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

68 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch. childhood and adolescence, which were expected to be of good use to them throughout their life. And finally students were to attend their classes regularly, listen to lectures attentively and master and digest carefully all that was taught before the school met the next day. How far Relaxation was Permitted: Of the above rules, those relating to religious duties and moral behaviour, were particularly emphasised and strictly enforced; modifications however were permitted in the case of the rest, if demanded by special circumstances. Thus the prohibition against the use of shoes and um- brellas was not rigorously enforced in ancient India as in ancient Sparta; the idea was that students should not be so soft as to require these articles when moving about on good roads in villages and towns¹ under normal circum- stances. Students going to thorny forests in search of the sacred fuel (samidhs) or undertaking a long journey to distant places like Taxila over the burning plains of northern India², were permitted the use of both the shoes and umbrellas. Similarly occasional exceptions were permitted in the case of the use of sweetmeats, when students were invited to some religious function or feast like a Śrāddha. The use of oils was permitted in some localities once a week probably after the shave³. Cots also were probably permitted in swampy or snake-infested areas. Were Rules of Discipline unreasonable? : The rules of discipline were on the whole reasonable for the age. They were intended to infuse piety, teach manners, 1 Cf. न ग्रामोपानहौ। Dr. G. S. II. 5. 2 See Tilamutthi Jātaka, No. 252, where students coming to Taxila from Benares are seen to be equipped with shoes and umbrellas. 3 Such was the case in the college at Tirumukhudal in the 11th century A. D.; see E. I, XXI. p. 223.