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A History of Sanskrit Literature c31.s5: 5. Ancillary Sciences

A History of Sanskrit Literature c31.s5

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5. Ancillary Sciences

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The term Arthaçāstra at least in the later Indian view covers a number of minor sciences the results of which appear in part in the *Arthaçāstra*. In the case of practically all of these we have no certainly early works, and those extant are probably the results of long developments which, however, produced nothing of commanding influence. Archery, Dhanurveda, was naturally an old and respectable science among a warlike people, but none of the extant works can be assigned with any certainty to an early date; their authors include Vikramāditya, Sadāçiva, and Çārṅgadatta. Architecture, Çilpa- or Çilpi-çāstra, Vāstuvidyā, is represented by various anonymous works including the *Mayamata*, *Sanatkumāravāstuçāstra*, *Mānasāra*, and Çrīkumāra’s *Çilparatna* (16th cent.); many of the texts are written in a mere pretence of Sanskrit and their verses are extremely rude.¹ Elephants have been more fortunate in that the *Hastyāyurveda* in the form of a dialogue between king Romapāda of Aṅga and the ancient sage Pālakāpya² has been preserved; the age of this curious compilation is quite uncertain. The *Mātaṅgalīlā*³ of Nārāyaṇa on the other hand has a distinctly modern form, being written in part in elaborate metre; it recognizes Pālakāpya's claim to be the father of the science. The science of horses, Açvaçāstra, is ascribed to another sage Çālihotra, who sometimes figures in a more general way as a patron of learning in respect of elephants and other animals. It bears also, in its aspect as dealing with their diseases, the styles of Açvacikitsā, Açvavaidyaka, or Açvāyurveda. Of personal authors we have the *Açvāyurveda* of Gaṇa, the *Açvavaidyaka* of Jayadatta and of Dīpaṃkara, the *Yogamañjarī* of Vardhamāna, and the *Açvacikitsita* of Nakula.⁴ Bhoja again is credited with a *Çālihotra*,⁵ which treats in 138 verses of the care of horses and their diseases.

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¹ A *Vāstuvidyā* is ed. TSS. 30, 1913; cf. *Madras Catal.*, xxiii. 8755 ff.

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² Ed. ĀnSS. 26.

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³ Ed. TSS. 10, 1910.

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⁴ Ed. BI. 1887. Cf. Haraprasād, *Report I*, p. 10.

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⁵ Jolly, *Munich Catal.*, p. 68; G. Mukherje, IHQ. i. 532 ff.

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The importance of jewels rendered it natural that a science of them, Ratnaçāstra, Ratnaparīkṣā, should develop, and Varāhamihira shows himself familiar with the examination of jewels. The texts extant, which give very varied information regarding jewels as well as legends concerning them, are of unknown but very probably late date; they include the *Agastimata*, the *Ratnaparīkṣā* of Buddha Bhaṭṭa, the *Navaratnaparīkṣā* of Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita and minor texts.⁶ Not inappropriately may be mentioned here the counter science of stealing, for the *Mṛcchakaṭikā* reminds us, as do other texts, of the existence of a regular manual of practice for thieves. One text which is extant, *Ṣaṇmukhakalpa*,⁷ insists in this connexion on a sound knowledge by a thief of magic, just as we have seen the *Arthaçāstra* stresses the value of that accomplishment to a politician.

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⁶ Ed. L. Finot, *Les lapidaires indiens* (1896).

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⁷ Haraprasād, *Report I*, p. 8.

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On music we have, beside the important if obscure information given in the *Nāṭyaçāstra*, much late literature, which deals comprehensively with the whole topic, the kindred subject of singing, arrangements for concerts and so forth. These include the *Saṅgītaratnākara*¹ of Çārṅgadeva (13th cent.), and the *Saṅgī-tadarpaṇa*² of Dāmodara which follows it with additional matter derived from other sources. The late *Rāgavibodha*³ of Soma-nātha (1609) deals with Rāgas, musical modes, and includes fifty pieces of the author’s own composition for the lute with notation. Our knowledge, however, of Indian music in the earlier period is limited.⁴

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¹ Ed. ĀnSS. 35, with Kallinātha’s comm. (1450).

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² Simon, ZDMG. lvi. 129 ff.; comm. by Çiṅga (1330); P. R. Bhandarkar, POCP. 1919, ii. 421 f.

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³ Simon, SBayA. 1903, pp. 447 ff.; ZII. i. 153 ff. See also V. G. Paranjpe, POCP. 1919, ii. 427 ff.

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⁴ See E. Felber, *Die indische Musik der vedischen und der klassischen Zeit* (1912); H. A. Popley, *The Music of India*; R. Simon, ZDMG. lx. 520 ff.; WZKM. xxvii. 305 ff. On Bharata’s *Nāṭyaçāstra*, xxviii cf. T. Grosset, *Contribution à l’étude de la musique hindoue* (1888); P. R. Bhandarkar, IA. xli. 157 ff. For late works see *Madras Catal.*, xxii. 8717 ff. See also A. B. F. Rahamin, *The Music of India* (1925).

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On painting little that is early has survived; the *Viṣṇudhar-mottara*⁵ of uncertain but not early date contains a section on this topic.

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⁵ Trans. S. Kramrisch (Calcutta, 1925). The references to literature in P. Brown’s *Indian Painting* are inaccurate. See also V. Smith, *History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon* (1911); Havell, *Indian Sculpture and Painting* (1908); Lady Herringham, *Ajanta Frescos* (1915); A. K. Coomaraswamy, *Arts and Crafts of India and Ceylon* (1913); *Rajput Painting* (1916); *Mediaeval Sinhalese Art* (cf. Kramrisch, IHQ. i. 111 ff.); *The Influence of Indian Art* (1925); G. Roerich, *Tibetan Painting* (1925); L. Binyon, *L'Art asiatique au British Museum* (1924). Cf. the *Sādhanamālā*, ed. Bhattacharya (1925), his *Buddhist Iconography*, &c.

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