A Concise History of Science in India c10.s2.2

c10.s2.2

The *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya contains information of value to the understanding of importance of agriculture in those days. Undoubtedly, the State gave considerable encouragement to the settlement of people on unoccupied (*śūnyaniveśa*) land with a view to not only providing them with employment but also increasing the agricultural production. It also supported the construction as well as maintenance of irrigation works and was vigilant so as to ensure continued tilling of the lands, making the act of keeping the fertile land uncultivated, a punishable offence soil which would be conducive to their efficacy. The two medical classics give details of the distinctive traits of different types of soil commended for the culture of medicinal herbs and certain grains. Suśruta recommends a ground 'which possesses a soil which is glossy, firm, black, yellowish or red and does not contain any sand, ash or any other alkaline substance, is permeable to the germination of seeds and easily pervious to the roots of plants growing thereon, and which is supplied with the necessary moisture from a nearby stream or reservoir of water'.a He divides the land into three categories, viz. *jāṅgala*, *anūpa* and *sādhāraṇa*, according to the geographic and climatic conditions. *Jāṅgala* is one which presents a flat surface and has scanty growth of thorny shrubs, isolated hills or knolls, where strong gales of warm wind blow and water gets drained. *Anūpa* is a watery or swampy region with woods and forests, hilly and which is impassable owing to its network of rivers and sheets of accumulated water. *Sādhāraṇa* is midway between the two. A similar type of classification is found in the *Caraka Saṃhitā*.b