Indian higher education system, which includes technical education is one of the largest in the world, just after the United States and China. Ancient education system has been very wide in India. In ancient times, there were two education systems, such as ‘Vedic’ and ‘Buddhist’. Nididhyasana: Meaning comprehension of truth and apply it into real life. The second method of teaching was ‘Chintan’ (thinking). So the primary subject of education was the mind itself. Knowledge was divided into two broad streams as given below.
1. The Paravidya: The higher knowledge and the spiritual wisdom.
2. The Aparavidya: The lower knowledge and the secular sciences. ‘Brahm Sangh’ was the opportunity for students to acquire
higher knowledge. Education would start at the age of five with a ceremony called Vidyarambha, where it includes learning the alphabets and worshipping goddess Saraswathi. In the new home of Guru, he had a second birth and was called Dvijya or twice born. The Upanayana ceremony would start between the ages of eight to twelve years. They identified their duty with devotion to the ideal of ‘summum bonum’ of mankind. Rig veda: It is the earliest work of all Indo-European languages and humanity that comprises ‘Plain Living’ and ‘High Thinking’. Women sages were called Rishikas. Sama veda: The Sama Veda is a collection of verses from the Rig Veda for liturgical purposes. Liturgical is the participation of people in the work of God. The Rig Veda is a collection of 1028 hymns. The word Veda means knowledge and are nitya (routine). They are basic to life and four in number: Yajur veda: It is the collection of prose mantras, though the duty of chanting the hymns on the occasion of sacrifice was mainly undertaken by the Hotri, the first order of priesthood. The majority of mantras have not been adapted from the Rig Veda. The Atharva Veda is thoroughly secular in character containing a vivid description of various arts and sciences. Atharva Veda was also recognized, where it is more original in contents. Vedas can be divided into the following two parts.
1. The early vedic (1500–1000 BCE) when most of the Rig Vedas were composed.
2. The later vedic (1000–600 BCE) when remaining
Vedas were composed. Smritis were written for proper guidance of life. The Sutra period was identical with that of Upanishad period. The period of the Vedic literature was followed by that of Sutra literature, between 600 BC and 200 BC. Nalanda and Takshila developed into Universities of International importance. They were managed on the basis of democratic principles. The main subjects or topics of study in Buddhist system of education were three Pitakas (Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma), works of all the eighteen schools of Buddhism, Hetu-vidya, Sabda-vidya, Chikitsa-vidya, etc.
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