The Gurukul system of Education, Concept of ‘Guru’ of the Yore

The Gurukul system of Education

Concept of ‘Guru’ of the Yore

 

    In ancient India, there was a Gurukul System. The student was required to stay with the Guru for the specified period of study. Guru’s ashram was a kind of

boarding school. Every one, irrespective of richness or higher status, lived together, was treated same even princes stayed with poor in the Gurukul, like Krishna and Sudama. Education in Gurukul was free. But to support the Gurukul, everyone had to beg alms-  माधुकरी (Madhukari), which taught them humility indebtedness to society for supporting them as student. Also, it helped in minimizing caste hierarchy, and treating all the students equal.   
     Guru was the head of Gurukul, a father figure, parent and guardian of the inmates. He taught students without charging any fees. For Guru, charging fees was a taboo. He considered विद्दादान (Vidyadan) as the best दान (Dan), and condemned the very idea of selling knowledge. The Gurukuls were supported by the donations from kings, philanthropists, and rich of the society, and the Gurudakshina (offerings of the students as parting gift to Gurukul at the end of the study). It was enough to support ashram and inmates as they practiced austerity and no accumulation of wealth was permitted.
    Only a real scholar, proven master, spiritually enlightened person, was recognized, appointed, and respected as Guru. As you know, India has a very old गुरूसिष्य

(Guru Shishya) tradition. For his self less service, teacher, the Guru, was held teacher taught in a very high esteem by the society and was respected by even kings. He was revered more than parents and enjoyed a unique status, even higher than that of gods:

                    Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Gururdevo Maheshwara! :

                   Guru Sakshat Parambrahma Tasmai Shree Guruve Namah!!

      The Guru was an epitome of good qualities of head, heart and hand, spirituality, knowledge, scholarship. A true teacher was supposed to be a student till the end of his life*. It is like our concept of L3 teacher- a lifelong learner. He was “Guide by the side”, not the “Sage on the stage.”

    Gurus were an institution by themselves- famous for their scholarship and sacrifices. The students all over the world used to get attracted to reputed Gurus in India. When the number of students was large, the Gurus involved senior or brilliant students in the management of teaching learning process. This provided the much needed assistance to Guru in his work, and also provided teacher training,

opportunity for learning art of teaching to prospective teachers, under the direct supervision of guru. Sneh monitorial system is a contribution of ancient Indian education system to induct pupils, either son of the teacher or older senior abler student as teachers. Later, during Manu’s period, when caatuva-Nya (Chaturvarnya) became social order, anyone, born Brahmin, became Guru whether scholarly or not. Father will teach and train son as a teacher. Teaching became a family profession of Brahmins only.

Role and Responsibilities of Guru

   In those days, Guru had to perform variety of roles for the students like parent,bteacher, scholar, missionary, a friend-philosopher and a guide. He was to pay personal attention to the needs of the students. It was a responsibility of Guru to see that the student develops, makes progress to the satisfaction of Guru as well as to his own satisfaction. There used to be very intimate relationship between teacher and the taught-like father and son. Teaching method was oral interaction- a dialogue between teacher and the taught. Lectures, discourses, a debates and discussions, recitation and recapitulation were

part of routine daily student life. Assessment was continuous comprehensive assessment internally conducted by Guru. There were no terminal examinations, no degree-certificates, but announcing by the Guru in the convocation that the

student has graduated after completion of the stipulated studies. Guru would present the qualified student to a gathering of learned people who may ask questions, or the student would be asked to contest in debate and prove himself. Then the student would be known for his mastery over the subject and accepted as a scholarly person.

     Autonomy of the learner was respected. Student was free to choose the Guru and the subject of study. At the same time, it was a prerogative of the Guru, the teacher, whether to accept the student (Shishya) or not.

    You will find that the educational institutions were formally got established in the form of centers for higher learning during Buddhist period in monasteries

and temples. These places developed into big establishments during King Asoka’s times as counterpart of Hindu Gurukuls. They became residential universities; clusters of teachers / gurus and students living and working together in pursuit of

knowledge. They engaged themselves in creation, conservation and dissemination

of knowledge-three functions of modern university – teaching, research and extension. Admissions were through the entrance test, very hard one at well known places of higher education like, Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Vallabhi, Nadia, Kanchi, Banaras, etc. These centers attracted students from all over India and even abroad.

    Gurukula continued imparting instruction in individual capacity not as anVinstitution. Like pathshalas, during the medieval period, maqtabs for  education and madarashas for higher education, were established in the mosques

for imparting religious Islamic education - part of holy Koran - to Muslim children by the Mullahs and Moulawis. This arrangement continued till the East India

Company entered India and established itself as a controlling authority in many regions.