A History of Hindu Political Theories from the Earliest Times to the End of the First Quarter of the Seventeenth Century A.D. c12.s2.15

c12.s2.15

Nītiśāstra, then, is the *sine qua non* of the king's successful administration. But since it is much more than an Art of Government, it necessarily fulfils a higher purpose than the interests of the king alone. The author's view in this matter is presented in connexion with a remarkable estimate of the relative values of Nītiśāstra and the parallel sciences. The contrast first turns on the scope of the two sets of studies. Other branches of knowledge, Śukra states, enlighten the people only on one aspect of human activities (kriyaikadeśabodhīni), but Nītiśāstra is the source of livelihood of all creatures and maintains the established usage of men. Turning to the next point the author states the case against the other studies in the following manner. May not, he asks, there exist the knowledge of words and their meaning without Grammar, or that of ordinary categories without reasonings discussed in Logic, or that of the regulation of rules and actions without Mīmāmsā, or that of transitoriness of the body and such other things without Vedānta? These branches of knowledge, Śukra grants, teach their respective doctrines and are constantly upheld by those persons who severally follow their teaching. But, he asks, what does this skill in intelligence which is derived from these sciences avail to persons engaged in their ordinary occupations? While such are the limitations of the above sciences, Nītiśāstra, the author conceives, stands on a quite different footing. Without Nīti, he says, the maintenance of the established usage of men is impossible just as that of the body is impossible without food.∗ In the above extract, it will be observed, primacy is claimed for Nītiśāstra on two grounds which, yet, are closely connected with each other. Firstly, it is urged that this science unlike the rest fulfils the interests of all people. In the second place, and here we touch on the intense realism of Śukra's thought,—while Grammar, Logic, Mīmāṁsā and even the holy Vedānta are conceived by the author to be merely theoretical studies having no importance even within their own province and no bearing on the ordinary affairs of men, Nītiśāstra is held to be the most practical science: it is, in the author's expressive words, as indispensable to the social order as food is to the human body.