Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas arthashastra. The author of the book indica was 1 ashoka 2 kautilya 3 kalidasa 4 megasthanese. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Dissent in the ancient indian sciences of sex and politics, published in india by. Which among the following states, first introduced the panchayat raj system.
Visnu gupta, who is popularly known as kautilya minister and advisor offounder of maurya dynasty, emperor chandra gupta penned artha shastra. This book examines in detail the strategic relevance of the arthashastra. 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 is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the author s opinion with the words. However, it has a much wider significance and the material wellbeing of individuals is just a part of it. 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. The first chapter of the first book is an ancient table of contents, while the last. Neglected and decaying, the original arthashastra may soon be lost. The arthashastra of kautilya is a work of unique merit with detailed information on polity and administration. The author of arthashastra was a contemporary of sschelp. Rangarajan the arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. The author of the book indica was 1 ashoka 2 kautilya 3 k. He is balanced in his views, neither idolizing nor doubting chanakya. On the other hand kautilyas arthashastra overwhelms the reader with tons of details, minutious instructions on each and every little detail of a state.
Oct 14, 2000 the arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas. The protagonist of the story is the modern day disciple of chanakya. The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military strategy. Jan 19, 2017 kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book. The book was discovered by shamasastri in 1909 who also translated and introduced it to the public.
He has translated kautilyas arthashastra and is also the author of the book commodity conflict. Which mughal emperor transferred the mughal capital from agra to. Mar 04, 2018 the arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit all. The arthashastra is one of the oldest books on governance, military. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm. Kautilyas arthashastra book ancient history encyclopedia. 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. 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. Its author, kautilyaalso known as chanakya was prime minister to. This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. Trautmann in his recently published book, arthashastrathe science of wealth.
Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit ebooks. Books by kautilya author of the arthashastra goodreads. 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 summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya. This arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all the. The arthashastra is written mainly in prose but also incorporates 380 shlokas. The arthashastra of kautilya is a work of unique merit with. Adopting a hermeneutic approach, the book discusses certain hom. A master strategist who was wellversed in the vedas and adept at creating intrigues and devising political stratagems, kautilyas genius is reflected in his arthashastra which is the most. Chanakya or the kautilaya wrote the book arth shashtra.
This books contains a vast variety of subjects which include economy, politics, military, warfare, taxation and many other. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit. Artha, literally wealth, is one of four supreme aims prescribed by hindu tradition. The word author is a noun he is my favourite author and sometimes a verb he will author a new book soon. Arthashastrabook viii wikisource, the free online library. It may be noted that the book envisaged a comprehensive control on the economic. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. 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 arrow shot by the archer may or may not kill a single person. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state. 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. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics.
The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya also known as chanakya, c. 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. Kautilya and his arthashastra download ebook pdf, epub. It is divided into 15 different sections for the better understanding of the readers.
It is often said that the arthashastra is similar to il principe from. L n rangarajan is a graduate from the university of madras. Because of this, kautilya is often compared to the italian renaissance writer machiavelli, author of the prince, who is. 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. 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. Historically, the kautilyas work carries a great significance because it is an important source for the history of mauryas. Buy arthashastra book online at best prices in india on.
Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilyas treatise arthashastra stands as one of the great. 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. Wendy doniger revisits kamasutra, arthashastra in new book wendy donigers new book is titled, beyond dharma.
Kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra. Chanakya was an indian statesman, great philosopher, advisory of king and first ruler of the mauryan empire. Kautilya arthashastra was written by chanakya also known as vishnugupta and kautilya derived from his gotra. The arthashastra is often credited to kautilya, a scholar and an advisor for the mauryan dynasty. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. He is considered the author of the arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. He joined the indian foreign service in 1956 and has been an ambassador to several countries such as greece, sudan, norway, tunisia and iceland.
Nov 16, 2017 there is one by penguin, translated by l. The book showcases the authors affinity with kautilya and the principles advocated by him. Arthashastrabook i wikisource, the free online library. Oct 18, 2018 he seeks guidance from the arthashastra, authored by chanakya, to become the richest man in the world. This book provides an analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, kautilya. 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. Having said that, the author is so thorough in his efforts.
Wendy doniger revisits kamasutra, arthashastra in new book. 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. Arthashastra book,the author of arthashastra was a contemporary,arthashastra author, writer arthashastra, arthashastra was written by, kautilya arthashastra. 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. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. But his credit as the author and even his very existence are very. 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 one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. But stratagems devised by wise men can kill even babes in the womb. Arthashastra book,the author of arthashastra was a contemporary, arthashastra author, writer arthashastra, arthashastra was written by, kautilya arthashastra advertisements people are also reading. The arthashastra is an ancient indian work on statecraft,economic policy and military strategy. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. Chanakya assisted the first mauryan emperor chandragupta in his rise to power. This book is more popular in the entire educated world particularly in context of economics and pol.