Gurukul: Ancient residential school of India where Ram and Krishna studied

India has always been known for its brightest minds, glorious past and great rulers. The credit of this glory must be given to its organised and culturally developed education system. Since ancient India, the concept of schools and hostels and teacher student relationship has been of prime importance. 

The schools were known as Gurukuls. These schools were attended by various rulers of India like the Pandavas, the Kauravas and even Lord Rama and Lord Krishna.  The best part about Gurukuls was that they followed the concept of hostels. Know more about the ancient schooling system of India below. 

Gurukul: Ancient schools of Ram and Krishna & many famous kings of India

Gurukuls had three basic pillars- the Acharya or the teacher, the Shishya or the student and the ashram or the place where they interacted. 

The term is derived from Guru meaning teacher and Kula meaning clan or family. 

The students were admitted to the Gurukul at a specific stage depending on the caste they belonged to. The Brahmins, the Kshatriyas and the Vaishya students were admitted to the Gurukul at the age of 6,8 and 11 respectively. It was called Yajnopavita, Upanayana or Upavita then and sacrificial rituals were performed before the students were allowed in. They sat near their Guru and studied as Brahmachari. 

It was the duty of the Guru to impart knowledge to his pupil about all intellectual rites, scriptures and all useful disciplines and finally initiating and marrying him to send him back to perform various household duties. 

Administration of the Gurukul:

Generally it was the Brahmin households that used to run Gurukuls. They were situated inside and outside the villages or towns. 

Even the clergy back then used to attract the students and word of mouth was used as a method of promotion. 

There was never a  barrier of rich or poor in a Gurukul which was the plus point the Indian education system had even back then. The doors were always open to various deserving students. 

The fee of the Guru or Acharya used to be called the 'Dakshina'. It could be offered by the Brahmachari student through his services to the Gurukul or the Guru's family or through a payment of fee after completion of his course. However, any financial reward was given only after the initiation and start of Guru Vidayan.

The students also went as a routine practice to ask for alms or madhukari. Begging was an important part of the celibacy fast thus being compulsory for all to follow. This helped the Guru run the Kul. Also subsidies from the kings and the government, along with generous donations from the people around helped the financial administration of the Gurukul.   

Gurukul: The Routine followed

1. The students in the Gurukul had to follow a very strict routine. They had to be up by 5 in the morning and perform Gangasnan along with Suryanandanam at the sunrise. 
2. Then began the chanting of the "Gayatri Mantra '' followed by Surya Namaskar and Yoga Asanas. 
3. This was followed by text studying or class until pre-noon or by 11:20 as per the modern clock. 
4. Once the recitation was over the students followed to perform Madhukari or begging for alms. 
5. After the students returned they were given an hour of rest followed by classes till dusk or sunset. 
6. This was followed by Sayam Sandhya where hymns were sung and students were provided with snacks. They were given dinner and were asked to sleep later. 

Classes in the Gurukul

The method of teaching involved the Guru testing students before every lesson. It was a routine that 10-15 minutes before the starting of any class, the teacher used to take an oral revision test of the students to analyse their learning. 

The students used to learn the Samhitas as per their intelligence along with the Guru. This way the students with better intelligence were able to memorise faster than others and were moved on to another lesson by the Guru. 

It was not a system that exists today where the children need to wait for others in their class to memorise the lesson so that the whole class can be shifted to the next one. The students who were capable of progressing were never hindered due to the non performers.

Types of Schools in ancient India:

There were three categories basically:

I) Gurukul: Here the teachers and the students lived together for imparting knowledge and life skills. This was basically an amalgamation of textbook and practical education. 

II) Councils: Here basically various experts were called to shed knowledge gained by them on specific topics. 

III) Tapasthali: In this system, people sat together, to hold big conferences, gatherings etc to yield knowledge on various issues. 

Gurukul: Subjects taught to the students

In the Gurukul, not just Vedas and Upnishads were taught to the students, but also the focus was on holistic development of the child. The system was comprehensive and all encompassing. The teachings included Mathematics, fundamentals of Astronomy, Science, Languages, Medicinal theories, along with Vedas, Upnishads, Brahmanas, Dharmasutras etc. 

Renowned scholars texts like Aryabhatt and Patanjali were also taught to the students in Gurukuls. The students learnt Yogic sciences, performed war science practicals, martial arts and sports as well. This way it leads to holistic development of the pupil as well. 

Gurukul: An inspiration

The Gurukul was an inspiration to many medieval stage universities like Nalanda, Taxila and Vikramshila or Vallabhi. Many Jataka stories and travellers including Huwein Tsang mentioned them in their scriptures. Varanasi is the place where one may find many gurukuls along with Pathshalas and Annakshetras. 

It is mentioned in the Ramayana that Sage Vashistha had a large ashram in the kingdom.It is here where King Dilip went to perform austerities. Also the famous Vishwamitra attained brahmata in Vashistha’s ashram. 

Another famous ashram of that age was that of Bharadwaja Muni in Prayag.

Lord Rama was also educated in the same ashram of Rishi Vashistha. Even Lord Krishna followed this very Gurukul system. He was educated by Rishi Sandipani. The famous stories of Krishna, Balaram and Sudama happened in the very same Gurukul of Sandipani. Read the stories related to Krishna Janmashtmi to know more about Lord Krishna's childhood here. 

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