Unfortunately, the greatness of kautilya remains unappreciated for want of a modern translation. 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. He joined the indian foreign service in 1956 and has been an ambassador to several countries such as greece, sudan, norway, tunisia and iceland. The arthashastra advocates the application of reason to statecraft and deals virtually and scientifically with all aspects of governance in a monarchical state. Accordingly, for purposes of this discussion, i define arthashastra as an art and. Class notes of the session on arthashaastra taken by dr. In addition to artha, the other purusharthas aims of life are dharma righteousness, kama pleasure and emotional fulfillment and moksha freedom from the lifedeath cycle while artha may be considered a selfish pursuit, in moderation, it is an appropriate aim on the path to moksha as having the financial and material means to live in comfort is a basic necessity to everyday life. 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. Understanding dharma and artha in statecraft through. 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 first volume is an authoritative compilation in sanskrit of kautilyas arthashastra from a number of manuscripts and fragments.
The book was discovered by shamasastri in 1909 who also translated and introduced it to the public. Is this book a good to read for being involved into corporate world. 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. The author of the book arthashastra is answers with. It is hoped that both the policy and scholarship of international law and politics will be enriched by this work, and the trilogy as a whole, from the indian heritage of.
Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Chanakya assisted the first mauryan emperor chandragupta in his rise to power. The science of good governance the arthashastra is the most comprehensive treatise of statecraft of classical times, and perhaps of all time. Kautilya, the destroyer of nanda kingdom is the author of arthashastra. Legend has it that he was either a brahmin from kerala or from north india.
The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. The arthashastra is a comprehensive treatise on statecraft and public administration. The final volume is a scholarly discussion on the text and the debate and controversies regarding the. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit. The arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. He has translated kautilyas arthashastra and is also the author of the book commodity conflict. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. Kautilya arthashastra chanakya arthashastra indian. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya.
An extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical indias greatest minds. The arthashastra was a book compiled to educate south asian leaders on statecraftthe practice of running a government. Next, sometime between 50 and 125 ce, an author, a real historical. The book is divided into 15 books each detailing different situations and different descriptions and solutions. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Selections from the classic indian work on statecraft hackett classics. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military. It was already embedded in kautilyas arthashastra, but was probably not noticed or highlighted due to an incomplete and partial understanding of the concepts in the text. L n rangarajan is a graduate from the university of madras. 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. The author of arthashastra was a contemporary answers. It is divided into 15 adhikaranas or sections, and 180 prakaranas or chapters.
This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. It also differs from machiavelli in its genuine concern for the welfare and economic. This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. Arthashastra simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Historically, the kautilyas work carries a great significance because it is an important source for the history of mauryas.
Arthashastra in sanskrit, literally the science of benefit, of practical life, an ancient indian treatise, a collection of precepts on government. This person was probably the author of the original recension of arthashastra. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, econ. Selections from the classic indian work on statecraft.
The first great political realist and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Arthashastra advocates rational ethic to the conduct of the affairs of the state. This monograph engages with and explores the concepts of dharma and artha in kautilyas arthashastra and also the mahabharata, and provides a few contemporary examples. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. Answer this multiple choice objective question and get explanation and result. The arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas, which adds a vital poetic flourish to this otherwise downtoearth classic. 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 first chapter of the first book is an ancient table of contents, while the last chapter.
The authors contentions and arguments about the meaning and significance of. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. 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 arthashastra is so much a part of modern indian vocabulary on politics, economics and society that it is hard to imagine that this was a book unknown to the englishspeaking world until an. 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.
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. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient. He is considered the author of the arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth. Kautilya goes on to explain each of these individual components and.
Authorship is ascribed to kautilya fourth century b. The main objective of this translation is to make it as simple and modern as possible, avoiding intricate constructions and. Kautilya was a minister of chandragupta maurya 321 bc 297 bc, an emperor of ancient india. The author of arthashastra was a contemporary which king answer this multiple choice objective question and get explanation and. Chanakya 350 275 bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist 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.
The arthashastra summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya. This edition is dated to approximately 250 ce, many centuries after the time of kautilya, but the main ideas in this book are largely his. Arthashastra is a pioneering work on statecraft in all its aspects, written at least one thousand five hundred years ago. It seems that other parts of the book were added for hundreds of years afterward, even after the empire. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. Arthashastrabook viii wikisource, the free online library. 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. Arthashastra article about arthashastra by the free. Duties of the king war and peacesecurity of the state and the system of spies.
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