History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c24.s1.221

v2.c24.s1.221

We saw above (p. 321) that the instruction was entirely oral. The first thing that was taught to the boy was the praṇava and the vyāhṛtis and the Gāyatrī. Then the boy was to be taught other parts of the Veda. It is desirable to set out briefly the method of teaching the Veda followed in ancient times. The Śāṅ. gṛ. (IV. 8) describes the method as follows: the teacher sits facing the east or north, while the other (i. e. the student) sits to his right facing the north or two students may sit in that way; but if there are more than two they should sit as the available space will allow.⁷⁸³ The student should not sit on a high seat before the teacher nor on the same seat with him; he should not stretch out his feet, nor should he sit seizing his knees with his arm, nor should he lean against a support, nor should he place his feet on his lap nor should he hold his feet like an axe. After the student utters ‘Recite, Sir,’⁷⁸⁴ the teacher should urge him to pronounce ‘*oṁ*’; the other (i. e. the student) should reply ‘*oṁ*’. Thereafter he (the student) should recite continuously. After reciting he should clasp the teacher's feet and say ‘we have finished, Sir’ and go away to his business. Some teachers say that the teacher should say ‘Leave, let us stop’. In the Ṛk Prātiśākhya,⁷⁸⁵ 15th paṭala, there is a description of the method of teaching the Veda, which closely agrees with the above quotation from the Śāṅ. gṛ. It adds that the teacher may also sit facing the north-east. When the teacher recites two words or more, the first pupil (to the right of the teacher) repeats the first of the two or more words and the other pupils repeat the rest afterwards. The teacher recites one word if it is a compound, two words if they are un-compounded; the teacher also clearly explains how to recite the words if there is any difficulty; in this way the whole *praśna* is finished and all the pupils repeat again the whole of it. A praśna generally has three mantras and each adhyāya has about sixty praśnas. Manu (II. 70-74) also prescribes certain rules: the student should sip water (*ācamana*) when about to begin Vedic study, should face the north, should fold both hands⁷⁸⁶ together (and place them on his knee), should wear light (pure) clothes, should at the beginning and end of Vedic study clasp the feet of the teacher with crossed hands and should touch the right foot of the teacher with his own right hand and left foot with the left hand, should repeat 'om' at the beginning and at the end of Vedic study. The teacher should say to the pupil 'repeat' and should stop from teaching with the words 'let there be a pause'. Gaut. (I. 49-58) gives similar rules. The Gopatha Br. I. 31 uses the expression 'sarve vedā mukhato gṛhītāḥ', which is current even in modern times (it means all Vedas were committed to memory by word of mouth).