History of India has a very rich tradition of learning and education since ancient times. The Gurukul system is one of the famous educational system. Which was practised in India since ancient times. let us find out more about it.
What is Gurukul System?
Gurukul System of education has been one of the sacred practice of preaching in India since ancient times. The word gurukul is a combination of the Sanskrit word’s guru (‘teacher’ or ‘master’) and kul (‘family’ or ‘home’). Therefore, it could be termed as a residential schooling system where the guru(master) and his shishya(students) live under the same roof and undergo a versatile development through time. This bond between the guru and shishya was so sacred that no fee was taken from the students. However, the student had to offer a gurudakshina as a token of respect to the teacher. It was mainly in the form of money or a special task that the student had to perform for the teacher as asked.
The main aim of Gurukuls was on imparting skills and knowledge to the students in an arrangement of natural surroundings where the shisyas bonded with each other through brotherhood, humanity, love, and discipline. The essential learnings revolved around subjects like language, science, mathematics through group discussions, self-learning etc. Not only this, but the focus was also given on arts, sports, crafts, singing that developed their intelligence and critical thinking. Activities such as yoga, meditation, mantra chanting etc were incorporated into their daily schedule to generate positivity and peace of mind. All these helped in the personality development and increased the confidence, sense of discipline, intellect, and mindfulness which is necessary for overall development.
Students were divided into three categories-
* Vasu- Those obtaining education up to the age of 24.
* Rudra- Those obtaining education up to the age of 36.
* Aaditya- Those obtaining education up to the age of 48.
And therefore, the prime purpose behind this system of education was to embrace the following aspects in the students-
* Self-control
* Character development
* Social awareness
* Personality development
* Intellectual development
* Spiritual development
* Preservation of knowledge & culture
In the ancient period, Gurukul used to be the prime center of learning, where Brahmachari Vidyarthi or Satyavasi Parivrajakas from far and wide went to complete their education. The Guru completed their psyche and intellectual rites, taught them all the scriptures and useful disciplines, and finally initiated and married them and sent them back to perform various duties of householders’ labor.
And hence, gurukul created individuals with strong perspective, character, and personality who mastered all trades to lead a great life ahead.