Lessons to learn

October 10, 2015, Hyderabad.

During my last visit to Bihar, I was visiting one of our rural project locations in Rajgir district, located around 70 KMs away from the capital city of Bihar. This time I have decided to visit one of the ancient and internationally acclaimed universities, Nalanda University. While I was approaching close to the university premise, I was just thinking and trying to visualise the kind of layout and infra of the university. I thought it would be something like some ancient building blocks and some ancient pictures of the great scholars, also was thinking about the history written on some blocks depicting the story of the university.

To my surprise, I could find some stones, destroyed old building blocks and it appeared me that, nothing to feel so excited. Since I have come all the way, I just wanted to have a glance.

There was a guide who came forward to share the story of the University. For a moment I felt that, what’s there to learn, instead I can google it. I just tried to deny the offer and in response the guide expressed, “Sir ji, agar aapko sirf patharonko dekhna hai to bina guide ka ja sakte ho, magar har pathar ke piche ek kahani hai, us kahani me aapko dilchaspi hai to mai hazir hu aap ke seva karne ke liye”

Anil Kumar, the most obedient guide who taught me a great lesson about the value of the history with a bonus of ‘Inspiration’ and a great life skill tip.

Nalanda University had a life lasted continually for 800 years from 5^th to 12^th century. The university held a residential capacity of 2000 teachers and 10000 students. The profound knowledge of the Nalanda teachers attracted scholars from places as distant as China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mangolia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. These scholars have left records about the ambience, architecture and learning of this unique university.

At the time Hsuan Chwang stayed at Nalanda University, it was already a flourishing centre of learning. In many ways it seems to have been like a modern university. There was a rigorous oral entry examination conducted by learned gatekeepers, and many students were turned away. To study or to have studied at Nalanda was a matter of great prestige. However, no degree was granted nor was a specific period of study required. The monks’ time, measured by a water clock, was divided between study and religious rites and practice. There were schools of study in which students received explanations by discourse, and there were also schools of debate, where the mediocre were often humbled, and the conspicuously talented distinguished. Accordingly, the elected abbot was generally the most learned man of the time.

The university could not recover from the third and final blow dealt in 1193 AD by Bakhtiar Khilji, a general of Qutubuddin Aibak, out to uproot Buddhism. The Turkish invaders set blaze and destroyed the huge library of the university. The gigantic library complex of Nalanda containing a total of over nine million invaluable treasures of books, mostly manuscripts were set on fire and the burning continued for over six months. The smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over the low hills. This invaluable collection of works that were destroyed was the products of centuries of scholastic studies. A few monks managed to escape with a few manuscripts to Tibet, Nepal and other neighbouring countries.

It was also said that, thousands of Buddhist monks were burnt alive and thousands beheaded as Khilji who tried his best to uproot Buddhism and plant Islam by the sword. He says that Buddhism virtually disappeared under the brutal impact of Muslim fanaticism. Nalanda which was a true spearhead of Buddhist learning in the world for several centuries became a deserted and desolate place and its ruins were covered by jungle.

This is the brief history of this great university. However I could google some information, but the expressions and the experiential learning from Anil Kumar was immense. I could’ve never accessed and learnt about this great history if I would’ve denied the guidance of the humble guide.

One line from Mr. Anil Kumar has a great wisdom and reminded a fact that, you can learn from anybody when you understand others way of ‘how they are’ and ‘what they want to communicate’.

Note: Information about Nalanda University was sourced from google