The Ancient Indian System of Education – Part 1

If money is lost, it can be regained by earning it again. 

One may lose one’s friends 

But it is possible to have better friends later. 

The loss of a wife can be filled by getting married again. 

With proper effort, one can regain the lost land and property. 

One way or the other, one can recover all these. 

But once the body is gone, one cannot get it back.

Students! In this very life itself we should make every attempt to experience the ultimate state of bliss. Ancient men bore all the sufferings for attaining this status. How much ever you take care of your body, you cannot keep it permanent. So, in this very life, one should acquire the state of bliss. 

The Centre of Knowledge and Piety

What has Bharat been known for since ancient times? It has been the centre of learning from which knowledge spread to various regions of the world. It is the birthplace of various fields of knowledge such as Grammar, Music and Literature. That which is not available in Bharat is not present anywhere else on earth. There were many pious women who resurrected their husbands by pleasing God. Savitri, who could bring her husband back to life, Chandramati who pacified and extinguished the flames over the pyre, and Sita, who proved her chastity by enduring the test of fire, belonged to this land. Likewise, Damayanti was successful in ensuring the annihilation of all the wicked people. The benefits we are enjoying today are the result of the deeds of many such noble souls in the past.

Acharya Charaka: The Propounder of Ayurveda

Bharat is the Teacher, the Master, and the Preceptor of the entire world. The modern man wants to acquire things from abroad not knowing that they are well available here. What is it that one cannot get in this holy land of sacred knowledge, in this land of action, and the one that confers deservedness on everyone? If you are determined, you can achieve anything. It is only for the want of determination that you are unable to accomplish anything worthwhile. The modern form of education is an outcome of the labours of many learned ones. Each one mastered a particular school of wisdom and a particular form of learning. If the students mastered Grammar in Kashi (Varanasi), Kashmir was famous for Alankara Shastra. The great scholar Charaka was the founder of an ancient University which specialised in the Aarogya Shastra (The Science of Medicine). Till now, a University of this kind has never been seen again. The University of Ujjain specialised in Law and propagated the subject. The law taught in those days has turned into lawlessness today. You know how unlawful the world is today. Ujjain University made every effort to make sure that justice prevailed in the world. There was no scope for injustice in those days. Thus each of these reputed Universities had taken up a specific field and strived for excellence in their particular field. 

Bharatiya Vidya: The Indian Mode of Education

The ancient Indian Gurukula System

The Universities of Bharat were not mansions of grand architectural beauty. The residence of the teacher was considered a University. The number of students was also limited. The level of communication and teaching was of a very high standard. Teachers taught in such a way that even younger students could easily understand complicated subjects. They would sit under any tree and that very place was a classroom. Students always received soft, kind and nectarine teachings from their teachers. Such Universities flourished in this country during ancient times. The British wanted to identify the basis for the high standards and the level of reputation attributed to the Indian Universities. However, they could not. Bharatiyas had not limited themselves to mere legend. Instead, they learnt their lessons by depending on their skills of hearing and sharp memory. They did not have the practice of writing on paper or on a slate. One main reason for this was that the students directly received the teachings from their Gurus. Communication was entirely oral. Knowledge was passed only by words. They did not have any time-table or tight schedules. Teachers taught what the students were interested in. There was no interference from the Government either. Therefore, teaching and learning went on through a connection from heart to heart. Students were very open-hearted and the teachers readily filled those tender hearts with their nectarine teachings. All the teachers were available to clear the doubts of their students at all times. They did not accept any fees from the students. The hearts of the students in those days were highly sacred. This heart to heart connection helped the students to receive infinite knowledge. The educational system of Bharat was highly valuable.


But, today, the people of Bharat have totally forgotten their ancient way of learning. Once it is lost, it is very difficult to regain. We should not ignore this vital factor. We should always keep our hearts pure and sacred. The maintenance of teachers rests on the shoulders of the citizens. Ancient society helped teachers by providing required facilities to them. What was the main duty of the students in those days? From the moment they got up from sleep, they attended to their daily routines and went about house-to-house collecting alms. Thus, they collected food and offered it to the teacher. They had their food only after the teacher finished his meals. Thus, Bharat propagated the sacred teachings of great epics and sacred texts in this setting. The wisdom of Bharat is highly sacred, valuable and noblest of all. The ‘Amruta Vidya’ (the immortal knowledge) has now transformed into ‘Anruta’, the unreal.

Continued in Part 2....

Source: Bharat: The Teacher of the Entire World, Discourse 8, My Dear Students Volume 2