Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c5.97

c5.97

In the majority of occupations a knowledge of reading and writing would not be required for the direct purposes of the craft, and would not be learnt. But certain Sanskrit works would in some occupations be learnt by heart.³ These contained traditional rules relating to the particular craft, and would not only be learnt but also explained to the novice. The craftsman was thus taught to look to the past ages for the rules of his trade and even to regard it as having been revealed by the divine skill of Viśvakarman. Thus in South India there are persons generally of the goldsmith caste, who are called vastu śāstrīs, who know by heart the traditional rules regulating the building of houses, who must be consulted by those who wish to erect new houses as to all the necessary details prescribed by the ancient books.⁴