Kautilyas treatise arthashastra stands as one of the great political books of the ancient world, its ideas on the science of politics strikingly. When identity is thus defined by contrast, divergence with the west. Boesche, roger 2002, the first great political realist. Machiavellis book focusses to please a king with a few kind words and offers only a handful of practical advises most of which from todays perspective are barely beyond the ordinary. The arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. Start studying ap world history chapter 9 vocabulary.
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. Kautilyas treatise arthashastra stands as one of the great political books of the ancient world, its ideas on the science of politics strikingly similar to those of thucydides, machiavelli, hobbes, clausewitz, and even sun tsu. Kautilyaas arthashastra and war free essay example. This arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all the. The book arthashastra written by trautmann speaks on the balance between politics and business they had during mauryas time.
Political philosophy, also known as political theory, is the study of topics such as politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of laws by authority. It is a major source of information on the social relations, economy, and political institutions of ancient india. Elephants and polity in ancient india as exemplified by kautilyas arthasastra science of polity. 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 arthashastra totally contains 5363 sutras, 15 books, 150 chapters, and 180 sections. Political realism internet encyclopedia of philosophy. The arthashastra, written circa 320 bce1, was rediscovered in 1904 by. Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Mar 04, 2018 the arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking.
Arthashastra backs rational ethic to the conduct of the affairs of the state. This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. After all, there exist umpteen books just in the west on statecraft and political power. Roger boesche describes the arthasastra as a book of political realism, a book analysing how the political world does work and not. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. Kautilya was a minister of chandragupta maurya 321 bc 297 bc, an emperor of ancient india. The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military strategy. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas. The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military. Such differences in core motivations echo throughout all their. The arthashastra is apparently one of the first books on political theory and was written in the 3rd century bc.
Kautilyas work is primarily a book of political realism where state is. Arthashastra deals in detail with the qualities and disciplines required for a kautilya says that artha sound economies is the most. The first great political realist is a succinct and penetrating analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, kautilya. Kautilya stands for quintessential foreign policy realism and principle. The book itself is doesnt solely focus on political issues, but talks about statecraft, economy, military stragety and other topics. Likely to be the work of several authors over centuries. Just a few years ago, a former indian national security adviser praised this book as an important guide on strategy.
This could have been one reason why ashoka, the grandson of. The authors contentions and arguments about the meaning and significance of. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. On the other hand kautilyas arthashastra overwhelms the reader with tons of details, minutious instructions on each and every little detail of a state. On a site declared to be the best according to the science of buildings, the leader nayaka, the carpenter vardhaki, and the astrologer mauhurtika should measure a circular, rectangular, or square spot for the camp which should, in accordance with the available space, consist of four gates, six roads, and nine. Jan 30, 2020 kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Ethics, politics and statecraft very clearly in his book called arthashastra. This arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all thearthasastras, which, in view of acquisition and maintenance of theearth, have been composed by ancient teachers. Power, chanakya takes care to define, is of three kinds. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Kautilyas arthashastra and machiavellis the prince.
Oct 25, 2017 the arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. What are some important points made in the arthashastra. Arthashastra simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The book itself is a very dry read, at least it was to me.
That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. Arthashastra article about arthashastra by the free dictionary. So it should be a matter of interest for us to study it and see what kind of advice it offers to indian policy makers in the conduct of relations with pakistan. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state. He has been considered as one of the shrewdest ministers of the times and has explained his views on state, war, social structures, diplomacy, ethics, politics and statecraft very clearly in his book called arthashastra.
Kautilyas work is so deep rooted in realism that he goes to describe the gory and brutal means. In all probability, this treatise is the first ever book written on practice of. 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. In indian philosophy and yoga, artha is one of the four aims of human life, which are collectively called purusharthas. Chanakya has been called the indian machiavelli because his writings have a political pragmatism similar to that seen in machiavellis own work. The kautilyaarthashastra covers political philosophy and the tion, economics, law, diplomacy and foreign policy, intelligence divided into 150 chapters, ranging from 36 in book ii to just on. He has also been called kingmaker because, as one book description notes. Arthashastra article about arthashastra by the free. 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. Kautilyas work is primarily a book of political realism where state is paramount and.
Jul 21, 2016 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 arthashastra is one of the earliest works of political realism to have been written, along with sun tzus the art of war and thucydides history of the peloponnesian war and is perhaps the most elaborate of these. It includes books on the nature of government, law, civil and criminal court systems, ethics, economics. Kautilya was the minister in the kingdom of chandragupta maurya during 317 293 b. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit. Ap world history chapter 9 vocabulary flashcards quizlet. This political mindset can be seen in kissingers book a world restored and is pointed out by historian john bew in his book realpolitik. Book 1, as a book on fundamentals of management, book 2 dealing with economics, books 3, 4 and 5 on law, books 6, 7, 8 describes foreign policies. Elaborate is an apt description, given that the treatise describes all sorts of weird and wonderful ways in which seditious. Found in even the most ancient accounts of war and diplomacy, military treatise are systematic expositions on the proper conduct of war and peace and in what way both can be successfully administered. Arthashastra as science of politicaleconomy the substance of mankind is termed artha wealth, the earth that contains and is termed artha wealth. Diplomacy and war including military tactics are the two points treated. 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. 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.
The arthashastra summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya. Individually, it is the pursuit of material advantage and wealth. After many revisions and additions, the book took its present form about 1800 years before, in the 2nd century. His most recent book is the first great political realist. Two examples of very early works include writings by aristotle 384322 bce, who criticized platos conception of communal ownership and placed the state in the role of guarantor of private property in the politics. 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. The mauryan empire was larger than the later british india which expanded from the. 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. Kautilyas arthashastra and machiavellis the prince found in even the most ancient accounts of war and diplomacy, military treatise are systematic expositions on the proper conduct of war and peace and in what way both can be successfully administered. 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. The book speaks pros and cons of mudiyarasu authoritarian and kudiyarasu power distributed and how they managed to keep foods in stock to tackle during drought time. Jan 06, 2012 kautilyas arthashastra book i, concerning discipline chapter i. This edition is dated to approximately 250 ce, many centuries after the time of kautilya, but the main ideas in.
The first great political realist and millions of other books are available for amazon. Kissinger goes on to say that the role of the statesman is the ability to recognize the real relationship of forces and to make this knowledge serve his ends. Arthashastra in sanskrit, literally the science of benefit, of practical life, an ancient indian treatise, a collection of precepts on government. 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. Authorship is ascribed to kautilya fourth century b. 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 arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. Chanakya and machiavelli two realists in comparison swarajya. Kautilyas work is so deep rooted in realism that he goes to describe the gory and brutal means a king must adopt to be in power. The indian political scene changed dramatically in 520 b.
Kautilyas treatise arthashastra stands as one of the great political books of the ancient world, its ideas on the science of politics strikingly similar to those of. 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. The term international political economy began to draw the attention of scholars in the mid1960s amid problems of the world economy and lagging development in the third world. Jan 19, 2017 kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book. Kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book. It consists of 15 chapter, 380 shlokas and 4968 sutras. 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. Political realism is a theory of political philosophy that attempts to explain, model, and prescribe political relations. India was thrown into political chaos by the invasion of. Kangle is a reproduction of the original text in sanskrit language primary source. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. Arthashastra, the treatise on economic administration was written by kautilya in the 4th century before christ.
It takes as its assumption that power is or ought to be the primary end of political action, whether in the domestic or international arena. Shamasastry, 1915 book i, concerning discipline book ii, the duties of government superintendents. Arthashastra is a book on political realism and not on morality. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by after the time of kautilya, but the main ideas in this book are largely his. 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 book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. The 15 books contained in the arthashastra can be classified in the following manner. Kautilyas arthashastra book i, concerning discipline chapter i. And of course, machiavelli himself studied aristotles politics and platos. The concept of international political economy ipe encompasses the intersection of politics and economics as goods, services, money, people, and ideas move across borders. From sun tzu to jomini, military philosophers have endlessly discussed the topic. Ethics of responsibility was a type advocated by in his lecture. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya also known as chanakya, c. Arthashastrabook x wikisource, the free online library.
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