Jaina System of Education

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

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JAINA SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
According to him even Manu did not complete the three Vedas and only the cripple lame or otherwise physically handicapped and the brilliant scholar dedicating their life to the cause of education studied the full Vedic course Then again Manu himself could not necessarily have studied all the branches of all the Vedas and as such he could not always lay his hands upon all Vedic texts 13 and again
As for the Smrt text that enjoins the life of the religious student for forty-eight years this has been mentioned in the Smrtis also only as an alternative course or it may be explained as referring to conditions of life other than that of the prospective householder and as such there is no contradiction by this of the said Vedic text. Manu speaks of the person having studied the three two or even one Veda in due order and from this it is clear that the three alternatives are laid down either in consideration of the diverse capacities of different students or as referring to different conditions of life Gautama has declared that- with a view to the studying of one Veda the man should remain a student for twelve years and this is the first alternative laid down for those desirous of soon entering into the householders state And as the second alternative he lays down the necessity of leading the students life extending to twelve years for each Veda -thus making up a sum total of forty-eight years
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The longer period has been laid down for those that are either blind or lame or otherwise incapable of entering upon the duties of the householder For such people there is either life long student ship or life of Renunciation and as such they can very well accept the longer course of study 17
The upakarman ceremony (July August) marks the beginning of the Vedic studies and its termination is celebrated by the utsarga cere mony which agam marks the study of the Angus R
This period is eminently favourable to serious studies and clima tologists are of opinion that mental efficiency reaches its perfection in a cooler climate Of the six Vedangas Astronomy may be most success fully studied after January or February or in the spring when the sky Kumarila Bhatta Tantravāruka vol 1 tr by Dr Canganathi Jha p. 111 16. Ibid p if
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17 Ibid P 16
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Dr D C Das Gupta Manu and Educational philosophy