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.