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Gurukula system is the unique system of education which is believed to be formed during the vedic period. This system was prevalent in India for many centuries until it was substituted by the Buddhist mode of education. In this system the pupil stayed with the family of the Guru or preceptor and received education from him. During the ancient time the pupil sat at the feet of the teacher and closely observed his instructions. and listened to his advice. He was inspired to lead an unsophisticated and honest life. In addition to his Vedic studies, he acquired fairly practical knowledge of the world from the gurukula. The pupil staying with his teacher naturally imbibed the good qualities through imitation. The teacher was a symbol of knowledge and moral life. The study of the Vedas was an integral part of gurukula education. Vedic education was considered as the greatest gift and its ultimate aim was to enlighten the pupil about the divine order. Vedas were transmitted

14 from the Guru to Sisya orally. The methods of recitation and memorizing the text by repetition were very important. The ancient Indian education emerged from the Vedas because the Vedas are the sources of ancient Indian religion. No recorded history of Indian education is traceable before the Rgveda. The Vedic knowledge was directly heard from the lips of the teacher and committed to memory. Hence it was referred as 'Sruti' or the heard. It is believed that during the early Vedic period the division of society into four varnas was not so much rigid as it was in the later times. Therefore, people from all varnas were permitted to learn the Vedas. Later when the society became more and more rigid and hierarchical the lower segment (sudras) were denied of the right for Vedic education and only the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas held the privilege of entry into the vedic lore. For the pupil who came from these three varnas, the home of the preceptor served as the institution where they lived after the Upanayana or initiation ceremony. The teacher would, in place of the father, discharge the duties of guardian who shouldered the responsibility of his wards maintenance. The pupil was eligible for admission to the preceptor's house only on the basis of his moral fitness and unimpeachable conduct. The vow of brahmacharya or celibacy was compulsory. Though a married youth was entitled to get education, he was not admitted as a residential

15 pupil. It was the sacred duty of the pupil to serve his preceptor. Being a residential pupil, he would look to the comforts of his Guru and assist him in domestic works. He pledged devotion to him in thought, speech and deed, and worshipped him as his own father or god. Pupils who neglected their duties towards the preceptor or who violated the disciplinary rule, were debarred from education and expelled from the institution.4 It is a point worth marking that the varna system, that is the division of the entire society into four major caste groups was prevalent in the Rgvedic age. But as noted earlier its rules were not very rigid and inflexible. It must however be noted that the seers and hermits were mainly Brahmanas. On the other hand Tapas or asceticism was a means. to attain religious merit. A number of Ksatriya Kings such as Ambarisha, Trasudasya and Sibi etc, attained to the status of the Rsi only through their Tapas. Women too were allowed to participate in sacrificial rites. They were called Rsikas or Brahmavadinis. The name of such women sages as Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru are given in the tenth Mandala. Savitri, Urvasi and Devayani figure in all the four Vedas. The Atharvaveda contains a detailed account of education prescribed for the Brahmacari. The ancient people divided life into four stages or Asramas: Brahmacarya, Garhastya, Vanaprasta, and Sanyasa. The stage of brahmacarya begins with the ceremony of Upanayana for the

16 study of Veda. According to Atharvaveda pupil at this time stays with his preceptor for three days. Thus he, initiated to a second birth by his Guru, emerges in the form of dvija, the twice born. The discussions above proves that the gurukula system of education existed during the Vedic period. During the Post Vedic Period (1000 BC to 600 BC), the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanisads are the main sources that acquaint us with the Vedic education and civilization. These religious and philosophical literature was mainly the outcome of a superb gurukula system of education. The increase in Vedic rituals and the growth of different types of worship and philosophical discourses helped the intensification and propagation of post vedic education. The oral tradition of the Vedas, continued, and the Brahmanas and Upanisads and the six vedangas were also learned by the students directly from the gurus. The post vedic system of education was influenced by Sakhas, Kulas and Gotras and supplemented by Parisads and Caranas.* 5 The system of gurukula flourished in the asramas of great sages who lived outside the city or village, probably in the forest areas or on the banks of rivers.