Tattva

Kautilya, also known as Chanakya or Vishnugupta was born in 300 B.C. He was a philosopher and statesman who wrote a classic treatise on polity known as Arthashastra. It is compilation of almost everything that had been written in India up to his time on the science of Artha, or material prosperity, which is one of the four goals of human life. The means of subsistence according to Kautilya is primarily wealth and secondarily earth.

Arthashastra is concerned with the means of fruitfully maintaining and using land. Kautilya had immense knowledge about various aspects of governance such as taxation, diplomacy, trade, business, administration etc. It is said that he had a fair knowledge of medicine and astrology as well. It is a treatise on political economy similar to Machiavelli’s The Prince and hence he has been compared to Machiavelli by some and Aristotle and Plato by others.

Arthashastra deals with governance safeguards without presenting any overt philosophy or religion. It also advocates practical economics and realpolitik. Kautilya speaks of the way a state’s economy is organized, how ministers should be chosen, war conducted, and how taxation should be arranged and distributed. Emphasis is placed on the importance of a network of spies and informers which function as a surveillance corps for the king, focusing on external threats and internal dissidence.

According to Kautilya, the four functions of the king are:
1.      to acquire what is not gained
2.      to protect what is gained
3.      to increase what is protected and
4.      to bestow the surplus upon the deserving.

The political organization is said to have held seven elements such as: the king, the minister, the territory, the fort, the treasury, the army and the ally. The three ‘powers’ of the king according to Kautilya are: the power of good counsel, the majesty of the king himself, and the power to inspire.

The king is referred to as the ’promulgator of dharma’ and hence Arthashastra advocates that the king should be free from the six passions – sex, anger, greed, vanity, haughtiness and over joy. “In the happiness of the subjects lies the king’s happiness”, says the Treatise. Since monarchy was viewed as the only guarantee against anarchy in those days, Kautilya advocates that “the king’s duty is to avert providential visitations such as famine, flood, and pestilence. Hence he is “bound to protect agriculture, industry, and mining, the orphan, the aged, the sick and the poor”. The king has also to control crime with the help of spies, and to settle legal disputes.

Kautilya also wrote on six types of foreign policy – treaty (sandhi), war (vigraha), marching against the enemy (yana), neutrality (asana), seeking protection from a powerful king (samsraya), and dual policy (dvaidhibhava). “The rules concerning these are:
1.      he who is losing strength in comparison to the other shall make peace,
2.      he who is gaining strength shall make war,
3.      he who thinks neither he nor not the enemy can win shall be neutral,
4.      he who has an excess of advantage shall march,
5.      he who is wanting in strength shall seek protection,
6.      he who undertakes work requiring assistance shall adopt a dual policy.”

Kautilya’s views on the formation and implementation of policy were as follows:
1.      a treaty based on truth and oath is binding for temporal and spiritual consequences,
2.      a treaty based on security is binding only as long as the party is strong,
3.      he who inflicts mild punishments is overpowered,
4.      he who inflicts just punishments is respected.

Born in a Brahmin family, he received his education at Takshasila, the renowned centre of learning at that period. He became a counselor and adviser to King Chandragupta (BC 321 - BC 297) of the well-known Maurya dynasty. It is believed that he was instrumental in assisting King Chandragupta to overthrow the Nanda dynasty which ruled the kingdom of Magadha.

The accession of Chandragupta Maurya is significant in the history of India because it heralded the first Indian empire which extended almost the entire sub-continent except the South and substantial parts of the present-day Afghanistan. It is generally believed that Mauryan Empire under King Chandragupta and later under Ashoka (BC 265-BC 238) became a model government known for its efficient and highly organized autocracy with a standing army and civil service.

Arthashastra has relevance not only for India but also the entire contemporary world. Though written in Sanskrit, it remains unique in the entire Indian literature because of its unabashed advocacy of realpolitik and disciplined economic management. By taking a holistic and integrated approach, Kautilya has provided a new dimension to the field of economics. The economic growth with equity and social welfare as propounded by Kautilya is bound to render sustainability to the economic management system. The latest concept Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seems to have its origin rooted in Arthashastra.

The author is the Director of Indo-Gulf Consulting and resides in Mumbai. He can be contacted on telegulf@gmail.com.

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