English
Some of the solemn speculations in these works of remote antiquity found repetition in later productions of Plato and Kant; and the philosopher Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was so charmed with them that he writes, “ in the whole world there is no study so bene- * The whole body of Vedic Works composed in the Sutra Style is divided into six class es called Vedangas. They are — (i) Siksha or phonetics, (ii) Chhandas or metre, (iii) VyA.karana or grammar, (iv) Nirukta or etymology, (v) Kalpa or religious, practices and (vi) Jyotish or astronomy. MIN/Sr^ <3L INDIA. facial ancl so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life—it will be the solace of my death. Transition Period :—In the third century b. c. when Buddhism was the principal religion in India, the Vedic language had dwindled down to Prakrit as may be seen from the inscriptions of Asoka. However, the different arts and sciences received considerable development in this epoch. The curriculum of the University of Taxila which was then in its most flourishing condition, throws some light on the nature of the various subjects current among men of the time. It is said that as many as sixteen branches of learning were taught in the different Schools- in the University. Medicine was especially culti¬ vated in Taxila and in the University there were Schools of Painting, Sculpture, Image-making and Handicrafts. Astronomy also received the greatest attention of the people of the time. Ujjain was then famous as the seat of the study of astronomy. Veterinary Science was actively cultivated EDUCATION IN ANCIENT GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. in the time of Asoka and there were animal hospitals in different parts of the country. 1 The Second Epoch of the Ancient Period begins with the time of the Sungas (185 b. c.) when the Brahmanical reaction set in. During this period the vedic language became gradually modified into ‘classical’ Sanskrit and those who wrote Sanskrit works had themselves to learn the language jas we do now. This epoch was a time of exceptional intellectual activity in the diff¬ erent fields of literature and science. It •embraced, in general, secular subjects and ‘achieved distinction in different branches of literature, in national as well as court epic, in lyric and especially didactic poetry, in the drama, in fairy tales, fables and romances’. The great Kalidasa whose works have made him immortal in the history •of Indian literature lived in this age. The mathematical and astronomical sciences 1 4 ‘The animal hospitals, which still exist at Ahmadabfid, Surat, and many other towns in Western India, may be regarded as either survivals or copies of the institutions founded by the Maurya monarch”—V. A. Smith-Early History of Tndja (3rd Ed.)—P. 183. EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA. received the highest development in the- hands of Aryabhatta (born a. d. 476) and Varahamihira (died a. d. 587). Architecture, sculpture, and painting also were culti¬ vated with great avidity and attained considerable perfection. Music was also encouraged. The Guptas (a. d. 320-455) and the Great Siladitya (Harsha —a. d. 606- 647) who flourished in this epoch were great patrons of learning. Under the liberal pa¬ tronage of the latter the great university of Nalanda in Behar rose to the most flourish¬ ing condition. Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim, says that 10,000 students resided here and received gratis education in the various sciences, viz., Grammar, Rhetoric,. Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy and Music. Medicine, Philosophy and the Sanskrit and Pali prose and poetical litera¬ ture were also studied here. In fact, the literary and scientific subjects reached such a high degree of development that, says Dr. Macdonell, in some of the subjects, viz., the various scientific literature, phonetics, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, medicine. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 9 and law, in which the Indians achieved notable results, their attainment was far in advance of what was accomplished by the Greeks. The nine gems connected with the name of Vikramaditya also flourished in this epoch which may fairly be compared with the Periclean age of Athens or the Augustan age of Rome, or, as Vincent. Smith says, with the Elizabethan or the Stuart Period in England. The ancient period not only saw the highest development in the field of Indian literature and science but it was a period of national life and national vigour in everv sphere of activity, and its civilisation was free from the artificial restrictions of modern Hindu society. It was a period when the sacred learning had not become the monopoly of the priests and when all the Aryans were united as one caste and still entitled to the religious and literary heritage of the Aryans. Professions and trades other than that of the priests were not looked upon with disfavour; nor the vocations requiring •manual exertion. The arts were not then MIN/Sr^ EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA. a specialized study divorced from religion and the men whose genius created them were not of an inferior calibre to the poets and philosophers. Besides, in several points the Hindu society of the time showed a wonderful resemblance to the modern institutions of the rest of the civilized world : (i) Early marriage of girls :—The early marriage of girls was then rare. The Svay- ambara ceremony so much talked of in the Hindu Epics and literature shows clearly that the custom of giving away girls in marriage early is of later development. It also shows that girls, in ancient India as in modern Western society, had some voice in the selection of their husbands. Examples of marriage taking place after puberty are also furnished by our Sanskrit literature. (ii) Seclusion of women :—It must be said at the very outset that the absolute seclusion of women was unknown in ancient India. Neither the Rig Yeda nor the Epics furnish us with any example of this custom. The following sloka quoted from Lalita Vis- GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. tara shows that though covering the face with a veil was probably the usual custom, it was not strictly followed, for otherwise •Gopa, the pious wife of Buddha, could not have protested against the practice : “Rishis, noble-minded persons, those who •can divine the secrets in the hearts of others, the assemblage of gods, know well my motives. So long as iny behaviour, my •qualities, my prudence remain undisturbed, what need is there for me to cover my face with a veil ?” 1 Our Sanskrit literature and history also support the view that the absolute seclusion and restraint of women were not Hindu cus¬ toms. In fact, the practice was unknown in India till the advent of the Muhammadans, when partly in self-defence, partly in imita¬ tion of their masters, the upper classes of the Hindu society began to seclude their Lalita Vistara XII. P. 182. EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA. women. That this was so is clearly proved by the complete absence of the custom in Maharastra where the rule of the Moslems was brief. (iii) Social position of women and their education :—Women generally had a very high social position. 1 Considered as the inse¬ parable partners of their husbands, Hindu wives always received the honour and respect due to their position. In fact, among no other ancient nation on the face of the globe, as says Mr. Dutt, were they more- honoured than in India. As to the learning of women we cherish the picture of the cultured lady Visvavara who composed hymns which have been handed down to us through thousands of years. The celebrated conversation between Yajnavalkya and his learned wife Mcdtreyi on the eve of his retirement to the forest in¬ dicates clearly that women were then ‘consi¬ dered as the intellectual companions of their husbands’. Weber also supports the view by saying that women in ancient India took an 1 Manu III 56-60. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. ■active part in the very stirring intellectual life of the period and plunged with enthusi¬ astic ardour ‘into the mysteries of specula¬ tion, impressing and astonishing men by the depth and loftiness of their opinions’.* Besides, the. following lines quoted from Lalita Vistara show clearly that girls even at the time of Buddha were taught to read and write and became accomplished in several ways : Gautama says, “I shall need the maiden who is accomplished in writing and in composing poetry, who is endowed with good qualities” and “well-versed in the rules of the Sastras”. 2 In fact, in Vatsayana’s Kama Sutras we find a list of 64 arts 8 which were appropriate for young ladies. Sanskrit literature and the history of the later period also support the view that the girls in ancient India received proper education. Lastly, we find the great Vedantist Sankaracharya who flourished in the beginning of the 9th century a. d. 1 Weber— The History of Indian Literature p. 22. " Lilita Vistara (Edited by R. L. Mitra) —XII pp. 199-200. 3 Ibid pp. 186-189. Also see Appendix. EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA. preparing himself with all the care to argue with Svarasvati, the learned wife of pandit Madana. All these prove conclusively that in ancient India there was no dearth of edu¬ cation among women in cultured societies. (iv) Idol-worship :—The worship of idols had not at that time been introduced. The practice came into existence later in the Puranic period (a. d. 300 —a. d. 1000) when in the absence of high ideals people found the necessity of its introduction. Even so its introduction indicates that the Hindus even then realised that education in the reli¬ gious sphere should proceed from the concrete to the abstract.