By Shashi Shriyan.
Today let us learn something about our ancestry so dig into history.
Guru Shishya Parampara:
Guru is a sanskrit word for teachers, they impart knowledge, the most important aspect for an individual’s growth.
In days gone by, education was synonymous to experience.
The Shishya or student stayed with the Master and his family in his house and helped in and around the household.
The pupils were guided by the wife of the GURU who acted as a mother to the inmates of the ashram (school) who taught the art of cleanliness inside and outside the house and also cooking. Simple meals in the beginning, then they were taught to handle meals for guests who were mostly wandering monks sometimes single sometimes in groups. They had to be entertained whatever time in the day or night they arrived with food and shelter.
Going into the deep jungles to get firewood and searching for fruits and berries for food they learnt to deal with eventualities like coming face to face with predators man or beast with ulterior motives in their mind, so they were taught to be physically fit and when physical strength could not be trusted w ere armed with the strength of mantras,sciences where the enemy was brought to his knees .
Vashikarna…to get foes under a spell for time needed.
When hurt, they knew which leaves or herbs to eat. There are herbs and leaves which can set right even a fracture.
They had first hand knowledge and were capable of identifying trees and shrubs , each for their importance ,pertaining to religious significance or medicinal values .
By the time they are around ten, they have learnt the art to be self sufficient, now comes the next stage when they begin to learn other sciences like philosophy, astronomy, physics chemistry mathematics
According to their mental and physical capacity they are now ready to face the world and go back to their homes
Siddhas
Some of the students after their studies go home,some have the yearing to learn more ,so they again go in search of a GURU who will impart knowledge to them in their subject of interest.
Finding one such Guru could take him years of searching,varied experiences and ultimately find him faraway deep in some cave or cavern.
If, the GURU agrees, he initiates the individual to become his shishya or student
If, the student is lucky the chances are that he is actually tutored by a Siddha purusha ,whose knowledge is so profound he having reached the realm of Superior Knowledge
The student , would gradually become so proficient he would master the subject through and through, then be efficient enough to write treatise and shlokas
Every subject was studied to its ultimate finite pinnacle. Each and every subject was given equal importance. Name a subject and you will find an array of shlokas to understand and imbibe the intricacies of that subject .