What is Gurukul?
The name Gurukula comes from the Sanskrit guru, meaning "teacher," and kula, meaning "domain or extended family". In simple language, Gurukul is such a school, where the disciple gets education away from his family and stays with the Guru. We call such a school a Gurukul. The Guru of the Gurukulas was also called Acharya.
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| Ancient or Vedic Education System of Gurukul |
Gurukul was actually the home of the teacher or Acharya as well as the center of learning where the disciple resided till the completion of his education. Everyone in the Gurukul was considered equal and lived together without any discrimination.
Gurukulas, which we also call ashrams and which were also residential places of learning, were located in a quiet environment in a forest. Gurukulas were mostly named after sages. More than 100 disciples and Acharya or Guru lived together in a Gurukul.
Concept of Gurukulas
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| Gurukulas in Deeep Forest |
If we talk about the Vedic period, then education was done in Gurukulas (Gurukul means Guru's house). Today we will describe the Gurukul education system of the Vedic period and the concept of Gurukul.
1. In the Vedic period, whenever a boy or a girl was 7 years old, they were sent to a Gurukul for education. And till the end of the education, They had to remain in the Gurukul only.
2. Education in Gurukul was given till the age of 25 years. Till the age of 25 years, all the disciples were resided in Gurukul. In Gurukul, the disciples used to memorize the lessons which were taught to them verbally or through lecturers.
3. Gurukul was built in solitude away from dense forests and crowds so that there would be no hindrance in education and always focus on education. There was no difficulty even in memorizing the lessons in a calm environment.
4. The best thing about Gurukulas was that all the disciples were equal for the Guru and he always treated his disciples like his own children. They were given all kinds of education from the beginning till the end of the education.
5. All the work of Gurukuls was done with discipline. Every work had to be done together, sometimes the work was also given by distribution, in this every small and big work was included from cooking.
6. The last and most important thing is that after the completion of the education from gurukulas, every disciple had to give Guru Dakshina to the Guru.The good thing was that every disciple used to give according to his capacity, although there was no fixed. It is not necessary that it should be money, promise was also given in Guru Dakshina. which the disciples used to give to their teacher.
In Guru Dakshina, all ego, pride, knowledge, ignorance, position and power should be given at the feet of the Guru.
Importance of Gurukulas Education System
The main aim of every Gurukul was the all-round development of each disciple, which included physical, mental and spiritual development etc. The Gurukul system also focused on practical knowledge, which prepared students for all walks of life. They were taught every important value and idea, manners and rituals, which proved to be helpful in their future life.
Some importance of Gurukul Education System in Ancient Bharat
Today's formal and modern education system, no matter how developed it may be, there has been a lot of changing with the changing rules, but it is completely different from the Gurkul education system. Once upon a time, the Indian Gurukul system used to be the monopoly of education on India and its importance was many times more than today's modern education. And today's education system can learn a lot from this and there are many features of Gurukul education system which we cannot and should not ignore even today.
1. The knowledge of such education was given in Gurukul, which always had a positive impact on the society. Basic Roots of Sanskar, Etiquette Shlokas with their meaning and when and how to use them in life etc. Along with this, extra-curricular activities like sports, yoga were also included, so that both mind and health remain healthy.
2. Vedic period, Gurukul education or the background of Indian civilization are Vedas, through Vedas we have got the light of Indian civilization, culture and knowledge. And the most important thing is that the Acharyas of the Gurukul used to teach their disciples through the knowledge verses of the Vedas, that too in Sanskrit.
3. The main purpose of the Gurukul was to develop knowledge and to focus more on the education system, from the study of theology to the teaching of weapons was also given in Gurukuls.
4. More than 60 subjects were taught in Gurukulas, which included the main subjects Astronomy, Ayurveda (Medicine), Philosophy, Political Science, Economics, Religion, Yoga, Physical Education, Defense Studies, Mathematics, Archery, Scriptures, Vedas, etc.
Note:- There were no exams in Gurukul and no one failed
