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. L n rangarajan is a graduate from the university of madras. Nov 16, 2017 there is one by penguin, translated by l. Jan 19, 2017 kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book. 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. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy.
Kautilya arthashastra was written by chanakya also known as vishnugupta and kautilyaderived from his gotra. He suggested builtin checks and balances in systems and procedures for the containment of malpractices. Arthashastrabook i wikisource, the free online library. This page is for us to realize the real power of knowledge and education. Some scholars believe them to be the same person, while most have questioned this identification. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. Kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra in the second century ad though the date has not been conclusively established. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas arthashastra. Hindu statesman, philosopher, and writer of the arthasastra, the classic ancient hindu political text. He authored chanakya neeti, and arthashastra a political treatise.
Management fundamentals based on kautilyas arthashastra. Interestingly, the author also tells us that aanvikshiki was one of the names of droupadi. Buy kautilyas arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Book ii, the duties of government superintendents 60. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. 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. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope.
Teachings from such historical texts may help us in our growth and development. Vittal is a graduate of the indian air force academy and is a fighter strike leader. Kautilya arthashastra chanakya arthashastra indian. With this, the book i, concerning discipline of the arthasastra of kautilya, has ended. The three vedas, sama, rik and yajus, constitute the triple vedas. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. Excerpthence the first three sciences out of the four are dependent for their wellbeing on the science of government. This was written in 150 ce, as advice to a king on how to run his kingdom. These together with atharvaveda and the itihasaveda are known as the vedas. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit.
As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of. Kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally credited as the author of the text. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit ebooks. The science of good governance the arthashastra is the most comprehensive treatise of statecraft of classical times, and perhaps of all time. Kautilyas arthashastra and perspectives on organizational. 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. 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. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state.
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. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written. 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. Kautilya on administration of justice during the fourth century b.
Kautilya also known as kautalya, canakya, chanakya, or visnugupta active c. Unfortunately, the greatness of kautilya remains unappreciated for want of a modern translation. Understanding dharma and artha in statecraft through kautilya. 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. See kangle, the kautiliya arthasastra, part 2, 516. Arthashastra is a pioneering work on statecraft in all its aspects, written at least one thousand five hundred years ago. Chanakya assisted the first mauryan emperor chandragupta in his rise to power. 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. Jul 20, 2019 thus ends chapter xx, personal safety in book i, concerning discipline of the arthasastra of kautilya. It is, as the subtitle of the book itself says, about the art of thinking. The latter was a scholar at takshashila, the teacher and guardian of emperor chandragupta maurya. He is considered the author of the arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth.
This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. Kautilyas arthashastra by chanakya nook book ebook. Kautilya chanakya 4th century bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal adviser. The arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas, which adds a vital poetic flourish to this otherwise downtoearth. Chanakya was an indian statesman, great philosopher, advisory of king and first ruler of the mauryan empire.
What was the popular name of vishnugupta, the author of. The way of fianancial management and economic governance kautilya on. Merlot ii oer commons school library journal the scout report, university of wisconsin. Kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally. Chanakya arthashastra in english and sanskrit pdf download. Oct 18, 2018 the book showcases the authors affinity with kautilya and the principles advocated by him. 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. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas.
Chanakya was a great teacher of takshashila university, who taught chandragupta and made him the first emperor of india. Danda, punishment, which alone can procure safety and security of life is, in its turn, dependent on discipline vinaya. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. Apr 10, 2018 the arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Contemporary issues and comparison 2015, the text was critically examined in order to explain, compare and understand it visavis contemporary issues. Arthashastrabook ii wikisource, the free online library. The protagonist of the story is the modern day disciple of chanakya. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the.
He joined the indian foreign service in 1956 and has been an ambassador to several countries such as greece, sudan, norway, tunisia and iceland. 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. Dilip yes book 6 of arthashastra deals with that topic. The article presents an excerpt from the arthashastra, by kautilya. Kautilyas book suggests a detailed daily schedule for how a ruler.
The very first chapter of kautilyas arthashastra is called aanvikshiki sthapana. He authored the ancient indian political treatise, this book. Preface both kautilya the preceptor and his masterwork the arthashastra are much misunderstood. Chanakyan has entered indian vocabulary as the equivalent of machiavellian.
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. Chanakya 350 275 bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. Kautilya s arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilya was a true statesman who bridged the gap between experience and vision. He has translated kautilyas arthashastra and is also the author of the book commodity conflict. May 15, 2014 the arthashastra by kautilya my rating. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Krishna would be a school boy in front of chanakya. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. Legend has it that he was either a brahmin from kerala or from north india. Book ii,the duties of government superintendents chapter i. Kautilyas arthashastra and over 2 million other books are available for amazon. Many postulates of kautilya s philosophy of political economy are applicable to contemporary times.