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Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s2: II. Valabhī

Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s2

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II. Valabhī

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**Royal Grants.** Nālandā had its rival in a University on the other side of India at Valabhī which was the capital of the Maitraka kings for the period A.D. 475-775. Valabhī University, like Nālandā, was the outcome of royal benefactions. Its first Vihāra was founded by Princess Duḍḍā, the daughter of the sister of Dhruva I [*Grant of King Guhasena of Valabhī*, in the *IA.*, iv, 174]. Again, in A.D. 580, King Dharasena I made a grant in favour of another Vihāra called Śrī Bappapāda which was founded by Āchārya Bhadanta Sthiramati [*ib.*, vi, 9].

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**Description by Hiuen Tsang and I-tsing.** Hiuen Tsang saw at Valabhī "some hundred Saṁghārāmas with about 6,000 priests" [Watters, ii, 266]. According to I-tsing, Nālandā and Valabhī were the two places in India where scholars used to reside for two or three years to complete their education. Valabhī, like Nālandā, also attracted students from all parts of India to hold discussions of "all possible and impossible doctrines", and achieve fame when their opinions were approved by the Masters of Valabhī [Takakusu, p. 177]. We have already referred to the statement of Hiuen Tsang that Sthiramati and Guṇamati were once in charge of the Monastery at Valabhī. This Monastery was equipped with a Library which was considered deserving of a royal grant for the express provision for purchase of books [*Saddharmasya pustakopachayārtham*, in the Grant of Guhasena I of A.D. 559 (*IA.*, vii, 67 f.)]. Students of Valabhī, like those of Nālandā, after graduation, used to present themselves at the Courts of Kings to prove their capacity, present their theories, and even demonstrate their administrative talent to be employed in government service as related by I-tsing [*ib.*]. This shows that Valabhī provided for other studies than the purely religious, secular Vidyās like Dharma, Nīti, Vārttā, or Chikitsā Śāstras.

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Valabhī was the rival of Nālandā in another respect. Hiuen Tsang states that "most of its priests study the Little Vehicle" It thus specialized in Hīnayāna, as Nālandā in Mahāyāna.

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**Reference in 'Kathāsaritsāgara'.** Lastly, a reference may be made to the interesting fact related in the *Kathāsaritsāgara* [xxxii, 42–3], which tells of a Brahman, Vasudatta, sending his son, Vishṇudatta, as soon as he completed his sixteenth year (*pūrṇashoḍaśavatsaraḥ*) to "Valabhīpuram" for his education (*Vidyāprāptaye*) from his native place in Antarvedi in the Gangetic valley. This shows that the dutiful Brahman father did not consider Benares or Nālandā as suitable for his son's education and took the risk of sending him on to a distant place like Valabhī for the purpose. Unfortunately, we do not possess enough information in proportion to the admitted pre-eminence of Valabhī as a seat of learning in India of those days.

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**Site.** Like Nālandā and Valabhī, the University of Vikramaśīlā was also the result of royal benefactions. We owe its history to Tārānāth's well-known work which states that King Dharmapāla founded Śrī Vikramaśīlā Vihāra on a suitable site, a hillock on the bank of the Ganges in Northern Magadha. Cunningham identified it with the village Silāo near Baragaon [*ASR.*, viii, 75], Dr. S. C. Vidyābhushaṇa with Sultanganj in Bhagalpur District, N. L. De with Pātharaghāṭā hill, near Colgong in Bhagalpur District [*JASB.*, vi, 7], while Dr. A. R. Banerji-Sastri of Patna College takes it to be Keur, near Hulsaganj "in direct line with Nālandā (within a distance of 15 miles) and Odantapuri" [*JBORS.*, xv, 276].

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**Buildings and Staff.** King Dharmapala had the Vihāra constructed after a good design. It was surrounded by a strong wall. At the centre was erected the Temple adorned with Mahābodhi images. There were also erected within the enclosure fifty-three smaller temples of private character and fifty-four ordinary temples, totalling 108 temples. Then he made provision for teaching by the appointment of 108 teachers and other staff comprising "an Āchārya for Wood-offering, an Āchārya for Ordination, another for Fire-offering, a Superintendent of Works, a guard of pigeons, and a supplier of Temple servants". It is stated that the cost of maintaining each of these 114 members of the staff was equal to that of four men.

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**Administration.** The teaching was controlled by a Board of eminent teachers and it is stated that this Board of Vikramaśīlā also administered the affairs of Nālandā. This kind of co-ordination of work and management between the two Universities was perhaps due to King Dharmapāla being their common head. Accordingly, we find teachers like Dīpaṁkara and Abhayakara Gupta working at both the Universities or exchanges of teachers between them, as has been already mentioned.

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**Six Colleges and a Central Hall.** We further learn that the University came to have six Colleges, each with a staff of the standard strength of 108 teachers, and a Central Hall called the House of Science with its six gates opening on the six Colleges. It is also stated that the outer wall surrounding the whole Monastery was decorated with artistic work, a portrait in painting of Nāgarjuna adorning the right of the principal entrance and that of Atīśa on the left [S. C. Das, *Indian Pandits in Tibet*, in *JBTS.*, i, 1-11]. On the walls of the University were also painted portraits of Pandits eminent for their learning and character.

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**Six 'Dvāra-Paṇḍitas'.** The gates of the University were guarded by the most erudite of its scholars called *Dvāra-Paṇḍitas*, so that admission to it might not be cheap and its standard of scholarship lowered. There were six such redoubtable 'gatekeepers'. During the reign of Chanaka (A.D. 955-983), we come across the names of the following eminent Logicians acting as 'Gate-keepers', 'Custodians of its Scholarship':
1. Ratnākaraśānti, East Gate.
2. Vāgīśvarakīrti of Benares, West Gate.
3. Naropa, North Gate.
4. Prajñākaramati, South Gate.
5. Ratnavajra of Kāśmīra, First Central Gate.
6. Jñānaśrīmitra of Gauḍa, Second Gate.

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**President.** The President of the University was always the most learned and religious sage. At the time of its founder, Dharmapāla, it was Buddha-jñāna-pāda. During A.D. 1034-8 Dīpaṁkara or Śrījñāna Atīśa was the Head under whom Sthavira Ratnākara acted as the superior of the monastery [S. C. Vidyābhūshaṇa, *History of Indian Logic*, pp. 519-520].

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**Its History as written in the phenomenal achievements of its Scholars.** We do not know much of the working of this University, its rules and regulations governing the daily life and studies of its resident students, as we know in the case of Nālandā, thanks to the comprehensive account left to us by a foreign pilgrim of the eminence of Hiuen Tsang on the basis of his first-hand knowledge as its student for several years, which has been further supplemented by an equally full account of another foreigner, I-tsing, who had even a greater advantage in observing its working as a student for a much longer period. And the accounts of these Chinese pilgrims have a further value for the spirit of detachment, criticism, and objectivity in which they are written. Unfortunately, Vikramaśīlā is not as fortunate as Nālandā in the matter of the conservation of its history. But its history is written large in the biography of the great men it has produced, the scholars who were invited by foreign countries, chiefly Tibet, to spread its learning, culture, and religion. From the foreign accounts of some of these scholars, we glean something of the history of their Alma Mater. Indeed, the success of the work of Vikramaśīlā as a seat of learning is amply demonstrated by the quality and quantity of its output, the prodigies of piety and learning it produced, and the profound contributions they made to knowledge and religion by their numerous writings which practically built up the culture and civilization of another country, Tibet. Tibet has gratefully treasured up the memories of some of these graduates of Vikramaśīlā, a few of whom it has canonized as its patron-saints. We shall now trace the history of Vikramaśīlā in the Tibetan accounts of some of its famous scholars and teachers.

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**Vikramaśīlā Scholars working in Tibet and writing in Tibetan : 1. Jñānapāda.** Āchārya Buddha Jñānapāda had his guru named Siṁhabhadra, after whom he was appointed as the royal priest of King Dharmapāla who later appointed him as the Āchārya for Ordination at Vikramaśīlā. There he developed his study of *Mantra-Vajrāchārya* and became the founder of a new cult of which Vikramaśīlā was the only centre in those days. About nine of his Sanskrit works on Tantra which are lost are preserved in Tibetan.

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**2. Vairochana.** Vairochana Rakshita was a pupil of Padmasambhava, on whose departure to Tibet he came to Vikramaśīla, where he wrote several works in Sanskrit, such as *Bodhisattva-charyāvatāra-pañjikā*, *Ratna-vāda-chakra*, and the like and translated into Tibetan several Tantrika works like *Vinaya-Saṁgraha*, *Śukla-vajra-yoginī-sādhana*, or *Prajñā-pāramitā-hṛidaya-sādhana*. He followed his guru later to Tibet in the time of its King Khri-Sroṅ-Ide-Btsan, about A.D. 750. He won the titles of *Mahāpaṇḍita* and *Mahāchārya*.

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**3. Jetāri.** Jetāri was a native of Varendra, the son of Brahman Garbhapāda, the chaplain of King Sanātana, a feudatory of the Pāla Kings of Bengal. King Mahīpāla [A.D. 899-940] conferred upon him the title of *Paṇḍita* on his completion of study at Vikramaśīlā where he worked as a Professor. He was the teacher of the distinguished scholars, Ratnākaraśānti who learnt from him Sūtra and Tantra and became ‘a gate-keeper’ of the Vihāra, in about A.D. 983, and also of the more distinguished Dīpaṁkara Atīśa.

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**4. Prajñākaramati.** Prajñākaramati was one of the ‘gate-keepers’ of the Vihāra, who wrote several works, two of which are in Tibetan.

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**5. Ratnākara.** Ratnākaraśānti, another ‘gate-keeper’, as we have seen, was first at Odantapura University where he received Ordination in the Sarvāstivāda School. Later, he joined Vikramaśīlā as a pupil of Jetāri. He went to Ceylon to preach Buddhism at the invitation of its king. He wrote about thirteen works in Sanskrit, among which may be mentioned "Vajra-bhairava-gaṇa-chakra-nāma" and "Śrī-sarva-rahasya-nibandha-rahasya-pradīpa-nāma".

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6. **Jñāna Śrī.** Jñāna Śrī Mitra, a 'gate-keeper', and a native of Gauḍa, first belonged to the Śrāvaka School and later changed to Mahāyāna. He wrote several works in Sanskrit, such as "Pramāṇa-viniśchaya-ṭīkā" and "Tarka-bhāshā", and learnt Tibetan into which he translated the first of these works.

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7. **Ratnavajra.** Ratnavajra, another 'gate-keeper', was a native of Kāśmīra, where he studied the texts of Buddhist "Sūtras and Mantras" and also "Sciences" up to his 36th year, when he came to Magadha, visited Vajrāsana (Bodh-Gaya), and joined Vikramaśīlā, to further his studies, winning the title of "Paṇḍita" and the position of a "gate-keeper". He came back to Kāśmīra after some time, where he convinced in debate and converted to his faith some renowned *Tīrthajas* and then travelled to Udyāna, whence finally he came to Tibet where he learnt Tibetan, into which he translated many Buddhist works, of which fourteen are mentioned, such as "Mahāmāyā-sādhana", "Śrī-Heruka-sādhana-nāma", "Śrī-Akshobhya-Vajra-sādhana", and other Tantrika works.

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8. **Vāgīśvara.** Vāgīśvara Kīrti, another 'gate-keeper', was a native of Benares, a worshipper of "Tārā Devī", and author of a Sanskrit work "Mṛityubañchanopadeśa", which was introduced to Tibet by Dīpaṁkara.

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9. **Dīpaṁkara.** Dīpaṁkara Śrī Jñāna, also known as Āchārya Atīśa, was the greatest of Indian scholars who worked as missionaries in foreign countries. Born of a royal family in Gauḍa in A.D. 980, he renounced his riches and became a monk at the monastery of Kṛishṇagiri under a teacher named Rāhula Gupta. At 19 he took the sacred vows from Śīla Rakshita, the Mahāsāṁghika Āchārya of Odantapurī Vihāra, who gave him the new name of Dīpaṁkara Śrī Jñāna, by which he is known. At 31 he received the highest ordination from Āchārya Dharma Rakshita. He was a master of both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna, of Vaiśeshika, and Tantras. After thus completing his education, he sailed off to Suvarṇadvīpa (identified with Thaton in Pegu), where he was initiated further into the mysteries of Buddhism by Āchārya Chandrakīrti, the High Priest of that place. There he studied for twelve years and then returned to India, visiting Ceylon on the way. He defeated in a discussion at Vajrāsana (Bodh-Gaya) many Tīrthikas assembled there and was soon elected as the Head of the Community of Buddhist Monks of Magadha and Gauḍa. King Naya Pāla, in recognition of his learning and reputation, fittingly appointed him to the Headship of Vikramśīlā. At this time the Tibetan king, Chan Chub, anxious to purge Tibetan Buddhism of its many corruptions, sent his envoy to secure the services of a great Indian Paṇḍita for the purpose. The envoy selected had already been to India and studied Sanskrit there. He came to India after overcoming unusual dangers and difficulties on the way and delivered his king's invitation to Dīpaṁkara who answered: "I have now grown advanced in age and have the keys of many monasteries in my charge and many works still remain unfinished. So I cannot shortly set out for Tibet."

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Afterwards, under divine inspiration from Goddess Tārā, he decided to leave for Tibet against the strongest wishes of his esteemed colleagues, Ratnakīrti, Vairochana, Kanakaśrī of Nepal, and many others, and was accompanied on his journey up to Mitra Vihāra by Paṇḍitas Bhūmigarbha, Nagtcho, Gya-tson, Bhūmi Saṁgha, Vīrya Chandra, and others. On reaching Tibet, he was received by "a song of welcome sung by all the people" and conducted to the king by an escort of 300 horsemen. By his work he purged Tibetan Buddhism of its many and gross corruptions which had crept into it in time and founded the new religion of Lamaism, though it was left to his disciple, Brom-ton, to become the founder of the first great hierarchy of Tibet. He worked in Tibet for thirteen years (A.D. 1040-1053) and died at Nethan near Lhāsa at 73. But he is a permanent influence in Tibet mainly through his works showing him as the greatest writer on Tibetan Buddhism on which about 200 works are ascribed to him, mostly on Vajrayāna. He was also a profound scholar in Tibetan, into which he translated twenty-two Sanskrit works.

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10. **Vīryasiṁha.** Vīryasiṁha is principally known as an associate of Atīśa whom he helped in translating into Tibetan at Vikramaśīlā the important Sanskrit works "Saṁsāra-manonirṇayānīkāra-nāma-saṁgīti" and "Kāya-Vākya-Chitta-supratishṭhā-nāmā".

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**A Tibetan Account.** Some interesting details regarding the Vikrama-śīlā Monastery are given in a Tibetan account of the visit of the Tibetan monk Nag-tsho who was deputed by the Tibetan king to Vikramaśīlā for the purpose of inducing its great scholar, Atiśa, to come to Tibet and take charge of Buddhist propaganda in that country.

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**Gate.** Nag-tsho arrived at the gate of the Monastery in the evening when the gate could not be opened under its rules. He found shelter for the night at a Dharmaśālā at the gate. The gate was opened in the early morning when Nag-tsho was asked by a Tibetan monk to proceed to the Tibetan House of the Monastery meant for the residence of its Tibetan students.

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**Tibetan House.** At the Tibetan House, Nag-tsho saw its senior monk, Gya-tson, who advised him to be a resident pupil of Sthavira Ratnākara, who was also the chief of Atiśa himself, although Atiśa had the highest reputation for learning and character. Gya-tson also said: "We Tibetans have no influence here, but still I am well known to Atiśa."

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**An Assembly.** For next day was fixed a congregation of all classes of monks at Vikramaśīlā. There was an Assembly of 8,000 Bhikshus. First entered Vidyā Kokila who was to preside over it. The more distinguished monks were given reserved seats. The Raja of Vikramaśīlā (King of Magadha) was given an exalted seat. "But none of the monks, old or young, rose from their seats to mark his arrival." But all the monks, including the king, rose from their seats when the learned monk, Vīra Vajra, entered. Last came Atiśa "from whose waist hung down a bundle of keys". He held the keys as the warden of several hostels or monasteries at Vikramaśīlā.

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**Atiśa’s Liberality.** In the following morning, the Tibetan messenger saw Atiśa at his Vihāra. Next day, he saw Atiśa distributing alms and food to the poor, and how a beggar boy, failing to get his share, ran after Atiśa, exclaiming: "Bhālā ho O, Nāth Atiśa, Bhāt-ona, Bhāt-ona," "Blest be thou, O patron Atiśa; give me rice!"

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The Tibetan was much impressed by his charity, while Atiśa also was very much moved by the great trouble and expenses repeatedly borne by the Tibetan for his sake. Atiśa, now deciding to go to Tibet, told the Tibetan messengers that they would have to wait for eighteen months, which he would take to finish his work on hand before he could leave his charge of the monasteries for Tibet.

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At the time of his departure for Tibet, Atiśa made over charge of the various offices he had held to the monastic authorities. His guide, Nag-tsho, packed the travelling appurtenances of the party in sixty loads which were carried by thirty bullocks. Atīśa on the way visited some holy places like Vajrāsana and Mitra Vihāra. He had Gya-tson, who was then laid up with fever at Śrī Nālandā, carried in a *dooly* to Vikramaśīlā before leaving the place.

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Before leaving, Atīśa, in his usual spirit of charity and self-sacrifice, distributed the Tibetan gold brought to him as a present for his deputation in four parts. The first part was given to his teachers and the Āchāryas of Vikramaśīlā, the second given as a trust to President Ratnākara who was to use it for the benefit of the whole clergy of the monastery, the third was sent to Vajrāsana to endow religious service there, and "the fourth part he sent to the king for distribution among the general Buddhist *Saṁghas* of the country".

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**Tea Drinking.** It is interesting to note that on his first setting foot on Tibetan soil Atīśa was entertained with the national drink of Tibet which was *Tea*. The Tibetan monk, offering the drink which was unknown to the Indian guest, described it thus: "Venerable Sir, it is called *chā*... We do not know that the *chā* plant is eaten, but the leaves are churned (being mixed with soda, salt, and butter) in warm water and the soup is drunk. It has many properties." It will thus appear that the use of Tea spread from Tibet to India [Buddhist Texts Society Journal, Part I, 1893, p. 27].

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**11. Abhayakaragupta.** Abhayakaragupta was a native of Gauḍa. After learning the five *Vidyās* of the day (already described), he became a monk and was appointed by King Rāma Pāla of Magadha to perform the religious ceremonies of the Palace. In the thirteenth year of the reign (*c.* A.D. 1114), he composed his great work "Muni-matālaṁkāra".

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Magadha was then a stronghold of Buddhism under the sustained patronage of its rulers. It was represented by 3,000 monks in residence at Vikramaśīla Vihāra, 1,000 at Vajrāsana (Bodh-Gaya), and 1,000 more at Odantapuri. A religious festival would bring together 5,000 monks, including Mahāyānists, and Śrāvakas who then numbered over 10,000. It is stated that King Rāma Pāla gave free food daily to forty Mahāyānists and 200 Śrāvakas of Vajrāsana (Bodh-Gayā).

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Though Abhayakaragupta was the head of Mahāyāna School, he was respected by the Śrāvakas. He remained at Vikramaśīlā for a long time "under the protection of the son of King Śubhaśrī of Eastern India", and was an eye-witness of the first Turuksha invasion of Magadha. He was a great writer in Sanskrit and translator in Tibetan. He is credited with the translation into Tibetan of seven works dealing with the *sādhana* of Mahākāla, Mahākālāntara, and the like, and with the authorship of twenty-six Sanskrit works, all of which mark him out as an authority on Tantra Cult. He was known by the high title of 'Ārya-Mahāpaṇḍita'.

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12. **Tathāgata Rakshita.** Tathāgata Rakshita is supposed to have been a native of Orissa, a Kāyastha by caste, but of a family of physicians by profession. As a student at Vikramaśīlā, he won its titles 'Mahapaṇḍita' and 'Upādhyāya'. He was a Professor of Tantra, on which he wrote extensively. He translated his own and others' works into Tibetan.

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13. **Ratnakīrti.** Ratnakīrti won successively the titles of Upādhyāya, Paṇḍita, and Mahāpaṇḍita as a student at Vikramaśīlā. His Tibetan translations have enriched Tibetan Literature and introduced to Tibet the true spirit of Indian Buddhism. Among his works may be mentioned "Dharmaviniśchaya-prakaraṇa-nāma".

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14. **Mañjuśrī.** Mañjuśrī was a Paṇḍita of Vikramaśīlā and known only by his translations carried out at that place. His works show him to be a devotee of Tārā.

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15. **Dharmakīrti.** Dharmakīrti, a native of Tibet, came to study Sanskrit at Vikramaśīlā, where he later translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan the work "Samaya Pañcha" of Padmasambhava. He subsequently translated many Sanskrit works into Tibetan.

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16. **Śākya Śrī Bhadra.** Śākya Śrī Bhadra was a native of Kāśmīra, and known as a Logician. He was at Vikramaśīlā and an eye-witness of its tragic destruction by Moslems.

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**Destruction of Vikramaśīlā by Moslems.** As related by the author of *Tabakāt-i-Nāsari* [Raverty, i, 552], "the greater number of the inhabitants of that place were Brahmans (Bhikshus?), and the whole of these Brahmans had their heads shaven; and they were all slain. There were a great number of books on the religion of the Hindus (Buddhists) there; and when all these books came under the observation of the Musalmans, they summoned a number of Hindus that they might give them information respecting the import of those books; but the whole of the Hindus had been killed. On becoming acquainted (with the contents of those books), it was found that the whole of that fortress and city was a college, and, in the Hindu tongue, they call a college Bihār (Vihāra)."

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After the destruction of the Vikramaśīlā Vihāra, Śrī Bhadra repaired to the University of Jagaddala whence he proceeded to Tibet, accompanied by many other monks who settled down there as preachers of Buddhism.

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