Nnthe arthashastra is a book of political realism melianasha

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. Arthashastra in sanskrit, literally the science of benefit, of practical life, an ancient indian treatise, a collection of precepts on government. Political philosophy of arthashastra tradition ashok chousalkar the arthashastra tradition is indias unique contribution to political thought in the sense that it a furnished progressive alternative to the indian people in the 6th century b. The arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking.

Kautilyas arthashastra book i, concerning discipline chapter i. It is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the authors opinion with the words. Realism, believing as it does in the objectivity of the laws of politics, must also. Authorship is ascribed to kautilya fourth century b. Political realism is a term with a long history in international relaitons. Political realism and international relations, philosophy compass, 122. The historical process of tradition of indian politics is primeval and traced back to the period of vedas. A succinct analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, kautilya. Roger boesche, who relied entirely on the 1969 translation by kangle for his analysis of arthashastra, and who criticized an alternate 1992 translation by rangarajan, has called the arthashastra as a great political book of the ancient world. Chanakya arthashastragreatest book on spying and secret. Ruchi tyagi associate professor department of political science kalindi college kautilyas arthashastra written around 325 b. Political realism is a theory of political philosophy that attempts to explain, model. The mauryan empire was larger than the later british india which expanded from the. Kautilya and his arthashastra book online at best prices in india on.

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. Michael liebig gave a summary of his phd thesis and pointed to followon research based upon it. Chanakya arthashastragreatest book on spying and secret agenies. 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. The ingenious upayas in the arthashastra could still be used in administration today. A moral argument with historical illustrations, new york. The military affairs centre at idsa organised a talk by michael liebig, visiting fellow at idsa on 14th february 2014 on the topic relevance of kautilyas arthasastra for modern india.

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. 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. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas. The possession of power and happiness in a greater degree makes a king superior to another. Where would you position political realism on the palette of political ideologies. 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 first reference work to explore the 2000year history of political realism and reassess its place in todays world download an ebook of the chapter abstracts. Kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra in the second century ad though the date has not been conclusively established. The arthashastra summary a treatise on statecraft and. 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 tzu.

How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient. This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. Kautilyas arthashastra maintains that the state or government of a country has a vital role to play in maintaining the material status of both the nation and its people. Political realism in international relations stanford encyclopedia of. Kautilya on the scope and methodology of accounting, organizational design and the role of ethics in ancient india abstract. Arthashastrabook x wikisource, the free online library. He real ized that a proper measurement of economic performance was abso.

The papers are available in the electronic pdfformat and are designed to be. Linked bibliography for the sep article political realism in. The rediscovery of indian realism starting a new series. It does the difficult groundwork for indias political leaders and policymakers by bringing the best names from within the community as well as from the armed forces and academia to the ideating table. The ingenious upayas in the arthashastra could still be. Kautilya s arthasastra institute for defence studies and. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. Arthashastra article about arthashastra by the free. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit. Arthashastra advocates rational ethic to the conduct of the affairs of the state. Book iv, chapter 12, sexual intercourse with immature girls he who defiles a virgin of equal caste before she has reached her majority shall have his hand cut off or pay a fine of 400 panas. 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.

Arthashastrabook xi wikisource, the free online library. Political realism internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Whom would you regard as classics of contemporary political. Introductory note nothing vindicates belief better than reality.

The edinburgh companion to political realism edinburgh. The acorn will attempt to publish excerpts each weekendfor discovery, for learning and for enjoyment we start with chapter ix on agreements for the acquisition of a friend or gold of book vii the end of the six. The deliberations regarding politics are found in smritis and puranas by the name dandaniti. Kautilyas arthashastra and machiavellis the prince. 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 summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya. Two thousand four hundred years ago, kautilya compiled the arthashastra and with it he proved to be a kingmaker as he enabled the inception of the gupta dynasty. Harpercollinspublishers india the new arthashastra. In describing an ideal government, kautilya indicates contemporary assumptions of political and economic theory, and the description of the. 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.

Max weber 1919 was the fi rst to see that the writings of machiavelli, when contrasted with the brutal realism of kautilyas arthashastra, were not as extreme as they appeared to some critics. The arthashastra is apparently one of the first books on political theory and was written in the 3rd century bc. 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. Arthashastra the arthashastra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare,international relations, and war strategies in detail.

The new arthashastra is a pathbreaking attempt to recommend a national security strategy for india. The book is a masterpiece which covers a wide range 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It also made the rulers aware of the strength, weakness and capability of each foreign ruler. Realism, also known as political realism, is a view of international. Hence a king shall always endeavor to augment his own power and elevate his happiness. Under ancient indian political thought very prominent name comes of chankaya i. Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The book itself is doesnt solely focus on political issues, but talks about statecraft, economy, military stragety and other topics. Dr rudrapatna shamasastrys 1915 translation of kautilyas arthashastra has long been available online. Published by shama shastri in 1909 contains 15 parts, 180 divisions, 150 chapters and 6,000 shlokas 2. 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. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years.

Kautilya, it is believed, was prime minister to chandragupta, although this view has been contested. Kautilya was the minister in the kingdom of chandragupta maurya during 317 293 b. The arthashastra is a compendium of political and economic. 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 actual arthashatra translation contains numerous pages of having to sift through irrelevant items of no practical value in the modern world. The acquisition of the help of corporations is better than the acquisition of an army, a friend, or profits. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient indian history. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. That argument misunderstands the intention of this book, which is to present not. The first great political realist is a succinct and penetrating analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, kautilya. 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. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i.

This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. It is divided into 15 different sections for the better understanding of the readers. Kautilyas arthasastra, composed around 321 bce, is the oldest and most exhaustive treatise on statecraft and on issues of diplomacy, war, peace, intelligence, security, and political economy. The book itself is a very dry read, at least it was to me. The arthashastra reflected the political philosophy of. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit.