Page:The history of caste in India.pdf/148

 cart (Mrichchakatika) which are realistic in their tone are of greater value to us. If we eliminate the love affairs in these tales, Dashakumāracharita also is of value in explaining the customs of the times.

Another way to determine how far the injunctions of dharma were likely to be followed is to find out how far they were indorsed by the science called niti. Nīti was a science of moral precepts like dharma science, but the great difference between dharma and nīti was that dharma's authority was due to the fact that it was based on Vedic literature, while nîti derived its authority from its innate worth. Nīti stands in the same relation with dharma as the wisdom literature stood with the prophetical and the legal literature (revealed and ritualistic) amongst the ancient Hebrews.

The sciences nīti and dharma were not supposed to oppose each other but were only complementary. In fact there is a good deal in common between dharma and niti. Their relation may be graphically represented by two circles cutting each other half way. Nīti was less imperative in its tone than dharma.