it was predicted
1 राजन्यवैश्यकर्म विद्याहीनः । G. D. S., 1. 6. 16.

46. EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
    that he was to be a king.¹ It was ambition alone that
    was responsible for sovereignty being vested in Brahmana
    families like those of the Śuṅgas, the Kaṇvas and the
    Kadambas. The recruitment to the army was not confined
    to the Kshatriya caste; inscriptions make it clear that it
    was very largely recruited from the agriculturists and
    Shudras. Dhanurveda also contemplates military education
    for all the four castes. It is interesting to note that when
    Yuan Chwang was in India in the second quarter of the
    7th century A. D., the kings of Ujjain, Maheshvar and
    Assam were Brahmanas, those of Pariyātra and Kanauj,
    Vaishyas, and those of Matipura and Sindh, Shudras.
    If members of all classes could become kings, it follows
    that they must be all following the military profession.
    The commercial and industrial lines were also very often
    followed by many Brahmanas and Kshatriyas. The caste
    system therefore made education rigid only to a limited
    degree and that too from c. 800 A. D.
    Caste System and Buddhist Education: The caste
    system did not at all influence the education imparted in
    Buddhist centres of learning. This was but natural, for
    the Buddha was against the system and argued that the
    worth of a man should be determined by his actual merit,
    and not by his descent or family status. Persons were
    admitted to the Order irrespective of their castes; Upāli,
    one of the favourite disciples of the Buddha, was a barber
    before he joined the Order.² But though it is true that
    everybody could become a preacher after a certain number
    of years, it is interesting to note that among famous Bud-
    dhist teachers and scholars, the vast majority consisted of
47. Sārābhaṅga J. No. 522.
48. Servants, slaves and debtors were refused admission to the Order
    because the Buddha did not desire to affect the rights of third
    parties by the admissions made into the Church.

II] SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES 47
those who had originally hailed from Brahmanical families.
Thus Moggalāna, Sāariputta, Nāgasena, Vasubandhu and
Nāgārjuna were all Brahmanas before their conversion.
As far as the curriculum is concerned, it was predominently
religious and philosophical, as it was primarily intended
for monks and nuns and not for the laity. We therefore
need not consider whether the caste system in any way
determined or affected the imparting of useful or profes-
sional education in Buddhist colleges.

Chapter III
THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT.
Teacher deeply revered-His training-His qualifications-High code
of his profession-Duties of the teacher-His income-Student's duties-
Relations between teachers and students-Student's daily life-His duty
to beg daily food-Rules of discipline-Were they unreasonable?
Introduction : We have now seen what were the
ideals, postulates and principles of the ancient Indian educa-
tional system. Now we propose to discuss the topics and
problems connected with the qualifications of the teacher,
the ideals which animated him, the position that was
accorded to him in society, the nature of the relationship
that existed between him and his students and the import-
ant features of the student life. These are important topics,
as they have a vital bearing on the success or failure of
the educational system.
Importance of the Teacher : The importance which
in modern times is attached to the Institution or the
Alma Mater was in ancient days attached to the teacher
in India. This was but natural, for organised educational
institutions came rather late into existence in this country,
as was also the case in the West. The person who takes
charge of immature children and makes them worthy
and useful citizens in society was naturally held in high
reverence. It was the function of the teacher to lead the
student from the darkness of ignorance to the light of
knowledge. The lamp of learning is concealed under a
cover, says one thinker; the teacher removes it and lets
out the light.¹ The student therefore must be very grateful

1. Cf. यथा घटप्रतिच्छन्ना रत्नराजा महाप्रभाः ।
   अकिंचित्करतां प्राप्तास्तद्वद्विद्याश्चतुर्दश ॥
   Quoted by Aparāka on Yaj. I, 212

III] THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT 49
to him and show him the highest possible reverence. He
is to be revered even more than parents; to the latter, we
owe our physical birth, to the former our intellectual
regeneration. From the Vedic age downwards the teacher
has been all along designated as the spiritual and intellec-
tual father of the student.¹ Without his help and guid-
ance, no education is possible. He is in fact indispensable.
This is graphically illustrated by the story of Ekalavya,
who when refused admission to his school by Droṇa, pre-
pared an image of the teacher under whom he longed to
learn, and successfully finished his studies in archery
under the inspiration that he received from the inanimate
representation of his animate preceptor. Buddhists and
Jains also attached equally great importance to the tea-
cher. This importance attached to the teacher need not
surprise us, for it is now admitted on all hands that
neither buildings nor equipment exercise such influence
on students as is exercised by cultured and competent
teachers, who instruct as well as inspire.
Why the Teacher was Revered : The great import-
ance that was attached to the teacher in the ancient
system of education and the high reverence that was
shown to him in society are not difficult to understand.
Since the earliest times the Vedic learning is being
transmitted orally in India from one generation to another.
This continued to be the case even when the art of
writing came into general vogue. The Mahābhārata
condemns to hell a person who commits the Vedas to
writing. Great importance was attached to the proper
1 Cf. आचार्य उपनयमानो ब्रह्मचारिणं कृणुते गर्भमन्तः । A. V. XI, 5, 3, See
also Va. Dh. S., 28,38-9; Gau. Dh. S., I. 1, 10; Manu, II, 170.
Bau. Dh. S., 1. 2. 48 maintains that a Śrotriya can never be
regarded as issueless, his students are his sons.
4

50 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
accent and pronunciation in the Vedic recitation, and
these could be properly learnt only from the lips of a
properly qualified teacher. The continuous transmission of
the store of the Vedic knowledge, which society regarded
as priceless, was possible only through the instrument-
ality of the teacher and his importance therefore could
not be exaggerated. With the rise of the mystical systems
of philosophy in the age of the Upanishads, the reverence
for the Guru became still more intensified ; for spiritual
salvation depended almost entirely upon his proper
guidance.¹ This deification of the philosophical Guru
was not without its reaction in favour of the ordinary
teacher who taught disinterestedly without stipulating for
any fees. We should further remember that books being
dear and rare, the student had generally to rely upon his
teacher alone to a much greater degree than is the case
now.² in the case of professions, even when books exist
in plenty, a good deal more has to be learnt from the
teacher. So a competent and sympathetic teacher, who
would unreservedly place at the disposal of his pupil the
essence of all his experience, could hardly be over-
venerated by the artisan apprentice working under him.
The glorification of the teacher must have produced
great psychological influence on students, for childhood
is the hey day of personal influence.

1 नैषा मतिस्तर्केणापनेया प्रोक्तान्येनैव सुज्ञानाय प्रेष्ठ । K. Up., II, 9.
तद्विज्ञानाय गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम् ।:
Mun. Up, 1, 2, 3.
2 Mss. were often unreliable; so there was a prejudice against
students, who had not read under a teacher: cf:—
पुस्तकप्रत्ययाधीतं नाधीतं गुरुसंनिधौ ।
भ्राजते न सभामध्ये जारगर्भ इव स्त्रियः ॥
Nārada quoted by Pa. Mā., at I, 38.

III] THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT 51
Teacher's Training:—Though the teacher was held
in high reverence, it does not appear that any institutions
like Teachers' Training Colleges of the modern times
existed in the past. One of the hopes expressed at the
convocation (Samāvartana) was that the graduate may
have the good luck of attracting students from all
quarters.¹ It is therefore clear that no further training
was deemed necessary for the graduate in order to qualify
him for the teaching profession. The reasons for this
are not far to seek. Students received individual attention
and lessons from their teachers, as will be shown in
Chapter VI. During their educational course Vedic students
could note how precisely teachers used to pronounce and
intonate the Vedic Mantras when teaching them to their
students. As far as the study of other branches like
grammar, logic, rhetoric, philosophy etc. was concerned,
no special training was necessary for fostering and deve-
loping the powers of exposition and elucidation of students
specialising in them. In the modern system of education
students can get their degrees by listening to their teachers
in the class-rooms and answering the question papers in
the examination halls. Such was not the case in ancient
India. Several times during his course the student was
called upon to pass through the fiery ordeal of learned
debates (Śāstrārtha) when he was called upon to defend
his own position and attack that of the opponent in
heated discussions. Powers of debate and discussion were
thus remarkably developed by the time the student finished
his education. Advanced students were also given
opportunities of teaching the beginners in most of the
educational institutions.² The graduate therefore had a
1 Bau. Gr. S., II, 6.
2 See Suta-soma-jātaka No. 537. Of the advanced scholars at
P. T. O.

52 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
fairly good teaching experience to his credit by the time
he left his alma mater. The absence of training colleges
therefore did not materially tell upon the efficiency
of the teachers at least as far as higher education was
concerned.
Qualifications of the Teacher : Since the teacher
was held in high veneration, he was naturally expected to
possess several qualifications. The student was to look
upon the teacher as the ideal person and regulate his own
conduct by the example of his teacher. The latter there-
fore was expected to be a pious person of very high
character. He was to be patient and treat his students
impartially. Above all he was to be well grounded in his
own branch of knowledge; he was to continue his read-
ing throughout his life.¹ Profound scholarship however
was not sufficient for the teacher. He must have a fluent
delivery, readiness of wit, presence of mind, a great stock
of interesting anecdotes and must be able to expound
the most difficult texts without any difficulty or delay.²
In a word, he should be not only a scholar but also an
adept in teaching; then only he would be a great teacher,
as pointed out by Kālidāsa.³ The teacher must further be
able to inspire as well as to instruct; his piety, character,
(Continued from the last page)
Nālandā and Valabhi, I-tsing says that they passed two or
three years in these Universities, instructed by their teachers and
instructing others. I-tsing, p. 177
1 यावज्जीवमधीते विप्रः ।
2 प्रवृत्तवाक् चित्रकथः ऊहवान् प्रतिभानवान् ।
आशु ग्रन्थस्य वक्ता च यः स पण्डित उच्यते ॥
V. 33. 33
3 शिष्टा क्रिया कस्यचिदात्मसंस्था संक्रान्तिरन्यस्य विशेषरूपा ।
यस्योभयं साधु स शिक्षकाणां धुरि प्रतिष्ठापयितव्य एव ॥
Mālavikāgnimitram, Act I.