Vedic Science : International Multidisciplinary Peer-reviewed Journal 

Article  Information

Journal: Vedic Science
Volume: 2026 | Issue: 1 | Year: 2026
Pages: 16–38
DOI:  10.66718/0975-0312.vol.2026.issue1.3    
Received:  8 Jan. 2026
Accepted: 12 Feb, 2025
Published: 20 April, 2025

Catuḥṣaṣṭi Kalās as a Mandala of Mastery: Transforming Jñāna into Vijñāna for Integrated Humans

Dr. K.V. Sarma, Independent Researcher, Hyderabad, Telangana

Prathyusha Karra, Marketing, DeepForrest AI, Hyderabad, Telangana

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to reinterpret the traditional Catuḥṣaṣṭi Kalās (Sixty-Four Arts) as a comprehensive and systematic curriculum for achieving human wholeness and integrative intelligence. In contrast to modern educational paradigms that increasingly promote narrow specialization and intellectual fragmentation, the Vedic knowledge framework envisions the development of the Integrated Human (Pūrṇa Puruṣa)—an individual harmonizing cognitive, ethical, technical, aesthetic, and spiritual faculties.

By synthesizing the sixty-four Kalās with the functional psychological architecture of the four Varṇa qualities—Insight (Brāhmaṇa), Courage (Kṣatriya), Resourcefulness (Vaiśya), and Purity/Service (Śūdra)—this study demonstrates how theoretical knowledge (Jñāna) is systematically transformed into realized, applied wisdom (Vijñāna). Drawing upon the historical archetype of Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya and the divine pedagogical model of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the paper proposes a Mandala of Proficiency, wherein technical mastery is governed by ethical intelligence (Sumathi, the “Good Mind”), conceptualized as the 65th Skill.

The framework further establishes functional equivalence between traditional Kalās and contemporary domains including cryptography, robotics, artificial intelligence, healthcare, economics, and sustainability sciences. By integrating ancient epistemology with modern scientific and technological challenges, this model offers a robust educational paradigm aimed at cultivating ethical competence, cognitive integration, and social responsibility, thereby contributing toward Loka-Saṃgraha (collective well-being) in the 21st century.

Keywords

Catuḥṣaṣṭi Kalās; Integrated Human (Pūrṇa Puruṣa); Svadharma; Jñāna–Vijñāna Framework; Mandala of Skill; Sumathi (Good Mind); Loka-Saṃgraha; National Credit Framework (NCrF); Vedic Education System; Integrative Learning; Varṇa Psychology; Ethical Intelligence; Interdisciplinary Education; Artificial Intelligence Ethics; Cognitive Integration; Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS); Sustainable Civilizational Models

References

1. Sarma, K. V. (2025). The Four Varṇas as the Four Qualities of an Integrated Human. Vedic Science, 27 (Oct–Dec), 34–41.
2. Sarma, K. V. (2025). The Essence of the Divine: Who is Krishna Bhagavan. ISBN 9789355927163.
3. Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa. (n.d.). Book 10, Chapter 45. Gita Press.
4. Vātsyāyana. (n.d.). Kāma Sūtra (Chapter 3: The Sixty-Four Arts).
5. Śukrācārya. (n.d.). Śukranīti (Section on social and political skills).
6. Baddena (Bhadra Bhūpāla). (n.d.). Sumati Śatakam.

How to cite this article

Sharma, K.V. & Karra, P. (2026). Catuḥṣaṣṭi Kalās as a Mandala of Mastery: Transforming Jñāna into Vijñāna for Integrated Humans. Vedic Science, 2026 (1), 16–38.                                            https://www.ved.org/archives/VEDSC-202601-2026-3