Gurukul: History and Planning - If human beings think seriously, they can perform small and big tasks unitedly in a beautiful manner. Work can be accomplished in a short time and with very little effort, the welfare of a maximum number of persons can be effected. To work in such a united way, we have prepared a plan for the establishent of a gurukul for educational and research purposes. In this scheme, several responsible persons have been inducted.

In olden times, an educational institution enrolling about a hundred students was called a “Pathshála”, that with 100-1000 students was called a “Catuspáthii”, and an institution of 1000-5000 students was called a “Mahá-catuspáthii”, Vidyapeetha or “Seat of learning”. Pupils of ancient Semitic and Middle Asia whose branches are the Ottoman Turks, Arabs and Jews used to call it “Academy”. Institutions with 5000-500,000 students were called Gurukul. The learned scholar of Vikramaditya’s court, Shri Amar Singh opined that a Gurukul should not enroll more than 500,000 students because it adversely affects the administrative efficiency.

In later times, when in ancient Greece, the system of Academies progressed, they were upgraded and during the Roman Empire, they were reconstituted as “Universities”. The Universities represented a grand educational scheme. During the tenure of the British Empire, the institution of universities were also initiated in India – particularly in Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Lahore, Allahabad and Nagpur. We have lost the tradition of over a thousand years. Is it proper to use the term “University”? It has been loosely translated in the vernacular as “Vishvavidalaya”. This is a misnomer. We already have a proper term for a university and it is “Gurukul”.

Ámrá gaŕe noba gurukul; Jiṋáner áloke ráuṋiye doba pratit́i kuṋŕi phul.
Keha ná thákibe dúre, vájába pratit́i táre; Báṋdhiba priitiri d́ore e mańiháre atul.
Keha ná thákibe piche, t́heli ná káreo niice; Sabe átmiiya viráje manomájhe dodul dul.

[ We will establish the Gurukul. We will dye each and every bud with the light of knowledge. No one will stay away. We will bind everybody with the thread of love and create a garland of incomparable beauty.

No one will stay behind, none will be thrown at the bottom. All will exist with kith and kin with their minds full of sweetness and tenderness for all. ]

Under Ánanda Marga Gurukul we have started Primary Schools, High Schools, Veterinary Institute, Paramedical Institute, Naturopathy centre, Music school, Computer literacy, Skill Development programs, etc. All these Institutes are working for development of students in different sphere of life.