Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c12.26

c12.26

**Educational System of the Sūtras.** We now proceed to consider the educational system and organization as reflected in the Sūtra literature which fortunately furnishes ample evidence on the subject. It is to be remembered at the outset that the Sūtra works do not introduce any innovations but only continue and embody the older traditions started from the Vedic age to which they only give their final form and shape in an age in which they were liable to be affected by the growth of differing systems of religion and social life. They sum up the entire previous development, and codify pre-existing traditions, unwritten laws, and customs as indicated in the sacred texts on which they are essentially based. They usher in the age of social legislation, of a rigid system of rules, regulations, and restrictions for the sake of the preservation of the culture they represent.