DEVELOPMENT OF

PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION IN INDIA
Chapter 5
Ashtavakra Gita and Janaka
 Yesterday,
I lived bewildered,
In illusion.
But now I am awake,
Flawless and serene,
Beyond the world.
From my light
The body and the world arise.
 So all things are mine,
Or nothing is.
Now I have given up
The body and the world,
I have a special gift.
I see the infinite Self.
 As a wave,
Seething and foaming,
Is only water
So all creation,
Streaming out of the Self,
Is only the Self.
Consider a piece of cloth.
It is only threads!
So all creation,
When you look closely,
Is only the Self.
 Like the sugar
In the juice of the sugarcane,
I am the sweetness
In everything I have made.
When the Self is unknown
The world arises,
Not when it is known.
 But you mistake
The rope for the snake.
When you see the rope,
The snake vanishes.
 My nature is light,
Nothing but light.
When the world arises
I am alone am shinning.
When the world arises in me,
It is just an illusion:
Water shimmering in the sun,
A vein of silver in mother-of
pearl,
A serpent in a strand of rope.
From me the world streams out
And in me it dissolves,
As a bracelet melts into gold,
A pot crumbles into clay,
A wave subsides into water.
 I adore myself,
How wonderful I am!
I can never die.
The whole world may perish,
From Brahma to a blade of grass
But I am still here.
 Indeed how wonderful!
I adore myself.
For I have taken form
But I am still one.
Neither coming or going,
Yet I am still everywhere…
 I am the infinite ocean.
When thoughts spring up,
The wind freshens and like waves
A thousand worlds arise.
 But when the wind falls,
The trader sinks with his ship.
On the boundless ocean of my
being.
 He founders,
And all the worlds with him.
But how wonderful!
I am the unbounded deep
In all living things
Naturally arise,
Rush against each other playfully,
And then subside.

-Ashtavakra Gita
5.1. DEVELOPMENT OF
PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION IN INDIA
5. 2. DEVELOPMENT OF
EDUCATION DURING
DIFFERENT PERIOD
5.1. DEVELOPMENT OF
PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION IN INDIA
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ The fundamental principle of education is to understand the truth for
oneself.
◦ Philosophy is to realize that all truth comes from reality.
◦ Indian education is highly influenced by the philosophy in different times.
◦ It was a rich tradition of learning and education from the ancient time.
◦ The education system in ancient India was very rich in terms of terms of
human development and contributed to the growth of Indian civilization.
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ The classical name for India which is used in Sanskrit literature is
Bharata-Vasha or Bharata-Khanda
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ Manu’s name for the whole central region is Aryavarta
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ Another name for the whole of India is Jambur-Dvipa
◦ The great Aryan which migrated from Central
Asua, through the mountain passes into India.
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ The Greeks gave the name Indu to the whole country
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ Country of the Spirit ever expanded in extending circles,
Brahmarshidesa, Brahmavarta, Aryavarta, Bharatvarsha, or
Jambudvipa, Suvarnabhumi and even a Greater India beyond its
geographical boundaries.
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ The foundation of Indian education has been lain on the bedrock of
spiritual truths of Veda
◦ Vedic knowledge has built up the thought and civilization of India
◦ The individual’s supreme duty is thus to achieve his expansion into the
Absolute, his self-fulfillment, for he is a potential God, a spark of the
Divine.
5.1. Development of Philosophy of Education in
India
◦ Education must aid in this self-fulfillment, and not in the acquisition of
mere objective knowledge
◦ As India progressed from ancient to medieval, and from medieval to
modern, its education system was influenced by different aspects of
philosophy as prevailed during those periods.
5.2. Development of Education during Different
Period
◦ Ancient Period
◦ Medieval Period
◦ Modern Period
5. 2. DEVELOPMENT OF
EDUCATION DURING
DIFFERENT PERIOD
ANCIENT PERIOD
Ancient Period

◦ It was around 1500 BC, when the Aryans settled in Gangetic valley
more elaborate system of education got evolved.
◦ The Hindu religion also evolved at this time and the compilation of
Vedas took place.
◦ Initially the four Vedas were orally passed on from one generation to
the other, but later they were written down.
◦ It was the knowledge of acoustics that enabled ancient Indians to orally
transmit the Vedas from generation to generation.
Ancient Period
◦ The Rig Veda, the main religious and socio-economic text of Hindus was
written between 1300 and 1100 BC
◦ Institutional form of imparting learning came into existence in the early
centuries of the Christian era
◦ The approach to learning was to study logic and epistemology
◦ The entire structure of Vedic education is built on eternal truths, the
findings of Rishis, saints, sages or seers
◦ That is the reason why this structure has lasted through scores of centuries.
Ancient Period

◦ Vedic philosophy influenced religious knowledge as well as various

practical aspects of life, from daily habits, to health, human relations,
social sciences, art, music etc.
◦ During Vedic period, education aimed at developing the body and mind
for the purpose of self-realization as well as God-realization
VEDIC EDUCATION
SYSTEM
Ancient Period

◦ Vedic education system was shaped by the Vedic philosophy

◦ Became the common fountainhead of both philosophy and education
◦ Knowledge of the four Vedas such as Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda,
and Atharvaveda, along with the knowledge of Shruti, Smriti
◦ Provided an individual, with new knowledge which broadened
intellectual horizon.
Ancient Period

◦ According to Upanishads, truth is the knowledge

◦ They maintained that one cannot attain salvation through worldly
knowledge because through this, one becomes involved in illusion or
“maya”.
◦ They emphasized the importance of proper education
Ancient Period

◦ The sages and seers imparted education through

◦ Four Vedas
◦ Six Vedangas
◦ Dasa Granthas
◦ Fourteen Vidyas
◦ Sixty-four Kala
◦ Eighteen Silpas
Ancient Period

◦ The two epic poems, Mahabharata and Ramayana

◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXz0mggaAw4
Ancient Period

◦ According to Upanishads, truth is the knowledge

◦ They maintained that one cannot attain salvation through worldly
knowledge because through this, one becomes involved in illusion or
“maya”.
◦ They emphasized the importance of proper education
Ancient Period
◦ Education in Ancient India originated with Gurukul system
◦ It was residential in nature with Shishyas or students and the Guru or teacher living
in proximity
◦ The training of the students took place at home of Brahmin teacher
◦ Education in ancient India emphasized on three simple process
◦ Sravana – was listening to truths as they fell from the lips of the teacher
◦ Manana – implies that pupil has to think out for himself the meaning of lessons
imparted to him orally by his teacher so that they assimilate fully
◦ Nidhidhyasan – complete comprehension by the pupil of the truth
Ancient Period

◦ Family functioned as a domestic school, Ashrama or a hermitage

◦ First lesson was taught to the student was performance of Sandhya and
also the reciting of Gayantri mantra
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRYn1cQbjSs
Ancient Period

◦ Education was treated as a matter of individual concern not a method

of mass production
◦ Thinking principle or Manana Shakti was reckoned as most important
education in ancient India
◦ Training of the mind and the process of thinking were essential for the
acquisition of knowledge
◦ Hence primary focus of education was the mind itself
Ancient Period

◦ Pramana or means of reliable knowledge

◦ Nya schools upheld four Pramanas
◦ Perceptions
◦ Analogy or comparison
◦ Word (Sabda
◦ Pronunciation of Vedas as reliable knowledge
◦ Later on added one more intuition
Ancient Period
◦ Ancient Indian education system and conceded that the world is more complex and subtle
than we think
◦ The system of education was well-organized
◦ It was suited to the needs of the society education of personality of an individual to his
maximum extent
◦ At the Gurukul, the teacher imparted knowledge of religion, scriptures, philosophy
literature warfare, statecraft, medicine, astrology and history.
◦ The teaching methods used during the Vedic period were reasoning and questioning.
Nothing was labeled as the final answer.
◦ Education was free but sometimes the students from wealthy families paid Gurudakshina
Ancient Period
◦ Buddhist philosophy emerged as new doctrine
◦ It embraced simple core concepts like knowledge, wisdom renunciation
salvation etc.
◦ Buddhism in India dawned the golden age of India’s culture and civilization
◦ Education became available to everyone which led to the establishment of
some world famous educational institutions in India.
◦ Almost all the aspects of life such as phonetics, arts, literature, medicine,
polity, metrics, law, philosophy, astrology or astronomy were arranged in
logical order
MEDIEVAL PERIOD
Medieval Period
◦ India bore the imprints of unmistakably Islamic influence
◦ They brought with them their own culture and intermingled with the local people.
◦ Islam played an important role in developing every individual to be successful in
realizing the very purpose of man’s creation.
◦ The holy Qur’an began to revealed, the first word of its verse was ‘Iqra’ that is
read
◦ The starting point of every human activity and life-long process of
teaching/acquiring/learning knowledge
◦ It shaped beliefs, values, attitudes, manners and skills
Medieval Period
◦ In 11th century, the Muslims established elementary and secondary schools.
◦ They founded primary schools, known as maktabs, in which students
learned reading, writing, and basic Islamic prayers
◦ Secondary schools are known as madrasas.
◦ Teaching advanced language skills
◦ Several madrasas were set up by sultans, nobles, and their influential ladies
Medieval Period
◦ Akbar’s commendable contribution to the field of education in the Ain-in-
Akbar
◦ Provides valuable information on the system of instruction, curriculum,
methods of teaching etc.
◦ They endowed with the funds and patronized the men of learning
◦ Overtly Verdic philosophical approach gave way to rational education.
◦ With both Islamic and Vedic institutions, education became was widespread
and it witnessed a confluence of two cultures.
MODERN PERIOD
Pre-Independence
◦ The present of education was introduced and founded by the British in the
20th century
◦ Th British government did not recognize the traditional structures and so
they have declined it
◦ Gandhi described the traditional education system as a beautiful tree which
was destroyed during the British rule
◦ Hindus and Muslims were educated through Pathsala and Madrassa
respectively
Pre-Independence
◦ British Civilians were taught Indian languages, laws, customs, religion,
geography
◦ Baptist Missionary William Carey came to India in the year 1793 A.D.
◦ By their enthusiasm many primary schools came up in nearly places
◦ Lord Willia Bentinck (1828-1835 A.D.) there was change in government’s
education policy
◦ He appointed Thomas Babington Macaulay
◦ Macaulay presented a proposal of advancement of English education in
1835 A.D.
Pre-Independence
◦ Lord Macaulay clearly said that “we must at present do our best to form a
class, who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we
govern; a class of persons, Indians in blood and color, but English in taste, in
opinions, in morals and in intellect.”
Pre-Independence
◦ This was implemented forward through Wood’s Despatch of 1854, known as
Magna-Carta of Indian education
◦ The main purpose was to prepare Indian Clerks for running local
administration
Pre-Independence
◦ The native educational philosophy tried to perpetuate itself almost as
counterpoint to western education
◦ Various experiments were made by native education philosophy like Basic
Education, Vishwa Bharati, Aurobindo Ashram, Gurukul Kangri and
Banasthali Vidyapeeth etc…..
Post-Independence
◦ Government decided to provide free and compulsory education to all
children up to the age of 14
◦ Government implemented the recommendations of Kithari Commission
under ‘National Policy of Education’ in 1968
◦ Introduction of new pattern of education, three language formula,
introduction of regional language in higher education development of
agricultural and industrial education and adult education.
Post-Independence
◦ The National Policy on Education, 1986 and the Programme of Action
(POA) 1992 envisage free and compulsory education of satisfactory quality
for all children below 14 years before the 21st Century
◦ Universalization of primary education, vocationalization of this policy.
◦ National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) at National
level and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) at
state level were established to maintain the standard of higher education
Thank you!