Gurukul
Encyclopedia
A gurukul is a type of school in India
, residential in nature, with shishyas living in proximity to the guru
, often within the same house. In a gurukul, shishyas reside together as equals, irrespective of their social standing, learn from the guru and help the guru in his day-to-day life, including the carrying out of mundane chores such as washing clothes, cooking, etc. The guru-shishya tradition
(parampara
) is a hallowed tradition in Hinduism
and appears in other religious groups in India, such as Jainism
, Buddhism
and Sikhism
.
Typically, a guru does not receive fees from a shishyas studying with him. At the end of his studies, a shishya offers the guru dakshina
before leaving the ashram
. The gurudakshina is a traditional gesture of acknowledgment, respect and thanks, which may be monetary, but may also be a special task the teacher wants the student to accomplish. While living in a gurukul the students had to be away from his house and family.The gurus didn't take any fees and so they had to serve the guru.
age. Upanishads mention many gurukulas, including that of Yajnavalkya
, Varuni
. Brigu Valli, the famous discourse on Brahman
, is mentioned to have taken place in Guru Varuni's gurukul. Vedic school of thought prescribes an initiation (Upanayana
m) to all individuals, including women, before the age of 8 or latest by 12. From initiation until the age of 25 all individuals are prescribed to be students and to remain unmarried.
The gurukuls were supported by public donation. This was followed by the many following Vedic thoughts making gurukul one of the earliest forms of public school offices.
By the colonial era the gurukul system was declining in India except in a few regions, such as Kerala
, where the warrior Nair
clan and their own military gurukulas, called Kalari
s, still maintained the tradition.
The Shastriji Maharaj Dharamjivan dasji Swami is the pioneer of Modern Vedic Gurukul system.He initiated frist Swaminarayan Gurukul,Rajkot,Gujarat State,India in 1948.Present Chief of Gurukul is The Mahant Swami Devakrishna dasji Swami,Vice Chief is PP Devaprasad dasji Swami.
is an NAAC accredited `A' grade autonomous college that is run under a Gurukula system. In India and elsewhere, the Swaminarayan Gurukul
of the Swaminarayan Sampraday
has been established. In Andhra Pradesh
, an attempt of expanding the Gurukul tradition was made at Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Hyderabad by Sadguru Shri Devprasaddasji Swami.
established gurukulas for children, providing academic as well as Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual instruction in a boarding-school environment. The movement for the building and supporting of gurukulas was started by the organization's founder and leader of the Hare Krishna
movement, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
. A number of these gurukulas, in India and also in various other parts of the world, still exist today.
The Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and Internation School, founded in 1977, is a gurukul located in Vrindavan
, India. The school cultivates a cultural and vedic lifestyle while providing a high school degree from the ICSE board.
In Mayapur
(West Bengal
, India) an ISKCON gurukul project, which has been in operation since the 70's, is rejuvenating the ancient gurukul system and providing students with a system of traditional education and values.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, residential in nature, with shishyas living in proximity to the guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, often within the same house. In a gurukul, shishyas reside together as equals, irrespective of their social standing, learn from the guru and help the guru in his day-to-day life, including the carrying out of mundane chores such as washing clothes, cooking, etc. The guru-shishya tradition
Guru-shishya tradition
The guru-shishya tradition, lineage, or parampara, denotes a succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Indian culture and religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. It is the tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring where teachings are transmitted from a guru...
(parampara
Parampara
Parampara denotes a succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Indian culture and Indian religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism...
) is a hallowed tradition in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and appears in other religious groups in India, such as Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
.
Typically, a guru does not receive fees from a shishyas studying with him. At the end of his studies, a shishya offers the guru dakshina
Dakshina
Dakshina in the historical Vedic religion is the term for the recompense paid by the sacrificer for the services of a priest, originally consisting of a cow...
before leaving the ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
. The gurudakshina is a traditional gesture of acknowledgment, respect and thanks, which may be monetary, but may also be a special task the teacher wants the student to accomplish. While living in a gurukul the students had to be away from his house and family.The gurus didn't take any fees and so they had to serve the guru.
History
Gurukulas have existed since the VedicVedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
age. Upanishads mention many gurukulas, including that of Yajnavalkya
Yajnavalkya
Yajnavalkya of Mithila was a legendary sage of Vedic India, credited with the authorship of the Shatapatha Brahmana , besides Yogayajnavalkya Samhita and the Yājñavalkya Smṛti...
, Varuni
Varuni
Varuni or Varunani is the female consort of Varuna and the goddess was adopted by Varuna when she came out of the ocean, during the churning for amrita. She is a secret form of Vajravarahi and represents the purifying nectar of immortality...
. Brigu Valli, the famous discourse on Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
, is mentioned to have taken place in Guru Varuni's gurukul. Vedic school of thought prescribes an initiation (Upanayana
Upanayana
Upanayana is the initiation ritual by which initiates are invested with a sacred thread, to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge .- Significance of the sacred thread :...
m) to all individuals, including women, before the age of 8 or latest by 12. From initiation until the age of 25 all individuals are prescribed to be students and to remain unmarried.
The gurukuls were supported by public donation. This was followed by the many following Vedic thoughts making gurukul one of the earliest forms of public school offices.
By the colonial era the gurukul system was declining in India except in a few regions, such as Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, where the warrior Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
clan and their own military gurukulas, called Kalari
Kalari
The word Kalari means battle ground in Tamil and translates as "threshing floor" or "battlefield" in Malayalam. Training for Kalarippayattu, a martial art of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is traditionally done inside the Kalari....
s, still maintained the tradition.
The Shastriji Maharaj Dharamjivan dasji Swami is the pioneer of Modern Vedic Gurukul system.He initiated frist Swaminarayan Gurukul,Rajkot,Gujarat State,India in 1948.Present Chief of Gurukul is The Mahant Swami Devakrishna dasji Swami,Vice Chief is PP Devaprasad dasji Swami.
Recent Developments
Recently several gurukulas have begun, driven both by a desire to uphold the traditions and monetary gain. Examples of these new schools are the Ananda Marga Gurukula. It is not a religious school in the Hindu tradition but rather a secular academic institution based on universal spiritual principles. Vivekananda College near MaduraiMadurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
is an NAAC accredited `A' grade autonomous college that is run under a Gurukula system. In India and elsewhere, the Swaminarayan Gurukul
Swaminarayan Gurukul
Swaminarayan Gurukul is an organisation headquartered in Rajkot. It was established in 1947 in Rajkot by Sadguru Shri Dharmajivandasji Swami. This organization comes under the LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday....
of the Swaminarayan Sampraday
Swaminarayan Sampraday
Swaminarayan Sampraday , known previously as the Uddhav Sampraday, is a Hindu sect established by Swaminarayan...
has been established. In Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, an attempt of expanding the Gurukul tradition was made at Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Hyderabad by Sadguru Shri Devprasaddasji Swami.
ISKCON gurukulas
For a number of years, the International Society for Krishna ConsciousnessInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
established gurukulas for children, providing academic as well as Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual instruction in a boarding-school environment. The movement for the building and supporting of gurukulas was started by the organization's founder and leader of the Hare Krishna
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
movement, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
. A number of these gurukulas, in India and also in various other parts of the world, still exist today.
The Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and Internation School, founded in 1977, is a gurukul located in Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, India. The school cultivates a cultural and vedic lifestyle while providing a high school degree from the ICSE board.
In Mayapur
Mayapur
Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Navadvip, West Bengal, India, 130 km north of Kolkata...
(West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India) an ISKCON gurukul project, which has been in operation since the 70's, is rejuvenating the ancient gurukul system and providing students with a system of traditional education and values.