49. For the sake of the completeness of the argument, we may consider the possible contention of some ultra-moderns that once we translated the important works from Sanskrit into the modern languages. or otherwise succeeded in expressing ancient thought in current literature, there should not any longer exist a general need for cultivating Sanskrit learning either in the Pathasalas or in the Universities. A few specialists may engage themselves in such studies out of antiquarian or purely historical interest. Such a facile assumption ignores two things: First, the vast amount of sustained scholarship and labour that would be required to translate most, if not all, works from Sanskrit in several languages would be stupendous. In comparison, the cultivation of Sanskrit should prove much easier. Secondly, the authenticity of the translations, their ability to express the entire import of the original without distortion, cannot be guaranteed. In fact, there are some branches of Sanskrit learning, like Neo-logic (NavyaNaya) which cannot be adequately translated at all. There will thus always be the necessity to go back to the original sources for inspiration. This explains why there have been so many and so varied expositions and interpretations of the great scriptures by our Acharyas, and yet who can say that we have exhausted and finally expressed all that they could mean for us ?

50. Can the Pathasalas be preserved, and, if so, in what form ? Some of the witnesses, while convinced of the intrinsic merits of the traditional learning, expressed grave doubts about its viability in the

114

present-day context. The question must be faced squarely. The Pathasalas have been steadily deteriorating and decaying for the past century or two, and this deterioration has been distressingly rapid in the last few decades. This fact is so evident on all sides that we need not think of questioning it. A consideration of the causes which led to this sad situation should prove of value as showing the way to remedy it. Year after year, fewer and fewer students are going to Pathasalas. The number of Pathasalas (e.g. nearly 1,400 in Uttar Pradesh) and the official figures of students studying therein should not mislead us. Many, if not most, of the students of the Pathasalas in Uttar Pradesh and some parts of North India are what may be called "seasonal" students; they attend the Pathasalas only for a few months or weeks in the year when they can spare the time, after sowing and harvesting. Many of these, again, are school or college students, who enrol themselves in Pathasalas for availing themselves of the small stipends or free accommodation. The number of genuine Pathasala students, if all these abstractions are made, will be just a fraction of that shown in official registers. Even in a centre like Navadwip in West Bengal, which was once famous for its teaching of Navya-Nyaya and where for the last six years an upgraded traditional Tol was being maintained by the State, we found to our regret that the number of students in this subject today was not more than two or three. In the Pathasala established at Kaladi, the birth-place of Adi Sankara, there was just one student, as the Sankaracharya of Sringeri told us ruefully. And this in spite of the offer, of stipend of Rs. 60 per month plus free lodging. It is well known that sons of Pandits, with rare exceptions, no longer go to the Pathasalas; they are generally sent to English schools and colleges, and eventually. find lucrative employment. The Pathasalas are thus deprived of students of the right type and in sufficient numbers.

51. More deplorable than the falling numbers is the poor quality of students that are attracted to the Pathasalas; only those who, for economic or other reasons, cannot go to schools or colleges, join the Pathasalas. There is almost everywhere a lack of good and earnest students, most of them coming for the sake of the stipends or other advantages. Good and earnest teachers are also rare, and becoming still rarer. It is not that inducement of stipends and other facilities (free food, accommodation, etc.) are not offered in sufficient measure. It has been our painful experience that in quite a large number of institutions (both in the South and in the Eastern and the Northern States), such facilities remain unutilised. Added to this, there is the depressing sense of frustration and inferiority noticeable equally among the students and the teachers in the Pathasalas.

52. Our witnesses have been unanimous in pointing out to the one single factor which, more than any other, has engendered this state of affairs. There is no attractive future for those students who graduate from the Pathasalas. With tremendous good luck, a Sastri or an Acharya or a Tirtha or a Siromani may get employed in a Pathasala on a precarious and pitiful salary which is hardly sufficient

115

to provide him the barest necessities of life. Apart from the profession of teaching and some other related avocations, an other avenues of employment or income are not for him.

53. The main cause of such catastrophic turn in the fortunes of Sanskrit learning is the wrong and unbalanced policy of education pursued by the State since the adoption of Macaulay's Minute (1835). This resulted in neglect and decay of the indigenous traditional mode of learning. While the adoption of Western Education through the medium of English brought us into contact with the thought of modem Europe and helped us to make some advance in science and technology, it at once estranged us from our cultural norms and spiritual values. Material gain and social well-being, came to be appraised as the only values of life. However, this is no reason why, without detriment to the pursuit of scientific and technical education, the State should not provide for purely cultural values. It is incumbent on the State to give the right direction to education, by making it cater for all the needs of man. With the establishment of the National Government, the time has, indeed, come for the re-adjustment of the one-sided educational system, which has so long prevailed, by rectifying the mistake which was committed in the last century and which is still being perpetuated. If a century ago, the State policy devised a system of preponderately Western education, and we adopted it by the logic of circumstances, it is imperatively necessary that the system should now be revised. There should now be a re-orientation of the State policy, which would assign an equal place of dignity and importance to the new and the old learning, on a firmer basis of national consciousness. The historical facts show that Sanskrit can today be restored to its rightful place as a contributing factor of general culture, only if it is made an integral part of the Indian educational scheme.

54. If this need to re-orientate our educational policy is accepted, it only remains to point out the concrete measures by means of which this can be realised. There must be a clear realisation that the Sanskrit learning is an abiding value per se, unaffected by the change of circumstances. Owing to the exigencies of modern life and the revised hierarchy of values, the demand for scientific and technical education would certainly be more pressing; and the people who can devote themselves wholeheartedly to the intensive acquisition of Sanskrit learning, particularly of the traditional type, must be few. But the benefits flowing from those who take to Sanskrit would, in some form or the other, reach the entire nation.

55. One direct result of this realisation will be that the Union And the State Governments will not grudge the small expenditure incurred on the maintenance of the Pathasalas and special Sanskrit education small in proportion to what they spend on other educational schemes. This Commission is even led to think that if all the endowments earmarked for Sanskrit Pathasalas were fully and properly utilised, if the commitments of the Princely States, Zamindars and other former Patrons in regard to the maintenance of the Sanskrit Institutions were honoured in full, and if the temple, and other charitable funds were

116

not diverted to other channels, Sanskrit education of the traditional type would pay its own way. We also saw that there was an appreciable support for this type of Sanskrit learning among the public, and many well-to-do and educated persons were rendering active help to this cause. We may, therefore, legitimately hope that donations and endowments will continue to flow for this purpose in the future too. Indeed, we see no conceivable reason why the Pathasala system should not survive. It has amply demonstrated its vitality by continuing to maintain the traditional learning under the most adverse circumstances. And if properly reorganised and directed, it may possibly begin a new phase in its career, in some respects even more fruitful than in the past.

56. With regard to the reorganisation of the Pathasalas, our recommendations fall broadly under two heads: (i) those that are concerned with the academic issues; and (ii) those which relate to the administrative and financial aspects.

57. Our first recommendation is that the Pathasala education should be given a status equal to the Secondary School and University education. There are already in existence several schools with scientific and vocational bias. There are also B. Sc. courses in the University, meant exclusively for Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, and various other technological subjects. A nation needs not only Scientists, Engineers and Technicians, but also a considerable body of men educated in Classics and the Humanities. The value of Sanskrit education as a great liberalising force has been already dealt with in Chapter IV. There is the necessity and the reason for maintaining Sanskrit learning as a distinct branch of education. The Pathasalas should, therefore, be reorganised as specialised Sanskrit Schools and Sanskrit Colleges, and these may well exist side by side with the present Secondary Schools and Colleges.

58. In accordance with this recommendation, the duration and courses of study throughout the different stages of the Pathasala education should be brought on a par with the corresponding Secondary School and College stages. There should be a total of 11 years of pre-University study divided into three stages: (i) Five years for Primary Education (which should be common to all students, whether in Sanskrit schools or in normal Secondary Schools); (ii) three years for Prathama ; and (iii) three years for Madhyama, leading to the Entrance Examination, which should be held together with and as a part of the Secondary School Certificate Examination. There should then be five years of Higher Sanskrit study of the University standard, divided into two stages: (i) a three years' course leading to the graduate's degree, e.g. Sastri (U.P. and Punjab) and Preliminary (Madras); and (ii) two years of post-graduate study (leading to the degree of Acharya ,or Siromani). 1* A post-Acharya Research Degree, such as VidyaVacaspati (corresponding to the Doctorate of the modern Universities) may also be instituted.

117

59. The Commission considers it very desirable , that a uniform nomenclature is adopted throughout India to denote the different stages in the Pathasala Education, e.g., Prathama (Lower Secondary), Madhyama. (Higher Secondary), Sastri (B.A.) and Acharya (M.A.), and that the duration of study at the various stages is also made uniform. The adoption of uniform duration and courses of study will greatly help in standardising the almost bewildering styles and titles of Pathasala. examinations that are now current in the various States. This will also obviate the hardships at present caused to Pandits by the absence of rules regarding equivalence of titles among the different States. Further, such uniformity will facilitate the interchange of students and teachers throughout the country. All these measures for uniformityin duration, courses and titles-will help in establishing a common standard in the Pathasala education in India.

60. With regard to the content of the courses of study at these different stages of Sanskrit Education of the Pathasala type, the Commission can only indicate the general lines on which they should be formulated. As the Prathama and the Madhyama stages of the Pathasalas would correspond respectively to the Lower and the Higher Secondary stages in normal Schools and would be reorganised on that basis, the subjects of study and their standard in both places should also correspond, with this difference that in the Sanskrit Schools a special and intensive study of Sanskrit would be made.

61. The common subjects should be Mother-tongue and/or Hindi, General English, Social Studies (which should specially include Ancient Indian History and Culture) and General. Science (including Mathematics). Out of the thirty-five periods available in a week, about sixteen periods should be assigned to Sanskrit, and the remaining to the other subjects. The question papers in the common subjects at the end of the Madhyama stage should. be the same as at the Matriculation or S. S. L. C. Examination. In fact, as indicated above, there should be one common final examination for both types of schools. It is important that there should not be any difference in or lowering of the standard; otherwise, the students studying in the Sanskrit Schools would suffer from a sense of inferiority.

62. After successfully completing the Sanskrit School Course, students should be able either to join the Special Sanskrit Colleges (Higher Pathasalas), where the various Sastras could be studied inten- sively up to a high degree, or to proceed to General Collegiate Education. A few may also seek employment in suitable walks of life. But it is mainly as feeder institutions to Sanskrit Colleges that Pathasalas are to be reorganised and maintained. In the graduate and post-graduate stages of the Sanskrit College Course, a student should be able to study two or more Sastraic subjects thoroughly, along with English. Any periods assigned to the study of the mothertongue at these stages would, in our opinion, be a needless burden. While teaching the various Sastras in the Sanskrit Colleges, attention should be specifically paid to acquainting the students with the modern

118

trends and developments in these branches 'of knowledge. A more detailed consideration of the methods of teaching in the Pathasalas is taken up in the next Chapter.

63. The wisdom and propriety of reorganising the Pathasalas by the introduction of modern subjects in their curricula may be questioned. There is some truth in the statement that if you modernise the Pandit, he disappears. He would hardly be distinguishable from a mediocre M.A. If, on the other hand, we segregated the Pandit, and thus deprived him of the benefits of modem knowledge and .modern methods, we would be perpetrating and intensifying the very deficiencies of which he wag accused. He is at first denied the means of becoming well-informed, progressive and critical, and then is accused of being ignorant, stagnant, and dogmatic. Such-accusation could be laid at his door only if sincere and sustained efforts had been made to improve the state of Pandit learning, and the same had failed. This has not been done.

64. Between the two horns of the dilemma-the alternative of completely modernising the Pandit with his consequent disappearance. and the alternative of leaving him high and dry and thereby bringing about the segregation and, stagnation of a very intellectual section of the nation-there is a middle course. It will be seen that the above alternatives, are extreme, and express only half truths. We should modernise the Pandit, but not to the extent that his individuality and unique characteristics would be destroyed. Future experience may prove us wrong, and the experiment may not achieve the result that is hoped for' Let us, however, keep an open mind on this question, and have the humility to accept that it is an experiment in education well worth undertaking.

65. Realising the need for improving the Pathasalas and their teaching, in recent years, attempts have been made in several States (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madras, Andhra, and Kerala) to evolve a new type of Sanskrit Pathasalas known as the Reorganised Pathasalas or Adarsa Pathasalas or Sanskrit or Oriental High Schools and Colleges. The reorganisation of the Pathasalas is attempted mainly in the following directions :

(1) Inclusion in the curriculum of some modern subjects like Arithmetic, History and Geography, and even English, which are to be studied compulsorily;

(2) introduction of graded courses of study;

(3) proper test and classification of students at the time of admission;

(4) fixation of time-limit for the completion of courses;

(5) preventing exclusive specialisation;

(6) a general reorientation of the system as a whole with a view to improving the economic prospects of the students passing out of the Pathasalas, by making them suited for more avenues of employment; and

119

(7) subjecting the management of the Pathasalas to a more effective official inspection and control.

66. The experiment is comparatively recent. It is too early to pronounce any judgment on its success or failure. The reorganised Pathasalas and Sanskrit Colleges cannot be said to have been given a sufficiently long and fair trial. Even the first finished products of these reorganised institutions have yet to emerge. However, what the Commission was able to see and know of the working of this new type of Pathasalas was not very encouraging. In most of the Pathasalas (as in Uttar Pradesh) there was no adequate provision for the teaching of the newly introduced modern subjects. Even where such provision was made in Uttar Pradesh, we found that in practice only Hindi and no other subjects were taught; and this certainly did not amount to much.

67. The real reason for this by-passing of the essential provisions of the reorganisation is that most Pathasalas cannot afford to employ qualified teachers in the modern subjects, as they cost more in salary and other emoluments. They cannot even afford to pay the one or two Pandits whom they employ on a mere pittance. As a result, the managements of the Pathasalas resort to various devious ways in evading the requirements demanded of them. Several irregular prac- tices are adopted in the matter of attendance and examinations. It has to be impressed on the Governments as well as on the managements of the Pathasalas that, if the introduction of the modern subjects is considered desirable by them, adequate funds and other facilities should be made available for that purpose. and the system should be worked in a proper manner.