Kautilyas arthashastra is mainly a work on the art of government. Arthshastra concerned with the acquisition and protection ofmeans of livelihood. These together with atharvaveda and the itihasaveda are known as the vedas. Kautilya favors peace over war, because he asserts that in most situations, peace is more conducive to creation of wealth, prosperity and security of the people. Kautily saptanga theory of state was given by kautilya in arthashashtra. Kautilya realized that the moral imperative dharma, alone could not prevent free riding. The community of scholars needs to study kautilya s arthasastra and apply his concepts to political theory and other fields of enquiry, such as intelligence, internal security, war, foreign policy, sociology, political psychology, law, accounting and management. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
For kautilya as the founder of a number of economic theories and concepts see balbir singh sihag. It is a geographical concept of division of lands of the king the vijigishu and the neighboring kingdoms. His concept stands as barrier against the idea of integration, both at regional and global level. Kautilya did not view law to be an expression of the free will of the people. First, it seeks to show how the ruler should protect his territory. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in india, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics. Arthasastra is an ancient indian sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. Saptanga theory in saptanga theory, kautilya has discussed 7 elements constituting state.
Book seven elaborates the mandala theory of the circle of states and the six. Kautilyas arthashastra 3 book i, concerning discipline chapter i. The study of ancient indian political thought is considered incomplete without the knowledge of arthashastra written by kautilya. Easy to learn and to understand, precise in doctrine, sense and word, free. Kautilya arthashastra saptanga theory indian political. Kautilyas arthasashtra is magnificent work on ancient political thought which was undoubtedly composed between 3rd2nd century b. Kautilya, also identified as vishnugupta and chanakya, is traditionally. Acharya chanakya or kautilyas magnumopus arthshastra is a treatise that primarily deals.
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. Relevance dutch society the teachings of kautilya has relevance for the netherlands as well in a time where its seeking for building trust among several stakeholders in the dutch community and leadership. These cater for different situations in international relations. Kautilya was the minister in the kingdom of chandragupta maurya during 317 293 b.
Kautilyas arthashastra and its relevance to contemporary. Laws were derived from four sources dharma scared law, vyavhara evidence, charita history and custom, and rajasasana edicts of the king. Kautilya requires that the land sale be staggered and grants certain buyers automatic call rights, which is not free market. An analytical study of the relevance of arthshastra in modern. According to kautilya, a state has seven elements or constituents, namely, swamin the king. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit. Contemporary relevance of economic thoughts of kautilya 4 7. The normative setting of kautilyas arthasashastra is the political unification of common cultural indian subcontinent. Oct 19, 2010 relevance dutch society the teachings of kautilya has relevance for the netherlands as well in a time where its seeking for building trust among several stakeholders in the dutch community and leadership. Most of the details of the life of kautilya are uncertain and shrouded in myth and legend. Danda or balathe army for protection against the enemy or alien state surhit or. Saptanga theory of state the saptanga theory of kautilya, is given in his book arthasastra. Saptanga theory had been formulated by kautilya and mentioned in hi book, arthashastra share this article. Kautilyas conception of law and administration 122.
Anyone can use the seven secrets of leadership to run a kingdom effectively. The saptanga theory of state theory of seven limbs of the state was propounded by. The arthashastra of kautilya is one of the most impressive books that i have read in the recent years. The community of scholars needs to study kautilyas arthasastra and apply his concepts to political theory and other fields of enquiry, such as intelligence, internal security, war, foreign policy, sociology, political psychology, law, accounting and management. The free market model of capitalist competition is. Oct 21, 2014 kautilyas saptang theory of state the mauryan era of ancient india gave the world a significant treatise, the arthashastra of kautilya. Pdf kautilyas saptang theory nitish yadav academia. 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. Wise leadership in kautilyas philosophy springerlink. The four sciences of kautilya can contribute to a great extent to overcome the present catastrophe in public governance system. This volume will be of interest to students, scholars and teachers of political studies, indian political thought, and philosophy, south asian studies, political theory and international relations. Elements of modern economics evident in arthasastra 455 7. Buy arthashastra book online at low prices in india. Kautilyas saptang theory of state the mauryan era of ancient india gave the world a significant treatise, the arthashastra of kautilya.
He authored the ancient indian political treatise, this book. The rajamandala or rajamandala meaning circle of kings. Saptanga theory was created by the brahmanical school of thought. Workshop in political theory and policy analysis, indiana university. Kautilyas arthashastra is a book about economics written by kautilya.
It describes circles of friendly and enemy states surrounding the kings state. The seven limbs are king, amatya bureaucrats, janapada territory, durga fort, kosa trea. Kautilya, the machiavelli of india education today news. He was a philosopher and a statesman of outstanding class. I am giving a brief details of it from my book kautilyas mandala system. Chanakya arthashastra pdf in hindi, english, sanskrit all. The saptanga theory of state theory of seven limbs of the. King, amatya or bureaucrats janapada or territory durga. Kautilya was an academician at taxila university and later the prime minister of the mauryan empire. The book also showcases the value these ancient texts can bring to the study of contemporary international relations and political theory.
According to kautilya, a state has seven elements or constituents, namely, swamin the king, amatyathe minister, janapadathe land, and the people, durgathe fortress, koshathe treasury, dandathe army and mitrathe allies. According to the theory, the state consists of seven elements. Kautilyas coverage and early western thought on political economy 456 7. Saptanga theory which deals with the 7 limbs sap gktoday.
The word no suggestions originates from a primeval indian dissertation that discussed how the economy and military affairs of a state should function. Kautilya chanakya 4th century bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal adviser. Kautilya, in the arthashastra, suggests that the state must always be adequately fortified, its armed forces prepared and resourced to defend itself against acts of war. Sample material upsc mains philosophy optional study. 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.
The dissertation was written in sanskrit by chanakya, the teacher to the founder of the mauryan empire. Saptanga theory of state refers to the seven limbs of the state. In chanakyas 7 secrets of leadership, theory meets practice, academic research meets vast experience in police supervision and an ageold formula is revealed in a modernday success story. Kautilya, chanakya or visnugupta is considered as one of the most able politician and minister in the indian history. An analytical study of the relevance of arthshastra in. Saptanga theory which has been mentioned in arthashastra includes all the seven organs of the state which has been separately elaborated among the various volumes of arthashastra. The mauryan era of ancient india gave the world a significant treatise, the arthashastra of kautilya. The mauryan empire was larger than the later british india which expanded from the. In regarding to origin of state he accepted the theory of socialcohesion. Mandala theory of kautilya ba politcal science upsc. This entire setup of the kingdom was described as saptanga theory in ancient india. Mandala theory favorable to pakistan sixfold policy march mandala theory favorable to india kautilyas forms of diplomacy also depends on the. Sep 28, 2018 saptanga theory which has been mentioned in arthashastra includes all the seven organs of the state which has been separately elaborated among the various volumes of arthashastra.
Kautilya had discussed about states origin, nature and working. Kautilya focused only on hetu, or theory of reason, and did not incorporate the soul or atma vidya, which is now part of indian philosophy called darshan. Kautilyas arthashastra provides an insight into the ancient indian anthology of political wisdom. An analytical study of the relevance of arthshastra in modern india. Its contemporary relevance publshied by indian merchants chamber 2004 introductory note nothing vindicates belief better than reality. Secondly kautilyas ideologies on state, statecraft and ethics are very. 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 saptanga theory of state theory of seven limbs of. The ideologies of kautilya regarding state, statecraft, and ethics. Published by shama shastri in 1909 contains 15 parts, 180 divisions, 150 chapters and 6,000 shlokas 2. The arthashastra states that if someone wants to sell land, the owners kins, neighbors and creditors have first right of purchase in that order, and only if they do not wish to buy the land for a fair competitive price. In his political and administrative ideas, the focus of attention was the king. Also a means to ensure the wellbeing of men ingeneral two fold aims palana. Kautilyas arthashastra and its relevance to contemporary strategic studies.
Kautilya is known as the indian machiavelli because of his ruthless and shrewd tactics and policies reflecting an approach to statecraft including warfare. Saptanga theory pdf this is known as the saptanga theory to which both. Life of kautilya and arthashastra the study of ancient indian political thought is considered incomplete without the knowledge of arthashastra written by kautilya. Kautilya recognised that foreign trade in goods and services is a major vehicle for increasing the state wealth. Arthashastra is a science to the extent that it provides a practical manual for the means and. These seven elements can be called as the 7 determinants of power. Relevance of kautilyas arthasastra manohar parrikar. Pdf kautilya was the minister in the kingdom of chandragupta. When there was renewed interest in and exploration of indian philosophy and political thought during and after the indian renaissance in british india, the streams of the initial rediscoveries tended to flow into one of the following channels. To understand the concept of raja mandala theory, the six methods of foreign policy enunciated by chanakya must be understood. He made politics a scientific study in ancient india, and attempted to test the political ideas on scientific lines with empirical orientation.
Ruchi tyagi associate professor department of political science kalindi college kautilya s arthashastra written around 325 b. According to kautilya king is independent and his responsibility for peace, justice and stability is stressed. Buy kautilyas arthashastra book online at low prices in. Kautilya, in fact, left no single political aspect in. Kautilya, arthasastra, national power, ancient strategy, mandala theory, foreign policy. It includes all the four elements of the modern definition of state. Kautilyas mandala theory of foreign policies and interstate relationships though cannot be said to be completely applicable in the present context, though one cannot ignore its relevance. Ruchi tyagi associate professor department of political science kalindi college kautilyas arthashastra written around 325 b. It is argued that the discussions in the arthashastra generally end by stating the authors opinion with the words. Ebook chanakya s 7 secrets of leadership as pdf download. Raja mandala theory and its relevance history essay. Khan, ex cabinet minister, about the tragic illusion of an islamic state by tarek fateh at india habitat centre, new delhi by kautilya books. Ritu ko hli, kautilyas political theory yogakshema. Kautilya adopts the seven limbs theory of the state of indian tradition or.
This may not be possible now given the declining knowledge of. This theory occupied a vital position in ancient indian political thought and. The states participate in diplomacy and war using the six methods of foreign policy. Together, pillai and sivanandhan bring chanakyas model to life. Sovereignty is a modern theory therefore it is very difficult to discuss a theory of sovereignty in arthasastra. Life of kautilya and arthashastra your article library. Thus sovereignty the authority to make laws, did not vest with citizens. Apr 10, 2018 kautilya chanakya 4th century bce was an indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal adviser. With the saptanga theory, kautilya transcends the idea that state power is. The three vedas, sama, rik and yajus, constitute the triple vedas. 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.
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