Ten kinds of people are fit to take up studies. They include the son of a teacher, one who is engaged in taking care of others and attending to others’ needs, a purveyor of various kinds of knowledge, a religious or pious person, one who is virtuous or pure, one who is capable of receiving and bearing the responsibility of studying, a generous person who makes gifts of riches, male offspring, an honest person, and the relatives. Those who are qualified to teach must be grateful, amicable, studious, trustworthy and loved by all.

Both studying and teaching were considered to be among the primary functional duties (karma) of the brāhmaṇa (brahmana) caste. However, being educated was generally an accompanying characteristic of any respectable and upright person—

yajño dānam adhyanaṃ tapasca/
                         catvāryyetāni anvavetāni sadbhiḥ.

It is said in one place in Mahābhārata (Mahabharata) that the desire of earning piety, fame, security and even money acts as an impetus to performing yajñas (yajnas), making benevolent donations, and studying—

dānamadhyayanaṃ yajño lobhādetat pravartate.