Part 1: Meaning Of Education

In the Harṣacarita, Bāṇa has depicted Harṣa’s reign revealing lots of sociocultural information of the contemporary society. Value of education and education system of that society are also delineated sufficiently in the Harṣacarita.

Education is one of the inevitable necessities of human race. The word ‘education’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘Educare’ which means ‘to bring up’ or ‘to develop’. So, the basic meaning of education is ‘to develop’ or so to say, upliftment of humane values. Through education we get acquaintance with the accumulated experiences of human life. It is very difficult to give a definite meaning of the term ‘education’. In Sanskrit, vidyā implies education, which comes from the Sanskrit root vid' meaning to know. It means knowledge, education, learning, science, lore, scholarship etc. The famous Indian classical poet Kālidāsa choose the term vidyā as the subject of study. According to him by practicing vidyā one can please others.^[1] In the age of the Mahābhārata it was unimaginable that there could be any education without moral, virtue and value.

Therefore, it was found in the Mahābhārata—

“Nothing gives us such unfailing insight as education.”^[2]

Some of the various definitions and its importance in human life as found in different Sanskrit books are given bellow-

[a]. In the Yājñavalkyasmṛti, it is stated that “Education is that which makes man assume good characters and useful to the society.”^[3]

[b]. According to the Arthaśāstra “Education means training for the society and love for the nation.”^[4]

[c]. According to Śaṅkarācārya “Education is the self realization.”^[5]

When one reviews these various meanings of the word ‘Education’, one finds that education is a complex idea.

The Indian concept of education is well summarized by the University Education Commission or Rādhakrishnan Commission 1948-49 as—

“Education according to Indian tradition is neither merely a means of earning livelihood nor is it only a nursery of thought or, a school for citizenship. It is initiation into the life of spirit, a training of human souls in the pursuit of truth and practice of virtue. It is a second birth (dvitiyam janam).”^[6]

Again, according to Ānundoram Borooah, the famous composer of English-Sanskrit Dictionary, Education means saṃskāraḥ, which has been given by (your) father with great care.^[7] According to the famous Dictionary Biśvakoṣa-śikṣā is a part of Veda.^[8] The most common Indian word śikṣā is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root śās' which means ‘to control’, ‘to discipline’, ‘to instruct’ or ‘to teach’.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

vidyāmabhyāsaneneva prasādayitumarhasi, Raghuvaṃśam,1.88

[2]:

nāsti vidyā samaṃ cakṣur…., Mahābhārata,XII.339.6

[3]:

karmaṇā manasā vācā yatnāddharmaṃ samācareta, asvargyaṃ lokaviddhiṣṭam dhannamapyacarenna tu. Yājñvalkyasmṛti,I.153

[4]:

catastra eva vidyā iti kautilyaḥ| tamabhidharmārtho yadavidyātvadvidyānaṃ vidyātvam. Arthaśāstra,III. p.12

[5]:

ātmāsākṣātakāraḥ,—Brahmasūtra Śāṅkarābhāṣya.

[6]:

The Report of the University Education Commission, (Dec.1948-Aug.1949) Vol. I, p.38, 1^st edn.,

[7]:

pitā mahatā prayatnen samāropitā saṃskāraḥ, English Sanskrit Dictionary, p.230

[8]:

vedāṅgaśāstraviśeṣaḥ, Viśvakoṣa,p.356