Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c11.11

c11.11

It is also argued that the compilation of the *Arthaśāstra* presupposes a long tradition in the field of political science which could only develop in the course of several hundred years.⁵ This fact is acknowledged by Kauṭilya himself, who mentions as many as ten predecessors in his filed.⁶ That there was a long tradition of this kind in the pre-Mauryan period is testified by the Dharmasūtras. According to one calculation the *artha* contents account for 1/12 of the *Āpastamba Dharmasūtra*, 1/12 of the *Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra*, 1/8 of the *Gautama Dharmasūtra* and 1/6 of the *Vasiṣṭaha Dharmasūtra*.⁷ This points to the growing importance of the subject of *artha*, ultimately leading to the creation of an independent work on the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya.