had studied dharma as taught by different schools, Vedas, various systems of philosophy, Upanishads, Kalpa literature, epics, rhetoric, and Purānas. Though he borrows from other writers, he occasionally tries to find out a Vedic authority for various statements. His knowledge of various writers is well attested by his statements, which can be identified as virtual quotatations from certain books. His knowledge of the Purānas (iii, 232) is also to be inferred from his references to Purānas and Puranic characters, like Vena, Manu, Nahuşha, Vishvāmitra, etc. What philosophy he believed in is a very hard question to settle. First of all the history of philosophy is not well worked out. Again, it appears that he carefully avoided committing himself to any doctrines of philosophy save those which were accepted by all. It is true that he believed in the doctrine of three Gunas, which is essentially a Sānkliya doctrine, but inasmuch as this doctrine is discoverable in the Upanishads, and other schools do not oppose it, I am not inclined to call it a sectarian belief. Some of his theories like "From the union of water and fire arose the glittering gold and silver" (V, 113) are Vedic and belong to no special school. Vaisheshikas, for example, consider gold and fire to be of the same clement—Tejas, Such a vague thesis is not to be argued about as if it were a philosophical tenet; it is only a popular belief of the period. He must have had some knowledge of astronomy and medicine. In his advice he tells what kind of wife should be selected. He also tells about the proper period for approaching the wife. In giving such precepts he explains the medical and astronomical reasons. He was well acquainted with
