ANCIENT EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA

ANCIENT EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA

ALL OF US  ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN ONES LIFE AND SOURCE OF WHICH IS OUR TEACHERS  AND IT IS WRITTEN IN  'SHATHPATH  BRAHAMAN' THAT MAN'S EDUCATION IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE ROLE OF THREE PRIMARY TUTOR ( MATA ,PITA AND AACHARYA).THE CHILD IS CONSIDERED BLESSED WHOSE PARENTS ARE WELL EDUCATED. MOTHER IS BELIEVED TO BE THE CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER WHOSE BLESSING AND PREACHING SHAPES THE CHILD'S PERSONALITY MANY TIMES MORE THAN OTHER'S DOES.IT IS THE  DUTY OF PARENTS TO SEND THEIR CHILD TO GURUKUL ,THOUGH IT IS DIFFICULT FOR A PARENT TO DO SO,BUT PARENTS KEEP THEIR PARENTHOOD ASIDE SEEING THE FUTURE OF HIS CHILD.AFTER PARENTS ,THE CHILD'S PERSONALITY IS SHAPED BY AACHARYA WHICH IS INITIATED BY A RITUAL KNOWN AS "UPNAYAN SANSKAR" IN WHICH CHILD IS GIVEN A THREAD WHICH CONSISTS OF THREE MORE SUB-THREADS WHICH SYMBOLISES THE THREE DEBT OF MOTHER'S ,FATHER'S AND AACHARYA'S.AND AACHARYA AT THE SAME TIME PROMISES TO THE CHILD THAT HE WILL GIVE  ALL HIS EDUCATION TO HIM AND ALSO TAKE PROMISE FORM HIM THAT HE MUST NOT CONFINE HIS KNOWLEDGE TO HIMSELF BUT TO SPREAD ALL OVER THE WORLD BY A SYMBOLIC ACT AS:AACHARYA  TAKE SOME WATER IN HIS HAND AND LEFT IT INTO THE HANDS OF HIS PUPIL AND ASK HIM TO SPREAD THE WATER OVER THE LAND WHICH MEANS ALL THE KNOWLEDGE WILL BE SPREAD ALL AROUND.

IN ANCIENT EDUCATION SYSTEM THERE IS NO PROVISION OF CO-EDUCATION.AS SWAMI DAYANANDA HAS ARGUED THAT THERE SHOULD BE SEPARATE GURUKULS FOR BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS AND  PLACE FOR EDUCATION MUST BE AWAY FROM TOWN(ALMOST 12 KM AWAY) ,IN A QUITE ,PEACEFUL AND PLEASANT AMBIENCE.THERE MUST BE ALL FEMALE TEACHERS IN GIRL'S GURUKUL AND ALL MALE TEACHERS IN BOYS GURUKUL, SO THAT BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS ESCAPES FROM ALL THE  DISTRACTIONS LIKE INTREST IN CONFIGURATION ABOUT OPPOSITE SEX,MOTIVATION TO GRACE HIM/HERSELF ETC.THERE SHOULD BE NO DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF CASTE,CREED,COLOUR ,EVERYBODY WILL GET SAME KINND OF EDUCATION BE IT CHILD OF A KING OR BEGGAR, EVEN ALL WILL WEAR SAME KIND OF DRESS AND EAT SAME FOOD SO THAT NO CHILD DEVELOP THE FEELING OF INFERIORITY COMPLEX WITHIN HIM.

A CHILD'S MIND ID LIKE A CLAY WHICH TAKES SHAPE ACCORDING TO THE IDEAS THAT IS FILLED IN HIS MIND ,AND WE KNOW , NO WORK IS DONE WITHOUT ANY REASON BEHIND IT ,ALMOST EVERY WORK HAS SOME MOTIVE THAT MOTIVATES ANYONE TO DO THAT PARTICULAR WORK .SO ,AACHARYA BY HIS DISCIPLINE AND STRICTNESS CREATES SUCH A AMBIENCE THAT MAKES THE MIND AND THOUGHT MUCH STRONG SO THAT HE CAN FIGHT AGANIST HIS INTERNAL EVIL THOUGHT AND DO WHAT IS GOOD FOR HIM AS WELL AS SOCIETY.THEY ARE GIVEN THE SPIRITUAL  ,COSMIC ,PHYSICAL AND MORAL KNOWLEDGE.SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE HELPS TO DISSOLVES THE AMBIGUITY OF TRUTH AND VAGUE ,COSMIC(LAUKIK) KNOWLEDGE TO LEAD A GOOD LIFE ACCORDING TO SOCIETY.PHYSICAL KOWLEDGE SO THAT NO ONE ABLE TO SUPRESS HIM WHEN HE TENDS TO FIGHT FOR A RIGHT THING ,HE IS MADE SO STRONG THAT HE CAN TOLERATE ALL THE ADVERSE SITUATION IN HIS LIFE AND MORAL KNOWLEDGE IS GIVEN TO HIM SO THAT HE CAN MAKE BALANCE BETWEEN HIS MIND AND BODY IN CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES . THE ASSIMILATION OF SUCH KIND OF KNOWLEDGE MAKES A MAN OF SUCH A KIND  THAT HE HAS FULL CONTROL OVER HIS MIND AND BODY.

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF EDUCATION IS TO AWAKE ONE'S CONSCIENCE THAT LEADS TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A GOOD HUMAN, FURTHER A GOOD SOCIETY.