BANGALORE: Eighteen students were awarded B.Sc. and B.A. degrees in Vedic Science at the first convocation of the University of Vedic Sciences (UVS) here on Monday. The degrees were presented by Governor T.N. Chaturvedi at Raj Bhavan here.

The university follows the "gurukul" system of Indian education and aims at holistic education. The university head Vedavyas spoke about the wide reach of an alien education system in the country, while native and more effective systems of education, were being sidelined and forgotten.

He said: "Ancient Indian texts have talked of various theories and discoveries that are still termed as path-breaking today. For example, look at Newton's law of action-reaction. It is so similar to the principle of karma in Indian philosophy. Karma is also based on the idea — As you sow, so shall you reap."

The difference between modern and ancient education lay in a simple fact; while modern education was a continuous transfer of education from outside sources, ancient education extracted knowledge from the divine soul within us, he said, adding, "that is the beginning and end of everything."

The Governor praised the syllabus and methodology of UVS and its approach to education. "The world is astonished by the immense bounty of knowledge our rishis have encapsulated in a few texts. It is time this knowledge is imparted to a larger number of students and seekers. The students of UVS study subjects ranging from ayurveda to astrology, and this magnifies the scope for research. Also, there are many openings for Vedic scholars of late. The gurukul system of education is slowly being reinvented, and can now work in tandem with other methods of education," he said.

The university believes in the system of teaching and learning. Senior students of the university teach the junior students. The university also plans to introduce a postgraduate course in Vedic Sciences from next year.

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