A or ( sa, गुरुकुल, gurukul) is a type of education system in
ancient India with ('students' or 'disciples') living near or with the
guru, in the same house. The
guru-shishya tradition is a sacred one in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and possibly appears in other
dharmas in India, such as
Jainism and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
. (In the
Sikh tradition by contrast, the word
Guru has a very restricted use and not generally applied to individual teachers, while the institution of
Gurdwara has a major social role instead of a monastic one.) The word is a combination of the Sanskrit words ('teacher' or 'master') and ('family' or 'home').
The term is also used today to refer to residential monasteries or schools operated by modern gurus. The proper plural of the term is , though ''gurukuls'' is also used in English and some other Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
languages.
The students learn from the guru and help the guru in his everyday life, including carrying out of mundane daily household chores. However, some scholars suggest that the activities are not mundane and very essential part of the education to inculcate self-discipline among students. Typically, a guru does not receive or accept any fees from the studying with him as the relationship between a guru and the shishya is considered very sacred.
At the end of one's education, a offers the guru before leaving the gurukul.[ The is a traditional gesture of acknowledgment, respect and thanks to the guru, which may be monetary, but may also be a special task the teacher wants the student to accomplish.][ While living in a , the students would be away from their home from a period of months to years at a stretch.
Through Gurukul, students used to learn self discipline, politeness, good humanism and spirituality that would assist them to be an enlightened person in the future.
]
History
The system of education has been in existence since ancient times. The Upanishads (1000-800 BCE) mention multiple , including that of guru Drona at Gurgaon. The (a discourse on the Brahman) is said to have taken place in Guru Varuni's . The vedic school of thought prescribes the (sacred rite of passage) to all individuals before the age of 8 at least by 12. From initiation until the age of 25 all individuals are prescribed to be students and to remain unmarried, a celibate.
were supported by public donations. This was followed by the many following Vedic thoughts making gurukul one of the earliest forms of public school centres.
Revival of the system
By the colonial era, the system was on a steep decline in India. Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj and Swami Shraddhanand
Swami Shraddhanand (22 February 1856 – 23 December 1926), also known as Mahatma Munshi Ram Vij, was an Arya Samaj sannyasi and an Indian Independence activist who propagated the teachings of Dayananda Saraswati. This included the establishment ...
, were the pioneers of the modern system, who in 1886 founded now-widespread Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Public Schools and Universities.[Gurukula Patrika, April–July, 1940-41, Ank 10, (12 June 1940), P.1][Madalsa Ujjwal, 2008, "Swami Dayanand Saraswati Life and Ideas", Book Treasure Publications, Jodhpur, PP.96-97][Gunjun H. Shakshi, 1971, "Social and Humanistic Life in India", Abhinav Publications, Delhi, PP.122-124.]
In 1948, Shastriji Maharaj Shree Dharamjivan das Swami followed suit and initiated first Swaminarayan in Rajkot in Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
state of India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Recently, several have opened up in India as well as overseas with a desire to uphold tradition.
Various still exist in India, and researchers have been studying the effectiveness of the system through those institutions. With the advent of new means of mass communication, many gurus and Vedantic
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
scholars are opening E-gurukul. These gurukuls are operating online and are now imparting knowledge about different Hindu scriptures
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
using the internet.
In 1990, Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji founded Ananda Marga gurukul with its headquarters at Anandanagar, Dist Purulia, West Bengal, India and its branches all over the globe. He nominated Acharya Shambhushivananda Avadhuta as its kulapati (chancellor) and formed a skeletal structure for spreading "neohumanist education" all over the globe.
Scholarly works on Gurukul
* Dharampal a Gandhiain Scholar authored a book titled The beautiful tree: Indigenous Indian education in the eighteenth century
* Prof. Marmar Mukhopadhayay compiled a book titled Total Quality Management in Education deriving insights from ancient education system. He also devised concept of Multi-Channel Learning based on Gurukul Pedagogy.
* Ankur Joshi authored a research papers titled - Elementary education in Bharat (that is India): insights from a postcolonial ethnographic study of a Gurukul and A post-colonial perspective towards education in Bharat.
Out of India
The gurukulam system of education is available outside of India as well.
They are known as gurukul.
In Belgium
At the Jain Culture Center of Antwerp, children between the ages of 8 till 16 study Vedic mathematics, Art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
, Music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
, as well as Vedic Astrology, Jyotishi, Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and Yoga.
Children participate in this gurukul during holiday times at the traditional schools, for a week in October / November, 2 weeks during Easter break, and 1 month during summer break.
See also
* Acharyakulam
* Akhara
Akhara or Akhada ( Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to ''khara'' Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artist ...
* Akshaya Patra Foundation
* Education in India
* Ekal Vidyalaya
* Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya
Gurukula Kangri ( deemed to be university) ('गुरुकुल कांगड़ी समविश्वविद्यालय') is a government-funded deemed to be university u/s 3 of the UGC act 1956 located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand ...
* History of education in the Indian subcontinent
* Swaminarayan Gurukul
* Uchi-deshi (a similar system in Japan)
* Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram
* Vidya Bharti
* Photography Gurukul
References
External links
*
List of Gurukuls in India
(State-wise)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurukul
School types
Hindu education
Vedic period