Book I, Chapter III: Determination of the Place of the Triple Vedas

Translated by R. Shamasastry, 1915. Public domain.

Original script:

1.3.1–2
साम-ऋग्-यजुर्-वेदास्त्रयस्त्रयी। अथर्व-वेद-इतिहास-वेदौ च वेदाः।
sāma-ṛg-yajur-vedāstrayastrayī| atharva-veda-itihāsa-vedau ca vedāḥ|
The three Vedas, Sama, Rik and Yajus, constitute the triple Vedas. These together with Atharvaveda and the Itihasaveda are (known as) the Vedas.
1.3.3
शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दो-विचितिर्ज्योतिषं इति चाङ्गानि।
śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṃ niruktaṃ chando-vicitirjyotiṣaṃ iti cāṅgāni|
Siksha (Phonetics), Kalpa (ceremonial injunctions), Vyakarana (grammar), Nirukta (glossarial explanation of obscure Vedic terms), Chandas (Prosody), and Astronomy form the Angas.
1.3.4
एष त्रयी-धर्मश्चतुर्णां वर्णानां आश्रमाणां च स्व-धर्म-स्थापनादौपकारिकः।
eṣa trayī-dharmaścaturṇāṃ varṇānāṃ āśramāṇāṃ ca sva-dharma-sthāpanādaupakārikaḥ|
As the triple Vedas definitely determine the respective duties of the four castes and of the four orders of religious life, they are the most useful.
1.3.5
स्वधर्मो ब्राह्मणस्य अध्ययनं अध्यापनं यजनं याजनं दानं प्रतिग्रहश्च।
svadharmo brāhmaṇasya adhyayanaṃ adhyāpanaṃ yajanaṃ yājanaṃ dānaṃ pratigrahaśca|
The duty of the Brahman is study, teaching, performance of sacrifice, officiating in others' sacrificial performance and the giving and receiving of gifts.
1.3.6
क्षत्रियस्याध्ययनं यजनं दानं शस्त्र-आजीवो भूत-रक्षणं च।
kṣatriyasyādhyayanaṃ yajanaṃ dānaṃ śastra-ājīvo bhūta-rakṣaṇaṃ ca|
That of a Kshatriya is study, performance of sacrifice, giving gifts, military occupation, and protection of life.
1.3.7
वैश्यस्याध्ययनं यजनं दानं कृषि-पाशुपाल्ये वणिज्या च।
vaiśyasyādhyayanaṃ yajanaṃ dānaṃ kṛṣi-pāśupālye vaṇijyā ca|
That of a Vaisya is study, performance of sacrifice, giving gifts, agriculture, cattle breeding, and trade.
1.3.8
शूद्रस्य द्विजाति-शुश्रूषा वार्त्ता कारु-कुशीलव-कर्म च।
śūdrasya dvijāti-śuśrūṣā vārttā kāru-kuśīlava-karma ca|
That of a Sudra is the serving of twice-born (dvijati), agriculture, cattle-breeding, and trade (varta), the profession of artizans and court-bards (karukusilavakarma).
1.3.9
गृहस्थस्य स्वधर्म-आजीवस्तुल्यैरसमान-ऋषिभिर्वैवाह्यं ऋतु-गामित्वं देव-पित्र्-अतिथि-पूजा भृत्येषु त्यागः शेष-भोजनं च।
gṛhasthasya svadharma-ājīvastulyairasamāna-ṛṣibhirvaivāhyaṃ ṛtu-gāmitvaṃ deva-pitr-atithi-pūjā bhṛtyeṣu tyāgaḥ śeṣa-bhojanaṃ ca|
The duty of a householder is earning livelihood by his own profession, marriage among his equals of different ancestral Rishis, intercourse with his wedded wife after her monthly ablution, gifts to gods, ancestors, guests, and servants, and the eating of the remainder.
1.3.10
ब्रह्म-चारिणः स्वाध्यायो अग्नि-कार्य-अभिषेकौ भैक्ष-व्रतित्वं आचार्ये प्राण-अन्तिकी वृत्तिस्तद्-अभावे गुरु-पुत्रे सब्रह्म-चारिणि वा।
brahma-cāriṇaḥ svādhyāyo agni-kārya-abhiṣekau bhaikṣa-vratitvaṃ ācārye prāṇa-antikī vṛttistad-abhāve guru-putre sabrahma-cāriṇi vā|
That of a student (Brahmacharin) is learning the Vedas, fire-worship, ablution, living by begging, and devotion to his teacher even at the cost of his own life, or in the absence of his teacher, to the teacher's son, or to an elder classmate.
1.3.11
वानप्रस्थस्य ब्रह्मचर्यं भूमौ शय्या जटा-अजिन-धारणं अग्नि-होत्र-अभिषेकौ देवता-पित्र्-अतिथि-पूजा वन्यश्चऽहारः।
vānaprasthasya brahmacaryaṃ bhūmau śayyā jaṭā-ajina-dhāraṇaṃ agni-hotra-abhiṣekau devatā-pitr-atithi-pūjā vanyaśca'hāraḥ|
That of a Vanaprastha (forest-recluse) is observance of chastity, sleeping on the bare ground, keeping twisted locks, wearing deer-skin, fire-worship, ablution, worship of gods, ancestors, and guests, and living upon food stuffs procurable in forests.
1.3.12
परिव्राजकस्य जित-इन्द्रियत्वं अनारम्भो निष्किंचनत्वं सङ्ग-त्यागो भैक्षव्रतं अनेकत्रारण्ये च वासो बाह्य-आभ्यन्तरं च शौचं।
parivrājakasya jita-indriyatvaṃ anārambho niṣkiṃcanatvaṃ saṅga-tyāgo bhaikṣavrataṃ anekatrāraṇye ca vāso bāhya-ābhyantaraṃ ca śaucaṃ|
That of an ascetic retired from the world (Parivrajaka) is complete control of the organs of sense, abstaining from all kinds of work, disowning money, keeping from society, begging in many places, dwelling in forests, and purity both internal and external.
1.3.13
सर्वेषां अहिंसा सत्यं शौचं अनसूय आनृशंस्यं क्षमा च।
sarveṣāṃ ahiṃsā satyaṃ śaucaṃ anasūya ānṛśaṃsyaṃ kṣamā ca|
Harmlessness, truthfulness, purity, freedom from spite, abstinence from cruelty, and forgiveness are duties common to all.
1.3.14–15
स्वधर्मः स्वर्गायऽनन्त्याय च। तस्यातिक्रमे लोकः संकरादुच्छिद्येत।
svadharmaḥ svargāya'nantyāya ca| tasyātikrame lokaḥ saṃkarāducchidyeta|
The observance of one's own duty leads one to Svarga and infinite bliss (Anantya). When it is violated, the world will come to an end owing to confusion of castes and duties.
1.3.16–17
तस्मात्स्वधर्मं भूतानां राजा न व्यभिचारयेत्। स्वधर्मं संदधानो हि प्रेत्य चैह च नन्दति। व्यवस्थित-आर्य-मर्यादः कृत-वर्ण-आश्रम-स्थितिः। त्रय्याअभिरक्षितो लोकः प्रसीदति न सीदति।
tasmātsvadharmaṃ bhūtānāṃ rājā na vyabhicārayet| svadharmaṃ saṃdadhāno hi pretya caiha ca nandati| vyavasthita-ārya-maryādaḥ kṛta-varṇa-āśrama-sthitiḥ| trayyāabhirakṣito lokaḥ prasīdati na sīdati|
Hence the king shall never allow people to swerve from their duties; for whoever upholds his own duty, ever adhering to the customs of the Aryas, and following the rules of caste and divisions of religious life, will surely be happy both here and hereafter. For the world, when maintained in accordance with injunctions of the triple Vedas, will surely progress, but never perish.

Commentary

This chapter occupies a curious place in the Arthashastra. Kauṭilya is laying out a treatise on statecraft, but here he pauses to anchor the entire enterprise in the Vedic social order — the four varṇas (castes) and four āśramas (life stages) — and to define the king's role as their guardian. The argument is functional rather than devotional: when each class and stage holds to its assigned duties (svadharma), Kauṭilya says, the world doesn't fall apart. When they don't, it does, and the king's job is to make sure they do.

Modern readers will notice that the duties he assigns each varṇa here are sketched in their idealized 4th-century-BCE form, not as they were actually practiced or as they evolved. The historical reality of caste — its origins, its rigidity over time, its regional variation — is much-debated and a topic Swaveda treats as contested.