Kautilya lays out a theory of the international system called the circle of states, or rajamandala. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Chanakyas well regulated system of prostitution in. The 15 books contained in the arthashastra can be classified in the following manner. Continuing the series of extracts from the arthashastra, this article will explain the rajamandala theory of chanakya and see if we can view modern. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. An analytical study of the relevance of arthshastra in modern india dr. The final version of arthashastra was written in the 4 th century b. Both explains that the only way to create order is to have a strong leader that. The arthashastra of kautilya or chanakya hindu website. Koshambi, the culture and civilization of ancient india delhi. This text is part of the internet indian history sourcebook and has been reformatted for. The utility of the theory of strategic culture to explain the choices nationstates make is still to be convincingly proven. Arthashastra is divided into 15 book titles, 150 chapters and 180 topics, as follows.
An analytical study of the relevance of arthshastra in. 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. It consists of 15 chapter, 380 shlokas and 4968 sutras. Arthashastra is one of the most persuasive and comprehensive treatises in political science in the indian vedic civilization. Arthashastra is a book on statecraft written by kautilya during the maurya period.
Introduction even though india and indians never forgot the arthsashtra, the study and practical applications of the book lost its importance since the british rule. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, econ. Discuss the nature of the mauryan government reflected in the arthashastra by kautilya. 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 arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. Kautilya goes on to explain each of these individual components and stresses the. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. The word is generally used as a suffix in the indian literature context, for technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice shastra has a similar meaning to english logy, e. Arthasastra manohar parrikar institute for defence. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve. Kautilyas arthashastra and perspectives on organizational. 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. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient.
The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. Management values in kautilyas arthashastra essay example. Arthashastra, the treatise on economic administration was written by kautilya in the 4th century before christ. Alastair iain johnston has provided a viable notion of strategic culture that is falsifiable, its formation traced empirically, and its effect on state behaviour differentiated from other nonideational variables. Kautilya, the machiavelli of india education today news. The arthashastra refers to a practice of political diplomacy that arose in india, and is epitomized by the written material on position, policy and military strategy written by kautilya. Book 1 on fundamentals of management, book 2 dealing with economics, books 3, 4 and 5 on law, books 6, 7 and 8 on foreign policies and books 9. The books in this category therefore cater to matters of charisma, influence, and power.
Today, we can see much of the principles stated in the arthashastra in the corporate world. Arthashastra simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy. Kautilya was an academician at taxila university and later the prime minister of the mauryan empire. This paper explores the arthashastra of kaultilya, an ancient indian literature 4th century b. It consists of three reasonably well developed parts. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit.
Alexander the greats conquest motivated indians to unite for the first time. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient indian. However violent it is, arthashastra remains to be one of the most realistic, and reliable books when dealing with problems. Regarded as essence of ancient vedic wisdom in politics and economics, arthashastra has noteworthy significance in modern times with some inquisitive resonance with the thoughts and theories of various philosophers. Kautilya was a minister of chandragupta maurya 321 bc 297 bc, an emperor of ancient india. Explain the relationship between alexander the great and the origin of the mauryan empire in india. The discussion was closed on 12 may 2009 with a consensus to merge. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected article, please see its history. Renu tanwar assistant professor dyal singh college karnal haryana i. The topic of war is the last subject in the arthashastra since war is always the last option. His magnum opus arthashastra talks about various subjects of power and facets of governance. 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.
Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit. E the arthashastra contains 150 chapters, which are classified by topic in 15 books. The kautilya text thereafter asserts that it is the vedas that discuss what is dharma. In all probability, this treatise is the first ever book written on practice of management.
Kautilya wrote the arthashastra, the science of wealth and welfare, during the latter half of the 4th century b. At a party, he apparently ran into the vicechancellor of a german university and introduced himself, whereupon he was asked if he was from the land of shamashastry. 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. Arthashastra should be read simply for its sheer brilliance in the area of statecraft and. But stratagems devised by wise men can kill even babes in the womb. Indian strategic culture and grand strategic preferences. It enlists the duties of the ruler, the associates. Legend has it that he was either a brahmin from kerala or from north india. In the west, the systematic regulation of prostitution which was brushed under the carpet in the past has occurred only very recently for instance, the state of victoria in australia legislated the sex work act only in 1994 india, on the other hand, had a wellregulated prostitution system 2300 years ago. The arthashastra contains nearly 6000 sutras divided into 15 books, 150 chapters, and 180 sections. An extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical indias greatest minds.
Firstly, we have this dharma artha, kama and moksha as the four purusharthas. The arthashastra more precisely arthasastra refers to a tradition of political statecraft. Although rulers, monarchs and kings are gone, many of the principles are still being used today. This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. He talks about the higher powers of the government more than about running a business.
Recommended for youthe 15 books of arthashastra of chanakya,in which includes only names of these books,which is written by kautilya. The fame of arthashastra and shamashastry was so widespread that krishnaraja wodeyar iv, the then maharaja of mysore, had a strange encounter in germany. I read arthashastra recently and i felt it was more towards administration,government and military strategies rather than a business. 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. 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 arrow shot by the archer may or may not kill a single person. Seven ways to greet a neighbor was nominated for deletion. Objectives to create awareness to readers of management on the existence of a 4th century management literature called the arthashastra. 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. To explore the relevance of kautilyas arthashastra in contemporary management. It is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the authors opinion with the words.