Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. The text was considered lost by colonial era scholars, until a manuscript was discovered in 1905. The giving in marriage of a virgin for a couple of cows is called arshamarriage. Createspace independent publishing platform july 21, 2016 language. An extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical indias greatest minds, kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra not later than 150 ad though the date has not been conclusively established. Jan 19, 2017 kautilyas arthashastra is divided into 15 booksmay be considered as volume with several parts of each book.
Oct, 2019 the arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya also known as chanakya, c. 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. This book is one of the most effective books ever written on the art of statecraft and the science of everyday living. He was man of great tactics who made great contributions and was instrumental in changing the course of indian history. Although the principles and practice propounded in these treatises are universal and applicable in modern set up also. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books with immense historical significance written by kautilya or arya chanakya as he was popularly known. 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. Dissent in the ancient indian sciences of sex and politics, published in india by. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in. Arthashastra is divided into 15 book titles, 150 chapters and 180 topics, as follows.
Oct 01, 2016 it was a copy of a book that was written by kautilya 350275 bce, a minister of the mauryan empire. After many revisions and additions, the book took its present form about 1800 years before, in the 2nd century. The first great political realist is a succinct and penetrating analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, kautilya. The book was discovered by shamasastri in 1909 who also translated and introduced it to the public. The ancient history encyclopedia logo is a registered eu trademark. Kautilya, the machiavelli of india education today news. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient. Shama shastri aroused much interest and a fierce debate about its composition ensued among scholars.
Wendy doniger revisits kamasutra, arthashastra in new book wendy donigers new book is titled, beyond dharma. The title arthashastra is often translated to the science of politics, but the book arthashastra has a broader scope. The arthashastra book ancient history encyclopedia. Ancient origins articles related to arthashastra in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. Shamashastry of the ancient treatise on the art of. The story of civilization i, our oriental heritage. 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.
Vincent smith, the author of the history of ancient india, in the preface to the second edition of his book, makes this acknowledgement in 19. Dilip yes book 6 of arthashastra deals with that topic. Chanakya was a master tactician, and believed that the greatest king is one who wins wars without weapons. The joint performance of sacred duties by a man and a woman is known as prajapatyamarriage.
The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written. Mar 04, 2018 the arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. Legend has it that he was either a brahmin from kerala or from north india. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit all. Arthashastra, the treatise on economic administration was written by kautilya in the 4th century before christ. Oct 23, 2017 recommended for youthe 15 books of arthashastra of chanakya,in which includes only names of these books,which is written by kautilya. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient indian. Ancient history encyclopedia receives a small commission for each book sold through our affiliate partners.
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. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Chanakya, also called kautilya or vishnugupta, flourished 300 bce, hindu statesman and philosopher who wrote a classic treatise on polity, arthashastra the science of material gain, a compilation of almost everything that had been written in india up to his time regarding artha property, economics, or material success he was born into a brahman family and received his education. Arthashastra the science of wealth by thomas r trautmann. Kautilya was a minister of chandragupta maurya 321 bc 297 bc, an emperor of ancient india. This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. However, it is certain that kautilya was the man who. Many theoretical and practical foundations of modern econmics are found in this book. An arrow, discharged by an archer, may kill one person or may not kill. History of economic thoughtancient wikibooks, open. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves. The arthashastra summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya.
The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. Three names for the texts author are used in various historical sources. Shamasastry, 1915 book i, concerning discipline book ii,the duties of government superintendents. Preface both kautilya the preceptor and his masterwork the arthashastra are much misunderstood. The text was identified by the librarian rudrapatnam shamasastry as the arthashastra. From the origins to ad 0, university of california. Chanakya had written an ancient source of knowledge with the purpose of teaching good governance to the kings and future leaders.
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. 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, 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. History of economic thoughtancient wikibooks, open books. The arthashastra is a mirror of princes, a book of secret advice given directly to a ruler by one of his advisers. The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military strategy. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit ebooks. Arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in sanskrit.
Ancient india beat machiavelli to the punch by 1,800 years by laurie l. It is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the authors opinion with the words. It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. 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. What can india learn from chanakyas arthashastra youtube. Since then, the arthashastra has enjoyed a revival of sorts with its precepts being used and quoted in books on history, economics, politics.
Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this state. Arthashastra simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. There is a controversy regarding the date of arthashastra.
Composed in the late fourth century bce, arthashastra ranks alongside sun tzus art of war and thucydides history of the peloponnesian war as one of the timeless classics of the ancient. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit. The giving in marriage of a virgin welladorned is called brahmamarriage. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. 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. The description of the maurya empire and administrationhas been revised with special regard to the discovery and partial publication by mr r. 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. Search the history of over 439 billion web pages on the internet.
Kautilya was an academician at taxila university and later the prime minister of the mauryan empire. Dove nov 14, 2016 the tomb of isa khan was built in the late 1500s c. Popularly known as machiavelli of india, though machiavelli was born centuries after him, was no ordinary man. A copy of the arthashastra in sanskrit, written on palm leaves, was presented by a tamil brahmin from tanjore to the newly opened mysore oriental library headed by benjamin lewis rice. 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. Arthashastrabook viii wikisource, the free online library. It is divided into 15 different sections for the better understanding of the readers. Within this category, it is one of the most complete works of antiquity. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. Chanakyan has entered indian vocabulary as the equivalent of machiavellian. 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. 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.
What is a brief history of chanakya and his book arthashastra. Arthashastra is the masterwork of indias greatest statesmanphilosopher, kautilya. Kautilyas arthashastra during the rest of the day and night, he shall not only receivenew lessons and revise old lessons, but also hear over and againwhat has not been clearly understood. The arthashastra a treatise on statecraft and military. Arthashastrabook x wikisource, the free online library.
The arthashastra history of international relations. Hence by overthrowing the aggregate of the six enemies lust, anger, greed, vanity, haughtiness, and overjoy, he shall restrain the organs of sense. Book iii, chapter 2, concerning marriage and women. Arthashastra is an indian treatise book written by kautilya around 2400 years ago forth century bc. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india arthashastra. The other book, kautiliya arthashastra which was written in about 400 bc is available. Smith and others believed that it was written by chanakya, the prime minister of chandragupta maurya. Kautilyas arthashastra is an excellent treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. The arthashastra is the title of a handbook for running an empire, written by kautilya also known as. Chanakya, hindu statesman and philosopher who wrote a classic treatise on polity, arthashastra the science of material gain, a compilation of almost everything that had been written in india up to his time regarding artha property, economics, or material success.
Wendy doniger revisits kamasutra, arthashastra in new book. Recommended by numerous educational institutions recommend us, including oxford university, michigan state university, and university of minnesota. What are the best books to read regarding chanakyas life. Jan 06, 2012 purana, itivritta history, akhyayika tales, udaharanaillustrative stories, dharmasastra, and arthasastra are knownby the name itihasa. Popularly known as chanakya, he is maligned and often ridiculed as a teacher of unethical, not to say immoral, practices and as an advocate of the theory that the ends justify the means. It contains around 600 sutras and 180 different topics. A critical examination of the text convinced some of the scholars that the arthashastra was not the work of one individual. It is palpable of the following lines in his treatise arthshastra. On the other hand kautilyas arthashastra overwhelms the reader with tons of details, minutious instructions on each and every little detail of a state. Book iv, chapter, punishment for violating justice he who causes a brahman to partake of whatever food or drink is prohibited shall be punished with the highest amercement. He who causes a kshatriya to do the same shall be punished with the middlemost amercement.