The stories and parables were often used in the Srutis and Smritis to shed light on important social issues. Even in the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad (1), where the great Yagnavalkaya is shown to accept thousands of cows to teach philosophy to king Janaka of Videha, the incident probably has a deeper meaning than the simple exchange of cattle.

When the Veda (knowledge) was first compiled thousands of years ago, there were very few facilities to record and store information easily. Since the paper had not been invented yet, the information was either etched into a stone or rock, or scribbled and written on parchment and papyrus etc. Consequently, there were very few records and manuscripts available for teaching and learning because of the difficulty in preparing them in large numbers.

Thus due to a lack of sufficient manuscripts, the transmission of information and knowledge (Veda) in the beginning, from one generation to the next or from guru (teacher) to his shishya (student or disciple), used to take place in the from of sruti or oral tradition. It was a lengthy, difficult and time-consuming process to learn the Veda by rote, and a student normally spent decades to complete the task while staying in a gurukul (hermitage or asharama of a guru - located usually in a remote and secluded area).

The education for a new student started early, usually with the upaanayam ceremony, when he was seven or eight years old. By undergoing the upaanayam, he became a dvija (twice-born) - basically getting the preliminary exposure to spirituality and proper etiquette and temperament (promise of calm demeanor, perseverance and hard work etc.) for learning the Veda (as sruti) from a guru and leading an austere life. Note that the education in Veda from a guru normally continued for several decades in the gurukul and the student would stay there, away from his family and home. Only after completing the education, when he had grown into an adult (about 25 years old), he would be able to return home.

While getting the opportunity for Vedic education was easy for the children of vaishya (those belonging to the tribe, including brahmins and kshatriyas), a sudra (meaning an outsider, or stranger, and not belonging to the tribe) sometimes could not find a guru to teach him, in rote and sruti tradition, the arduous and time-consuming Veda because of his unfamiliarity with the learning process and also his lack of proper etiquette and temperament as a potential student. In any case, this was not a permanent situation, because even a sudra, after living in the tribe and helping others, would become knowledgeable and competent just like any vaishya (person belonging to the tribe and familiar with the traditions and customs of the tribe) and would then be able to pursue other vocations, including getting educated and working as a brahmin (2).

In spite of the above difficulties sometimes faced by the sudras, learning the sruti and the Vedas generally was open to them. Consider the examples of Satyakama (in the Chandogya Upanisad: an illegitimate son of a sudra prostitute) and Valmiki (the composer of the Ramayana who started his life as a chandala, an extremely cruel and ill-tempered person), both of whom, even though sudras initially, were able to learn the Vedas from their gurus becoming famous brahmins and great sages. Note also, in this regard, the following Vedic hymn (3) implying the urgency of wisdom to everyone, irrespective of his social, physical and intellectual capabilities:

“God, whom none deceive, with great power quicken even the fool to wisdom.
And, wakening, moreover, thoughtful insight, lead it by easy paths over grief and trouble.” (Rig Veda: Book 7 - hymn 60.6).

The education of a student to become brahmin (person knowing the Veda and able to teach to others) did not promise him a safe and secure future. When he returned home after his studies, the demand for his services normally was not great. As a result, the return on his investment (enormous time and effort spent on education) was quite meager. He would also find himself socially and financially behind others, especially those in his age group, who just stayed home and directly took over their parents’ professions of farming and carpentry etc.

Moreover, by the time a brahmin returned after finishing his difficult and lengthy Vedic studies, he had no family of his own and his economic future was uncertain; whereas the people of his age, usually staying home and pursuing other vocations, would be doing a lot better than him socially (even having wives and children by that time) and economically (established in the family businesses already). This type of uncertainty and disadvantage to brahmins would discourage many people from getting into the scholarly profession. Thus the brahminical training and vocation, ignored by the majority in the society, were left to the care of just a few people (mainly the children of brahmins).

Note that the profession of brahmins (responsible for retaining the knowledge and transmitting it), even though not chosen by majority of people, was deemed extremely important for survival of society and development of civilization. People realized the significance of scholars and gave them due recognition. There are Vedic hymns (as given below) expressing such sentiment,

"The man who has awakened to the knowledge, becomes perfect.
Let him speak for us to the gods..." (Rig Veda: Book 5 - Hymn 65.1).

In addition to the responsibility of acquiring knowledge and dispensing it to others, brahmins also faced a special danger to their life and property. For example, during attacks on the tribe from outside, brahmins were the prime target of enemy’s wrath because they were seen by him as the main obstacle in his path and likely to hamper his take over of the tribe. The enemy realized that brahmins were the most progressive segment of the society, its potential leaders and capable of restoring the health and fortunes of the tribe. Thus the enemy, who was hell-bent on destroying the tribe and taking over the territory, would consider the brahmins his main antagonists and go after them with full force - disturbing, subduing and even killing them - as soon as he gained an upper hand.

To avoid such calamities and not let the brahmins abandon their vocation for any reason (e.g. lack of safety and financial insecurity etc.), the society encouraged the brahmins to stick to their vocation and tried to treat and reward them properly for their work. There was recognition by the society about the need for physical safety, social respect and economic compensation to brahmins. A number of Vedic hymns, given below, shed light on the issue of special assistance, safety and protection of brahmins:

“This priestly task, God, hath been performed for you at sacrifices.
Convey us safely over every peril. Preserve us evermore, ye God, with blessings.” (Rig Veda: Book 7 - hymn 61.7);

“Grant us your strong protection, God, our people, and our family, for sacrifice.
May we subdue in fight our evil-hearted foes, him who attacks the man steadfast in lengthened rites.” (Rig Veda: Book 7 - hymn 82.1); and

“Wise be the priest and skilled in Law Eternal, who with his sacred gifts and oration.
Brings you to aid us with your might, God: let him have viands to promote his welfare.” (Rig Veda: Book 7 - hymn 85.4).

Needless to say, there are several legends and parables in the ancient literatures to show the significance of scholarly pursuits and rewards associated with them. The basic idea behind such stories is to keep the profession of brahmins alive and going in spite of all the difficulties faced by its practitioners (as indicated above). Thus, allotting of a large number of cattle to Yagnavalkaya by king Janaka in the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad most likely is a similar example. It shows the king seeking knowledge in philosophy from a great scholar, Yagnavalkaya, whose efforts are rewarded by Janaka by giving him numerous cattle. This story shows that the society was willing to properly reward its philosophers and brahmins for their work and people engaged in scholarly pursuits did not have to live in poverty or work for free or pittance.

In any case, the dissemination of knowledge and teaching of the Veda by a guru were not always done according to a student’s ability to pay financially, but more on the basis of his interest in knowledge and dedication to learning. Depending on one’s financial condition, even an impoverished student could get education in the Veda and philosophy (along with free room and board) just by working in a guru’s asharma (hermitage).

Satyakama, for example, even though quite impoverished initially and having a low social background, was able to work in sage Gautama’s asharma and obtain education (along with room and board) because he had initially been able to convince the great sage that he was hugely interested in learning the Veda, possessed a great sense of honesty and would be able to persevere and do hard work. In a related note, on not over-charging poor people for important services during ancient times, the well-known ancient physician, Raj-vaidya (royal physician), Dhanavantri is known to have treated the poor people (including the farmers) practically for free (even distributing free medicines to them), while he charged significant amounts of money to treat rich clients.

References

(1) S. Prabhavananda & F. Manchester, The Upanishads, the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Vedanta Press, Hollywood (Ca), U.S.A., 1957

(2) Subhash C. Sharma, “Vedic vocations (Hindu castes) were not related to heredity (birth),” http://www.geocities.com/lamberdar/_caste.html