Veda as a way of life
S. AISHWARYA
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The learning method is rigorous and the income not so lucrative. Result — few takers for Veda Patasala.
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Photo: R. Ashok
Incessant chanting: A Vedic session in progress.
At a time when crash courses are dime a dozen and diplomas are offered in all sorts of fields, there is one stream that has maintained its high standard over the years. It is not easy to master the subjects at the Veda patasala where learning is str
ictly through hearing.
It is a matter of concern that there are few takers these days and the reason is not just the difficulties involved in learning the Vedas.
The patasala type of education demands a tough mind and adaptability. Students must be prepared to spend long hours, usually 10 to 12 hours, on study and rigorous academic sessions sans any recreation. The first seven years of schooling is all about reciting Vedas and committing them to memory.
“The seven years are for mere recital of the Vedas. True learning of the scripts begins after that,” says a Vedic scholar at the ‘Acharya Vidyapeetam Sankara Gurukulam,’ at Sringeri Math in Srirangam, Tiruchi.
Gently declining our request to quote their names, the tutors at this Math compare regular academics with the patasala system of learning.
Even juxtaposing patasalas’ everyday schedule with any other academic pursuit shows striking differences. Learning in a patasala consumes 12 hours a day, 305 days a year as against the usual 8-hour-a-day, 170-day-a-year calendar.
Committing to memory
The sessions involve incessant chanting of the Vedas for hours to commit lessons faster to memory. “That is why women are not allowed to learn the Vedas. Continuous chanting of the mantras and round-the-clock gurukula system will be too harsh on women’s health,” he says.
From astrology to management, Vedantic verses contain an entire gamut of subjects. “It has all the qualities of professional courses. Unlike other systems of education, Vedic learning will be germane to one’s lifestyle,” says another tutor at the gurukula.
Despite all these systematically laid-down academics, this school of learning still remains a ‘purohit school.’ Hitting the top of the list of reasons for the declining responses in patashalas is the monetary benefit. With the super-fast professional courses luring the priest-parents with an assurance of handsome salaries, patashalas seem to have become the last resort.
Recognition, the Vedic scholars say, would go a long way in encouraging people to send their wards to this school of learning. The teachers at gurukula voice a whole host of suggestions: “From undergraduate to post-doctoral studies, patashalas have unique assemblage of specialisations. Degrees could be awarded accordingly, which will encourage the students to complete their academic pursuit.”
The new building of the Math in Srirangam that offers a serene ambience for Vedic learning in has kindled the enthusiasm of the handful of students pursuing Vedic studies.
For them, Vedas have been a part of their lives and the priesthood that lies ahead will only make the essence of scriptures indelible in their minds. As a Vedic scholar at the Math puts it, “Veda is not the means of living. It is a way of life.”
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