Jaina System of Education

Author(s): Debendra Chandra Das Gupta
Publisher: Bharti Mahavidyalaya

Page 10

JAINA SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
It is the desire of the authoritics of the Bhāratı Mahavidyalaya that ser cral professorsluips should be crcatai for its Thcological College in the hallowed names of thc prophcts of different religions. A few religious bodics lavc alrcady been approached for the purpose and favourablc response 100 in somc asc has been recened Mr Shanti Prasad Jain of Dalmianagar a great lover of learning and advocate of the cause of Jaina Rcligion and Culture was approached and he has kindly sanctioned 7 liberal amount for the Mahāura Professorship on Jalna Rcligion and Culture [ The present volume on the Jaina System of Education which is
possibly the first attempt of the kind is the outcome of the first series of Mahasıra Extension lectures
The second serics of the Mahaura Extension Lectures will be on the Jaina Philosophy which would be delivered by an eminent specia list in the subject
A few lines underlying the ideas of the Education Series may be added It is an uncontroversial isuth that the systems of education now in vogue in India are defecute in many respects which are mainly res ponsible for the want of religious and moral education of disapline of wide outlook on life besides other drawbacks in the students The in ! trinsic valuc of cducation is almost lost sight of and its extrinsic value is now a-days being belittled due to want of proper employments in the active life The systems have been criticised on many an occasion both from the press and the platforin but constructive schemes and ar rangement for their realisation into practice are unfortunately lacking What the true type of education-its methods and applications condu cive to the welfare of students of the land based on its indegenous cul ture and traditions should be requires a synthetic knowledge of the systems that were followed in the Vedic and Post Vedic Buddhistic and the Jaina periods by the Gurukulas Vibāras monasteries and nunneries and latter on in a comprehensive way by the then Universities of IndiaNalanda, Takşašila Vikramašila etc and of the systems followed by their modern counterparts in India and in other parts of the World
With this end in view we place before the public as the first number of the Education Series this volume consisting of ten lectures on the Jaina System of Education delivered by an eminent educa tionist, Dr D C, Das Gupta, who has gleaned materials principally