Jaina System of Education

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

Page 76

62
JAINA SYSTEMI OF EDUCATION
fivc organs of sense excellent in the marks of distinction and token swect of aspect as the moon, lovely and picasant to behold a goodly form 1
The Jaina fathers were far ahead of the modern psychologists in their ads ocacy of the gradual growth of the human organism from the cmbryonic stage to its maximum period of growth in the adult period Then thic embryo grew secretly day by day in lady Siddhar tha s womb like the secd 1 cssel in the calyx of a lotus • We have already noticed in connection with our sixth lecture the eight stages of lifc which portain to both sexes Wc may further note that of these the first five stages of derclopment come within the purview of the pre-school stage wluch may broadly be distinguished into two (11 there is the stage of inactivity followed by (2) the stage of response to external stimuli There is a Buddhist legend about a Brahmin illus trating the period: Dr Fergusson refers to a relevant portrait in the following words In the chamber on the right or east side of the sanctuary are sculptured a pair of partly sitting figures both with rich head-dresses the woman holds a child on her knee apparently amusing it with a toy held in her right hand to the right and left of them are female slives with chauries whilst one beholds a parrot and a fruit Below are eleven small figures some of them making rams but others wrestling and some playing on musical instrument for the child s amuscment This is probably intended to represent the in fancy of Buddha nursed by his mother Mayadevi (or Mahaprajapatı) with a peculiar headdress who sit by his father Suddhodana. This practice of amusing the infants with ball and musical performances by expert ladics resemble very well the modern kindergarten ideals in ancient India In the third stage of developpent, the young child learns to walk with the aid of the nurse The point was stressed by Kalıdása in his Raghuvamsa where young Raghu is described as learn
1 The Antagaçadas0 And Anuttarovardiya-siado tr by L D Barnett PP 25 26
* Hemacandra Tugastitalaka purusa-Caritra, vol ut by Hjen N Johnson, PhD p 858
3 The Romantir Legend of Sakya Buddlır, tr by Samuel Beal p 316
4. James Fergusson DCL and James Burgess The Cave Temples of India p. 833-0346