प्राचीन भारतीय जीवन पध्दति में त्याग के आदर्शों का विशिष्ट महत्त्व है! ईशावास्योपनिषद में त्यागपूर्ण भोग का उपदेश देते हुए कहा है की तेन त्यक्तेन भुंजीथा: इसके साथ-साथ अन्य की सम्पति के लिए लोभ न करने का परमार्थ भोग दिया है ! उपनिषद के इस सन्देश ने समस्त पुराण स्मृति और भारतीय साहित्य को प्रभावित किया है! शिक्षा जीवन के सातत्य और विकसोन्मुख्ता को बनाये रखने का एक मात्र साधन है! अत: भारतीय शैक्षिक परंपरा का अनुगमन करते हुए त्यागवृत्तिपूर्वक भोग में ही वर्तमान की समस्याओं का समाधान ढूंढा जा सकता है !

आज की शिक्षा पद्धति पुस्तक केंद्रित पाठ्यक्रम केंद्रित तथा परीक्षा केंद्रित दिखाई देती है! जबकि इसके ज्ञानोन्मुख, मुल्योन्मुख तथा आदर्शोन्मुख बनाये जाने की आवश्यकता है जिसमें बच्चे तथा समाज के सर्वविध विकास का स्थान है! वैदिक शिक्षा पध्दति भारतीय शैक्षिक विकास हेतु समुचित पथ प्रदर्शन करने में समर्थ है! इस ग्रन्थ द्वारा वैदिक वांग्मय में शिक्षा सम्बन्धी अनेक तत्त्वों का आलोड़न करके वर्तमान भारतीय शिक्षा पध्दति में इसके उपयोग की सामग्री प्रस्तुत की गई है! शैक्षिक उद्देश्य, पाठ्यक्रम, शिक्षण विधि उच्चारण शिक्षण तथा वैदिक पथ सरंक्षण गुरु शिष्य के परअस्पतिक सम्बन्ध आदि के विषय में प्रचुर सामग्री इस ग्रन्थ में उपलब्ध है! यहाँ ग्रन्थ प्राचीन भारतीय शिक्षण परंपरा की जानकारी देकर एवं वर्तमानकालीन शिक्षण व्यवस्था को समृध्द करने में प्रयाप्त सहायक है !

डॉ. भास्कर मिश्र का जन्म राजस्थान की राजधानी जयपुर में हुआ ! आप देश के प्रतिष्ठित मूर्धन्य विद्वान डॉ. मंडन मिश्र के ज्येष्ठ पुत्र है ! आपने साहित्याचार्य एम. ए. (संस्कृत) एम. एड. विद्यावारिधि, डी. लिट् उपाधियां प्राप्त की! डॉ. मिश्र ने हरियाणा संस्कृत विद्यापीठ, बघोला (हरियाणा) में प्राध्यापक के रूप में अध्यापन कार्य प्रारम्भ की तथा श्री रणबीर केंद्रीय संस्कृत विद्यापीठ, जम्मू में प्रक्षिक्षण विभागाध्यक्ष का दायित्य निर्वाहन करते हुए वर्तमान में आप श्री लाल बहादुर शास्त्री राष्ट्रीय संस्कृत विद्यापीठ दिल्ली में आधुनिक ज्ञान विज्ञान संकाय में प्रोफेसर के पद पर प्रतिष्ठित है! अध्यापन के साथ अनुसन्धान के क्षेत्र में आपका सराहनीय योगदान है! आपने विश्व संस्कृत समेलन में दिल्ली वर्ष २००१ में आयोजित शिक्षा सत्र का सयोजन किया! आपने उनके उच्च कोटि के ग्रंथों का प्रणयन किया है! आप द्वारा विरचित ग्रन्थ एक नवीन एवं आधुनिक विश्लेष्णात्मक दृष्टि का सूत्रपात करते है

I am happy to welcome this new book on the theme of the Vedic Method of Education. This is a sequel to the author's earlier book relating to the Philosophy of Vedic system of Education. Through these two books, the author has presented to the country the results of his research in our ancient system of teaching and learning that has left in our cultural heritage an ideal image of the subtlety and richness of psychological and applied principles of acquisition of knowledge and of the transmission of knowledge.

The present book is a scholarly exposition of the Vedic system as it is understood to have been in ancient times in India, and while it brings out clearly the merits of that system, the author does not hesitate to bring out clearly the demerits of that system. This demonstrates the author's originality and boldness of thought. At the same time, reference must be made to Chapter 6, where the author has presented what can be called the soul of the Vedic system. In the light of the materials that have been presented in that chapter, it becomes evident that the original Vedic system was truly integral and did not limit itself to the predominance of the teaching and learning of the recitation of the Vedic texts. The author has clearly underlined the predominant role played by three important themes, namely, acquisition of true spiritual knowledge, development of inner confidence, and continuous study, theoretical and practical. The conclusion that he draws is stated by him in the following words:

"The conclusion that is derived from this analytical study is that the ancient system gave birth to a culture oriented towards the ideals of renunciation. Ishavasya Upanishad has counselled enjoyment that is rooted in renunciation, and it has further advised to eliminate covetousness of the wealth belonging to others. This message of the Upanishads has influenced all the Puranas, Shrutis and Indian literature."

Dr. Bhaskar Mishra has in the end advocated the revival of that message, and he has suggested that if that spirit of renunciation and of enjoyment rooted in renunciation is brought back, the problems that confront us today will find an easy solution.

In the last chapter, the author has shown how the essential elements of the various systems continue to influence several progressive systems of education that are being advocated by educationists like Montessori and Dewey. This only proves that education, whenever it is studied in its deepest profundities, reveals those perennial elements that characterise true education, irrespective of the historical limitations of time and age.

An extremely important contribution of this book is its exposition of the vikritis along with apt illustrations. Similarly, there is also an illuminating chapter devoted to the analysis of educational system that is to be found in the vast literature of Vedic shastras.

There is today, in India as elsewhere, a serious search for an alternative to the present system of education that is imprisoned within the limiting walls of book-orientation, syllabus-orientation and examination-orientation. There is a deep cry of the soul of humanity to have a new system that could be characterised by knowledge-orientation, value- orientation and child-orientation. There is no doubt that this search will find the material presented in the book to be directly relevant.

In welcoming this book, I wish to congratulate Dr. Bhaskar Mishra and commend his research work. I trust that this book will be widely studied and will help educationists in their task of educational reform that is imperatively needed at the present juncture of educational crisis.