An Overview of the Indian Education System: From Its Religious Roots to Its Present Incarnation

Abstract

In ancient India, the spiritual, social and cultural hegemony of the Brahmanical order was based on its control over sacred knowledge deriv- ing from the Vedas. Manu, the lawgiver of ancient India, proclaimed in Manusmriti, his definitive text on “dharma,” that the consequence of the giver of knowledge is higher than that of the givers of life, i.e. the parents.¹ To cement the master’s paternalistic relationship with his stu- dent, Vedic tradition dictated that a student should live in the guru’s ashram or “gurukul” during the period of his Brahmacharya (the celi- bate life of a student).² This ensured that the teacher was responsible for every aspect of his disciple’s life.