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EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA AS KNOWN FROM BUDDHIST WORKS
Narendra Kumar Dash
It is believed that in the beginning of the humanity, education was quite unconscious. Gradually human-being learnt to study the nature for food, shelter and safety. "Man excercised the physical and mental powers to save himself from the destructive forces. The elder generation advised the youngers that what was harmful, how to get pleasure and to keepaway from pain. The art of cutting, hunting, defending etc. Contributed to the development of human intellect, the observation of the striking phenomena in Nature laid the foundation of man's ideas of worship and religion and both increased his knowledge of the physical world. Then man learnt to rise above his brutal instincts in the family, village and society under the bounds of customs and laws. This may be the beginning of conscious education".1
The most potent influence on Ancient Indian education was that of the religious and social environment. In the Vedic age the influence of the priests increased as the ritual of the sacrifice became more complex. The lore of the hymns was taught by the poet priest to his offsprings or near relatives and this, may be treated as the beginning of the education. Gradually, the priestly schools were developed. It was the first duty of a student to learn the hymns of his school with accuracy. Thus the system of vidhi and arthavada introduced. During this time it was necessary to study the six subjects, technically called the sad vedänigas. From these other subjects were developed.
Home Education :
1.1. The system of home education in ancient India was much more similar to the present system. The members of a family, at their leisure, kindled not only the child's love of nature but his interest in literature, by telling him stories and reading aloud to him extracts from the golden deeds of the epic heroes and heroines. The child's personality was worked and developed and his work assessed and appreciated in his treatment of nursery rhymes as well as in the reproduction of these stories.
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