Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c28.s1.24

c28.s1.24

**Courses of Study in Theory and Practice.** The study of these Sciences and Arts seems to have had a theoretical and a practical course. Knowledge of the literature of a subject had to be followed by its practical applications. In regard to some subjects like Medicine, for instance, the practical course had to be gone through under the direction of the teacher. The practical course in Medicine at Takkasilā included a first-hand study of the plants to find out the medicinal ones, as shown in the story of Jīvaka's education. In other subjects, the practical course was left to be completed by the students themselves when they left their colleges after finishing their instruction. Thus we read of a Brahman student "of a market town in the north country" who specialized in the science of Archery at Takkasilā and, after finishing his studies, went as far as the Andhra country in prosecution of the practical application of his art [i, 356]. There is mention of the Prince of Magadha who, having mastered all the arts of Takkasilā, "wandered through towns, villages, and all the land to acquire all practical usages and understand country observances" [iii, 238]. We have mention of another student, Setaketu, of Takkasilā who similarly "wandered, learning all practical arts" [iii, 235]. There is mentioned another prince of Magadha who, being trained in all sciences at Takkasilā, "left that place with the intention of learning the practical uses of arts and local observances" [v, 247]. We have an interesting reference to the Pāṇḍu brothers who, after receiving instruction in arts at Takkasilā, "travelled about with the idea of mastering local customs" [v, 426]. We read again of two sons of merchants and a tailor's son travelling together to learn the customs of the country folk after finishing their education in Takkasilā [iv, 38]. There is a similar reference to a student from Benares undertaking a travel after his education at Takkasilā [iv, 208]. A prince of Kosala is mentioned who after studying the three Vedas and eighteen liberal arts at Takkasilā left the place to study the practical uses of the sciences learned [iii, 115]. Lastly, there is an instance in which a student, on completion of his education in the Arts at Takkasilā and returning home to Benares, had to exhibit before his parents a practical demonstration of the technical knowledge he had acquired. In this connection, we may also recall the successful surgical operations executed by Jīvaka as soon as he had left Takkasilā on finishing his education, for they show that he must have had a previous practical training and experimentation in such difficult operations.