What is "shastrartha"

Shastrartha (Sanskrit शास्त्रार्थ) was a kind of philosophical and religious contests in ancient India in which scholars participated to reveal the inner meaning ( Artha - अर्थ) of scriptures ( shastra - शास्त्र). There were three types of Shastrartha prevalent in ancient India, namely, the Vadakatha (healthy discussions which targeted the truth), the Jalpakatha (where two contradictory interpretations contested with each other) and the Vitandakatha (which attacked the other views without establishing their own view). The Vada katha was done among the Guru and Shishya or among the people belonging to the same philosophical school. While the latter two were done among the people of different schools or with the antagonistic sects.