The Sixty-four Kalas (arts) befitting a King

The Sixty-four kalas are listed in Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika in the following manner : 1. Aksaravidya (knowledge of alphabet), 2. Vacakakala (art of reading), 3. Vilekhana-vidya (proficiency in writing), 4-7. Knowledge of the four Vedas, Rg, Yaius, Saman and Atharva, 8-13. Knowledge of the six Vedangas viz. Siksa (Phonetics), Kalpa (Science of Rituals), Vyakarana (Grammar), Nirukta (Etymology), Chandas (Prosody) and Jyotisa (Astrology), 14-19. Knowledge in five schools of Indian Philosophy, viz. Nyava, Vaisesika, Mimamsa, Vedanta, Samkhya and Yoga, 20. Proficiency in the study

421 of poetry (Kavya), 21. Dramatic art (Nataka), 22. The Science of poetics (Alamkara), 23. Kavitvavidya (an insight into making of Poetry, 24. Mantra-Yantra-Kala (deftness in the knowledge of potent formulae and diagrams), 25. Ayurvidva (knowledge in the science of medicine), 26. Dhanur vidya (Science of archery) 27. Silpavidva (Science of architecture), 28. Samgramavidva (science of war-fare), 29. Vetala sadhana (Science of winning favour of a Vetala (goblin), 30. Anangakala (Knowledge of erotic arts), 31. Suda-vidya (knowledge of cooking), 32. Gandharva vidva (musicology), 33. Vinakala (skill in playing on a lute), 34. Venu-vidya (skill in playing on a flute), 35. Talakala (knowledge about musical timings), 36. Marndangika (knowledge of playing on a tabor), 37. Nrtta (excellence in dance), 38. Gita (singing), 39. Citrakarma (painting), 40. Rathavidya (being conversant with riding and deployment of chariot), 41. Asvalaksana (horse-lore), 42. Gajalaksana (elephant-lore), 43. Naralaksanam (anthropology),44. Paksilaksana (orinthology) 45. Bhulaksanam (geology), 46. Navaratna pariksa (deftness in testing nine precious gems), 47. Gatistambhana (the art of opposing the effect of motion), 48. Drstistambhana (the art of opposing the effect of sight), 49. Agnistambhana (the art of opposing the effect of fire), 50. Jalastambhana (the art of opposing the effect of water),

422 51. Khadgastambhakari-vidya (the power to seize the power of Sword), 52. Jihvastambhakari-vidya (the art of making others dumb), 63. Suklastambhakari-vidva (the power of holding the flow of semen in check), 54. Rasavadakari (proficiency in the science of alchemy), 55. Dhatuvadakari (proficiency in the science of metallurgy), 56. Adravavidya (the science of disappearance), 57. Vasya (the art of controlling others), 58. Parakayapravesa (the art of entering into another's body), 59, Garudavidva (knowledge of snake-venom (toxicology)), 60. Krsividva (Science of Agriculture), 61. Akarsa (the (the art of attracting others), 62. Vidvesa ( creating hostility (in enemies)), 63. Maranavidva (killing by magical practices) and 64. Uccatana vidya (Ruining by magical practices) (64.1-18). It is not very difficult for a student of Sanskrit literature to come across such enumeration elsewhere. Tradition in this regard appears to provide such lists in very different ways. Besides the description of 64 Arts in Kamasutra (1 st Century B.C. 4 th Century A.D.), 1.3 which is quite famous, we have such lists in UDS (circa 2 nd Century B.C.), Chapter 29, Lalita-Vistara (1 st Century A.D.), Chapter 12, Dandin's Dasakumaracaritam (6 th Century A.D.) 1 st Uchhvasa,

423 Bana's Kadambari (7 th Century A.D.), Purvardha, Nityasodasikarnava, 4.29-33 of Vamakesvaratantra (8-9 th Century A.D.), Ksemendra's Kalavilasa (11 th Century A.D.) Chapter 4, Sukraniti (8 th-16 th Century A.D.), 4.3, Mallapurana (17 th Century A.D.), Chapter 14, Commentary of Bhaskararaya Makhin (18 th Century A.D.) on 236 th name of Lalita in Lalitasahasranama and Sivatattvaratnakara (18 th Century A.D.), Chapter II etc. Allied Traditions : The list as found in Kamasutra is probably meant for a woman going to be a courtezan primarily, but occasions are not rare, when men also tried their hands at it. Ksemendra leaves no room for any doubt that his list is meant for a courtezan. Uttaradhyavana-Sutra and Lalita-Vistara respectively describe these arts in the contexts of worldly attainments of Mahavira and Buddha and as such, clearly indicate that to attain proficiency in various arts and crafts, was chiefly belonging to the domain of a priviledged male in the society. Dandin and Bana also talk of the arts while describing the qualities of the ten princes and the various fields of learning in which king Tarapida engages his son Candrapida.

424 Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika and Sivatattvaratnakara being encyclopaedic works compiled for royal reference, leave little scope to doubt that these arts were meant for kings and rulers. Sukraniti description also veers round a king. Two sets of Kalas Thus, it appears that there are two sets of kalas one meant for the ladies, more specificaly, courtezans, represented by the Kamasutra tradition and secondly, a separate list envisaging predominance of males, kings and rulers. In this way, it is observed that there is essential difference with regard to the content and intent of such lists. Malla-Purana being a late text queerly provides an admixture of both these lists. Kamasutra expects expertise in song, music, dance, drawing etc. for its adherents while most others give a clear portrayal of the arts which includes learning of alphabets, proficiency in vedic lore, six systems of Indian Philosophy, poetry, drama, knowledge of components of warfare etc. The list provided by Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika clearly subscribes to the second category and like Sukraniti delineates the picture of an all-knowing-ruler. The sixty-four kalas as described in Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika can be reduced to the following broad categories of three under captions as mentioned below:

1. Arts, connected with entertainments 21, 30, 32,39 = 10 2. Useful arts 1-20, 22, 23, 25-28, 31,40-46, 54, 55, 60=37 425 3. Arts connected with magic and supernatural powers 24, 29, 47-53, 56-59, 61-64 = 17 Discussion: It is interesting to note that Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika does not include some important branches of learning like Itihasa, Purana and the science of polity like Artha sastra within its list. Nor does one find Gaurva (thieving) as a branch of learning of any worth which is mentioned by Dandin, Bhaskararaya and Sivatattvaratnakara Similar is the case with aksakrida (play of dice) which though mentioned by a number of texts like Lalita-Vistara, Kamasutra, Dasakumaracaritam, Kadambari and Lalitasahasranama is curiously missing from Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika As a royal pastime Sivatattvaratnakara adds mrgava (hunting), asa vakarma (cocktail) and arranging playful fight between cocks, sheeps etc. which are also absent in Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika Of course, we can assume from the silence of our author, that 'Caurya' by that time might have lost its old relevance in society and as such, had been abandoned

426 as an art, divested of all respectability. The absence it of Itihasa and Purana can be justified on the ground that, their study had become too familiar to find mention as a special art any more and similar might have been the status of gambling or dice-play too which went as a common pastime with kings and rulers so much so that is not accorded the status of an art. Otherwise, we cannot justify the special mention of a dyutamandira (42.11) as a part of the royal palace on the one hand and not ascribing the special status of an art to it by the same author. Sukraniti makes a difference between a kala and a vidya. It defines vidya It defines vidya as 'that which can have an oral expression' while kala is that 'which can even be learnt by the dumb' (Sukraniti 4.3.24). While analysing the content of 64 arts of Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika we feel this definition to be inapplicable inas-much as Chandas and Vyakarana are mentioned by our author in the category of Kala which could be better Vidyas On the other hand, while RG-Veda is termed a Vidya, Yajus is declared to be a Kala, Samaveda and Siksa, Vidyas but Vyakarana, a Kala. Thus, it seems that Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika uses both these terms quite freely and does not much discriminate between the two in the line of Sukraniti whose definition of Vidya and Kala, roughly approximates called

427 the present distinction between Science and Arts. However, one feels like agreeing to the conjecture that the enumeration of sixtyfour kalas of Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika, clearly reflects the picture of a time while these were zealously cultivated by the elite. The culture and economy nay the intellectual and literary conditions that emerge through such a portraiture, remind one about the bygone days of North India under the Guptas and Southern part of India under the famous rulers of Vijayanagar. Observation : Also, we observe a preponderance of magic and tantric elements in the list of Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika with all varieties of tantric enterprises of akarsa, vidvesa, marana, uccatana and vasikarana. Added to these, there is an ensemble of such practices like winning favours of a Vetala and the art of opposing the effects of motion, sight, fire, water, sword, speech and semen. All these are topped by the science of alchemy, disappearance and entering into another's body. These form essentials of sixty-four arts in the practice of which the king is presumably anticipated to excel. Thus, one observes an overdose of Atharvanic practices which have come to dominate the society more than the cult of sacrifice, espoused by the Vedatrayi.