History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.107.1

v4.c62.107.1

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.