For kissinger, the arthashastra contained a realist vision of politics long. Nazmul ahsan kalimullah professor, department of public administration university of dhaka submitted by. That argument misunderstands the intention of this book, which is to present not. This book was lost for many centuries until a copy of it, written on palm leaves, was rediscovered in india in 1904 ce. 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. That seems to be a very sensibly translated version. Indias truly radical machiavelli the national interest. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. 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.
It is a book detailing how to manage a kingdom, or basically it deals with the art of government and politics. The book arthashastra written by trautmann speaks on the balance between politics and business they had during mauryas time. Political realism in international relations stanford encyclopedia of. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic. Shamasastry, 1915 book i, concerning discipline book ii, the duties of government superintendents. Arthashastra of chanakya english translation sanskrit ebooks. Ahasan uddin bhuiyan department of public administration university of dhaka department of public administration univrsity of dhaka.
This book is basically a collection of 380 shlokas which have been written in prose. Ancient india beat machiavelli to the punch by 1,800 years by laurie l. Michael liebig gave a summary of his phd thesis and pointed to followon research based upon 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. In describing an ideal government, kautilya indicates contemporary assumptions of political and economic theory, and the description of the. Political realism internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Political realism is a theory of political philosophy that attempts to explain, model. The arthashastra insights on statecraft and reflections of ancient indian society by sayem islam this paper investigates the arthashastra and its implications for ancient indian society, as well as the rationale behind the principles underlying the text. How kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient. Nov 16, 2017 there is one by penguin, translated by l. This arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all the.
Mar 31, 2016 the arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. Jan 06, 2012 kautilyas arthashastra book i, concerning discipline chapter i. 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. Arthashastrabook x wikisource, the free online library.
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. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. Find out what you know about political realism with an interactive, multiplechoice quiz and a printable worksheet. On the other hand kautilyas arthashastra overwhelms the reader with tons of details, minutious instructions on each and every little detail of a state. The deliberations regarding politics are found in smritis and puranas by the name dandaniti. 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. 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. Kautilya is considered the first great political realist. The book itself is a very dry read, at least it was to me. 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. Realism, believing as it does in the objectivity of the laws of politics, must also.
The historical process of tradition of indian politics is primeval and traced back to the period of vedas. Kautilya, it is believed, was prime minister to chandragupta, although this view has been contested. 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. 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. The arthashastra summarizes the political thoughts of kautilya.
The arthashastra is apparently one of the first books on political theory and was written in the 3rd century bc. Published by shama shastri in 1909 contains 15 parts, 180 divisions, 150 chapters and 6,000 shlokas 2. 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. Kautilya, also known as chanakya and vishnugupta, wrote the arthashastra in the second century ad though the date has not been conclusively established. The views expressed in the podcast are those of the podcasters and do not. It is divided into 15 different sections for the better understanding of the readers. The book itself is doesnt solely focus on political issues, but talks about statecraft, economy, military stragety and other topics.
The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. The arthashastra reflected the political philosophy of. Mar 04, 2018 the arthashastra summary the western world generally assumes that ancient indian literature lacked in strategic thinking. The acquisition of the help of corporations is better than the acquisition of an army, a friend, or profits. The arthashastra is an indian book or a treatise that details the right qualities of a good king and how to achieve this 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. Political realism is one of the major theories attempting to explain the. Political realism is a term with a long history in international relaitons. 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. Political realism how hacks, machines, big money, and backroom deals can strengthen american democracy by jonathan rauch may 1, 2015. 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. Aug 19, 2016 how kautilyas arthashastra shaped the telling of ancient indian history. Ruchi tyagi associate professor department of political science kalindi college kautilyas arthashastra written around 325 b. The arthashastra summary a treatise on statecraft and.
The papers are available in the electronic pdfformat and are designed to be. 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. The arthashastra is an ancient indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by chanakya 350283 bce. This article asks what work these appeals to tradition are. Although only fragments remain, some of our best information about early indian history comes from the book, indika, written by. The possession of power and happiness in a greater degree makes a king superior to another. The actual arthashatra translation contains numerous pages of having to sift through irrelevant items of no practical value in the modern world. 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. Oct 25, 2017 under ancient indian political thought very prominent name comes of chankaya i. Where would you position political realism on the palette of political ideologies. Arthashastrabook xi wikisource, the free online library. Realism, also known as political realism, is a view of international.
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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. Kautilya was the minister in the kingdom of chandragupta maurya during 317 293 b.
Appeals to a tradition stretching back to thucydides have been central to the recent emergence of realism in political theory. 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. Which is the best english translation of kautilyas arthashastra. Dove nov 14, 2016 the tomb of isa khan was built in the late 1500s c. The first great political realist is a succinct and penetrating analysis of one of the ancient worlds foremost political realists, kautilya. In the arthashastra, he compiles his observations of statecraft based on. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. International relations is the study of interactions between state and nonstate actors in the world. By means of conciliation and gifts, the conqueror should secure and enjoy the services of such corporations as are invin. After many revisions and additions, the book took its present form about 1800 years before, in the 2nd century.