Development Man is the most intellectual being in the creation. He is endowed with the power to receive knowledge, to think, to imagine, reflect & speculate about his past as well as his future. Down through the ages knowledge has been handed down from the matter of this master to discipline & this master to discipline & thus from generation to the next. In this hierarchy of education, the Vedas are the first to revealed, the other being evolved from them.
Max Muller said, " one thing is certain namely, that there is nothing more primitive more ancient that the rymus of the Rig Veda, whether in India or in whole Aryan world. Being Aryan in language they thought, the rig Veda is the most ancient of our books.
Vedic education is the mirror of all the edul. System of culture of India lies in the Vedas. There are four Vedas in number:
- Rig Veda
- Sam Veda
- Yajur Veda
- Athar Veda.
1). Source of light:- In Vedic period education Was considered as a source of light of illumination which enlightens an individual in all walks of life. It was only education that truth could be perceived & wisdom could be attained. Vedas where the source of all knowledge and man could understand Vedas. The person who does not have the light of education may be termed as blind.
2). Knowledge the third eye:- According to Vedas, education in knowledge. It is the man's third eye. It means that knowledge opens inner eye, flooding him with spiritual and divine life, which forms the provision for man's journey through life. Knowledge protects an individual like a mother, inspires him to follow the path of good conduct as a father does.
3). Agency of improvement:- The illumination as described will bring a complete change in the person & this change is for the better education makes us civilized, refined, polished & cultured. This transformation of a beast to cultured human being occurs because education teaches us to be neat & clean.
4). Not merely book learning:- Illumination is them contral concept of education. It does not mean that it has always to come from books. Thus education is not merely book learning.
Objectives of vedic education:-
In Vedic period, education has an idealistic form, in which the teachers laid stress upon worship of god, religiousness, spiritually, formation of character, development of personality, creation of an interest, for the development of culture, nation, and society. D.R Altekar writes, " the objectives of education in Vedic period where worship of god, a feeling for religion fulfillment of public & civic duties, an increase in social efficiency & protection & propagation of national culture." The prominent aim of Vedic education can be given as under:-
1). Physical and intellectual development:- people in vedic India believed that strong mind could only be in a strong body. So, a strong body was considered to be absolutely necessary in warldly as well as religious matter. Education was imported in the open & parnayan & Surya namskar were it's regular features. A student has to remain Bramhochari upto the age of twenty five. All through this period he had to lead to a very regular hard & disciplined life. This physical development was followed by intellectual development. A person who did not possess knowledge was considered to be blind intellectually knowledge of four Vedas. ( Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda, & Atharva Veda).
2). Religious & spiritually:-Besides physical & intellectual development, education, must develop moral & spiritual faculties. Religion has play a dominant role in the life of Indians. Education must make the students religious minded. They must also have a sense of piety. A spiritual atmosphere prevouled in the centre of education because of the presence of selfless, humble, religious minded, but talented teachers. During this period many hypothesis concerning spiritually took birth knowledge come to be seen as the instrument of salvation. Fire, sacrifices, fasting, taking of vocus became a part of life.
3). Emphasis upon knowledge & experiences:- The Gurkul's laid emphasis upon knowledge obtaining of experiences. During this period, the practice of distributing degrees did not exist. Students exhibited the knowledge obtained through discourses and discussions conducted in a concourse of scholars.
4). Sublimation of instinct:- Man is the virtual slave of the instincts embedded in his psyche, & when he is obsessed by his senses, he often adopts the wrong path. The objective of education was to sublimate these instinctive tendencies, to turn the mind away from material knowledge, & centre it upon the spiritual world, thus establishing control over materialistic & basic tendencies.
5). Preservation and spread of culture:- Vedic education also aimed at preserving & transmitting the best traditions of thought and actions, manners & vocations of the past.
6). Promotion of social efficiency happiness:- It also mind at promotion of social efficiency &happiness. Proper training was given to the rising generation in different branches of knowledge, professions & industries. Every individual was trained for the vocation, he was expected to follow so that he might became a socially efficient & useful person.
7). Development of character & personality:- Development of character & personality was another aim of Vedic Indian education. It was achieved through an appropriate environment, lessens on right conduct & teachings based on the life, character & ideals of great persons. Education aimed at developing the virtues of self - control, self - confidence, self - discipline, obidence, love, sympathy, co - operation, logical Judgment, fulfillment of social responsibilities & earning a livelihood.
8). Immediate and ultimate answer:- The immediate aim of education was to prepare the different castes of people for their actual needs of life. The ultimate of education in Vedic India was not knowledge as preparation for life in this world or life beyond, but for complete realization of self for liberation of the soul from letters of life, both present & future. The ultimate aim of human society of that age was the achievement of the absolute (brahama) education naturally was bound to be geared to that end. Achieving salvation was the ultimate aim of human life & this is the consequences of the real education.
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