Ancient India and education.

- Moment-to-moment-proficient tailor

- Guru-disciple has been bound by intimate relationship for years, there is no formality, blessings of distance, getting blessings.

Before I begin my talk on the Indian system of education in China, I would like to quote an important statement from Swami Vivekananda. He said - 'Truth does not sit at the feet of any society, ancient or modern, but the society has to sit at the feet of truth. If not, it will be destroyed. The society should shape itself keeping in view the truth, the truth is not going to suit the society at all. The society in which one plays the role of the best truth is the greatest society. If the society is not suitable for absorbing the best truth then make it suitable. The roots of the Indian education system lie in this kind of 'truth'. Even at that time, the question of country-time must have remained there, the basic idea of ​​teaching practices suitable for it must have been formed. But in such a foundation, only 'truth' remained. The rest has come along with it.

Only if we understand this can we find the true heart of the ancient Indian education system. The sages were always insisting then. That truth must be observed in day-to-day dealings, in all kinds of activities, that purity should be the norm for the individual-society. At that time, in the minds of sages, the idea that truth should be pervasive in the overall way of life remained. So there was the first human and then everything else - such an unwritten motto. The ashrams, gurukulas, acharyas, patriarchs of that time were truly human sculptors. There were a lot of efforts for the creation of Janshri among Vanshri. Decades would pass just to become a teacher, sometimes passing a few more years if you do not pass the final test! The student only had to be a learner there, a life seeker. The sages were incessantly worrying about such knowledge, pouring their true life into it. After attaining full qualification, the student would come home after himself for admission in Grihasthashram. Both the sage and the sage's wife remained the parents of the student till then. Say that Rishi Ashram itself used to be a Sanskartirtha. There was no venture of making money, of taking or giving, if any, secondary, the main thing was that the self-sufficiency of man should flourish during those years. The student becomes a true human being, with truthfulness. Talk about the truth in the various activities of life, nowhere to be found. Behind the popular motto 'Vidya mukti apave che' is the question of how the true form of Sakal Vidya can be - how it can touch the various aspects of life. This is liberation from doubt, this is liberation from ignorance, this is liberation from fear, this is liberation from untruth, this is liberation from selfishness. Vidya aims to make the student aware of such negative forces, the aim being to counter positive forces. He will experience happiness-peace-prosperity, contentment, happiness, etc. in the Grihasthashram only if the person who is being punished gets all this. Here in the knowledge-tool, nature-sacharachar-coming, say cosmos. Karma-dharma, its skill, its essence, everything is included in the Vidya. In Swadhyaya, along with the self-chapter, all the chapters are also true, there are almost no penetrating walls or similarities between human beings. Krishna-Sudama coexistence is possible. Arjuna-Duryodhana-Ashvasthama can take Vidya together. Jupiter would then impart education to all at the same price. Who receives how much, how much depends on the disciple. Sometimes the Guru would make a sweet knock, the sage would give examples at the right time in the instinctive discussion, but the sages almost avoided giving sermons. If the daily routine of a sage, i.e. a guru, is the same, his own conduct is so motivating, the effect of his words is such that the disciple automatically learns a lot from it.

Even when the period of education is over, the sage takes the examination of the disciple. But those exams were not like today's exams. The Guru sees how his disciple will cross the Grihasthashram, how he will enlighten the knowledge he has given, how useful it will be to the family and the society. Whether the skill acquired in a given education will be manifested in a true-good way - his diligence will be true, the skill acquired in various subjects will be sufficient for earning money, true, pious, truthful, loving, humane Basically taken care of. If there was any deficiency in such a test, the guru would also give guidance, for acquiring such skill he would even keep the disciple in the ashram for more years.

His convocation was also different. Guru-disciple has been bound by intimate relationship for years, not formality, blessings of distance, blessings. The sage's wife also said goodbye to the disciples with an emotional heart. The Guru then addressed the disciple and said - Serve the parents, the Guru should also be worthy of your service. Treat them as gods, treat them as such. Give a warm welcome to the guest at the door too, you will see that you have not forgotten everything you have learned. You will also continue your homework in Grihasthashram. Not serving negligence in homework. Follow the character of the best men, adopt what is worthy of being adopted from their conduct, forget the faults of the Guru and remember the virtues of the Guru, his path of knowledge. Disciples who had entered the Grihasthashram sometimes came to the Ashram to meet the Guru-Guru wife. On auspicious occasions he would also receive vitality from the Guru with words of encouragement or words of reassurance. Taking a new energy, with new vigor, such a disciple came back home, immersed in the complex greens of life, working with more capacity. The ancient Indian practice of education was such that it enriched the entire consciousness of a person, his entire life force, awakening his latent qualities. There was a strong connection between the individual consciousness and the world consciousness.

Such teachings ranged from the material world to the otherworldly. Such high schools without walls have always given priority to man, his self-education. Only the first human being, the highest human being - can build a healthy society, an ideal nation. Universities like Takshashila and Nalanda further uplift the Vedic tradition with such ideals and also expand a new field of their own - by maintaining that 'truth' ....