Jaina System of Education

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

Page 95

LECTURE VII
tion was followed Thus, a teacher Soma by name expounded the śāstras to his son while he laught a group of students elsewhere in the school "In due time, Soma had a son born to him, and, when he grew up, the father himself instructed him While teaching a group of pupils he placed him in an underground chamber, sitting the while on a bench over it expounding the Sāstras "02
The materials at our disposal do not enable us to have an exact knowledge of the time-table followed in the Jaina school. There is reason to believe that physical and military exercises were held in the morning Class-room instructions were given at noon One couise of instructions was followed by another, only after the first was completely mastered Thus there was a distinctly scientfic method of learning The following quotation gives us an idea of the method pursued “That magnanimous young one, as he learnt up all the arts one after another, became a pleasuie to the eyes of the people like the full-moon "03
But the Buddhists and the Hindu sources tell us a different storv as to the programme of studies in the All-school We have noticed before in the lecture how Suddhadhana, in consultation with his ministers, selected simultaneously Vaśvāmilia and Ksāntadeva to teach young Gotama the academic, art and military courses The simultaneous appointment of the experts distinctly proves that the instructions in different bianches of learning were concuriently given All the aspects of the mind were to be simultaneously and thoroughly cultivated and trained Complete education could ill afford to omit anything that contributed to culture of an ideal type The point is not definitely stated in the "Legend of śākya Buddha" It is our inference from the simultaneous appointment of the two teachers specialized in different branches of knowledge But the Kathāsarit-Sāgara is much more definite regarding the simultaneous pursuance of the academic, scientific and military sciences at the same time Thus Mahīpāla, son of CandraSvāmin, a Brahmin learnt at the same time all the arts-academic, scientific and militaiy “And in couise of time Mahīpāla grew up,
62 Maurice Bloomfield, The Life And Stories of The Jaina Savior Pārsvanātha, p 84
| 63 Jaina Jtaka, p. 28, verse no. 248
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