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Struggling to understand Ancient Education System of India class 8 summary
The lesson focuses on the Ancient Education System of India, where it focussed on both internal and external growth. Many scholars and researchers from all over the World visited India in the pursuit of knowledge. Most of it was based on Buddhist doctrines or Vedas. Education was given in gurukuls where the students learnt physical, intellectual skills. The Jataka tales, accounts given by Xuan Zang and I-Qing give a deeper understanding of the viharas and Universities in India. The Taxila University and Nalanda University have been recently declared heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Taxila is located in present day Pakistan and has as its famous pupils, great scholars like Panini and Chanakya. The teachers of these institutions had complete freedom to decide the mode of education. The Nalanda University was famous for offering one hundred discourses, and the Chinese scholar Xuan Zang took up Yogashastra in the University. Education was free as it was sponsored by rich merchants and the society. Educationalists today are striving to achieve a balance between ancient and contemporary learning.
ancient education system of india class 8 question answer
IT SO HAPPENED CLASS 8 CHAPTER 11 SOLUTIONS
Questions (Page No.
92)
(Comprehension Check - I)
Question 1.
Why were travellers attracted towards India?
Answer: Most
travellers were attracted towards India because of the fame of Indian culture,
its wealth, religions, philosophies, art, architecture, along with its
educational practices that had spread far and wide across the world. The Indian
education system of ancient times was considered as a rich source of knowledge,
traditions and practices that helped in guiding and encouraging humanity as a
whole. For travellers, India was a land of great wonder.
Question 2.
What were the sources of the ancient education system?
Answer: The
different sources of ancient system of education was the education imparted
from the Vedas, Brahmanas, Upanishads and Dharmasutras. The writings of
Aryabhata, Panini, Katyayana and Patanjali and the medical treatises of Charaka
and Sushruta were also some of the rich sources of learning. Besides, the
sources of learning were drawn from various disciplines such as Itihas
(history), Anviksiki (logic), Mimamsa (interpretation), Shilpashastra
(architecture), Arthashastra (polity), Varta (agriculture, trade, commerce,
animal husbandry) and Dhanurvidya (archery).
Question 3.
What were the features of education system in ancient India?
Answer: Some
of the features of education system in ancient India included the following:
·
Teaching and learning
followed the tenets of Vedas and Upanishads fulfilling duties towards self,
family and society, thus encompassing all aspects of life.
·
Education system
focused both on learning and physical development.
·
The emphasis of
education was on maintaining a healthy mind and healthy body.
·
Education in India had
a heritage of being pragmatic, achievable and complementary to life.
Question 4.
What was the role of guru in pupils’ lives?
Answer: In
ancient times, the Gurus and their pupils worked conscientiously together to
become proficient in all aspects of learning. Shastrartha (learned debates)
were organized to assess pupils’ learning. Pupils at an advanced stage of
learning guided younger pupils, just as we have peer groups to share knowledge
among ourselves. During that period, the Gurus and their shishyas lived
together and they would help each other in everyday life. The main objective
was to having end-to-end learning, leading a disciplined life and realising a
learner’s inner potential. Students would live away from their homes for many
years until their goals were fully achieved. The gurukul was the place where
the Guru-shishya relationship became stronger with time. While pursuing their
education in different disciplines like history, art of debate, law, medicine,
etc., the emphasis was not just on the outer dimensions of the discipline. It
also enriched the inner dimensions of the personality.
Questions (Page No.
97)
(Comprehension Check - II)
Question 1.
Where did the nuns and monks receive their education?
Answer: The
nuns and monks received their education from various monasteries or viharas
which were educational centres of art and learning. These centres were mainly
set up to meditate, discuss and debate with the learned to satisy their quest
for knowledge during the ancient period.
Question 2.
What is Panini known for?
Answer: Panini
was a legendary Indian Sanskrit grammarian who was an expert in language and
grammar and authored one of the greatest works on grammar called Ashtadhyayi.
He was a revered scholar in ancient India who was considered as the “Father of
Linguistics” who gave a detailed scientific theory of phonetics, morphology and
phonology.
Question 3.
Which university did Xuan Zang and I-Qing study at?
Answer: The
Chinese scholars’ I-Qing and Xuan Zang visited Nalanda in the 7th century CE.
When Xuan Zang visited it, Nalanda was called Nala, which was a centre of
higher learning in various subjects.
Question 4.
Which subject did Xuan Zang study in India?
Answer: Xuan
Zang studied Yogashastra, grammar, logic and Sanskrit during his time at the
Nalanda University in India.
Question 5.
How did society help in the education of the students?
Answer: During
ancient times, knowledge was considered sacred and hence no fee was charged for
imparting it. The contributions towards education from wealthy counterparts was
regarded as the highest form of donation. Different people contributed
differently. Financial support mostly came from rich merchants, wealthy parents
and society. Apart from gifts of buildings, the universities would also receive
gifts of land from wealthy people. The free form of education was mostly
prevalent in ancient universities such as Valabhi, Vikramshila and Jagaddala.
Questions (Page No.
97)
(Exercise)
Discuss
the following questions in small groups and write your answers.
Question
1. Which salient features of the ancient education system of India made it
globally renowned?
Answer: Some
of the salient features of the ancient education system of India that made it
globally renowned are listed as below:
a. As our ancient education system in India evolved over
the period, it focused on the holistic development of the individual that
included taking care of both the inner and the outer self.
b. The ancient system focused on the spiritual, physical,
moral and intellectual aspects of life.
c. It emphasized on values such as truthfulness,
humility, self-reliance, discipline and respect for all creative works.
d. Students were taught to appreciate and strike a
balance between human beings and nature.
e. Teachers taught and followed the tenets of Vedas and
Upanishads, which mentioned fulfilling one’s responsibilities towards self,
family and society covering all the aspects of life.
Question 2.
Why do you think students from other countries came to India to study at that
time?
Answer: In
ancient times, students from China, Korea, Tibet, Burma, Ceylon, Java, Nepal
and other distant countries were attracted to come to India and study as India
was considered a land of wonder with a rich source of knowledge that had
educational centres of higher learning. Various monasteries or viharas were set
up for monks and nuns to meditate, debate and discuss with the learned to
satisfy their quest for knowledge during this period.
Besides,
Takshashila was also a noted centre of learning that included religious
teachings of Buddhism, for several centuries. It continued to attract students
from around the world until its destruction in the 5th century CE.
Question 3.
Why is education considered ‘a way of life’?
Answer: Education
is considered ‘a way of life’ because in ancient India, there was the existence
of both formal and informal modes of education system. Indigenous education was
imparted at home, gurukuls, tols, temples, Pathshalas and chatuspadis. People
in homes, villages and temples would guide young children and help them in
imbibing the pious and ideal ways of life.
Question 4.
What do you understand by holistic education?
Answer: Holistic
education refers to the development of the inner and outer self of an individual
which prepares them for life. Although ancient education system in India was
free, it was not centralized. Its foundations were mostly laid in the rich
cultural traditions of India that helped in the development of the physical,
spiritual, intellectual and artistic aspects of life holistically.
Question 5.
Why do you think Takshashila and Nalanda have been declared heritage sites?
Answer: Takshashila
was an ancient Indian city that was declared to be a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1980 because it was considered an important archaeological site and a
place of core learning due to its teachers’ expertise.
Being one of the oldest universities of the world, Nalanda was a centre of learning from the 5th century CE to 12th century CE. UNESCO declared the ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara as a world heritage site.
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