Book ii,the duties of government superintendents chapter i. Kautilyas arthashastra is the oldest book on management available to the world. It consists of 15 chapter, 380 shlokas and 4968 sutras. The arthashastra is basically an empirerunning guidebook with detailed information about ruling a kingdom that predated machiavelli by about 1,800 years. Aug 30, 2010 chanakya ideas on how to identify leaders and groom them to govern a country has been well documented in his book kautilyas arthashastra. The arthashastra, dating from the 400 bce, and the manusmriti, from 100 ce, were influential laws in indian. During the first century of british rule, there were a series of uprisings which kathleen gough has called restorative rebellions as they were started by disaffected local rulers, mughal officials or dispossessed.
Now, fortu nately, many english translations are available. The first chapter of the first book is an ancient table of contents, while the last chapter. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit. Divided into 3 sections of leadership, management and training corporate chanakya includes tips on various topics like organizing and conducting effective meetings, dealing with tricky situations, managing. The book was discovered by shamasastri in 1909 who also translated and introduced it to the public. It is divided into 15 different sections for the better understanding of the readers. The 15 books contained in the arthashastra can be classified in the following manner. So greek culture is otherwise known as hellenic culture to the rest of the world.
I read arthashastra recently and i felt it was more towards administration,government and military strategies rather than a business. When literally translated, it means scripture of wealth. As outlined in this answer, arthashastra is one of the upa vedas. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient indian. Arthashastra is the evidence of the intellectual capital india possessed in its glorious past. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya also known as chanakya, c. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. 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. 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. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient. The author of arthashastra uses the term gramakuta to describe a village official.
Kautilyas arthashastra book i, concerning discipline chapter i. From military tactics, diplomacy and law to spycraft, taxation and prison maintenance, the arthashastra took a nononsense, unflinching approach to ruling with a firm hand. In all probability, this treatise is the first ever book written on practice of management. Arthashastra is divided into 15 book titles, 150 chapters and 180 topics, as follows. Koshambi, the culture and civilization of ancient india delhi. 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.
Arthasastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy which identifies its author by the names kautilya and vi. The main focus of the book is on creation and management of wealth. The fame of arthashastra and shamashastry was so widespread that krishnaraja wodeyar iv, the then maharaja of mysore, had a strange encounter in germany. Management values in kautilyas arthashastra essay example. He is considered the author of the arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit. Dit is a political manual much like indias arthashastra. Kautilya is known as the indian machiavelli because of his ruthless and shrewd tactics and policies reflecting an approach to statecraft including warfare. The dissertation was written in sanskrit by chanakya, the teacher to the founder of the mauryan empire. The book is divided into 15 parts dealing with different subject matters related to polity, economy, and society.
The work is highly cherished in the tamil culture, as reflected by its nine different traditional titles. Sep 23, 2016 continuing the series of extracts from the arthashastra, this article will explain the rajamandala theory of chanakya and see if we can view modern geopolitics through its prism this is one of. The arrow shot by the archer may or may not kill a single person. Arthashastra, the treatise on economic administration was written by kautilya in the 4th century before christ.
Kautilya was a minister of chandragupta maurya 321 bc 297 bc, an emperor of ancient india. Actually, the book is a masterpiece which covers a wide range of topics like statecraft. Bayly brings to our notice what eric stokes has written in his book the peasant armed. This book not only relates to politics and economics, but also explain the art of proper keeping of accounts. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. Management and life lessons from mahabharta for mba aspirants. A book of proper moral behavior and social relationships. Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Arthasastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. The final version of arthashastra was written in the 4 th century b. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i.
The legend says that vritra kept all the waters trapped in his mountain lair, and indra was the one who slew the demon in order to release the waters. Arthashastra should be read simply for its sheer brilliance in the area of statecraft and. Hellenistic impact on indian culture history discussion. Though india had maintained its trade and commercial contacts with other parts of the world, a new dimension was added by the invasion of the great greek hero alexander in the last quarter of 4th century b. Bit explains the complexity of the mandate of heaven. In simple way, arthashastra can be explained as science and art of politics and diplomacy. Sweeping and majestic economic history of the whole world by angus maddison. The word no suggestions originates from a primeval indian dissertation that discussed how the economy and military affairs of a state should function. 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. Arthashastra is a book on statecraft written by kautilya during the maurya period.
Kautilyas arthashastra and perspectives on organizational. Arthashastra pdf downloads hindi, english, sanskrit. Dilip yes book 6 of arthashastra deals with that topic. Aryan arthashastra ghosts in ancient japan origins and. 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.
A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The influence of greek classics on indian culture in ancient era. 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. Book 3 of the arthashastra, states trautmann, is dedicated to civil law, including sections relating to economic relations of employer and employee, partnerships, sellers and buyers.
It is one of the standard books in the hindu canon and. Arthasastra manohar parrikar institute for defence studies. The vedas describe indra as the god who wields the thunderbolt, and his most celebrated story was the killing of the demonserpent vritra. Indian strategic culture and grand strategic preferences. Book 4 is a treatise on criminal law, where the king or officials acting on his behalf, take the initiative and start the judicial process against acts of crime.
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. Both explains that the only way to create order is to have a strong leader that. 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. 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. 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.
He talks about the higher powers of the government more than about running a business. 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. This book reveals a very interesting cultural look into early india, and is a great framework for examining the underpinnings of a society quite different by todays norms. The arthasastra by chanakya is a 2500yearold masterpiece on governance, economics and politics. It hardly mat ters which translation is used, because all are accurate. Arthashastrabook ii wikisource, the free online library. Here are the pdfs of the book in english, hindi and sanskrit. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Kautilya, the machiavelli of india education today news.
The influence of greek classics on indian culture in ancient era 197 the contribution of greeks in indian knowledge and culture is so profound that it has maintained to survive more than two millenniums. Arthashastra backs rational ethic to the conduct of the affairs of the state. Arthashastra deals in detail with the disciplines required for a wise and virtuous. 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. May 10, 2019 5 management lessons from mahabharta for mba aspirantsgraduates. 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 to 14 dealing with war. This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. 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.
Servant leadershipservant leadership principles, practices. 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. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. It can be commented that their additions to indian culture have become integral and considerable part of indian cultural melting pot. Definitive list of 50 books to understand everything. The arthashastra of kautilya or chanakya hindu website. The utility of the theory of strategic culture to explain the choices nationstates make is still to be convincingly proven. 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. An extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical indias greatest minds. But stratagems devised by wise men can kill even babes in the womb.
However, the modern system of accounting based on the principles of double entry. Oct 21, 2014 kautilyas saptang theory of state the mauryan era of ancient india gave the world a significant treatise, the arthashastra of kautilya. The word is generally used as a suffix in the indian literature context, for technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice. I wanted to know whether this is the same arthashastra written by rishi chanakya. The laws of manu also called the manava dharma shastra is traditionally accepted as one of the supplementary arms of the vedas. Legend has it that he was either a brahmin from kerala or from north india.
Arthashastra represents a system of civil, criminal and mercantile law. Saptanga theory had been formulated by kautilya and mentioned in hi book, arthashastra share this article. It is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the authors opinion with the words. I was trying to avoid getting entangled in a topic like this, because everybody who can read english thinks he or she knows about history. Kangles 1972, part ii translation of the arthashastra is considered the most authentic but is somewhat pedantic, and in. Kautilya was an academician at taxila university and later the prime minister of the mauryan empire. Ancient indian culture and civilisation, a historical outline. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. The book is divided into 15 books each detailing different situations and different descriptions and solutions. This paper will explain the servant leadership styles and practices in the usa, arab culture and china. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Saptanga theory which has been mentioned in arthashastra includes all the seven organs of the state which has been separately elaborated among the various volumes of arthashastra.
Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve. This years 20 army war college included readings from kautilyas arthashastra, and it provides a very interesting break from the sun tzu, clausewitz and jomini routine. 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. 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. This treatise is divided into sixteen books dealing with virtually every topic concerned with the running of a state, taxation, law, diplomacy, military strategy, economics, bureaucracy etc. There is a controversy regarding the date of arthashastra. The arthashastra summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya. Ait serves as the best source for understanding everyday life at various social levels. The arthashastra more precisely arthasastra refers to a tradition of political statecraft. Why is the book of songs especially valuable for people studying early zhou china. Smith and others believed that it was written by chanakya, the prime minister of chandragupta maurya. 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 obligations of a king.
Arthasastra manohar parrikar institute for defence. The chanakya niti, another book by chanakya is available here. Recommended for youthe 15 books of arthashastra of chanakya,in which includes only names of these books,which is written by kautilya. Arthashastra simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Feb 10, 2020 henry kissinger in his book world order described chanakyas arthashastra as avantgarde that established hard power as a dominant reality in politics and validated realism much earlier than. What is popularly seen as per the mahabharta is krishna emerging as a renowned strategist. Leaders, managers and executives, will need to think, act and lead differently, with a more caring management style, to cope with the global challenges in the 21st. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. He has written several books about hinduism for children and young adults.
This book stated that men were to respect women, but that women had to be subordinate to and dependent on the men in their lives. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The latter was a scholar at takshashila, the teacher and guardian of emperor. For instance, the following were codified a procedure for interrogation, torture, trial, the rights of the accused, constitution of permissible evidence, a procedure for autopsy in case of death in suspicious circumstances, constitution of deformation. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of. Alastair iain johnston has provided a viable notion of strategic culture that is falsifiable, its formation traced empirically, and its. 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 the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by. Buy kautilyas arthashastra book online at low prices in.
1341 1433 924 1491 1062 732 186 1472 1230 347 952 845 1214 638 591 458 1389 55 499 610 853 750 80 1442 919 1229 750 1589 867 957 737 674 1093 915 202 1160 966 109 660 445 353 622 101 1340