ABSTRACT
A SCIENCE named vārttā is devoted to the study and management of the conditions of material life. Properly the word means both life and means of existence, professional labour. Brahmanism, according to the tradition of Manu, holds that the three sciences which make up human knowledge are vārttā, daṇḍanīti, the science of punishments, and trayī, the three Vedas or religious science. The materialistic tradition of Brihaspati recognizes only two fundamental sciences, vārttā and daṇḍanīti. Kautilya, in virtue of the etymology of vārttā, says that artha is the vṛitti of man, in other words, that it means the whole of human activity. The close connexion of the two lies in the fact that artha raises the question of ends and vārttā that of means. If the object of politics is the possession of land, or dominion, a well-filled treasury and a strong army are needed, and these imply abundant material resources. The idea of this connexion is expressed in mythology. The first human king, according to the Vedic legends, who is sometimes Manu and sometimes Prithu, is not only the first sacrificer, but a fire-bringing Prometheus and the inventor of agriculture.
