Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c5.42

c5.42

In the Law of Manu, which is considered to date, in its present form, from about 200 A.D., though based on an older Mānava Dharma Sūtra, it is said with regard to the education of a king,¹ ‘From those versed in the three Vedas let him learn the threefold sacred science, the primeval science of government, the science of dialectics, and the knowledge of the supreme Soul, from the people the theory of the various trades and professions’. According to the Arthaśāstra² the school of Mānava held that there were three sciences to be studied, namely, the Vedas and the philosophy based on them, the science of government (Daṇḍanīti), and agriculture and trade (Vārta), so that these three are presumably covered by the subjects mentioned in the Law of Manu.