Jaina System of Education

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

Page 33

LECTURE III
THE JAINA MONASTERIES
THEIR IMPORTANCE AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS
The Jaina monasteries played a very important part in moulding the civilisation and the cultural destiny of India, both in its intellectual and moral aspects These monasteries did for India during a definite period of Indian history exactly what their counterparts of middle ages did foi Europe during the dark age of her history. They hept the torch of learning burning in spite of and in the midst of intellectual and spiritual darkness They promoted the spirit of sweetness, spirituality and light, and developed the sentiments of humanity, charity, piely and biotherhood The priestly sounders of Jaina monasteries were possessed of strong commonsense and foresight which were displayed in the selection of their sites of learning which were mostly in the vicinity of the metropolis, the cilies or sea-shores, or on the banks of uveis ,on the slopes of mountains and hills These ensured their accessibility and popularity, and guaranteed then continuance People could easily flock to the centies of learning by boats through rivers or could walk through well-consti ucted roads of which there were plenty in those days connecting the vast cities of India In our estimate of the part played by the Jaina centies of learning we should not forget the geogiaphical factors locations, mountains, rivers, lakes, fauna, flora, and the net-work of transportation system which had a iemarkable bearing upon the Jaina monasteries
The curricula of Jaina education were comprehensive and eminently practical, and took into full account the needs of Indian States It may be noted that every organised State in India needed at least the following depaitments, vil (1) department of treasury,1 (2) department of charity2 (3) department of medicine, (4) department
1 Merutunga Ācārya, The Prabandhacıntămanı, tr by C H Tawney, M 4, p 67, p 170 2 Ibid, P 38
3 Ibid, p 81.
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