Education in Ancient India c5.39

c5.39

Duties of Students : Let us now survey the duties of students towards their teachers. The student was to hold his teacher in deep reverence and honour him like the king, parents and god.² His outward behaviour must be in conformity with the rules of decorum and good manners, he ought to get up and salute his teacher in the proper way, he ought not to occupy a higher seat or wear a gaudier dress. Reviling and backbiting are severely condemned. It however did not follow that the student was to connive blindly at his teacher's misconduct. Both the Buddha³ and Āpastamba,⁴ who enjoin high reverence for the teacher, lay down that the student should draw his teacher's attention in private to his failings, and dissuade him from wrong views if he happened to be inclined towards them; the duty of obedience comes to an end if the teacher transgresses the limits of Dharma.⁵ His commands were to be regarded as *ultra vires*, if they were likely to jeopardise the student's life or were against the law of the land.