Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c6.s2.69

c6.s2.69

In other subjects, the practical course was left to be completed by the students themselves when they left their colleges. They wandered far and wide, acquiring all practical usages (*sabbasamayasippāni*) and understanding country observances (*desacārittam*).¹⁵ Princes had to demonstrate their technical knowledge before their fathers after returning home from Takkasilā, as we have seen before. “A practical turn was indeed given to all instruction as a pedagogic principle.” In addition to theoretical lectures and practical training, nature-study was sometimes insisted upon for those who were intellectually weak among students. An interesting example of this is furnished by the *Naṅgalīsa Jātaka*;¹ a world-renowned professor of Benares had 500 young Brāhmaṇas to instruct, one of whom had always foolish notions in his mind (*dandhabhāva*), and always said the wrong thing; he was engaged with the rest in learning the scriptures as a pupil, but because of his folly could not master them. The teacher was at pains to consider what method of instruction would be suitable for that ‘veriest dullard’ of all his pupils. And the thought came to him, that the best way was to question him on his return from gathering firewood and leaves, as to something he had seen or done that day, and then to ask what it was like. ‘For,’ thought the master, ‘this will lead him on to making comparisons and giving reasons, and the continuous practice of comparing and reasoning on his part will enable me to impart learning to him.’ But the experiment in the end failed, for the boy compared snake, the trunk of an elephant, sugar-cane, curd and milk, all to the shaft of a plough: