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Education, Literature and Sciences
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members in its own profession. Differentiation of functions and their hereditary specialisation in families naturally heightened the efficiency of trades and professions.
The preservation and transmission of cultural heritage was another important aim of education. It was incumbent on the religious teachers to commit their respective sacred books to memory in order to ensure their transmission to unborn generations. Members of the professions were also to train their children along their own lines. These religious and professional teachers were not only preserving the knowledge of the ancients in these branches, but constantly increasing its boundaries by their own contributions. For the preservation of cultural traditions, special methods were adopted. The theory of three debts was propounded. First of all, one owes a debt to gods, and one can liquidate it only by learning how to perform proper sacrifices and by regularly offering them. Religious traditions of the race were thus preserved. Secondly, one owes a debt to Rishis or savants of the bygone ages and one can discharge it only by studying their works and continuing their literary and professional traditions. This enabled one to master and maintain the best literary and professional traditions. The third debt was to ancestors, which could be rapaid only by raising progeny and by imparting proper education to it. There were also practices of Svadhyāya and Rșitarpaņa; the former enjoined a daily recapitulation of at least a portion of what was learnt during student-life and the latter required a daily tribute of gratitude to be paid to the literary giants of the past at the time of daily prayers. SOME EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND POSTULATES
The aim of the cducational system was not to impart general education but to train experts in different branches of learning. It took particular care to train and develop mcmory. Education was available to all those who were qualificd to receive it. The Upanayana ritual, which marked ilic beginning of religious and literary education, was made obligatory both for males and femalcs. Teaching was considered to be a pious duty which was to be discharged without any consideration
