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pupil. It was the sacred duty of the pupil to serve his preceptor. Being a
residential pupil, he would look to the comforts of his Guru and assist him
in domestic works. He pledged devotion to him in thought, speech and
deed, and worshipped him as his own father or god. Pupils who neglected
their duties towards the preceptor or who violated the disciplinary rule,
were debarred from education and expelled from the institution.4
It is a point worth marking that the var峁嘺 system, that is the division
of the entire society into four major caste groups was prevalent in the
Rgvedic age. But as noted earlier its rules were not very rigid and
inflexible. It must however be noted that the seers and hermits were
mainly Br膩hma峁嘺s. On the other hand Tapas or asceticism was a means.
to attain religious merit. A number of K峁�atriya Kings such as Ambarisha,
Trasudasya and Sibi etc, attained to the status of the Rsi only through
their Tapas. Women too were allowed to participate in sacrificial rites.
They were called R峁�ikas or Brahmav膩dinis. The name of such women
sages as Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru are given in the tenth Mandala. Savitri,
Urvasi and Devay膩ni figure in all the four Vedas.
The Atharvaveda contains a detailed account of education
prescribed for the Brahmacari. The ancient people divided life into four
stages or 膧艣ramas: Brahmacarya, G膩rhastya, V膩naprasta, and Sany膩sa.
The stage of brahmacarya begins with the ceremony of Upanayana for the