BY THE ANCIENT HINDUS. 



203 



long, and it speaks well for the preservation of this ancient 

 work, that though the MSS. differ as to their length in some 

 way or other, the variations in them are not very great. 

 One MS. contains indeed exactly 2,200 slokas, and all MSS, 

 I possess contain the above verse in question, which thus 

 defines the proportions of the Sukraniti. 70 



In the beginning of the 58th Chapter of the Eajadharma 

 the name of Kavya occurs also as one of the authors of a 

 Dharmasastra, and he is likewise mentioned as such in the 

 second Sloka of the Pancatantra. 71 The Kamandakiya and 

 other similar works allude repeatedly to our author. It is a 

 peculiar coincidence that the reason for composing the Sukra- 

 niti is the same both in the Sukraniti and in the Mahabharata „ 

 If the former were a later production the cause of this agree- 

 ment would be evident, but there are many good grounds for 

 the supposition that this is not the case, and that the quota- 

 tions from Sukra's work on Polity found in such ancient 

 works as the Mahabharata, Harivamsa, Kamandakiya, Pan- 

 catantra are genuine quotations. A few examples taken at 

 random will be sufficient for our purpose. 



The Mahabharata quotes in the 56th Chapter of the Raja- 

 dharmanusasana the following as the saying of Usanas : 

 " A law abiding king should in the exercise of his duties 

 chastise a Brahman, who has even read the whole Veda, who 



70 See Sukraniti, IV, VII. 346. 



Manvadyairadrto yorthastadartho Bhargavena vai 

 dvavimsatisatam sloka nitisare prakirtitah. 



71 See Eajadharma, LVIII, 1-4. 



1. Ete te raja dharmanam navanltam Yudhisthira 



Brhaspatirhi bhagavan nanyam dharmam prasamsati. 



2. Visalaksasca bhagavan Kavyascaiva mahatapah 



sahasrakso Mahendrasca tatha Pracetaso Manuh. 



3. Bharadvajasca bhagavan tatha Graurasira munih 



rajasastrapranetaro brahmanya brahmavadinah. 



4. Eaksam eva prasamsanti dharmam dharmavrtam vara. 

 See also Pancatantram, I, 2. 



Manave Vacaspataye Sukraya Parasaraya sasutaya 

 Canakyaya ca viduse namo'stu nayasastrakartrbhyahu 



