Arthashastra advocates rational ethic to the conduct of the affairs of the state. Further, kautilya urged rulers to ruthlessly crush dissent and political opposition. In this work, i define artha as wealth or power and dharma as political virtue or. Patheos offers pdf downloads of the complete arthashastra. The first great political realist and millions of other books are available for. Some scholars believe that arthashastra is actually a compilation of a number of earlier texts written by various authors, and chanakya might have been one of these authors see above. It also differs from machiavelli in its genuine concern for the welfare and economic. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit. Kangle is a reproduction of the original text in sanskrit language primary source. The arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. This is alike with wealth which is defined in wealth of nations. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. The arthashastra is a primeval indian discourse on statecraft, economic. The subsequent articles will discuss what has been said in the arthashastra on statecraft and military administration it may contain some notions for society too as no state can survive without its people.
The science of good governance the arthashastra is the most comprehensive treatise of statecraft of classical times, and perhaps of all time. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. The arthashastra was a book compiled to educate south asian leaders on statecraftthe practice of running a government. Life of kautilya and arthashastra your article library. The arthashastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. The arthashastra summary a treatise on statecraft and. The study of ancient indian political thought is considered incomplete without the knowledge of arthashastra written by kautilya. Authors random work random author random transcription help. Arthashastra is a serious manual on statecraft, on how to run a state, informed by a higher purpose, clear and precise in its prescriptions, the result of practical experience of running a state. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. Arthashastra in urdu by shan ul haque haqi pdf book. Some scholars believe them to be the same person, while most have questioned this identification. After many revisions and additions, the book took its present form about 1800 years before, in the 2nd century the book is divided into fifteen sections.
He made politics a scientific study in ancient india, and attempted to test the political ideas on scientific lines with empirical orientation. This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. Kautilyas work is primarily a book of political realism where state is paramount and king shall carry out duties as advised in his book to. The text is likely to be the work of several authors over centuries. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. State and statecraft in kautilyas arthasastra abstract kautilyas arthasastra 4th century b. Understanding dharma and artha in statecraft through. It is very likely that portions of it were written to guide the emperors of the mauryan empire, the first empire to be created in india, in the fourth century bce.
Chanakya niti is a collection of aphorisms, said to be selected by chanakya from the various shastras. Arthashastra should be read simply for its sheer brilliance in the area of statecraft. Concerning discipline, book i of arthashastra, mainly deals with the discipline of life, towards life formation, the role of responsibility towards the new members of the family as well as the society. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The latter was a scholar at takshashila, the teacher and guardian of emperor chandragupta maurya. While it is true that is offers views on how a kingruler shall act in order to overcome obstables it is just so much more. The author contends kautilyas arthashastra shows that he was an early political realist. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit.
Likely to be the work of several authors over centuries, kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally credited as the author of the text. It seems that other parts of the book were added for hundreds of years afterward, even after the empire. The actual practice of statecraft through the centuries did not necessarily meet these high standards. This person was probably the author of the original recension of arthashastra. There are 17 chapters in the bookcontaining the true essence of an ideal. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. The intelligence dimension of kautilyan statecraft and its. Kautilya was a minister of chandragupta maurya 321 bc 297 bc, an emperor of ancient india. Kautilyas 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. This is the first article in my series on the arthashastra. Accordingly, for purposes of this discussion, i define arthashastra as an art and. The arthashastra and the welfare state indiafactsindiafacts.
His was not always a humane text in its anticipation of the machiavellian ethos. An extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical indias greatest minds. Shamasastry, 1915 book i, concerning discipline book ii,the duties of government superintendents book iii, concerning law book iv, the removal of thorns book v, the conduct of courtiers book vi, the source of sovereign states. Chanakya, also known as kautilya or vishnugupta, was an adviser and a prime minister to the first maurya emperor chandragupta, and architect of his rise to power. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. The history of india, the brief history life on king shenshah or raja chandar gupth moria also know kotilia. Chanakya, traditionally identified as kautilya or vishnu gupta, was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist, expert at political science and royal advisor.
However, if we carefully examine some of the literature after the second urbanisation emergence of the janapads of the subcontinent we find a lot of material which tells us that ancient indian writers were not devoid of the capability of writing treatises on statecraft and military strategy. The latter is often missing or defective in reallife situations, not only and. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. This work deals with virtually all aspects of governance in a monarchical state. Read chanakya nithi kautilaya arthashastra by publishdrive for free. On issues related to dharma moral and ethical issues in statecraft, see the following chapters as samples in the edited volumes. Pronunciation of arthashastra with 2 audio pronunciations, 1 meaning, 2 translations, 1 sentence and more for arthashastra. He is credited for playing an influential role in establishment of the maurya empire the first empire to rule most of the indian subcontinent, as per archaeologically recorded history. He reveals the imagination of a romancer in imagining all manner of scenarios which can hardly have been commonplace in real life. It is notable that a text of such profound depth was lost to india since the 12th century ad and was serendipitously discovered and revealed to the world by r. The mauryan empire was larger than the later british india which expanded from the indian.
Arthashastrabook xii wikisource, the free online library. Machiavellis book focusses to please a king with a few kind words and offers only a handful of practical advises most of which from todays perspective are barely beyond the ordinary. In this article, we examine the question whether a premodern indian author, kautilya. Authorship is ascribed to kautilya fourth century b. Kautilyas arthashastra book i, concerning discipline chapter i. Kautilya, also recognized as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally credited as the author of the text. Selections from the classic indian work on statecraft hackett classics patrick olivelle, mark mcclish on. Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. He talks about the higher powers of the government more than about running a business.
Kautilya, the destroyer of nanda kingdom is the author of arthashastra. The arthashastra explores issues of social welfare, the collective ethics that hold a society together, advising the king that in times and in areas devastated by famine, epidemic and such acts of nature, or by war, he should initiate public projects such as creating irrigation waterways and building forts around major strategic holdings and. The science of material gain singularly important indian manual on the art of politics, attributed to kautilya also known as chanakya, who reportedly was chief minister to the emperor chandragupta c. The arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas, which adds a vital poetic flourish to this otherwise downtoearth classic. Arthashastra in sanskrit, literally the science of benefit, of practical life, an ancient indian treatise, a collection of precepts on government. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient. The great kautilya arthashastra linkedin slideshare. Selections from the classic indian work on statecraft hackett classics. I read arthashastra recently and i felt it was more towards administration,government and military strategies rather than a business. The arthashastra is beyond doubt one of the most important works written on statecraft.
The book is a masterwork which includes an array of topics like statecraft, politics, strategy, selection and training of employees, leadership skills, legal systems, accounting systems, taxation, fiscal policies, civil rules, internal and foreign trade etc. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Is this book a good to read for being involved into corporate world. The arthashastra, published in 2000 by penguin classics is the english edition of the classic treatise on classical economics and political science by the ancient indian philosopher kautilya. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient indian history. Chanakya nithi kautilaya arthashastra book read online scribd.
The book is a masterpiece which covers a wide range of topics like statecraft, politics, strategy, selection and training of employees, leadership skills, legal systems, accounting systems, taxation, fiscal policies, civil rules, internal and foreign trade etc. In general arthashastra along with its fifteen books lays down the basic discipline with which an ideal society is to live and exist. Artha shastra by acharya chanakya and urdu translation by shan ul haque haqi, this is free download pdf copy of historical urdu book. Help us and translate this definition into another language. In the indian philosophy, the objective of every being is the pursuit of dharma. Then being fearless would mean always following ethical practices. Pdf downloads of the complete chanakya arthashastra can be downloaded here in english, hindi and sanskrit. Statecraft very clearly in his book called arthashastra. On the other hand kautilyas arthashastra overwhelms the reader with tons of details, minutious instructions on each and every little detail of a state.
Arthashastra simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Moreover, several other principles of the arthashastra are irrelevant today. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, econ. When a king of poor resources is attacked by a powerful enemy, he should surrender himself together with his sons to the enemy and live like a reed in the midst of a current of water. The first chapter of the first book is an ancient table of contents, while the last chapter. Arthashastra article about arthashastra by the free. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state.
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