History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.2.3

v4.c62.2.3

That great literary activity on the science and art of government went on for many centuries before the Christian era follows from several considerations. The Anuśāsanaparva (chap. 39.8) speaks of the śāstras composed by Bṛhaspati and Uśanas. The Śāntiparva (58.1-3) names as expounders of *rājaśāstra* Bṛhaspati, Bharadvāja, Gauraśiras, Kāvya, Mahendra, Manu Prācetasa and Viśālākṣa. Śāntiparva (102.31-32) opposes the view of Śambara to that of ācāryas¹. The Arthaśāstra of Kauṭilya mentions five schools (viz. those of the Mānavas, the Bārhaspatyas, the Auśanasas, the Pārāśaras and the Āmbhīyas), seven individual teachers (V. 5, and I. 8) only once (viz. Bāhudantiputra, Dīrgha Cārāyaṇa, Ghoṭamukha, Kaṇiṅka Bhāradvāja, Kātyāyana, Kiñjalka, Piśunaputra,) and several times mentions the views of Bhāradvāja, Kauṇapadanta, Parāśara, Piśuna, Vātavyādhi, Viśālākṣa. Kauṭilya also cites at least 53 times the views of ācāryas, almost in every case for dissent. Śānti 103.44 refers to a Bhāṣya on *rājaśāstra*. Is it possible to see in this a reference to one out of the bhāṣyakāras indicated in the verse appended at the end of the Kauṭilīya or to the Kauṭilīya itself? Another fact indicative of the systematization of the science of government is that in the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyaṇa, Manu and Kauṭilya ideas expressed by numbers had already been stereotyped long before those works were written viz.