Kauṭalya

An Extraordinary Detailed Manual On Statecraft And The Science Of Living By One Of Classical India'S Greatest Minds, Kautilya, Also Known As Chanakya And Vishnugupta, Wrote The Arthashastra Not Later Than 150 Ad Though The Date Has Not Been Conclusively Established. Legend Has It That He Was Either A Brahmin From Kerala Or From North India; However, It Is Certain That Kautilya Was The Man Who Destroyed The Nanda Dynasty And Installed Chandragupta Maurya As The King Of Magadha. A Master Strategist Who Was Well-Versed In The Vedas And Adept At Creating Intrigues And Devising Political Stratagems, Kautilya'S Genius Is Reflected In His Arthashastra Which Is The Most Comprehensive Treatise Of Statecraft Of Classical Times. The Text Contains Fifteen Books Which Cover Numerous Topics Viz., The King; A Complete Code Of Law; Foreign Policy; Secret And Occult Practices And So On. The Arthashastra Is Written Mainly In Prose But Also Incorporates 380 Shlokas. Artha, Literally Wealth, Is One Of Four Supreme Aims Prescribed By Hindu Tradition. However, It Has A Much Wider Significance And The Material Well-Being Of Individuals Is Just A Part Of It. In Accordance With This, Kautilya'S Arthashastra Maintains That The State Or Government Of A Country Has A Vital Role To Play In Maintaining The Material Status Of Both The Nation And Its People. Therefore, A Significant Part Of The Arthashastra Has To Do With The Science Of Economics. When It Deals With The Science Of Politics, The Arthashastra Describes In Detail The Art Of Government In Its Widest Sense The Maintenance Of Law And Order As Also Of An Efficient Administrative Machinery.

The Arthashastra

R. P. Kangle

Kautiliya Arthasastra (vol.2)

Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra

കൗടലീയം

The Crystallised Wisdom of the Indian Machiavelli

Maxims of Chanakya

Sanskrit, Transliteration, and English Translation with an Exhaustive Introduction

Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra

King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India presents an English translation of Kautilya's Arthasastra (AS.) along with detailed endnotes. When it was discovered around 1905, the AS. was described as perhaps the most precious work in the whole range of Sanskrit literature, an assessment that still rings true. Patrick Olivelle's new translation of this significant text, the first in close to half a century, takes into account a number of important advances in our knowledge of the texts, inscriptions, and archeological and art historical remains from the period in Indian history to which the AS. belongs. The AS. is what we would today call a scientific treatise. It codifies a body of knowledge handed down in expert traditions and is specifically interested in two things: first, how a king can expand his territory, keep enemies at bay, enhance his external power, and amass riches; second, how a king can best organize his state bureaucracy to consolidate his internal power, to suppress internal enemies, to expand the economy, to enhance his treasury through taxes, duties, and entrepreneurial activities, to keep law and order, and to settle disputes among his subjects. The AS. stands alone: there is nothing like it before and there is nothing like it after.

Kautilya's Arthasastra

King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India

an introduction, Sanskrit text, English translation & notes

Chanakya the real author of this work, after whose name this book has been named, was one of the Ministers of the Rajah Chandragupta of Magadh Desh, now called Patna, which stands on the banks of the Ganges. It was then an independent sovereignty and ruled by the kings of the Gupta Dynasty, which, on its downfall, was succeeded by the Nanda Dynasty.Chanakya was a great poet and one of the eminent Sanskrit Scholars of his day. Chanakya Niti Darpan means, a looking glass, in which politics by Chanakya may be viewed. It contains 343 couplets and has been divided into 17 chapters, each containing 20 couplets, more or less.This work met with the approval and approbation of every Sanskrit scholar and gained such a publicity that one who had even the least knowledge of the Sanskrit language, could hardly plead his ignorance of this book. Later on, commentaries on Bhasha, or the vernacular language of the country, were published for the use of those who could not understand the original Sanskrit text. Sanskrit Grammar is so difficult that one, without its thorough knowledge, cannot understand Sanskrit sentences or couplets and the perfect mastery of the Grammar means years and years together and sometimes the whole life of a man of middle class intellect.

Chanakya's Niti Darpan

Cāṇakyanītidarpaṇaḥ

Patrick Olivelle

King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India presents an English translation of Kautilya's Arthashastra (AS.) along with detailed endnotes. When it was discovered in 1923, the Arthashastra was described as perhaps the most precious work in the whole range of Sanskrit literature, an assessment that still rings true. This new translation of this significant text, the first in close to half a century takes into account a number of important advances in our knowledge of the texts, inscriptions, and archeological and art historical remains from the period in Indian history to which the AS. belongs (2nd-3rd century CE, although parts of it may be much older). The text is what we would today call a scientific treatise. It codifies a body of knowledge handed down in expert traditions. It is specifically interested in two things: first, how a king can expand his territory, keep enemies at bay, enhance his external power, and amass riches; second, how a king can best organize his state bureaucracy to consolidate his internal power, to suppress internal enemies, to expand the economy, to enhance his treasury through taxes, duties, and entrepreneurial activities, to keep law and order, and to settle disputes among his subjects. The book is accordingly divided into two sections: the first encompassing Books 1-5 deals with internal matters, and the second spanning Books 6-14 deals with external relations and warfare. The AS. stands alone: there is nothing like it before it and there is nothing after it-if there were other textual productions within that genre they are now irretrievably lost. Even though we know of many authors who preceded Kautilya, none of their works have survived the success of the AS. Being "textually" unique makes it difficult to understand and interpret difficult passages and terms; we cannot look to parallels for help. The AS. is also unique in that, first, it covers such a vast variety of topics and, second, it presents in textual form expert traditions in numerous areas of human and social endeavors that were handed down orally. Expert knowledge in diverse fields communicated orally from teacher to pupil, from father to son, is here for the first time codified in text. These fields include: building practices of houses, forts, and cities; gems and gemology; metals and metallurgy; mining, forestry and forest management; agriculture; manufacture of liquor; animal husbandry, shipping, and the management of horses and elephants- and so on. Finally, it is also unique in presenting a viewpoint distinctly different from the Brahmanical "party line" we see in most ancient Indian documents.

Kauṭilya's Arthaśástra

Ethics of Chanakya

Kauṭalya

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