Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c18.4

c18.4

**Upanayana Ceremony for study of Āyurveda.** According to *Śuśruta-Saṁhitā* [ch. ii], the study of Medical Science or Āyurveda requires the separate performance by its student of a special Upanayana ceremony, although such a student, as a *dvija*, as a Brāhmaṇa, Kshatriya, or Vaiśya, should have already performed such a ceremony according to the rules of his order. The Āyurvedic Upanayana lays stress on physical and moral qualifications, on properly formed bodily organs such as tongue, lips, and teeth, eyes, nose and mouth; and on cleanliness, good manners and morals, courage, humility, capacity, intelligence, patience, retentiveness, and zeal, purity of body, mind, and speech and capacity for taking pains. A student lacking these qualifications will not be eligible for Upanayana and admission.