Education in Ancient India c4.68

c4.68

Vedic Studies of the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas: According to the *Smṛiti* rules, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas also had to pursue Vedic studies after their Upanayana. These however were never deep or prolonged. In some Jātaka stories, we no doubt read that some princes used to study all the three Vedas as well as eighteen practical sciences¹; in the *Mahābhārata* also we find that the Kaurava princes are represented as experts in Veda, Vedānta and the various branches of the military science (I. 118 and 133). A perusal of the relevant passages shows that the writers of the above works were more anxious to enumerate all the known branches of knowledge and represent them as being mastered by their heroes, than in narrating the actual state of affairs in their contemporary times. We have seen already that the Brahmanas, who did not intend to follow the theological career, contented themselves with the knowledge of only a few Vedic hymns; Kshatriyas and Vaishyas must have done the same; in later life they had no prospect of becoming Vedic teachers, and for their military or commercial career Vedic education was not useful or necessary. Vedic and philosophical studies were included in early times in the curriculum of the prince, but they were left out in the course of time. From about the beginning of the Christian era, the Upanayana ritual began to fall into disuse in the case of the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas and this naturally gave a great set back to their Vedic education.¹ Gradually they were reduced to the position of the Shudras and completely debarred from the Vedic education by about 1000 A. D. (Alberuni, II. p. 136)