Discover the Ancient Indian Education System through the Vedas

Discover the Ancient Indian Education System through the Vedas

Table of Contents:

I. Introduction II. The Vedas A. Shruti B. Yazur Veda C. Samaveda D. Atharva Veda E. Vedangas F. Upavedas III. Smriti IV. Puranas V. Itihasa VI. Agamas VII. Siddhantam VIII. Importance of Samskritham IX. Conclusion

Article:

Introduction

India has been known as the land of knowledge for centuries. Even before the Islamic invasions and European colonization, India had an advanced education system that attracted travelers from all over the world. The ancient Indian education system was one of the most comprehensive and complex in the world, covering a diverse set of fields like mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy, astronomy, health sciences, linguistics, and many other branches of science and technology. In this article, we will explore the different scriptures that make up the ancient Indian education system and their significance.

The Vedas

The Vedas are the most ancient and sacred scriptures of India. They are divided into four parts: Rigveda, Yazur Veda, Samaveda, and Atharva Veda. The Vedas cover a diverse set of fields of education like mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy, astronomy, health sciences, linguistics, and many other branches of science and technology besides the theological concepts.

Shruti

Shruti is well known as the Vedas, and there are four of them. Rigveda means praise, a form of expressing gratitude. It explains about the various hymns praising the elements of nature and cosmos. Yazur Veda means worship. It explains about different procedures of worship of the nature and cosmos. Samaveda means song. It gives a music-driven canonical format to the other Vedas for ease of recitation. Atharva Veda means stable mind. It sets the rules for a steady state daily life activities that need to be observed in a Vedic culture.

All these four Vedas are not like any other four ordinary books. You will not understand a word of it unless you are blessed with a guru who can explain to you what each of these means. They are highly interconnected with each other. Further down, if we look into any of these four Vedas, it has four fundamental blocks: Arunika, Brahmana, Samhita, and Upanishad, supported by six external blocks: Siksha, Vyakarana, Chandus, Nirukta, Jyotisha, and Kalpa.

Yazur Veda

The Yazur Veda is one of the four Vedas and is also known as the Veda of sacrifice. It is divided into two parts: the Black and the White. The Black part deals with the rituals and ceremonies, while the White part deals with the philosophical and spiritual aspects of life.

Samaveda

The Samaveda is the Veda of music and is also known as the Veda of melodies. It is a collection of hymns and chants that are sung during the rituals and ceremonies. The Samaveda is considered to be the most musical of all the Vedas.

Atharva Veda

The Atharva Veda is the fourth and final Veda. It is a collection of hymns and chants that deal with the practical aspects of life. It deals with the daily activities of a person and provides guidelines for leading a healthy and prosperous life.

Vedangas

The Vedangas are six auxiliary disciplines that complement the knowledge framework of Vedas with different and intricate specializations. Each of these six Vedangas is called Siksha, Vyakarana, Chandus, Nirukta, Jyotisha, and Kalpa.

Upavedas

Each of the four Vedas has four Upavedas as an offspring. Ayurveda is the study of life sciences ascribing to Rigveda. Gandharva Veda is the study of music, art, and dance ascribing to Samaveda. Dhanurveda is the study of archery and warfare ascribing to Yazur Veda. Arthas astra is the study of business administration and political sciences ascribing to Adharvana Veda.

Smriti

Smriti is authored by the sages and saints who mastered Shruti, which is the Vedas, and brought in their experiences and revelations. It is much like a thesis that the sages on different branches of studies like theology, philosophy, science, etc. It completely subserves or ascribes to Shruti, which is the final authority. There are 18 such Smritis written by different rishis.

Puranas

Puranas are historical documents that often mistaken as mythology. The fact of the matter is it's a historical document that has a 10-dimensional feature. There are 18 such Puranas written by different rishis.

Itihasa

Itihasa means "this is how it happened." Of all the scriptures, Itihasas are the ones that Shaped up the ethos of India as we know today. There are only two Itihasas: Sri Ramayanam and Mahabharata.

Agamas

Agamas are treaties on theology, epistemology, and also describe the architectural principles of temple construction. There are 77 Shakthi Agamas, 28 Shivagamas, and 108 Vishnu Agamas.

Siddhantam

Siddhantam means principles, a set of principles in different fields of science and technology. In this category, we have a huge set of scriptures that are in the fields of science and technology.

Importance of Samskritham

The backbone for this entire education system is Samskritham. If we don't have the competence of Samskritham, all this knowledge system is good for nothing.

Conclusion

The ancient Indian education system was one of the most comprehensive and complex in the world. It covered a diverse set of fields of education like mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy, astronomy, health sciences, linguistics, and many other branches of science and technology besides the theological concepts. The scriptures that make up the ancient Indian education system are the Vedas, Smriti, Puranas, Itihasa, Agamas, and Siddhantam. The backbone for this entire education system is Samskritham.