Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c4.36

c4.36

‘Bharadvāja lived through three lives in the state of a religious student. Indra approached him when he was lying old and decrepit, and said to him, “Bharadvāja, if I give thee a fourth life, how wilt thou employ it?” “I will lead the life of a religious student,” he replied. He (Indra) showed him three mountain-like objects, as it were unknown. From each of them he took a handful, and, calling to him, “Bharadvāja”, said, “These are the three Vedas. The Vedas are infinite. This is what thou hast studied during these three lives. Now there is another thing which thou hast not studied; come and learn it. This is the universal science. . . . He who knows this (*ya evam veda*) conquers a world as great as he would gain by the triple Vedic science.”’