History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s14.20

v1.c6.s14.20

A com. on the Kāmandakīyanītisāra styles the Kauṭilīya as Kuṭalabhāṣya and Kuṭala is said to be a *gotra*. The form Kauṭalya is said to occur in an inscription at Gaṇeśar in Dholka dated Vikrama Saṁvat 1291 (i. e. 1234-35 A. D.). Vide Indian Historical Quarterly vol. I. p. 786. It is very difficult to decide between the rival claims of the two forms, but it appears that the form of the name, Kauṭalya, is due to a later attempt to solve the difficulty of an author parading his views as those of a man nicknamed "crooked". Whether Kuṭala or Kauṭalya was known as a gotra ṛṣi in ancient times is extremely doubtful. Neither the Āśvalāyana-śrauta-sūtra (Uttaraṣaṭka, 6th chap., 10th Kaṇḍikā) nor the Āpastamba-śrautasūtra (24. 5-10) mentions Kuṭala among the several gotra groups. In later works on *gotras*, we find the name in several forms. In the Pravaradarpaṇa of Kamalākara Kauṭali is said to be one of the Jāmadagnya-Vatsa group of the Bhṛgus (p. 156, edited by P. Chentsalrao, Mysore) and Kauṭilya is assigned to the Yaska group of the Bhṛgus (p. 158). The Pravaramañjarī enumerates the Kauṭilyas (p. 32, of the edition by P. Chentsalrao, Mysore) among the Yaska group of the Bhṛgus, also among the Śaradvanta group of the Gautamas, a branch of the Āṅgirasas, (p. 161) and Kauṭili as one of the Bhṛgus (p. 42). We have to remember that so early a writer as Kāmandaka (who was well known to Bhavabhūti and Vāmana's Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti) who is assigned to the third centery A. D., and the Tantrākhyāyikā distinctly assign a work on politics to the minister of Candragupta. No weighty arguments have been advanced so far why this tradition vouched for so early should be disregarded. Keith finds it impossible that in the words 'six thousand ślokas' used by Daṇḍin the word śloka could mean a unit (in prose) of 32 letters. But Daṇḍin is evidently repeating the words that occur in the Arthaśāstra itself at the end of the first chapter.¹⁶⁷