Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c12.52

c12.52

The *Daṇḍa* also has a spiritual meaning. According to Pāraskara [ii, 2, 12–13], the student is to be equipped with it “for the sake of long life, holiness, holy lustre”, or because “he enters upon a long Sattra” [cf. *Śatapatha*, xi, 3, 3, 2; Kātyāyana, *Śr. S.*, vii, 4, 1–4]. *Mānava Gṛ. S.*, i, 22, 11 takes the staff as an aid to the traveller on the quest of Truth. *Varāha Gṛ. S.*, 6 takes it to indicate that, armed with it, the Brahmachārī will guard the Vedas. Aparārka (on Yājñavalkya, i, 29) takes a materialistic view of it as a weapon of defence to the Brahmachārī when he is out in the forests to collect firewood, in darkness, or unknown places like a tank or river.