प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

1] THE CONCEPTION AND IDEALS OF EDUCATION 9 inculcation of civic and social duties, promotion of social efficiency and the preservation and spread of national cul- ture may be described as the chief aims and ideals of ancient Indian education. Let us now see what were the views of our educationalists about each of them. Infusion of Piety and Religiousness: Religion played a large part in life in ancient India and teachers were usually priests. It is therefore no wonder that infusion of a spirit of piety and religiousness in the mind of the rising generation should have been regarded as the first and foremost aim of education. The rituals which were performed at the beginning of both the literary and professional education,—primary as well as higher,—the religious observances (vratas), which the student had to observe during the educational course, the daily prayers which he offered morning and evening, the religious festivals that were observed with eclat in the school or the preceptor's house almost every month,—all these tended to inspire piety and religiousness in the mind of the young student. It was the spiritual background that was thus provided which was expected to help the student to withstand the temptations of life. The very atmosphere, in which he lived and breathed, impressed upon him the reality of the spiritual world and made him realise that though his body may be a product of nature, his mind, intellect and soul belong to the world of spirit, the laws of which ought to govern his conduct, mould his character and determine the ideals of his life. Limitations on Religiousness: Though the edu- cational system thus provided the background of piety and religiousness, its aim was not to induce the student to renounce the world and become a wanderer in the quest of God like the Buddha or Tulsidas. Even in the case of Vedic students, who intended to follow a religious