Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c5.60

c5.60

Among the noble warriors of India there grew up a spirit of chivalry, very much like that which prevailed in Europe in the Middle Ages. William Ward,³ referring to a work in Sanskrit on the military arts called *Dhanur Veda*, says, ‘It was contrary to the laws of war to smite a warrior overcome by another, or one who had turned his back, or who was running away; or one fearful, or he who had asked for quarter, or he who had declined further fighting, or one unarmed; or a single charioteer who had alone survived in the engagement; or one deranged; or females, children, or old men’. There were certain rules also with regard to combats. In fighting, for instance, with the club, it was unlawful to strike below the navel. Wrestling seems to have been popular in India, and still is at the present day. Many wrestling schools exist which have strict rules as to what is considered allowable. Tod¹ mentions that amongst the Rājput tribes, which were organized on a kind of feudal basis, youthful candidates were initiated to military fame in much the same way as young men in Europe in the Middle Ages became knights. The ceremony of initiation was called *kharg bandāī*, or binding of the sword, and took place when the young Rājput was considered fit to bear arms. At this ceremony the young warrior was presented with a lance, and his sword was buckled to his side. The spirit of chivalry thus inculcated must have set before these young nobles a high ideal of valour and virtue, and this is reflected in the epic stories and in the bardic chronicles of *Rājasthān*, which contain many stories of noble deeds and knightly heroism. The typical warrior hero of India is found in Rāma, whose story is told not only in the Sanskrit *Rāmāyaṇa* of Vālmīki, but in many vernacular imitations, of which the most famous is the Hindī *Rāmāyaṇa* of Tulsī Dās (or *Rām Charit Mānas*), which was written about 1600 A.D. Indian authors never tire of telling the story of this hero again and again, and although it is possible to criticize many points in Rāma’s character, it certainly holds forth a high ideal of life and virtue.