Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t2.48

c4.t2.48

COURSE OF STUDY What were the Courses of Study that the prince could and would go through at the world-famous university of Takkasilā? The three Vedas and the eighteen or all the arts (tayo vede aṭṭhārasa vijjāṭṭhānāni or sippāni) is the conventional list of the subjects of study taught at Takkasilā.⁴ The three Vedas, of course, refer to the older Brāhmaṇic threefold knowledge—trayī vidyā—that of the Ṛk, the Yajus and the Sāman, thus showing that the Atharva Veda was not included in this curriculum.¹ We have, unfortunately, no mention of individual subjects under the sciences and arts (*Sippāni*),² though there are stray passages which name some subjects under ‘scientific and technical education,’ which may or may not come under the ‘Eighteen Sippas or *Vijjhātṭhānāni*”. Of these, we may particularly note the following: Elephant Lore (*Hatthisutta*),³ Magic Charms (*mante*),⁴ Hunting by bow (*dhanu-koṭim nissāya luddakammam*),⁵ Spell for understanding all animals’ cries (*Sabbarāvajānanamantam*)⁶ and Archery (*Issāpasippa*).⁷ These were perhaps some of the Arts and Sciences which specially attracted the prince more than the study of the *Vedas* which was the birthright of the Brāhmaṇas, though we are not specifically told so.⁸ It is rather difficult to conceive that the young prince should be prattling over the huge collection of hymns which were, presumably, not of much practical value in the governance of the kingdom. We may, therefore, without much fear of ill-imagination, dismiss the stock phrase as only conventional and take it that the general education of the prince, as Hopkins⁹ has carefully tried to show regarding the Epic prince, consisted in learning the aphorisms on horses, on elephants, on chariots, and practical uses of military machines like archery, and fine arts and a general knowledge of philosophy economics and politics—the *Anvīkṣikī*, *Vārttā* and *Daṇḍanīti* of the *Dharmasūtras* and of Kauṭilya.