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53-538: Initially there were eighteen families that were designated as families of Ashtavaidyas. Many of these families became extinct or got merged with other families and currently there are only eight surviving families considered as families of ashtavaidyas. These families are Only four of these eight families are practising Ayurveda now. They are Thrissur Thaikkattu (Pazhanellippurathu Thaikkattu Moss), Elayidath Thaikkattu Moss, Chirattamann Moss and Pulamantol Moss. The Ashtavaidyas have made several significant contributions to

106-556: A decade, provides evidence from extensive early British administrators’ reports of the widespread prevalence of indigenous educational institutions in Bombay, Bengal and Madras Presidencies as well as in the Punjab, teaching a sophisticated curriculum, with daily school attendance by about 30% of children aged 6–15. By the colonial era, the system was on a steep decline in India. Dayananda Saraswati ,

159-576: A desire to uphold tradition. Various gurukulas still exist in India, and researchers have been studying the effectiveness of the system through those institutions. With the advent of new means of mass communication , many gurus and Vedantic scholars are opening E-gurukul. These gurukuls are operating online and are now imparting knowledge about different Hindu scriptures using the internet. In 1990, Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji founded Ananda Marga gurukul with its headquarters at Anandanagar, Dist Purulia, West Bengal, India and its branches all over

212-517: A disciple of a teacher named Virajanand Dandeesha . Virajanand believed that Hinduism had strayed from its historical roots and that many of its practices had become impure. Dayananda Sarasvati promised Virajanand that he would devote his life to restoring the rightful place of the Vedas in the Hindu faith. Maharshi Dayanand advocated that all human beings are equally capable of achieving anything. He said all

265-521: A new dedication to God. He travelled the country challenging religious scholars and priests to discussions, winning repeatedly through the strength of his arguments and knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedas. Hindu priests discouraged the laity from reading Vedic scriptures, and encouraged rituals, such as bathing in the Ganges River and feeding of priests on anniversaries, which Dayananda pronounced as superstitions or self-serving practices. By exhorting

318-675: Is a combination of the Sanskrit words guru ('teacher' or 'master') and kula ('family' or 'home'). The term is also used today to refer to residential monasteries or schools operated by modern gurus. The proper plural of the term is gurukulam , though gurukuls is also used in English and some other European languages. The gurukul system of education has been in existence since ancient times. The Upanishads (1000-800 BCE) mention multiple gurukulam , including that of guru Drona at Gurgaon . The Bhrigu Valli (a discourse on

371-629: Is available outside of India as well. They are known as gurukul. At the Jain Culture Center of Antwerp , children between the ages of 8 till 16 study Vedic mathematics , Art , Music , as well as Vedic Astrology, Jyotishi , Sanskrit and Yoga . Children participate in this gurukul during holiday times at the traditional schools, for a week in October / November, 2 weeks during Easter break, and 1 month during summer break. Dayananda Saraswati There are undoubtedly many learned men among

424-476: Is in full conformity with impartial justice, truthfulness and the like; that which is not opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas . Whatever is not free from partiality and is unjust, partaking of untruth and the like, and opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas—that I hold as Adharma ." "He, who after careful thinking, is ever ready to accept truth and reject falsehood; who counts

477-560: Is present in these eighteen Puranas and Upapuranas, are already present in the Vedas and since they contain too many false pieces of information that can mislead people, they should be rejected. He points that the sage Vyasa was called so by the name "Vyasa" not because he divided the Vedas but indicates the "diameter or breadth" which means sage Veda Vyasa had studied the Vedas in great depth. He lists out various texts that should not be treated as honest texts to develop one's understanding of

530-729: Is wrong with this person?" He replies "The sun and other stars are maleficent to him. If you were to perform a propitiatory ceremony or have magic formulas chanted, or prayers said, or specific acts of charity done, he will recover. Otherwise, I should not be surprised, even if he were to lose his life after a long period of suffering." Inquirer – Well, Mr. Astrologer, you know, the sun and other stars are but inanimate things like this earth of ours. They can do nothing but give light, heat, etc. Do you take them for conscious being possessed of human passions, of pleasure and anger, that when offended, bring on pain and misery, and when propitiated, bestow happiness on human beings? Astrologer – Is it not through

583-576: The Arya Samaj , condemned practices of several different religions and communities, including such practices as idol worship , animal sacrifice , pilgrimages , priest craft, offerings made in temples, the castes , child marriage , meat eating and discrimination against women. He argued that all of these practices ran contrary to good sense and the wisdom of the Vedas . He severely criticized practices which he considered to be superstitions, including sorcery, and astrology, which were prevalent in India at

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636-545: The Brahman ) is said to have taken place in Guru Varuni's gurukula . The vedic school of thought prescribes the [gurukula] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= ( help ) (sacred rite of passage) to all individuals before the age of 8 at least by 12. From initiation until the age of 25 all individuals are prescribed to be students and to remain unmarried, a celibates. Gurukulam were supported by public donations. This

689-654: The Vedas from Vedic Sanskrit in Sanskrit as well as in Hindi . Dayananda Saraswati was born on the 10th day of waning moon in the month of Purnimanta Phalguna (12 February 1824) on the tithi to an Indian Hindu Brahmin family in Tankara , Kathiawad region (now Morbi district of Gujarat). He belonged to the Audichya Brahmin sub-division. His original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari (Trivedi, in its original form), because he

742-663: The idolatry and ritualistic worship, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently, the philosopher and President of India , S. Radhakrishnan , called him one of the "makers of Modern India", as did Sri Aurobindo . Those who were influenced by and followed Dayananda included Madam Cama , Pandit Lekh Ram , Swami Shraddhanand , Shyamji Krishna Varma , Kishan Singh , Bhagat Singh , Vinayak Damodar Savarkar , Bhai Parmanand , Lala Hardayal , Madan Lal Dhingra , Ram Prasad Bismil , Mahadev Govind Ranade , Ashfaqullah Khan , Mahatma Hansraj , Lala Lajpat Rai , Yogmaya Neupane , Vallabhbhai Patel and others. He

795-508: The Adhyatma part of the Vedas. He further said, that any source, including Upanishads, should be considered and accepted to only that extent as they are in conformity with the teachings of the Vedas. He accepted the 6 Vedanga texts which include grammar and the like required for the correct interpretation of the Vedas. Among Sanskrit grammatical texts, he says, Pāṇini 's Aṣṭādhyāyī and its commentary, Mahabhashya by Maharshi Patanjali are

848-552: The Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the sixth principle of the Arya Samaj. As a result, his teachings professed universalism for all the living beings and not for any particular sect, faith, community or nation. Arya Samaj allows and encourages converts to Hinduism. Dayananda's concept of Dharma is stated in the "Beliefs and Disbeliefs" section of Satyartha Prakash, he says: "I accept as Dharma whatever

901-450: The Bible e.g. that God fearing Adam eating the fruit of life and becoming his equal displays jealousy. His critique attempts to show logical fallacies in the Bible, and throughout he asserts that the events depicted in the Bible portray God as a man rather than an omniscient, omnipotent or complete being. He opposed the perpetual virginity of Mary , adding that such doctrines are simply against

954-558: The Vedas. In his book Satyarth Prakash, Maharshi Dayanand has analysed critically current form of Hinduism , Jainism , Buddhism , Christianity and Islam . He viewed Islam to be waging wars and immorality. He doubted that Islam had anything to do with the God, and questioned why a God would hate every non-believer, allowing the slaughter of animals, and command Muhammad to slaughter innocent people. He further described Muhammad as "imposter", and one who held out "a bait to men and women, in

1007-546: The World and the Lord. He rejected "all" of the Tantric texts including Pancharatra . He said that these texts are not valid as they teach different customs, rituals, and practices which are against the Vedas. Dayanand based his teachings on the Vedas which can be summarised as follows: He opposed caste system , Sati practice , Murti worship , child marriage , etc. which are against

1060-480: The creatures are the eternal Praja or citizens of the Supreme Lord. He said the four Vedas which are Rigveda , Yajurveda , Samaveda , and Atharvaveda are the only true uncorrupted sources of Dharma, revealed by the Supreme Lord, at the beginning of every creation, also because they are the only perfectly preserved knowledge without alterations using Sanskrit prosody or Chhandas and different techniques of counting

1113-415: The current surviving valid texts and all other surviving modern-grammatical texts should not be accepted as they are confusing, dishonest and will not help people in learning the Vedas easily. He accepted the six Darshana Shastras which includes Samkhya , Vaisheshika , Nyaya , Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , Purva Mimamsa Sutras , Vedanta Sutras . Unlike other medieval Sanskrit scholars, Dayanand said all

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1166-429: The education to inculcate self-discipline among students. Typically, a guru does not receive or accept any fees from the shishya studying with him as the relationship between a guru and the shishya is considered very sacred. At the end of one's education, a shishya offers the guru dakshina before leaving the gurukul. The gurudakshina is a traditional gesture of acknowledgment, respect and thanks to

1219-446: The eighteen Puranas and the eighteen Upapuranas , are not the authentic Puranas and these are not authored by sage Vyasa , and they violate the teachings of the Vedas and therefore should not be accepted. The eighteen Puranas and Upapuranas are filled with contradictions, idol worship, incarnations and personification of God, temples, rituals, and practices that are against the Vedas. In his book Satyarth Prakash, he says whatever 'good'

1272-548: The equal rights and respects to women and advocated for the education of all children, regardless of gender. Dayanand also made critical analyses of faiths including Christianity and Islam , as well as of other Indian faiths like Jainism , Buddhism and Sikhism . In addition to discouraging idolatry in Hinduism, he was also against what he considered to be the corruption of the true and pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements of his times within Hinduism,

1325-457: The followers of every religion. They should free themselves from prejudice, accept the universal truths – that is those truths that are to be found alike in all religions and are of universal application, reject all things in which the various religions differ and treat each other lovingly, it will be greatly to the advantage of the world. Dayanand Saraswati ( pronunciation ) born Mool Shankar Tiwari (12 February 1824 – 30 October 1883),

1378-471: The forest, and five years of apprenticeship at home"; in practice the period of study would be much longer. Gurukula A gurukula or gurukulam ( Sanskrit : गुरुकुल , romanized :  gurukula ) is a type of education system in ancient India with śiṣya ('students' or 'disciples') living near or with the guru in the same house for a period of time where they learn and get educated by their guruji. The word gurukula

1431-539: The founder of Arya Samaj and Swami Shraddhanand , were the pioneers of the modern gurukul system, who in 1886 founded now-widespread Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Public Schools and Universities . In 1948, Shastriji Maharaj Shree Dharamjivan das Swami followed suit and initiated first Swaminarayan gurukul in Rajkot in Gujarat state of India . Recently, several gurukulam have opened up in India as well as overseas with

1484-470: The founding principles of the Vedas and that Hindus had been misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandizement. For this mission, he founded the Arya Samaj , enunciating the Ten Universal Principles as a code for Universalism , called Krinvanto Vishwaryam . With these principles, he intended the whole world to be an abode for Aryas (Nobles). His next step was to reform Hinduism with

1537-422: The globe. {www.gurukul.edu} He nominated Acharya Shambhushivananda Avadhuta as its kulapati (chancellor) and formed a skeletal structure for spreading "neohumanist education" all over the globe. The students learn from the guru and help the guru in his everyday life, including carrying out of mundane daily household chores. However, some scholars suggest that the activities are not mundane and very essential part of

1590-434: The guru, which may be monetary, but may also be a special task the teacher wants the student to accomplish. While living in a gurukula , the students would be away from their home from a period of months to years at a stretch. Through Gurukul, students used to learn self discipline, politeness, good humanism and spirituality that would assist them to be an enlightened person in the future. The gurukulam system of education

1643-604: The happiness of others as he does that of his own self, him I call just." Dayananda's Vedic message emphasized respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the divine nature of the individual. In the Ten Principles of the Arya Samaj , he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefiting mankind", as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. The first five principles speak of Truth, while

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1696-490: The influence of stars on human beings and their actions and goes by the name of Astrology is all false. He makes a clear distinction between Jyotisha Shaastra and astrology, calling astrology a fraud. "Thereafter, they should thoroughly study the Jyotisha Shaastra – which includes Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Geography, Geology, and Astronomy in two years. They should also have practical training in these Sciences, learn

1749-449: The influence of stars, then, that some people are rich and others poor, some are rulers, whilst others are their subjects? Inq. – No, it is all the result of their deeds...good or bad. Ast. – Is the Science of stars untrue then? Inq. – No, that part of it which comprises Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, etc., and which goes by the name of Astronomy is true; but the other part that treats of

1802-402: The last five speak of a society with nobility, civics, co-living, and disciplined life. In his own life, he interpreted Moksha to be a lower calling, as it argued for benefits to the individual, rather than calling to emancipate others. Dayananda's "back to the Vedas" message influenced many thinkers and philosophers the world over. Dayanand Saraswati is recorded to have been active since he

1855-567: The literature on Ayurveda. These include commentaries on the Ashtangahrdayam and compendiums in Malayalam such as Alattur Manipravalam, Cikitsamanjari, Sahasrayogam and Sindhuramanjari. A member of the Vayaskara Mooss family has published ancient texts and his own original works. Vaidyamadham Cheriya Narayan Namboodiri (1932–2013) has written books and over a hundred newspaper articles to inform

1908-581: The name of God, to compass his own selfish needs." He regarded Quran as "Not the Word of God. It is a human work. Hence it cannot be believed in." His analysis of the Bible was based on an attempt to compare it with scientific evidence, morality, and other properties. His analysis claimed that the Bible contains many stories and precepts that are immoral, praising cruelty, deceit and that encourage sin. One commentary notes many alleged discrepancies and fallacies of logic in

1961-560: The nation to reject such superstitious notions, his aim was to educate the nation to return to the teachings of the Vedas, and to follow the Vedic way of life. He also exhorted Hindus to accept social reforms, including the importance of cows for national prosperity as well as the adoption of Hindi as the national language for national integration. Through his daily life and practice of yoga and asanas, teachings, preaching, sermons and writings, he inspired Hindus to aspire for Swarajya (self-governance), nationalism, and spiritualism. He advocated

2014-538: The nature of law, and that God would never break his own law because God is omniscient and infallible. He regarded Guru Nanak as "rogue", who was quite ignorant about Vedas, Sanskrit, Shashtra, and otherwise Nanak wouldn't be mistaken with words. He further said that followers of Sikhism are to be blamed for making up stories that Nanak possessed miraculous powers and met God. He criticized Guru Gobind Singh and other Sikh Gurus, saying they "invented fictitious stories", although he also recognized Gobind Singh to be "indeed

2067-473: The number of verses with different Vedic chanting techniques. He says, that confusion regarding the Vedas arose due to the misinterpretations of the Vedas, and Vedas promote Science and ask Humans to discover the Ultimate Truth, which he has emphasized throughout his Commentary on the Vedas. He accepted the teachings of the first ten Principal Upanishads also with Shvetashvatara Upanishad , which explains

2120-478: The proper handling of instruments, master their mechanism, and know how to use them. But they should regard Astrology – which treats of the influence of stars and constellation on the destinies of man, of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of time, of horoscopes, etc. – as a fraud, and never learn or teach any books on this subject. He considered the prevalent religions to have either immoral stories, or badly practised, or some of them have sufficiently moved away from

2173-474: The public about Ayurveda. In the pre-modern times the Ashtavaidyas were trained in the traditional Gurukula system. This involved a long period of intense study and apprenticeship under accomplished masters. Knowledge of Sanskrit was considered essential to understand and analyse the meanings in the ancient medical texts. Students also mastered Sanskrit works on Tarka (the rules of reasoning and argument), and

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2226-421: The seers to explain the meaning of the Vedas are also valid but again only to that extent as they agree with four Vedas because these texts are prone to interpolations by others. He said it is these books which are called by the names "Itihasa, Purana, Narashamsa, Kalpa, Gatha" since they contain information about the life of Seers and incidents, they inform about the creation of the World, etc... He stated that

2279-541: The six Darshanas are not opponents but each throws light on different aspects required by the Creation. Hence they are all independent in their own right and all of them conform with the teachings of the Vedas. He says Acharya Kapila of Sankhya Darshan was not an atheist but it is the scholars who misinterpreted his sutras. He said the books called Brahamana-Granthas such as Aitareya Brahmana , Shatapatha Brahmana , Sāma Brahamana, Gopatha Brahmana , etc. which are authored by

2332-462: The spirit of the Vedas and advocated that all evils of society should be thoroughly investigated and should be removed. The Varnashrama is based on education and profession and in his book Satyarth Prakash, he quotes passages from Manusmriti, Grihya Sutras, and Vedas which support his claims. He advocated the notion of One Government Throughout the World , also known as Chakradhipatya . He believed that Hinduism had been corrupted by divergence from

2385-713: The time. Below are several quotes from his book, Sathyarth Prakash: "They should also counsel then against all things that lead to superstition, and are opposed to true religion and science, so that they may never give credence to such imaginary things as ghosts (Bhuts) and spirits (Preta)." "All alchemists, magicians, sorcerers, wizards, spiritists, etc. are cheats and all their practices should be looked upon as nothing but downright fraud. Young people should be well counseled against all these frauds, in their very childhood, so that they may not suffer through being duped by any unprincipled person." On Astrology , he wrote: When these ignorant people go to an astrologer and say "O Sir! What

2438-446: The traditional philosophies of Nyaya, Vaisheshika and Samkhya. The Ayurvedic studies of Ashtavaidyas began with the study of Ashtangahrdayam; this involved memorizing all 7120 verses of the Ashtangahrdayam. During the period of apprenticeship under a guru, student physicians wrote out the prescription for patients. The number of years of education was said to be "five years of textual study, five years of learning about medicinal plants in

2491-447: The whole night in obedience to Shiva. During one of these fasts, he saw a mouse eating the offerings and running over the idol's body. After seeing this, he questioned that if Shiva could not defend himself against a mouse, then how could he be the saviour of the world. The deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from cholera led Dayananda to ponder the meaning of life and death. He began asking questions which worried his parents. He

2544-497: Was 14, which time he was able to recite religious verses and teach about them. He was respected at the time for taking part in religious debates. His debates were attended by large crowds. On 22 October 1869 in Varanasi he lost a debate against 27 scholars and 12 expert pandits. The debate was said to have been attended by over 50,000 people. The main topic was "Do the Vedas uphold deity worship ?" Dayananda Saraswati's creation,

2597-410: Was a sanyasi (ascetic) from boyhood and a scholar. He believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda advocated the doctrines of karma and reincarnation . He emphasized the Vedic ideals of brahmacharya , including celibacy and devotion to God . Among Dayananda's contributions were his opposition to untouchability , promotion of the equal rights for women and his commentary on

2650-416: Was a Hindu philosopher , social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj , a reform movement of Hinduism . His book Satyarth Prakash has remained one of the influential texts on the philosophy of the Vedas and clarifications of various ideas and duties of human beings. He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as "India for Indians" in 1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak . Denouncing

2703-474: Was born in Dhanu Rashi and Mul Nakshatra. His father was Karshanji Lalji Trivedi, and his mother was Yashodabai. When he was eight years old, his Yajnopavita Sanskara ceremony was performed, marking his entry into formal education. His father was a follower of Shiva and taught him the ways to worship Shiva. He was also taught the importance of keeping fasts. On the occasion of Shivratri , Dayananda sat awake

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2756-576: Was engaged in his early teens, but he decided marriage was not for him and ran away from home in 1846. Dayanand Saraswati spent nearly twenty-five years, from 1845 to 1869, as a wandering ascetic , searching for religious truth. He found out that the joy from material goods was not enough, therefore he decided to devote himself to spiritual pursuits in forests, retreats in the Himalayan Mountains, and pilgrimage sites in northern India. During these years he practised various forms of yoga and became

2809-467: Was followed by the many following Vedic thoughts making gurukul one of the earliest forms of public school centres. Dharampal was instrumental in changing the understanding of pre-colonial Indian education system . Dharampal primary works are based on documentation by the colonial government on Indian education, agriculture, technology, and arts during the period of colonial rule in India. His pioneering historical research, conducted intensively over

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