History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.107
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.107
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Great divergence of views prevailed as to the vidyās that were essential for the education of the king. According to the Manusmṛti VII. 43, Śānti. 59.33, Kauṭ. I. 2, Yāj. I. 311, Kām. II. 2, Śukranīti I. 152, Agni. 238.8, the subjects for the king's education are four viz., Ānvīkṣikī, Trayī, Vārtā and Daṇḍanīti. Kauṭ. notes that the school of the Mānavas held the view that the *vidyās* were three and regarded Ānvīkṣikī as a special branch of Trayī; that the Bārhaspatya school was of opinion that they were only two, Vārtā and Daṇḍanīti, since Trayī only acted as a screen (to obscure the intellect) of one (the king) who wants to know the ways of the world; and the Auśanasas regarded Daṇḍanīti as the only vidyā for a king, since according to them, the efforts to learn all vidyās are tied down to it (i. e. are ultimately intended to lead on to the mastery of Daṇḍanīti). It will be seen how the Auśanasas and Bārhaspatyas had an entirely secular view in the science of government and divorced it from the study of sacred books and metaphysics in the case of the king. The Daśakumāracarita VIII (that displays a deep study of Kauṭilya) says that the vidyās for the king are four (catasro rājavidyās-trayīvārtānvīkṣikīdaṇḍanītīḥ). The Bārhaspatyasūtra I. 3 (Daṇḍanītireva vidyā) holds that Daṇḍanīti is the only (essential) vidyā for the king. Kauṭilya further explains that dharma and its opposite are learnt from the three Vedas, viz.
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Sāmaveda, Ṛgveda and Yajurveda, that the Atharvaveda and Itihāsaveda (i. e. Itihāsa and Purāṇa) are the other Vedas and that the six Aṅgas also (viz. phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, metrics and astronomy) are comprehended in the word 'Trayī'⁶⁰. Śukranīti I. 155 says that the 14 vidyās (enumerated in Yāj. I. 3) are comprehended in Trayī. Gaut. XI. 19 expressly says that in doing his duty of making the people observe the rules of the sacred codes the king would have to rely on the Veda, Dharmaśāstras, the Aṅgas, Upavedas and Purāṇa. In the Rāmāyaṇa, Rāma and his brothers are often spoken of as proficient in the Vedas, Vedāṅgas, in Dhanurveda, Gāndharvaveda, Rājavidyā &c. (I. 18. 24 and 26, II. 1. 20, II. 2. 34-35, V. 35. 13-14). In the Vanaparva 277. 4 it is said that the princes were proficient in the Vedas with their secret doctrine and in Dhanurveda. In the Ādiparva 221. 72-74 Abhimanyu is said to have learned from Arjuna before he became 16 the Dhanurveda in four sections, the knowledge of *astras*, and the theory and practice of these. Vide also Anuśāsana 104. 146-147. Khāravela in his Hathigumphā Inscription (E. I. vol. XX. p. 79 ll. 2 and 5) states that he learnt Lekha (official correspondence), Rūpa (currency), Gaṇanā (Accountancy) and the administration of justice, when he was the crown prince and also Gāndharvaveda (music). In the Junagadh Inscription of Rudradāman (E. I. vol.
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VIII at page 44) the Mahākṣatrapa is said to have attained great fame by his deep study, retention, and actual practice of grammar, artha (either lexicography or politics), music, logic and other vidyās and to have been a fine rider of horses, elephants, chariots and a great adept in wielding the sword and shield and in wrestling⁶¹. The personal attainments of Samudragupta (in Gupta Inscriptions No. 1 pp. 12, 15-16) show how thorough the education of at least some princes was or at least what the ideal about their education was. Vide H. Dh. vol. II. p. 364 for the education of princes and Dr. Beni Prasad's 'Theory of Government in Ancient India' p. 218 for an ideal course of education for a prince quoted from the Buddhist work, Sūtrālaṅkāra of Aśvaghoṣa. The Nītivākyāmṛta⁶² adds a long list of the accomplishments which a prince should possess viz. all scripts, valuing of jewels, knowledge of arms &c. On reading the ideal courses prescribed for the education of the prince by ancient Indian writers one cannot help feeling that they were probably actuated by the same sentiments that are attributed to Socrates by Plato in his 'Republic' (tr. by Jowett, ed. of 1875, vol. III. p. 357) viz.
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'Until philosophers are kings or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy and political greatness and wisdom meet in one and these commoner natures who follow either to the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand aside, cities will never cease from ill-no, nor the human race as I believe-and then only will our State have a possibility of light and behold the light of day &c.' The Agnipurāṇa (225. 1-4) prescribes that the prince should be taught dharmaśāstra, kāmaśāstra, arthaśāstra, science of archery (dhanurveda), the various arts and crafts by trusted teachers, that he should not be allowed to be associated with those who are angry with the king or disrespected by him or who are greedy and that if it is impossible to impart good qualities to him he should be confined, surrounded by pleasures. The princes were sometimes educated in their own capital or in a nearby college. Vide H. Dh. vol. II. p. 364. Sometimes, it appears, princes went to such famous seats of learning as Takṣaśīlā (vide Jātakas ed. by Fausböll II. 87, 278, 319, 323, 400, III. 158, 168, 415, 463). The subjects of study there were the three vedas and 18 śilpāni or vidyās (Jātakas, vol. II. 87, III. 115). Kauṭilya (I. 4) explains that Vārtā is constituted by agriculture, the rearing of cattle and trade; it benefits (the State) by bringing in grain, cattle, gold, baser metals, and free labour;
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by means of vārtā the king secures treasury and army whereby he brings under control his own side and the enemy. In the Sabhāparva⁶³ 5. 79 and Ayodhyākāṇḍa 100. 47 it is declared that when the world relies on vārtā it easily prospers. The Śānti-parva (263. 3) gives the warning that this world would cease to exist if vārtā was given up, that this world is rooted in vārtā and is sustained by the three vedas (68. 35). The Vanaparva (150. 30) states that the whole world is sustained by vārtā i. e. by merchandise, mines, trade, agriculture and tending cows, she-goats and ewes. The Nitivākyāmṛta (p. 93) after defining vārtā as above emphasizes that the king secures the abundance of everything when vārtā is prosperous and that the man who has his own agriculture, milch-cattle, plot for growing vegetables and a well in his own house has indeed all the pleasures of this world. These quotations indicate what importance was attached to agriculture and the economic structure of society. The result is that in the Arthaśāstra economic matters occupy a very large space.