Jaina System of Education

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

Page 28

JAINA SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
attended an Art or writing school along with five hundred Sakya princes to study 3R s and useful arts from Vasumitra10 before joining the Uni versity of Taxıla where later he went through an encyclopaedic course including the three Vedas eighteen sciences and arts.
The Jaina literature supports the view that this study in Arts school was justifiable We are told that the son of Srenila Bimbisara was banded over to a teacher of art at the age of eight from conception 'Then when prince Mcha was in his eighth year his parents brought him to a teacher of the arts on an auspicious tithi karana and hour The teacher of the arts trained prince Meha and taught him the seventy two arts 11 Precisely at the age of eight from conception prince Goyame was sent to a letter of Arts by hus parents under whom he studied seventy two arts till the dawn of adolescence It may bc noted that unlike the Europeans who calculate age from birth the ancient Indians used to calculate it from conception According to modern educational psychologists adolescence for the males commences at the age of fourteen whereas for that of the females til o years carlict According to this calculation it is clear that Goyamc completed his course of study in the art school in eight years It is clear that cight years course was the standard in the art school Then when lus father and mother saw that little Goyamc was past eight years of age during an auspicious tithi harana day star and hour they brought him to a teacher of the arts Tlic tcacher trained little Goyamc and tought him the seventy to arts And we quote again And now young Goyamc showed himself learned in the scienty two arts with tre sium boring nine organs awalcncd 13
Thc factor of different periods fixed for upangjana ceremony of Brahmin boys grcauy influence the admission into Art scliools. During the period prior to the cercmony of upanayana thc Bralının boys in stcad of wasting away their time in idleness used to study in the Art school before they could join the Vedic school after the upanayana
10 Lalitauistára tr s Dr Rajcncira Lal Mura P 18 11 Arella Vågadhi Reader er lis Binani Das Jain, MA, PJO)
jo The Ania Gada Dado and Anutarovaralia Davo ir by L D Damnett M.A., D Lit, P 30
13 Ibid put