Jaina System of Education

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

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JAINA SYSILM O LDUCATION
son of the Sudri wife was Bharthari
The latter was secretly taught in cellar on account of his buing of inferior caste but the others were made to study openly The young infants also receive their first truning in correct speech at home Thus little Goyame among other things received his first truning in speech at home under the care of his parents = The family not only functioned as a cultural centre for the formal education of the infants and boys but also it was a school for the formal education of the adult king Then on an other occasion the king named Kumarpal desiring to acquire learning had the treatise of kamandakı on Polity read to him for a ume after dinner by a certain learned man with the approbation of the minister Kapardın
The Church of Jainas were the first to organise monasteries to preach their religion and culture among the masses and their lead was followed by the Buddhists Our information regarding the organisa tion and administration of the Jain Church is inadequate Their monasteries were scattered over a wide region in India from the Maga dha kingdom in the east to Gujarat in the west and from the Vijaya nagara Lingdom in the south to the hosala kingdom in the north. Gradually Jainism declined in the east and the north and then it came to be confined to west and south upto the thirteenth century all the time imparting instructions both religious and secular to all ranks of pupils from the prince to the humble folk The Jaina fathers made periodical and systematic preaching tours for the propagation of their gospels The curricula of the Juna monsteries were wider in scope offering instruction in religion literature arts and physical cultures These were carefully framed meeting the needs of all grades of students pusuing courses as preparation for different vocations of life The Jainas admitted students into their monasteries regardless of caste and creed thus challenging the educational monopoly of the Brahmins Specialisation was introduced into the monasteries and teachers were classified into two distinct groups some imparting religious instruc
1
Merutanga Acarya Prabandliacintamani tr by C. H Tawney p 198 2 The Antagada Disão and Anuttaravavalya Dasão tr by L. D Barnett, M.A. D Lit p 19.
8
Merutanga Acarya, op at. p 138