CuarTer X EDUCATION IN THE EPICS The Epios as Sources of History. We shall now discuss the evidence of the Epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The value of the Epics as sources of history is somewhat affected by the uncertainty of the dates of the works in their present forms and the difficulty of distinguishing the various strata contributed in different periods to these composite literary structures. According to Hopkins, “ upon the original story, the Bharata, have been grafted many ‘secondary tales’ (upa- khydna), and upon these, and apart from these, have been inserted whole poems of romantic, ethical, and theological character, having nothing to do with the course of the Epic itself. We must, however, remember that our Epic has been enlarged in two ways : first, by a natural expansion of matter already extant ; secondly, by unnatural addition of new material. The twelfth book may serve asa type of the latter ; the eighth, of the former, Hopkins’s conclusion is that “even the modern Epic, the full completed work, is not as a whole unimportant in the elucidation of the customs of India in the Middle Ages, reaching back more than 2,000 years We may recall in this connection the references to the story of the two Epics in our earlier literature. Panini, as has been already indicated, mentions the word Mahabharata [vi, 2, 38] and the formation Yudhishthira [viii, 3, 95]. He also mentions Vasudeva and Arjuna as heads of sects [iv, 3, 98). But, as Hopkins points out, “ Panini’s evidence is negative, mentioning characters but not the poem by name.” By the time of Pataiijali, however, the Mahabharata, as a poem, must have existed, considering his references to some of its typical characters like Vasudeva and Valadeva, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Bhaimasenya who are mentioned as descendants of Vrishni and Kuru families [see the references given before]. Another early reference to the story of the two Epics is in the Kaufiliya which mentions how the two kings, Ravana and Duryodhana, came to grief for their sins, the former in not restoring another 325326 ANCIENT INDIAN EDUCATION man’s wife (paradaranaprayachchhan) out of conceit and the latter another man’s legal share of the kingdom [i, 6]. Their interest mainly military. The purely educational evidence of the Epics is, however, very meagre in comparison with the sizes of the works or the vast quantity of sociological data they furnish. This is of course due to the interest of the two Epics lying mainly in the realm of action and not in that of thought. The military interest of the Epics predominates over the intellectual. The predominant part in their history is also taken by the military and ruling caste. The bulk of the in- tellectual life of the country centred in the hermitages and homes of Rishis and Brahmins, which do not receive notice in the Epics except when they are connected with the course of their story. Meagre educational material. Nevertheless, we can wring out of such unpromising sources some quantity of interesting information bearing upon matters educational. There are some general discourses bearing on the duties of the first Asrama of life, the life of studentship. Secondly, there are accounts of some ideal students and schools or hermitages, the centres of learning in those days. Thirdly, there are accounts given of the education that was imparted to the princes or the children of the Kshatriya caste who were meant for the military and political career. Principles underlying Castes and Aéramas. If we may use a metaphor, the different ASramas or stages of life are mutually related in the same way as the bud, the flower, and the fruit. The tender youth is first subjected to a process of rigorous discipline and training the aim of which is to purge him of all the impurities and imperfections, physical and moral, which obstruct the free operation of the vital principles of growth of the individual. Thus endowed with a sound mind in a sound body, the budding youth blossoms into a noble manhood which then reproduces itself in the householder’s state and through the experience of an active life ripens into the fruit of mature wisdom and moral steadfastness which are dedicated in the third Agrama of life to the advancement not of the individual but the collective life. The Vanaprastha must detach himself from personal interests centring in his individual home and family. He must wander from home into homelessness, cut himself off from his old moorings of self-interest to sail on the open main towards the Universal and the Absolute, and feel that ‘one touch of Nature which makes the whole world kin”.EDUCATION IN THE EPICS 327, Thus the first period of life is that of preparation through education. But this means that we must know what it is a preparation for. The preparatory processes, the contents and methods of education, will thus vary with the ultimate ends in view. The education of the Brahmin is to be such as can prepare him for the duties and vocations laid down as legitimate for him. Similarly, the education of the Kshatriya, the Vaigya, and the Sidra, too, will have to be such as can fit each for his respective career in life, All education thus becomes in a sense vocational or practical. Duties of different Castes according to Mahabharata. The duties of the several castes which thus determine the kind of training suitable for them are laid down in some passages of the Mahabharata. One such passage has them as follows [xvi, 60] -— “ Self-control is the first duty of the Brahmanas. Study of the Vedas and patient practice of austerities are also their other duties. By practising these two, all their acts are done, “If, while engaged in the observance of his own duties, without doing any unlawful act, riches come to a peaceful Brahmana endued with knowledge, he should then marry and beget offspring and should also practise charity and perform sacrifices. He should also share the enjoyment of this wealth with the worthy. “ But by Vedic study alone will a Brahmana’s duties be done. ‘Whether he does anything else or not, he will be regarded as a true Brahmana, the friend of the universe.” Thus practically the life of a Brahmin is the life of study whereby he becomes the custodian of the nation’s culture to the promotion of which he has to consecrate his whole life. Regarding the duties of the Kshatriya, it is laid down that he “‘ should give but not beg ; should himself celebrate sacrifices but not officiate as a priest in the sacrifices of others; should never teach the Veda but study the same with a Brahmana teacher (dadyat na yacheta; yajela na yajayet ; nadhydpayeda- dhiyita) ; should protect his people, being always ready to kill robbers and show his mettle in battle ; for there is no higher duty of a Kshatriya than checking the wicked. While gifts, study, and sacrifices bring him prosperity, the Kshatriya who wishes for spiritual merit can realize it only by doing his duties as a warrior (rajfid vigeshena yoddhavyarh dharmamipsata). No true Kshatriya should leave a battle unscathed. The proper duty of a king is to defend his people and keep them to their