प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

306 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [App. Eighteen Silpas : There is no authoritative enu- meration of eighteen śilpas. In one place the Milinda- pañha includes the four Vedas, the Purāṇas, philosophy, history, etc. among them (Vol. I, p. 6), but there is no doubt that this is wrong. The basic conception of śilpas is a profession requiring special skill¹ and the Vedic age denoted by this term arts like vocal music, instru- mentalmusic and dancing ² Taxila university claimed to specialise in eighteen śilpas, and archery, military art, medicine, magic, snake charming and the art of finding treasures figure among the subjects taught there³. These five therefore must have been included in the śilpas. Conveyancing and law, mathematics, accoun- tancy, agriculture, commerce, cattle breeding, and issatha (?) are also mentioned as śilpas in the Buddhist literature.⁴ When we remember the basic idea of śilpa, we can include sculpture and engineering also among the traditional eighteen śilpas. The following there- fore most probably constituted the eighteen śilpas. 1 Vocal music 2 Instrumental music 3 Dancing 4 Painting 5 Mathematics 6 Accountancy 7 Engineer- ing 8 Sculpture 9 Agriculture 10 Cattle-breeding 11 Commerce 12 Medicine 13 Conveyancing and Law 14 Administrative training 15 Archery and military art 16 Magic 17 Snake charming and poison antidotes 18 The Art of finding hidden treasures.

1. एतद्धि दिव्यं शिल्पं न मानुषम् । Kss., XXV, 175
2. त्रिवृद्वै शिल्पं नृत्यं गीतं वादित्रम् । S. Br., XXIX, 5
3. Jātakas Nos. 80 and 537 ; Mahāvagga, VII. 1. 6; Jātaka Nos 185., 256 & 416.
4. M. N., Vol. I p. 85, A. N., Vol. IV pp. 281-2.