Part 4: Seats of Learning

1 Teachers’ Residence:

In the Upaniṣadic times, the teacher’s hermitages were the living centers of learning. The teacher admitted the pupil into his residential institution after the performance of the initiation ceremony of the student. Mainly, the teachers’ hermitages were served as the seat of learning. We have found the vivid description of residential institution by Divākaramitras hermitage. When Harṣavardhana had gone to the hermitage of Divākaramitra, he saw the latter was surrounded by his pupils and students of various sects from different geographical locations.^[1]

2 Pariṣad:

The pariṣad was that where persons of different stages come to quench their thirst for knowledge. Infect, pariṣad was also a centre for the cultivation of knowledge, where the scholars gathered together and discussed various things together. The author Bāṇabhaṭṭa has clearly stated in his Kādambarī, that the king Śudraka’s mantrīpariṣad was filled with different types of Scholars; with them he had passed his day and night discussing on various topics.^[2]

3 Goṣṭhī:

The word goṣṭhī implies the assembly or discourse. In ancient times goṣṭhī was somewhat like a modern club. P. V. Kane comments-“an assembly or in a club or an assembly of learned man.”^[3]

According to the Saṅketa commentary—

samānavidyāvitraśilabuddhivayasamurupairālāpairekatrāsanabandho goṣṭhī.^[4]

Different types of scholars gathered together and exchanged their views in goṣṭhī. Infect, this type of conferences were held by the kings who were the great patron of knowledge. In the ancient time, Janaka, the great king of Videha also once performed a sacrifice to which he invited all the erudite scholars of the kurupāñcāla.^[5] It is found in the Harṣacarita that different types of conference were being organized in the 7^th century A.D. King Harṣavardhana’s royal assembly had been filled with heroes, thinkers, speakers etc.^[6] Again, description of vidyāgoṣṭhī^[7] is found, organized by the god Brahmā, in which debating circle expressed their views or mutually discussed on higher problems of life attended by renowned scholars.^[8]

4 Royal Court:

In a royal court, the scholars discussed various problems. The king attached was encircled by learned men who were expert in different fields, and whose accompaniment was like an anthodium to the king. Description is found in the Kādambarī that, the king Śudraka was sitting in his royal court with the scholars who were very expert in various topics.^[9] Again, the writer Bāṇabhaṭṭa has described that, the king Harṣavardhana’s royal courts (rājakulāni) were full of various meritorious (guṇavata [guṇavatam]) scholars who were attending the meetings organized for valuable discussions.^[10]

Besides this, there was no fixed place of attaining knowledge at that time. There are instances of pupils sitting in various places in the āśrama of Divākaramitra. Some students sat on the rocks, some on bower, some under the shade of the trees, some even on the massive roots of huge trees to attain knowledge.^[11]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

atha teṣāṃ taruṇāṃ madhye nānādeśīyaiḥ stānastāneṣu stānunāśritaiḥ śilātaleṣūpaviṣṭamāna….. paurāṇikaiḥ sāptatantavaiḥ śaivaiḥ śābdaiḥ….. pratyuccardbhiśca saṃśayanaiśca vyutpādayadbhiśca vivadamānaiścābhyasyadbhiśca vyācakṣāṇaiśca śiṣyatāṃ pratipannairdūrādevāvedyamānam, Harṣacarita,VIII.p.128

[2]:

[a] yathaiva ca divasamevamarabdhavividhakriyāparihāsacaturaiḥ suhṛdbhirupeto niśāmanaiṣīt, Kādambarī,p.24
[b] kadācidābaddhavidagdhamandalah kāvyapravandharacanena…, Ibid.,p.23

[3]:

[a] Harṣacarita,p.214
[b] Ibid.,p.561

[4]:

Ibid.,I.p.13

[5]:

Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad,III.1.1

[6]:

[a] bīragoṣṭhīṣu pulakitena kapolasthalenānurāgasandeśamivopāṃṣu raṇaśriyaḥ śṛṇvantam, Harṣacarita,II.p.32
[b] mahāhalāpagambhīraguṇavadgoṣṭhīścopatiṣṭhamānaḥ, Ibid.,I.p.19

[7]:

Ibid.,I.p.2

[8]:

purā kila bhagavānsvalokamadhitiṣṭhanparameṣṭhī ……parivṛto brahmodyāḥ kathāḥ kurvannanyāśca niravadyā vidyāgoṣṭhirbhāvayan…..vidyāvisaṃvādakṛtāśca tatra teṣāmanyonyasya vidyāvivādāḥ prādurabhavan, Ibid.

[9]:

amaragurunāmapi prajñāyopahāsadbhiranekakulakramāgataiḥ ……..prabuddhaiścāmātaiḥ parivṛttaḥ samānavayovidyālaṃkārai….rājaputraiḥ saha ramamānaḥ prathame………………….sukhamaticiramuvāsa, Kādambarī,p.20-21

[10]:

atha śanaiḥ śanairatyudāravyavahṛtirmanohṛnti bṛhanti rājakulāni vīkṣamāṇaḥ,…..mahārlāpagambhiraguṇavadgoṣṭḥiścopatiṣṭḥamānaḥ,…..svabhāvagambh- īradhīdhanāni vidagdhamaṇḍalāni ca gāhamānaḥ.., Harṣacarita,I.p.19-20

[11]:

atha teṣāṃ taruṇāṃ madhye nānādeśīyaiḥ …….sthāṇūnāśritaiḥ śilātaleṣūpaviṣṭairlatābhavanānyadhyāvasadbhiraravyānīnikuñjeṣu nilīnairviṭapacchāyāṣu niṣannaistarumūlāni niṣevamānai……..āvedyamānam, Ibid.,VIII.p.128