BHARAT’S GURUKULAS – The Story of the World’s Advanced Education System

Gurukulas – The Pride of Bharat

India’s rich culture and heritage can well be attributed to the Vedic Gurus and ancient Gurukulas which strived dedicatedly in research undertakings and knowledge dissemination across ages since 5000 years back that contributed to the much advanced and civilized society called Bharat. 

The word ‘Gurukula’ is coined from two words – ‘Guru’ (teacher) and ‘Kula’ (home). The Gurukula system of education was basically the type of today’s residential or boarding schools. The teacher was called ‘Guru’ and ‘shishya’ was the student. The shishyas resided in ashrams of the Guru to learn, till the completion of their prescribed education as determined by the Guru.

Bharat’s Gurukulas encouraged Global Education

Takshashila (Taxila) which is in today’s Rawalpindi, Pakistan, was Bharat’s ancient Vedic Gurukula University situated in the Gandhara Kingdom (present day’s parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan). In between 7^th and 12^th centuries, other universities which served as excellent world-recognized centres of higher learnings were situated at Ujjaini, Nalanda, Vikramashila, Vallabhi, Sharada Peeth, Kanceepuram, Somapura and Anthaloor Sala. The quality of Bharathiya Gurukula education and the standard of subject knowledge was so advanced that students from foreign lands like – Arabia, Greece, Tibet, Japan, Turkey, China, Southeast Asia and Persia came to Bharat to learn from the eminent Bharathiya Gurus.

Ancient Vedic Gurukula system of education was the well-reputed and well-acknowledged institutions of basic and advanced learnings which earned greater recognition not only in Bharat but also in the World.

Gurukula Pedagogy

The ancient Gurukula studies basically included the following –

1. Oral recitation of Vedas and Upanishads
2. Yoga for physical fitness
3. Sports
4. Dancing / singing
5. Crafts
6. Various skills
7. Subjects of knowledge
8. Art of living and self-sustenance.

The various subjects of knowledge taught in various Gurukulas were –

1. Science – Vigyan
2. Maths – Ganeetha Vidya
3. Astronomy – Khagol Shastra
4. Astrology – Jyothisha Shastra
5. Botany – Oushadha Vidya
6. Medicine – Ayurveda
7. Medical Science – Chikitsa Shastra
8. Metallurgy – Dhaatu Shastra
9. Architecture – Vaastu Shastra
10. Sanskrit grammar – Vyakaran
11. Military – Astra Ved (Weapon)
12. Agriculture – Krishi Vidya
13. Philosophy – Dharshan Shastra
14. Surgery – Shalya Chikitsa Shastra
15. History – Itihasa
16. Chemistry – Rasayana Shastra
17. Biology – Jeeva Shastra
18. Physics – Bauthika Shastra
19. Sculptory – Shilpa Kala
20. Archery – Dhanur Vidya
21. Other Kalas (Skills) and Vidyas (Sciences)

The Gurukulas also taught the ways of life and the art of living. In the pedagogy of holistic development, other than the subjects and skills taught, irrespective of caste or them being a prince or an ordinary praja (citizen/ country man) the students had to do the following chores –

1. Beg for alms – learning to be humble and simple.
2. Do all ashram housekeeping, cleaning utensils, washing, cutting woods from forests and cooking activities – learning the art of self-sustenance without being dependent on servants or others to do their works.

Where the shisyas were taught on one side the art to live simple and austere like their Guru, they were also taught obedience, discipline, routine through the various activities and tasks designated to them. Obedience to the Guru with great reverence and faith was the expected value development in the pupil. Guru Dakshina (fee) could be in monetary or kind, based on the capacity of the learners. There were Gurukulas which were funded by the Rajya (state / Kingdom) for maintenance. The Gurukula Ashrams may be situated –

1. In the deep forests,
2. in the entrance of forests or outskirts of cities, little away from the disturbances of city life while yet being accessible to the city, 
3. In the villages or towns of the kingdom / State.

The British Colonial Conspiracy to Destroy Gurukulas

            Sanathanam is perhaps the world’s oldest surviving philosophy or Dharma in this world. It is time-tested and has proved its strength time and again by withstanding the conspiracies to destroy it. In one such attempt, recently, when the Britishers colonized Bharat, they wanted to bring the entire territory under their control. The biggest hindrance for the British colonizers to establish a complete control over the native people of Bharat was the Sanathana Faith aspect.

Several deliberate hypothetical efforts were carried out by the colonizers to falsely project Sanathanam as uncultured, barbaric and negative to social equality. They also documented their false propositions and narrations. They used these documented materials as references to misguide people in the later years to make them feel that Sanathanam is discriminative in nature. Such created narratives were constructed deliberately to confuse the people, make them to abandon Sanathanam and adopt the new Faith which the Englishmen followed/ wished to impose. In simple words, the Britishers defamed Sanathanam and Gurukula system inorder to carryout religious conversion which was their political strategy to create more converted native bharathiya people loyal to their rule on the basis of religion.

            In this effort, the first thing the British colonizers strategized was to stop the Vedic education which had advanced terms of life, discipline, culture, and widely researched all-subject knowledge ranging from metallurgy, archery, health, architecture to astronomy, botany, administration, Yoga and Dharma Shastras. This could be achieved only by closing down the Gurukulas and starting the English Educational System.

            Even after Independence, the certain ideological narrative constructions left behind by the British to make people denounce Sanathanam continued through local organizations. The project of spreading false information about Sanathana Dharma across the nation and the world, in order to create negative image about Bharat which would aid their efforts to ‘Dismantle Hindutva,’ is unfortunately still continuing. False and construed information were and are still being conveyed to the general public about Gurukulas.

Myths about Gurukulas

            Some myths about Gurukulas and their counter arguments are as follows:

Myth #1: Sanskrit and Vedas were taught only to Brahmins.

Reply: Not true.

1. If Vedas were taught only to Brahmins, then how did Max Muller learn Sanskrit and Vedas? In fact, Max Muller was neither a Brahmin nor a Hindu. He was not even an Indian. He was a German born who lived in Britain. British Christian. When our Gurukulas had taught Vedas to a foreigner of another Faith, definitely there had been no restriction on basis of caste to learn in a Gurukula.
2. Vyasa Munivar’s mother was a fisherwoman.  Vyasa is said to have compiled the entire Vedas and segregated them into four classifications – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharvana Veda. Subsequently he got the name ‘Veda’ Vyasa.  The point here is, how Vyasa could have done these classifications without having knowledge of Sanskrit and without learning the Vedas? If only Brahmins were taught Vedas, how did Vyasa learn it centuries back?
3. Kambar was not a Brahmin. He learnt Sanskrit and eventually he was able to translate Valmiki’s Ramayan written in Sanskrit to Kamba Ramayana in Tamil. No one prevented Kambar from learning Sanskrit.
4. So, it is false proposition that only Brahmins were taught Sanskrit and Vedas in Bharat.

Myth #2: Gurukula Ashrams showed bias among students on basis of their status.

Reply: The King’s son i.e., the Prince and the servant’s son who learnt in the Gurukula were treated equally without any bias.

1. The Ashrams did not have servants to do the cleaning and other works. It was the pupils who did all the Ashram tasks.
2. Where the Gurukula Parampara (custom) was to beg alms for food and to go to the jungle, cut woods and bring them to the ashram for cooking food, even the Prince had to do these tasks. This can be seen in Ramayana where Guru Vashistha in whose Gurukula Ashram King Dasharatha’s sons –Shri Ram and his brothers got their education, were also sent for begging for food and cutting the woods from the jungle. This shows the sanskara – the customary discipline of the Ashram which has to be followed by all pupils, was abided by everyone irrespective of whether he was a Prince or others. 
3. Further, Vashistha Muni who also knew that Shri Ram was an Avatar of Bhagawan Vishnu, yet, he made him do those manual tasks because being born as a human and having entered the Ashram, the rule of the Ashram was uniform for all without any special privilege to any on the Ashram rules.
4. This substantiates the fact that Gurukulas did not discriminate pupils on basis of status.

Myth #3: Dhronacharya refused to teach Karnan because of his caste.

Reply: Untrue. The facts are that –

1. Karna learnt from two Gurus – Guru Dhronacharya and Guru Parashuram
2. Although Dhronacharya taught the various skills involved in Dhanur Veda, he did not teach the Brahmastra technique to Karna but taught it to Arjuna.
3. Dhronacharya not having taught the Brahmastra technique to Karna was not because of his caste but because of his ‘Swabhava’ – nature/temperament/ attitude.
4. It can be observed in the Mahabharatha that while Arjuna focussed on his learnings, Karna had a complex with Arjuna and always tried to outwit him. It was with the aim to defeat Arjuna that Karna wanted to learn the use of Brahmastra. 
5. Here, the Guru obviously has the discretion of whom to teach – the one who would use the Brahmastra for the general good of mankind or, to the one who wants to use it to attack an individual (Arjuna)?
6. Henceforth, Dhronacharya was not concerned about the caste of Karna but took into consideration the temperament of his student. 

Myth # 4: Gurukulas taught only to pupils from upper caste.

Reply: False allegation.

1. In ancient Bharat, there was no difference among castes. There was no concept of upper caste or lower caste. There was Varna System. Varna is not based on caste but on the attitude and occupation of the person. That means, any person of any caste can belong to any varna.
2. Person of any caste could learn in the Gurukula if they had the required aptitude to learn.
3. Education was free and hence money too was not the constraint to learn.  Guru Dakshina may be given after completion of the Ashram studies and it could be anything to the affordability of the students’ economical capacity. Guru Dakshina was not a compulsion to pay but an obligation of consideration realized by the pupil towards the teaching efforts of the Guru.
4. The son of a king and that of an ordinary person, all stayed in the Gurukulam without any difference. Together, they did all the domestic and outdoor works of the Ashram.
5. The learning prospect of the person was basically seen as the admission criteria in addition to other logical, ethical and practical factors. 
6. Palmistry and astrology played a vital role in determining whether the applicant has been bestowed by Nature the tendency to learn. The Guru generally would see if Vidya Rekha – the line of education was there in the palm of the person who wants to learn.
7. Here is the story of Panini. Panini was the son of a scholar. Legendary Tales and literatures say that when he was a child, a learned scholar saw the palm of Panini and said that he did not have the vidya rekha. Panini took a sharp object and made a deep-cut line on his palm at the place where the vidya rekha is supposed to be. This attitude of the child showed the immense inquisitiveness and urge to learn. This natural affinity towards education could not prevent the Guru from teaching this little aspirant. Panini did not stop with his entry into the Guru’s Ashram (Guru’s residence – the place of education). He did severe penance by meditating on Bhagwan Shiva and got His blessings.
8. Panini went ahead with his dedicated learning pursuits and advanced to the extent that his ‘Ashtadhyayi’ is addressed by theologists and experts as fundamental to the structure and linguistic expression of Bharathiya way of thinking beyond the didactic grammar aspect. 
9. In such rare cases where, beyond the palmistry and astrological predictions, where the determination and sincere efforts to learn were very strong, no force of Nature could prevent an aspirant from learning. Panini was blessed by Bhagwan Shiva and he became the greatest Sanskrit scholar, grammarian and philologist. Panini is known as the Father of Sanskrit.
10. Such sincere positive attitudes and interest to learn are yet other eligible criteria for a Guru to accept a person as his shishya (pupil) based on the numerical limits of intake and other Ashram criteria.
11. Therefore, Ancient Gurukulas never rejected students based on caste and also did not show preference to any selected caste. Persons of any caste could learn in the Gurukulas.

Myth #5: It was the British Colonizers who gave the opportunity of education to females in India. Gurukulas in Bharathiya society discriminated women education.

Reply: Not completely true.

1. If women received education only after the British came to Bharat in 1600, then in which Macaulay’s English education system of school did Andaal, Karaikaal Ammaiyar and Avvaiyaar, who lived in the Sangam Age learn, and wrote poetries containing high degree proficient use of language, grammar, poetic meter and devotion?
2. The British came to Bharat in 1600 and only after the Charter Act of 1813, English education system was gradually introduced.
3. In 1720s there was no Macaulay’s or British school of education in India. Then, from where did Rani Ahalya Bai Holkar learn martial arts and administration?
4. In ancient Bharat, girls were also given the freedom to learn. Girls were given equal education as that of boys.
5. After a certain age, the girls were given the discretion to decide whether they wanted to continue or discontinue education.
6. Ancient Gurukulas have given a number of well-educated female Vidhwans (philosophers) like Lopamudra, Gosha, Gargi, Apala, Siktha, Urvashi, Vishwavara, Saswati, Lilavati, Sulabha and Maitreyi.
7. There were also separate Ashrams for females.
8. Rishikas and Sadhvis existed in ancient Bharat.
9. A Brahmavadini is a female who is keen to learn Vedas. During the period of her Vedic learning, she undergoes the Upanayana ceremony of wearing the sacred thread and follows all the rituals that she ought to follow. A Bhrahmavadini can learn in her own house where the Guru may be her father. After completion of her Vedic studies, the female who lead the life of a Brahmacharini, can undergo the ‘Samavartana’ rites – like the modern days’ graduation ceremony. Thereafter, she may get married and enter into the Grihasthashram.
10. Later, with the incoming of invaders, there had been several threats to female by these strangers. Thereby, there was an eventual transformation in the social set-up whereby safety of female was prioritized over other aspects. Owing to the social changes during later part of later Vedic period through the medieval period, from ‘Brahmavadini’ to ‘Grihasthanis’ phase, female became direct ‘Sadyovadhus’ who were given in marriage without undergoing Vedic education which deteriorated the count of female education. 
11. The female Goddess Saraswathi is the embodiment of education and knowledge. Then, how could the soil of Bharat ignore education to female?
12. Therefore, women of ancient Bharat received Vedic education and other skills of their choice and aptitude in par with any male member of the society. Bharat has a number of highly intellectual and valorous females since ancient times.

The Forceful Closure of Gurukulas by British Colonial Laws

In 1792, Charles Grant in his essay “Observations on the State of Society among the Asiatic Subjects of Great Britain,” expressed the need to enhance missionary activities to establish English education in Bharat. This was later, in 1813, with the help of William Wilburforce brought in the missionaries and clubbed in the missionary activities with education.

In between 1800 and 1820, gradually the financial aids to run Gurukulas were reduced and became conditional. This forced close down of several Gurukulas.

Later, on the recommendation of Thomas Babington Macaulay, William Bentick issued the Orders on introduction of English education in colonial Bharat.

Since then, most Gurukulas saw its forceful close down by the British Colonizers and now it remains in just books and as a point of discussion with the false narratives like Gurukulas taught only students of Upper caste or that female were not allowed to learn, etc.

Conclusion

Knowledge is the base of civilization. It is the most heart breaking, unethical and sadistic attitude to destroy the age-old tradition of knowledge and learning at Gurukulas. Vedic form of education has been an excellent form of self-discipline, culture, humanity, ethics, values, moral responsibilities, devotion, ethics of application and dharma inclusive of the gaining of expertise in a wide range of subject knowledge. Revival of the Gurukula system of education would be the boon to the future generations and a tribute to all our Gurus and Vidhwans across ages.