Class-Content

Unit 2: Indian perspectives of Education

In India or Indian subcontinent, there is a rich tradition of education dating back to

the dawn of human civilization, where the Gurukulas and Guru-Shishya parampara
(teacher-disciple tradition) developed thousands of years ago.

Every aspect of life including education in ancient India was influenced by religion.
However, education aimed at many sided development of the personality of the
student of course with a religious orientation.

The main sources of teaching in the ancient education were Vedic literature which
represent the most important and intrinsic part of life of the Indian people.

Vedic literature consisted of eight different forms; they are Four Vedas, Six
Vedangas, Four Upavedas, Four Brahmanas, One hundred and eight Upanishads,
Six systems of Philosophy, Bhagwad Gita, and Three Smritis.

The Vedas deal with every branch of knowledge and provide basic material of all
arts and science. In fact, they are the first source of wisdom.

Vedas are the treasure of knowledge; each Veda deals with a subject of specialization
like Ayurveda deals with medical and pharmacy, Samaveda with music, etc.

All specialized faculty had common foundation courses, core subjects. Like
sociology, psychology, mathematics, language. etc.

There were as good as 64 arts and crafts like technical, medical, pharmacy,
agriculture, economics, micro-psychology, ecology, social sciences, politics,
judiciary, astrology, etc.

Teacher occupied a vital position in the Vedic system of education.

The teacher was a facilitator of learning, exemplar and inspirer, confident, detector
friend and philosopher, evaluator, imparter of knowledge and wisdom and above all
a guru, religious and spiritual guide.
The Guru offers education according to one‘s potential making him useful to the
society eg. It turned Bhima as the best wrestler and the best cook, and Arjuna as
the best warrior and the best dancer.

In Vedic and Upanishad period there was a provision for the girl’s education.

In ancient India the whole system of education ran on the specific system of
institution called ‘GURUKUL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION’.

Objectives of Gurukul-

1. Self control

2. Development of character

3. Social awareness

4. Integral development of personality

5. Propagation of purity

6. Preservation of knowledge and culture

The education in Gurukuls was not only theoretical but a practical content that
included meditation, seminars, and religious practices.

With the combination of theoretical and practical knowledge the pupil used to
develop healthy civic and aesthetic sense to lead a successful life.

The purpose of education was to train and exercise the five layers – physical (gross
body), vital (subtle body), mental, intellectual and spiritual – in such a way to make
them the sound instruments for leading a good life.

शिक्षा, शिद्या, तालीम

Sanskrit words equivalent to Education

❖ शिक्षा (Shiksha): Derived from the root verb िास् (Shas) meaning ‘to
discipline’ or ‘to control’

❖ शिद्या (Vidya): Derived from the root verb शिद् (Vid) meaning ‘to know’, ‘to
acquire’, ‘to be/happen’, ‘to reason/examine’
❖ Taleem = ilm + tarbiyat
इल्म/ilm = knowledge
तर्बियत/tarbiyat = behavior

Thus, Taleem is “to give practical shape to the acquired knowledge”

अपरा शिद्या, परा शिद्या

❖ Aparā vidyā (lit. non-higher or secondary knowledge): Encompasses the
entire textual knowledge - all the vedas and vedāṅgas etc which talk about all
types of science, arts, skills etc that can be obtained and performed through
the physical body. It helps to achieve abhyudaya i.e. to live a prosperous
human life in this world.

❖ Parā vidyā (lit. higher knowledge): The knowledge by which the

imperishable, limitless ātman is realized. It also helps to achieve the
niḥśreyasa i.e. to realize the ātman, the ultimate goal of human life.

Vidyā and Avidyā

शिद्याां च अशिद्याां च यस्तद् िेद उभयां सह।

अशिद्यया मृतययां तीतिाि शिद्ययाऽमृतमश्नयते ॥

Vidyām ca Avidyām ca yastad veda ubhayam saha |

Avidyayā mrityum tiirtva vidyayā amṛtam aśnute ||

He who knows the vidyā and the avidyā both in one, by the Avidyā crosses beyond
death and by the Vidyā enjoys Immortality.

What are शिद्या and अशिद्या here?

Upanishads talk about

1. ज्ञान (knowledge)

2. कमि (action)

3. उपासना (approaching or getting close to ātma/paramātma)

शिद्या is ज्ञान

अ in अशिद्या stands for `different form’ or ‘other than’ .

Something that is different from x but similar to x or belongs to the same class to
which x belongs.

So, अशिद्या means other than शिद्या or ज्ञान i.e. कमि and उपासना.

Avidyā according to Yogadarshan: Kleśa (क्लेि)

अशनतय-अियशच-दयुःख-अनातमसय शनतय-ियशच-सयख-आतमख्याशतुः अशिद्या

Antiya-aśuci-duḥkha-anātmasu nitya-śuci-sukha-ātma- khyātiḥ avidyā

Avidyā is of four types:

1. Regarding that which is transient as eternal

2. Mistaking the impure for pure

3. Thinking that which brings misery to bring happiness

 4. Taking that which is not self to be self

Thus, Avidyā is mistaking one thing for another

Pancha Kleshas

Yoga Sūtra 2.3: अशिद्याशस्मतारागद्वेषाशभशनिेिाुः क्लेिाुः

The Kleśas (क्लेि) are five forms of misconceptions (Viparyaya).

○ Avidyā (अशिद्या, ignorance)

○ Asmitā (अशस्मता, egoism, identifying ātmā with Viṣayas)

○ Rāga (राग, attachment)

○ Dveṣa (द्वेष, aversion)

○ Abhiniveśa (अशभशनिेि, fear of death)

They are the causes of all miseries.

Avidyā (अशिद्या, ignorance) :

Avidyā is the source, breeding ground of other four (subsequent) Kleśas.

Avidyā is mistaking one thing for another. It is of four types:

1. Mistaking Anitya (अशनतय, non-eternal) for Nitya (शनतय, eternal)

Example: Earth, stars are eternal; Devatas are eternal - live forever, etc.

2. Mistaking the Aśuci (अियशच, impure) for Śuci (ियशच, pure)

Example: Cognition of purity in the impure & highly disgusting body; considering
lies, violence as Śuci
 3. Mistaking Duḥkha (दयुःख, pain) for Sukha (सयख, pleasure)

Example: Considering indulgence in worldly pleasures as Sukha

4. Mistaking Anātmā (अनातमा, non-soul) for Ātmā (आतमा, soul)

Example: Considering brain as conscious being.

Rāga (राग, Attachment):

Yoga Sūtra 2.7: सयखानयियी रागुः

Attraction towards someone or something based on previous experience of pleasure

or happiness

Dveṣa (द्वेष, Aversion):

Yoga Sūtra 2.8: दयुःखानयियी द्वेषुः

Resistance or repulsion towards someone or something based on previous

experience of pain or unhappiness

Abhiniveśa (अशभशनिेि, Fear of Death): strong desire for life

Yoga Sūtra 2.9: स्िरसिाही शिदयषोऽशप तथारूढोऽशभशनिेिुः

It is well established and is found equally dominating everyone

○ May I never cease to exist, may I live on.

● This Kleśa exists in extremely ignorant even in the lowest worm, also in the
wise who has understood the beginning & end of life.

● Why?
This experience results from the experience of the pain of death which is common
to both the wise and the ignorant.

Upanayan Samskar

● Meaning of उपनयन/Upanayan: उप(upa) = near, नयन(nayan) = to go.

● To go close to the learned teacher, ‘acharya’ for studies is called upanayan

• bringing close to knowledge, beginning of education

Age of उपनयन(Upanayan):

ब्रह्मिचिस्कामस्य कायो शिप्रस्य पञ्चमे।

राज्ञो बलार्थिनुः षष्ठे िैश्यस्येहार्थिनोऽष्टमे।।

● 5th year for one who desires proficiency in knowledge

● 6th year for one who wants to become powerful

● 8th year for one who longs for success in business

Age of:

● Kusti: at the age of 7 years

● Bismillah: 4 years, 4 months, 4 days, 4 hours and 4 minutes

यज्ञोपिीत/the sacred thread

● Yajñopvīta sutra consists of three strings known as yajña-sutra

● Yajñopvīta was given to the student when admitted to the gurukul

 ● Yajñopvīta was worn over the garments, which people could see and verify
that the child has initiated his/her education

Significance of Yajñopavīta

The three threads in Yajñopveet signify 3 obligations:

1. ऋशष ऋण (Rishi Rin/debt to rishis): acquire knowledge and arrange in

promoting this ocean of knowledge further

2. शपतृ ऋण (Pitri Rin/debt to parents): foster the chain of human life, after
completing education and entering the stage of domestic/married life

3. देि ऋण (Dev Rin/debt to God): Reminds us the legacy left by the divine
people and indicates that obligation they have left for us