The latter was a scholar at takshashila, the teacher and guardian of emperor chandragupta maurya. The science of good governance the arthashastra is the most comprehensive treatise of statecraft of classical times, and perhaps of all time. 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. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Apr 10, 2018 the arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Chanakya was a great teacher of takshashila university, who taught chandragupta and made him the first emperor of india. Kautilya chanakya 4th century bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal adviser. May 15, 2014 the arthashastra by kautilya my rating. Dilip yes book 6 of arthashastra deals with that topic. He motivates the entire nation to learn sanskrit and study the indian classics and literature, and use those principles for attaining success in business endeavors. Kautilyas arthashastra by chanakya nook book ebook. Kautilya on administration of justice during the fourth century b. Popularly known as chanakya, he is maligned and often ridiculed as a teacher of unethical, not to say immoral, practices and as an advocate of the theory that the ends justify the means. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the.
Contemporary issues and comparison 2015, the text was critically examined in order to explain, compare and understand it visavis contemporary issues. Jan 19, 2017 kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book. Chanakyan has entered indian vocabulary as the equivalent of machiavellian. Arthashastra is a pioneering work on statecraft in all its aspects, written at least one thousand five hundred years ago. The arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas, which adds a vital poetic flourish to this otherwise downtoearth. Interestingly, the author also tells us that aanvikshiki was one of the names of droupadi. See kangle, the kautiliya arthasastra, part 2, 516. Arthashastrabook i wikisource, the free online library.
Preface both kautilya the preceptor and his masterwork the arthashastra are much misunderstood. The article presents an excerpt from the arthashastra, by kautilya. Kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally. L n rangarajan is a graduate from the university of madras. This page is for us to realize the real power of knowledge and education. Vittal is a graduate of the indian air force academy and is a fighter strike leader. Merlot ii oer commons school library journal the scout report, university of wisconsin. Danda, punishment, which alone can procure safety and security of life is, in its turn, dependent on discipline vinaya. Kautilyas book suggests a detailed daily schedule for how a ruler. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The very first chapter of kautilyas arthashastra is called aanvikshiki sthapana.
Many postulates of kautilya s philosophy of political economy are applicable to contemporary times. It includes books on the nature of government, law, civil and criminal court systems, ethics, economics, markets and trade, the methods for screening ministers, diplomacy, theories on war, nature of peace, and the duties and. Book ii, the duties of government superintendents 60. Kautilya, also known as chanakya, was believed to be the chief minister in the court of chandragupta maurya, a contemporary of alexander and the first great emperor of india who ruled the subcontinent in the 4th century bc. With this, the book i, concerning discipline of the arthasastra of kautilya, has ended. Jul 20, 2019 thus ends chapter xx, personal safety in book i, concerning discipline of the arthasastra of kautilya. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. Buy kautilyas arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Kautilya s arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit ebooks. The protagonist of the story is the modern day disciple of chanakya.
This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. Legend has it that he was either a brahmin from kerala or from north india. Unfortunately, the greatness of kautilya remains unappreciated for want of a modern translation. Kautilya arthashastra was written by chanakya also known as vishnugupta and kautilyaderived from his gotra. Hindu statesman, philosopher, and writer of the arthasastra, the classic ancient hindu political text. Kautilya also known as kautalya, canakya, chanakya, or visnugupta active c. Management fundamentals based on kautilyas arthashastra. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilya was a true statesman who bridged the gap between experience and vision. Kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra in the second century ad though the date has not been conclusively established. The way of fianancial management and economic governance kautilya on. Chanakya assisted the first mauryan emperor chandragupta in his rise to power. This arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all the arthasastras, which, in view of acquisition and maintenance of the earth, have been composed by ancient teachers. He is considered the author of the arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth.
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. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. 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. Teachings from such historical texts may help us in our growth and development. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas arthashastra.
As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of. Chanakya 350 275 bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. A master stategist who was wellversed in the vedas and adept at creating intrigues and devising political stratagems, kautilya was the man who destroyed the nanda dynasty and installed chandragupta maurya as the king of magadha. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in india, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics. Oct 18, 2018 the book showcases the authors affinity with kautilya and the principles advocated by him. This was written in 150 ce, as advice to a king on how to run his kingdom. It is encyclopedic, discussing topics you would find in machiavelli, sun tzu, and maybe a business class run by xaviera hollander it sets the prices to be paid for the purchase of a courtesan, for example.
Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. Krishna would be a school boy in front of chanakya. Some scholars believe them to be the same person, while most have questioned this identification. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. Arthashastrabook ii wikisource, the free online library. Kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally credited as the author of the text. He authored chanakya neeti, and arthashastra a political treatise. Excerpthence the first three sciences out of the four are dependent for their wellbeing on the science of government. Either by inducing foreigners to immigrate paradesapravahanena or by causing the thicklypopulated centres of his own kingdom to send forth the excessive population svadesabhishyandavamanena va, the king may construct villages either on new sites or on old ruins. It is, as the subtitle of the book itself says, about the art of thinking. I concerning discipline ii the duties of government superintendents iii concerning law iv the removal of thorns v the conduct of courtiers vi the source of sovereign.
These together with atharvaveda and the itihasaveda are known as the vedas. Chanakya arthashastra in english and sanskrit pdf download. Kautilyas arthashastra and perspectives on organizational. What was the popular name of vishnugupta, the author of. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas. Kautilyas arthashastra and perspectives on organizational management article pdf available in asian social science 41 january 2009 with 8,657 reads how we measure reads. He suggested builtin checks and balances in systems and procedures for the containment of malpractices. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. This books contains a vast variety of subjects which include economy, politics, military, warfare, taxation and many other.
The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written. The school of usanas declare that there is only one science, and that the. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. Nov 16, 2017 there is one by penguin, translated by l. The three vedas, sama, rik and yajus, constitute the triple vedas. Understanding dharma and artha in statecraft through kautilya.
He joined the indian foreign service in 1956 and has been an ambassador to several countries such as greece, sudan, norway, tunisia and iceland. Kautilyas arthashastra and over 2 million other books are available for amazon. He has translated kautilyas arthashastra and is also the author of the book commodity conflict. Kautilya arthashastra chanakya arthashastra indian.
167 1281 295 1041 477 1041 696 1022 112 894 995 1075 758 1022 1168 1007 1114 292 1316 717 531 965 281 68 1159 789 50 295 622 1098 353 177 601 1141 993 1422 513