The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military strategy. Kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra. The arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas. Books by kautilya author of the arthashastra goodreads. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. Kautilya and his arthashastra download ebook pdf, epub.
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. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Dissent in the ancient indian sciences of sex and politics, published in india by. Its author, kautilyaalso known as chanakya was prime minister to.
Mar 04, 2018 the arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. 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. 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. Wendy doniger revisits kamasutra, arthashastra in new book wendy donigers new book is titled, beyond dharma. 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.
Which is the best english translation of kautilyas arthashastra. It is often said that the arthashastra is similar to il principe from. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. The book showcases the authors affinity with kautilya and the principles advocated by him.
Kautilya arthashastra was written by chanakya also known as vishnugupta and kautilya derived from his gotra. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya also known as chanakya, c. It may be noted that the book envisaged a comprehensive control on the economic. The word author is a noun he is my favourite author and sometimes a verb he will author a new book soon. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. This book is a definitive introduction to the classic text, the arthashastra, the worlds first manual on political economy. Because of this, kautilya is often compared to the italian renaissance writer machiavelli, author of the prince, who is. Kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally credited as the author of the text. Which among the following states, first introduced the panchayat raj system. Kautilyas arthashastra book ancient history encyclopedia.
This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. This books contains a vast variety of subjects which include economy, politics, military, warfare, taxation and many other. Historically, the kautilyas work carries a great significance because it is an important source for the history of mauryas. Which mughal emperor transferred the mughal capital from agra to. Neglected and decaying, the original arthashastra may soon be lost.
The arthashastra is an ancient indian work on statecraft,economic policy and military strategy. Ina few years after the newly discovered arthashastra manuscripts translation was first published, max weber stated kautilyas arthashastra is an ancient indian book on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy. The arthashastra of kautilya is a work of unique merit with detailed information on polity and administration. The protagonist of the story is the modern day disciple of chanakya. He is balanced in his views, neither idolizing nor doubting chanakya. This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. Artha, literally wealth, is one of four supreme aims prescribed by hindu tradition. Arthashastra book,the author of arthashastra was a contemporary,arthashastra author, writer arthashastra, arthashastra was written by, kautilya arthashastra. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The arthashastra is one of the oldest books on governance, military. Apart from the classic arthashastra, kautilya had also authored another book called neetishashtra, or chanakya niti, which is a book on how to live life ideally. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy.
Wendy doniger revisits kamasutra, arthashastra in new book. On the other hand kautilyas arthashastra overwhelms the reader with tons of details, minutious instructions on each and every little detail of a state. 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 summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya. Oct 18, 2018 he seeks guidance from the arthashastra, authored by chanakya, to become the richest man in the world. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit ebooks. This book is more popular in the entire educated world particularly in context of economics and pol. Arthashastrabook i wikisource, the free online library. However, it has a much wider significance and the material wellbeing of individuals is just a part of it.
Nov 16, 2017 there is one by penguin, translated by l. Rangarajan the arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. He is considered the author of the arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth. The author of arthashastra was a contemporary of sschelp. This book provides an analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, 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 arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. Kautilyas treatise arthashastra stands as one of the great. The book was discovered by shamasastri in 1909 who also translated and introduced it to the public. The arthashastra of kautilya is a work of unique merit with.
He joined the indian foreign service in 1956 and has been an ambassador to several countries such as greece, sudan, norway, tunisia and iceland. Oct 14, 2000 the arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas. The first chapter of the first book is an ancient table of contents, while the last. 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 often credited to kautilya, a scholar and an advisor for the mauryan dynasty. Elaborate is an apt description, given that the treatise describes all sorts of weird and wonderful ways in which seditious ministers can be identified, and enemies can be toppled and weakened. Arthashastra book,the author of arthashastra was a contemporary, arthashastra author, writer arthashastra, arthashastra was written by, kautilya arthashastra advertisements people are also reading.
Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. Arthashastrabook viii wikisource, the free online library. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. L n rangarajan is a graduate from the university of madras. This book examines in detail the strategic relevance of the arthashastra. But stratagems devised by wise men can kill even babes in the womb. Trautmann in his recently published book, arthashastrathe science of wealth. It is divided into 15 different sections for the better understanding of the readers.
Visnu gupta, who is popularly known as kautilya minister and advisor offounder of maurya dynasty, emperor chandra gupta penned artha shastra. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. Chanakya or the kautilaya wrote the book arth shashtra. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit all. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the. Chanakya was an indian statesman, great philosopher, advisory of king and first ruler of the mauryan empire.
Adopting a hermeneutic approach, the book discusses certain hom. The author of the book indica was 1 ashoka 2 kautilya 3 kalidasa 4 megasthanese. 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. But his credit as the author and even his very existence are very. Jan 19, 2017 kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book. Chanakya assisted the first mauryan emperor chandragupta in his rise to power.
Having said that, the author is so thorough in his efforts. This arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all the. Buy arthashastra book online at best prices in india on. The author of the book indica was 1 ashoka 2 kautilya 3 k. It is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the author s opinion with the words. 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 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. This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. 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. This book is more popular in the entire educated world particularly in context of economics and politics as principles of chanakya another name for author of.