Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s2.266

v2.c4.s2.266

It is assumed in the Gṛhya Sūtras that the three Āryan castes were all required to pass through a period of studentship. But that this is much more than priestly schematism is uncertain. No doubt individuals of the Kṣatriya or Vaiśya caste might go through part of the period of studentship, just as Burmese boys of all classes now pass some time in a monastery as students. This is borne out by the reference in the Atharvaveda¹⁷ to the king guarding his country by Brahmacarya—though that is susceptible of a different interpretation—and more clearly by the reference in the Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā¹⁸ to a rite intended to benefit one who, although not a Brahmin, had studied (vidyām anūcya), but had not gained renown, and by references in the Upaniṣads to kings who like Janaka studied the Vedas and the Upaniṣads.¹⁹ Normally, however, the Kṣatriya studied the art of war.²⁰