Jaina Path Of Education

Author(s): B K Khadabadi
Publisher: Z_Jain_Vidya_evam_Prakrit_014026_HR.pdf
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/250440/1

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Jaina Path of Education Dr. B. K. Khadabadi Education aims at equipping man with the art of living-living a successful life. In ancient and medieval India education and religion were closely related, or rather, religion also played the role of educating its followers. Jainism has been no exception to this fact. Therefore, Jainism can be said to have had its own influence on the educational system and values of India, more particularly of the ancient and medieval period. characteristic feature of the Hindu system of education in ancient days was its Gurukula system : The teacher's house itself was the school, the higher educational institute and the hostel-all in one. The four Vedas, the six Angas, the eighteen Dharmasastras, logic, grammar, lexicography, economics, sociology, law (Canakya), inedicine, astrology etc.--all these subjects were taught in the course of seven or eight years. Later with the retention of the Gurukula system, places of pilgrimage also developed as centres of education. Gradually in places like Taksasila educational centres of University level and model came up. Some Agraharas turned up to be small centres of education, Some pontiffs of the Hindu mnathas took considerable interest in and helped the cause of education. Such work, in varied ways and by many pontiffs, is going on even to this day. As we enter and peep into the early Buddhist sphere of education, we are struck with a peculiarity that imparting of education took place mostly in the monasteries and it was meant for the newly initiated monks. But later on, outsiders too began to be admitted into these monasteries and non-Buddhist subjects too came to be introduced for them. As a result of such gesture, in due course of time there appeared Universities of international fame like Nalanda, Valabhi and Vikramasila. Soon these Universities earned a name as educational centres of high order amongst the seekers of knowledge even from foreign countries, particularly from those in Middle and East Asia. But later all these, unfortunately, fell pray to the reckless plunder and arson of the parisaMvAda-4

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158 janavidyA evaM prAkRta : antarazAstrIya adhyayana Muslim invaders. Then with the later Buddhism, its hold on education in India too disappeared. But the present excavated part of the great Nalanda University very well speaks to the visitor today of its old grand scale of planning and facilities provided therein. Now coming to the sphere of education falling within the compass of early Jainism, what we find conspicuously is that no Jaina University like that in Taksasila or Nalanda, nor other centres of education of those models, came into existence. The reason for this is not far seek. The great vow of A parigraha (non-possession) appears to have been at the root of this phenomenon. According to this vow the J aina monk cannot own or possess any property of any kind; and because of this strict injunction, there did not at all exist Jaina monasteries in those days. Even keeping books with oneself was considered as breach of the vow of A parigraha. This led also to the loss of considerable part of the scriptural knowledge on the part of the early Jaina monks. The Jaina Acaryas, in the early period, kept on always wandering and camping as per the dictum 'one night at the village, five nights in the town (or city) and ten nights in the wood': "A TATIS ATT ETT agi at 11" and they spent most of their time in observing their vows and practising penances. It was at the time of delivering sermons to their laity that they used to educate them. Each Acarya had his own interesting and effective inethod in this regard. Moreover as the Jaina Acarya wandered about according to the dictum cited above, he kept on imparting religious education to his monk-pupil, who, with previous permission, had accepted him as his teacher. Such instruction was given punctually and systematically in the manner of the mother-bird tenderly and punctually feeding its young ones : "jahA se diyA-poya evaM te sissA diyA ya rAo ya aNuputveNa vAiya / " (Ayara, 1-6-3, Calcutta ed. 1967). Such monk-pupil, after initiation, used to be with his teacher for 12 years and during this period he could amass almost the entire scriptural knowledge. Then the young monk, with his teacher's permission, used to go on wandering independently and according to the rules of the Sangha Scholars opine that such system was in vogue from 500 B. C. to 100 A. D. parisaMvAda-4

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Jaina Path of Education 159 Then during the first half of the 1st Century A. D., there began to appear here and there caityas or basadis introduced and maintained by the lay community; and according to Dr. J. P. Jain, from the 3rd Century A. D. the Jaina monks began to stay in such caityas, and during the period between the 5th and 6th centuries A. D. there distinctly appeared two categories viz., Vanav.zsi and Caityavasi among thein. Later on, gradually, the Caityvusi monks began to teach the children of the laity also in addition to their own monk-pupils who lived along with them. That new course of instruction could have been : exposition of the Anuvratas, Sikscuratas and Gunavratas; bad effects of Saptavyasana, exemplification of Punya and Pa pa, elucidation of the path leading to liberation etc. The Cait yavasimonks, as years passed on, may have also commenced to impart general education of the primary stage to the children of the round about laity. Later some members of the lay community also may have started Primary Schools or Pathasalas. It is reasonably presumed that such primary education commenced with a salutatory sentence like 377 OAT FHEM 1' the corrupt form of which viz., ait arat it is said, was available till the 20th century A. D. in numerous schools of Northern India. We have already noted that during the period between the 5th and 6th centuries A. D., there appeared among the Jaina Acaryas two categories viz., Vanavasi and Cait yavaii. Almost during this very period, there set in the Bhattaraka tradition among the Digambaras. These Bhattarakas converted many Jaina Mathas (monasteries) into mini centres of religious education. It is possible that subjects like lexicography, grammar, mathematics, astrology etc. were also studied in such centres. Because numerous manuscripts of works on these subjects, besides those on religion, philosophy etc., are found even to this day systematically preserved in these mathas. It is also interesting to note that the Bhattaraka tradition is still alive in places like Latur, Pratapgad, Sravanabelagola, Moodbidri, Kolhapur etc. An important outcome of the educational work conducted and carried over by the Cait yavasis and the Bhattarakas etc. is that there appeared, in due course of time and under their care, manuscript libraries of varied sizes and contents. Some of them later developed into eminent libraries called Sastrabhandaras. Important works of secular nature too were preserved in them. Some scholars hold that the parisaMvAda-4

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160 jainavidyA evaM prAkRta : antarazAstrIya adhyayana idea of Public Library is a Jaina one, and that the earliest Granthabhandira (Sastrabhandara) is found is Rajastan. This tradition of Jaina Manuscript Library has come down all along to this day. Such Libraries at Jaisalmer, Patna, Arrah, Moodbidri, Kolhapur etc., have earned the value of a national asset and attract scholars from abroad too From this brief survey of the educational aspect of early and medieval Jainism, we gather the following points : The Jaina teachers imparted religious education to their monk-pupils regularly and directly, and to the laity through sermons. Later the Caityas or basadis also as schools of general type of primary education, in addition to to religious education, for the children of the laity of the surrounding areas. Pathasalas were also run by some members of the lay community. The Bhatti raka tradition developed in their mathas mini centres of education, religious as well as partly general. Later, gradually, there appeared manuscript libraries in some of the basadis and mathas. The general type of education, however, did not make much progress so as to enter into its higher order. The reason for such state of affairs, as Dr. Altekar observes, is that the Jaina community, mostly belonging to the merchant class, did not think much about higher education for their children. They mostly trained their children in their own family business and later accomodated them therein alone. This tendency can be seen among some Jaina merchants even to this day. Though the Jaina teachers did not bild outstanding educational centres like Taksasila and Nalanda, the work done by them in the field of social education or mass-education is unique. Well equipped with the vast scriptural and general knowledge, bearing pure thinking and conduct, always wandering about as a model for other young monks and the pious laity, every Jaina teacher was almost a moving mini University. His sermon was a powerful means of mass-education; the religious story (dharma-katha) in the sermon was an effective medium of such education; and narration of s'ich story in an interesting and entertaining manner was a wholesome method followed by him. Thus through various stories, the constituent (individual and social) virtues of the Stavakadharma and other ethical principles were imprinted on the minds of the masses. In order to keep away the common people from the seven vices (Saptavyasana), many Jaina teachers have told numerous interesting stories, which we can read even today in the rich Jaina narrative litera parisaMvAda-4

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Jaina Path of Education ture in different languages and of different periods. Thus religious or ethical instruction in an entertaining manner is the secret of successful social education or mass-education achieved by the Jaina Acaryas. During the reigns of some of the Kadamba, Ganga, Calukya and Rastrakuta rulers, the Jaina teachers have successfully carried out such masseducation in Karnatak. This is also true of Rajastan and Gujarat under their favourable rulers. The cumulative effect of such education in these provinces could be seen in the fact that the virtues of regard for Ahimsa etc. in general and vegetarianism in particular were nurtured by most of the people of those and later days-including the present days to some extent-in these regions. Moreover some scholars think that the percolation of the principle of Ahinsa to the very root of Gandhiji's mind is the later fruit of such age-long education by Jainism. Another interesting factor in the educational values of Jainism is that in the day-to-day practice itself of the Sravaka-dharma by the members of the lay community is found the carrying out of some important educational principles. Duna (gift), sila (protection of minor vows), U pavasa (observance of fast) and Puja (worship) are the four constituents of the layman's way of pious life ; and they play a very important role in his total life. The gift of sastra (books) of jnana (knowledge) is one of the four facets of Dana (gift), the first constituent of the Sravakad harma. Si stradana means to provide the right person with the right book (or books, the vehicles of knowledge) at the right time. The educational importance of this aspect of gift can be illustrated from a gesture of an eminent historical personage of medieval Karnatak ; when printing was unknown with a beneficial motive of augmenting interest in (religious) literature, in 973 A. D. The great pious lady Attimabbe wife of general Nagadeva (under the Western Calukyas) got prepared 1000 copies of Ponna's Santi purana and distributed them to the deserving ones. The worth and strength of this Sastradana is seen even today among nume. rous well-to-do members of the Jaina community extending a helping hand towards publication of worthy books, encouragement to scholars in their pursuits, liberal donations to educational institutions etc. A number of educational trusts have come up out of this motive in different parts of the country. Moreover of the six duties to be carried out daily by the Sravaka, viz., Puja (worship, prayer etc.) Varta (the exercise of honest lively parisaMvAda-4

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162 jaina vidyA evaM prAkRta : antarazAstrIya adhyayana hood), Dana (alms giving), Svadhyaya (self study of scriptural and other religious works), Samyama (practising self-restraint and observing vows) and Tapa (penances like Pratikramana etc.), Svadhyaya represents an important educational tenet in the sense that it makes the layman or laywoman indulge in an ideal type of self-study daily. This can be explained just by merely enumerating the constituent parts of the act of Svadhyaya: Vacana (reading), Prasna (questioning), Parivartana (reception, revision), Anu preksa (meditating and reflecting) and Dharmakatha (listening to or relating religious story). Hence, there would be no exaggeration if it is remarked that the way of life prescribed by Jainism for the pious lay man and lay woman, represents a perenial stress on self-education on the part of each member in the community. Then we must take into account a very important contribution of the Jaina Acaryas to the cause of education in general: Though the Jaina teachers did not build great educational institutes, they have composed and left for posterity a great number of treatises on many different subjects which have been serving as valuable means of higher education for the last several centuries. Their contribution to the disciplines of metaphysics, ethics, logic, philosophy, poetry, grammar, lexicography is considered as excellent and, at times, unparallelled. The work of Kundakunda, Umasvati; Vattakera, Siddhasena, Haribhadra, Jinasena, Udyotana, Somadeva, Hemacandra etc. are accepted as valuable gems in the syllabi of several modern universities in India and abroad. Moreover, the Jaina Syadvada (Doctrine of Seven-fold Predication) has been estimated to be a rare asset of Indian thinking. Similarly it is the Jaina teachers and monks who, with devoted efforts, cultivated and gave literary status to the South Indian languages like Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. This historical phenomenon also contains important educational principle viz., effective instruction through the medium of the mother tongue, which was practised first by MahaviraSvami himself. an Lastly coming to the modern days, the Jaina community as a whole has been adjusting to the needs of the time. Its members have been paying sufficient attention to the educational needs of their children from their very early age and educating them in the various branches of learning both in India and abroad. Wealthy and pious members, as usual, have extended their helping hand towards building parisaMghAda-4

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Jaina Path of Education 163 numerous educational institutions which are open for all. Institutes like the Syadvada Mahavidyalaya (Varanasi), The P. V. Research Institute (Varanasi), The Vaisali Research Institute (Bihar) etc. sprang up and are exclusively devoted to the Jainogical and Prakrit Studies. Indological institutes like Bharatiya J ainapith, L.D. Institute of Indology (Ahmedabad), the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bombay), the Orintal Institute (Baroda) etc. also are contributing Considerably to the cause of Jaina studies. Individuals as well as members with collective gesture have come forward to set chairs in Universities for Jaina studies in different parts of the country. The U. G. C. and some of the state Govts too have recently recognised the value of the Jaina and Prakrit studies. The Jaina Acaryas also are trodding progressive path of education. Besides their usual routine of imparting religious and ethical education through their sermons to the masses wherever they stay or move, they are also playing the role of the main spirit behind building notable educational centres, were education in varied branches is to be imparted in accordance with the Jaina ideals. For example, Kothali (Karnatak), Kumboj (Maharashtra) etc. represent pri pary and secondary stage of such education. The Jaina Visva Bharati at Ladnun (Rajastan) has already developed into a virtual University with these ideals, where fresh interpretation of doctrines like Anekantavada and new experiments in scriptural teachings are going on. Another centre of these ideals and high stature viz., Adarsa Mahavira Vidyapitha. is said to come up soon somewhere near Ahmedabad. At Veerayatan (Bihar) is coming up fast a unique institute with such ideals and novel experiments in the teachings of the Jina. This brief critical survey of the Jaina path of education from the early period to the modern days, discloses some important educational principles and values which also indicate the contribution of Jainism to the field of education in India in general. They can be enumerated as follows: (i) Carefull presevation of ancient works of lerning. (ii) Effective education through the mother-tongue. (iii) Mass education through sermons delivered in an interesting manner. (iv) Self-education as a part of the daily routine of an individual And (v) Ahimsa. Aparigrha and Anekantavada for social health. parisaMvAda-4

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164 jainavidyA evaM prAkRta : antarazAstrIya adhyapana Select Bibliography 1. Education in Ancient India, A. S. Altekar, Varanasi, 1953. 2. Jaina Saurces of the History of India, J. P. Jain, Delhi, 1964. Jaina Yoga, R. Williams, London, 1963. Bharatiya Samsketi mem Jainadharma ka Yogadana, H. L. Jain, Bhopal, 1962. 5. Medi val Jainism, B. A. Saletore, Bombay, 1938. 6. Jainism and Karnatak Culture, S. R. Sharma, Dharwad, 1940. 7. Jainism in Rajasthan, K. C. Jain, Sholapur, 1963. 8. Ayarangasutta, Calcutta, 1967. 9. Ratnakarandaka Sravakacara, Bijnore, 1931. 10. Vaddaradhane, Ed. D. L. Narasimhachar, Mysore, 1935. 11. Vaddaradhane : a Study, B. K. Khadabadi, Dharwad, 1979. 12. Jaina Visva Bharati Samacara Darsana. Muni Shri Rajendraji, Ladnun, 1980. Department of Jainology, Karnataka University, Dharwad, Karnataka parisaMvAda-4