A Glimpse of Indian Economic Thought in Ancient Indian Literature

Abstract : Ancient Indian literature was written in two classical languages of India, Tamil and Sanskrit. Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata were composed prior to 500 BCE. RigVeda, which has 1028 hymns, 10,600 verses, in ten books, is the world’s oldest religious text in continuous use till date Arthashastra explains the means of sustainable acquisition of the wealth. In Kurals 215, 216 and 217 Thiruvalluvar talks about the wealth in the hands of wise people. Wealth in the hands of great wise men is compared to the lake filled with good drinking water. Agriculture in Ancient India during the Vedic period was an important vocation, and the social, religious customs were mainly associated with the agricultural practices, like ploughing, sowing, reaping and harvesting.