Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c16.304

c16.304

"How seriously and religiously philosophy was taken up by the Vedāntists we see from what are considered the essential requisites of a true philosopher. He ought to have surrendered all desire for rewards in this life or in the life to come. He ought, therefore, never to dream of acquiring wealth, of founding a school, of gaining a name in history; he ought not even to think of any recompense in better life. . . And so we have the extraordinary fact that, after 2,000 years, their works are still able to rivet our attention, while with us, in spite of advertisements, of friendly and unfriendly reviews, the philosophical book of the season is often the book of one season only. . . I believe much of the excellency of the ancient Sanskrit philosophers is due to their having been undisturbed by the thought of there being a public to please or critics to appear. They thought of nothing but the work they had determined to do: their one idea was to make it as perfect as it could be made. . . The ancient Upanishads describe the properly qualified student of philosophy in the following words [*Bṛihad. Upa.*, iv, 4, 23]: 'He, therefore, who knows the Self, after having become quiet, subdued, satisfied, patient, and collected sees Self in Self, sees all as Self. Evil does not overcome him, he overcomes all evil. Evil does not burn him, he burns all evil. Free from evil, free from spots, free from doubt, he becomes a true Brāhmaṇa.'" (ib., pp. 36–40).