At the moment when this blog is being written, Sharda temple along with the area annexed over large swathes of breathtakingly beautiful and spiritual place stands ruined beyond recognition, but between sixth and twelfth century period it was the crowning glory of India in terms of being a prominent centre of Vedic and Buddhist learning and produced the educational wealth in addition to the supply of a continuous stream of accomplished and erudite scholars across the Indian landmass and beyond to China, Tibet and central Asia .
Although much has been written on the subject but renewed interests by scholars continue to generate valuable research material in respect of Sharda Peetha, which stands as a destroyed temple in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir presently but had the honour of the title of one of the most exalted universities of ancient India. The fact that it developed the unique library in the whole of India where in order to access the contents of higher learning, sacred manuscripts and other such repository of esoteric knowledge one had to undertake a series of complex qualifying tests to determine the worth of seeking such knowledge. A mention about the same is made by those who visited this jewel in the crown of Kashmir and accordingly are the stuff of legends in this regard.
Sahana Singh, a scholar in her Book ” The Educational Heritage of India—-How an Ecosystem of Learning was Laid to Rest” (Notion Press) mentions that “Given that ancient Indians attached so much value to learning, it should not come as a surprise that they had a meaningful rite of passage to mark graduation of students called ‘Samavartana’ or ‘Snana’’.
There seems to have been a remarkable mobility of students and teachers across the Universities of ancient India. Sahana makes a mention of professors in Nalanda such as Sthiramati and Gunamati who had earlier established Valabhi University in the west. “Dinnaga and Dharmapala, two famous scholars of Nalanda were both natives of Kanchipuram in the south. Ratnavajra, a noted professor at Vikramshila hailed from Kasmira (Kashmir) and many of the learned people of yore travelled to centres of excellence in their areas of interest’’.
She adds:“ In presence of fellow students, teachers and invited guests, the graduating student at Sharda Peetha and elsewhere would offer his guru (Teacher) the guru dakhshina (offering) after which the guru would recite the “Snataka Dharma” i,e Graduate Code of Conduct from Taittiriya Upanishad followed by a ‘Homa’(Fire ritual) and ‘Snana’ (the Bathing Ritual). A typical Snataka Dharma recitation would be:-
“Never deviate from Truth.
Never deviate from Dharma.
Never neglect your Well Being
Never neglect your Health
Never neglect your Worldly Activities.
Never neglect your “Svadhyaya” .. the Self Introspection and” Pravachana”… the Proclamations of the Vedic knowledge”.
Sharda Script
Sharda Peetha university had the unique distinction of devising the Sharda script. To set the script as a standard for reposting every kind of knowledge ranging from literature to Philosophy, Mathematics, Aesthetics, Astronomy, Medicine, Tantra, Architecture and all the rest of it must have been a daunting task and mission of the stuff of legends of yogis. Sharda script derived from “Brahmi” had the unique role in popularising these knowledge systems across the mainland India and beyond into China, Tibet and central Asia.
The university produced scholars of repute who created dynamic shifts during the period they became instruments of such positive change and set the paradigm for any socio religious activity. This script also known as “Shaardaaakhsharani” are the sacred alphabets of Sharada or Saraswati, the goddess of learning also known as “Naarada and Vaagdevi”.
Saqi’s Insights
According to the noted Kashmiri writer and historian, Moti Laal Saqi in his book “Aager Naeb’’, the first printed material in China was the Indian treatise “Vajjra Cheddika …Prājña- Paramitta Sutra” famously known as “Diamond Sutra”. Kumarjiva of Kashmir who is known to have been a faculty member of this great spiritual heritage institution had the honour to translate it into Chinese. Other scholars associated with Sharada Peetha are Ratnavajra, a noted professor of Vikramshila University, Thonmi Shambhota (7th century A.D), the translator of Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Chinese and Vateshwara, the first Mathematician from Kashmir besides scores of others. The same has also been corroborated by PNK Bamzai in his voluminous work on History of Kashmir. Further research from Chinese annals is, however, bound to throw much light on many hidden and unreported such glorious names.
The Sharada Peeth at present may lie in ruins in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, but on it depends the very soul and beauty of what we call the Unending India.
