He is considered the author of the Arthashastra, meaning a texts on wealth. 12. Answer: True (b) Guards rode elephants decorated with gold and silver. What is its importance? [73][74], Anywhere, states Arthashastra in verse 7.5.22, where people are fined or punished or harassed when they ought not to be harassed, where those that should be punished are not punished, where those people are apprehended when they ought not be, where those who are not apprehended when they ought to, the king and his officials cause distress and disaffection. RP Kangle (1969, Reprinted in 2010), Arthaśāstra, Part 3, Motilal Banarsidass. In Kautilya’s concept of war, chivalry does not have any place and he is a realist. The Arthashastra tells us about the North west region as an important area for blankets and South India for its gold and precious stones.2. Kautilya used the historical evidences to substantiate his point of view or sometimes he used them to derive certain conclusions. [144] This view has been challenged by Thomas Trautmann, who asserts that a free market and individual rights, albeit a regulated system, are proposed by Arthashastra. [120], The Arthashastra discusses a mixed economy, where private enterprise and state enterprise frequently competed side by side, in agriculture, animal husbandry, forest produce, mining, manufacturing and trade. He should keep trade routes [roads] clear Megasthenes wrote about the Mauryan Dynasty the time when Kautilya lived, but doesn’t mention Kautilya and 3. This is possible only in the areas lying along the Tropic of Cancer, which passes through central India, from Gujarat in the west to Bengal in the east. [11] 4. Describe the sources to reconstruct the Age of the Mauryan with reference to the following: Arthashastra. [81] Economic crimes such as conspiracy by a group of traders or artisans is to be, states the Arthashastra, punished with much larger and punitive collective fine than those individually, as conspiracy causes systematic damage to the well-being of the people. Who wrote Arthashastra? Today, the book is known all over the world for its ideologies. (v) The Arthashastra tells us that south India for its gold and precious stones. Kautilya wrote in detail explaining the war strategy because he was a strong proponent of social structure. [52][54] The Kautilya text thereafter asserts that it is the Vedas that discuss what is Dharma (right, moral, ethical) and what is Adharma (wrong, immoral, unethical), it is the Varta that explain what creates wealth and what destroys wealth, it is the science of government that illuminates what is Nyaya (justice, expedient, proper) and Anyaya (unjust, inexpedient, improper), and that it is Anvishaki (philosophy)[58] that is the light of these sciences, as well as the source of all knowledge, the guide to virtues, and the means to all kinds of acts. It has often been cited as an important … [128] Temple and gurukul lands were exempt from taxes, fines or penalties. Its contents were merged into Arthashastra. When everything fails, resort to military force. Kautilya: 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. The Arthashastra, dating from the 400 BCE, and the Manusmriti, from 100 CE, were influential laws in Indian. Answer: Kautilya wrote the Arthashastra. Torkel Brekke (2009), The Ethics of War in Asian Civilizations: A Comparative Perspective, Routledge. Kautilya wrote about the way the state’s economy is organized, how ministers should be chosen, how war should be conducted, and how taxation should be arranged and distributed. [77][78] The text lays out that just punishment is one that is in proportion to the crime in many sections starting with chapter 4 of Book 1,[79][80] and repeatedly uses this principle in specifying punishments, for example in Topic 79, that is chapter 2 of Book 4. Arthashastra was written by: a. Ashoka b. Kautilya c. Chandragupat d. Vishvamitra 3. Different scholars have translated the word "arthashastra" in different ways. A notable structure of the treatise is that while all chapters are primarily prose, each transitions into a poetic verse towards its end, as a marker, a style that is found in many ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts where the changing poetic meter or style of writing is used as a syntax code to silently signal that the chapter or section is ending. The text of this great book includes 15 books, each addressing one topic pertaining to the state and its economy. Arthashastra Overview. Which was a gateway to the North-West? The Arthasastra by Kautilya is another important source which throws a good deal of light on the Mauryan period. Question 16. [111], The goals of the secret service, in Arthashastra, was to test the integrity of government officials, spy on cartels and population for conspiracy, to monitor hostile kingdoms suspected of preparing for war or in war against the state, to check spying and propaganda wars by hostile states, to destabilize enemy states, to get rid of troublesome powerful people who could not be challenged openly. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra. So he is called a king maker. [129] Trade into and outside the kingdom's borders was subject to toll fees or duties. [107][note 5], The roles and guises recommended for Vyanjana (appearance) agents by the Arthashastra include ascetics, forest hermits, mendicants, cooks, merchants, doctors, astrologers, consumer householders, entertainers, dancers, female agents and others. Informed opinion and active co-operation on the part of the public are of the utmost importance in the improvement of the health of the people. Needless to say, the book is written in Sanskrit. Activity of a King preparing to March into Battle, Conduct toward Confederacies, 1 chapter, Topics 160-161, On the Weaker King, 5 chapters, Topics 162-170, Means of Capturing a Fort, 5 chapters, Topics 171-176, On Esoteric Practices, 4 chapters, Topics 177-179, Organization of a Scientific Treatise, 1 chapter, Topic 180, Mentioned in season 5 episode 22 of the TV show, Mentioned in season 3 Episode 1 of the TV show, Mentioned in season 3 episode 5 of the TV show, Shoham, Dany, and Michael Liebig. As one plucks one ripe fruit after another from a garden, so should the king from his kingdom. Kautilya wrote his book about 2300 years ago when extreme forms of governance were commonplace and the primary task of the ruling monarch was primacy of his state and a policy of expansionism. Public Domain. when they are worn out by farm animals The entire book has about 5,300 sentences on politics, governance, welfare, economics, protecting key officials and king, gathering intelligence about hostile states, forming strategic alliances, and conduct of war, exclusive of its table of contents and the last epilogue-style book. It classifies war into three broad types – open war, covert war and silent war. [23][24], The text was considered lost by colonial era scholars, until a manuscript was discovered in 1905. It was written by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who ruled from 1792 to 1750 B.C. [17][18][19] The text incorporates Hindu philosophy,[20] includes ancient economic and cultural details on agriculture, mineralogy, mining and metals, animal husbandry, medicine, forests and wildlife. Arthashastra was unique for its time. [12] The first English translation was published in 1915. It was rediscovered in 1905 by R. Shamasastry, who published it in 1909. Question 14. Governments have a responsibility for the health of their peoples which can be fulfilled only by the provision of adequate health and social measures. [52][53] The school of Brihaspati asserts, according to Arthashastra, that there are only two fields of knowledge, the science of government and the science of economics (Varta[note 1] of agriculture, cattle and trade) because all other sciences are intellectual and mere flowering of the temporal life of man. There is a controversy regarding the date of Arthashastra. Some scholars believe them to be the same person, while most have questioned this identification. Ashoka appointed special officials who were known as the Dhamma Mahamatta. [149] The text also provides a system of appeal where three dharmastha (judges) consider contractual disputes between two parties, and considers profiteering and false claims to dupe customers a crime. [66], Kautilya, after describing the conflicting views on how to select officials, asserts that a king should select his Amatyah (ministers and high officials) based on the capacity to perform that they have shown in their past work, the character and their values that is accordance with the role. Name any two sources to reconstruct the Age of the Mauryas. It is an old Indian essay that covers military strategy, policies on economics, and public administration. [4][5] The latter was a scholar at Takshashila, the teacher and guardian of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. 1 reply 5 retweets 12 likes. Arthashastra has been listed as a level-5 vital article in Arts. we can get from this. What is its importance? 5. Also, it is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. Try Upaya (four strategies). It has about 6,000 slokas. "The intelligence dimension of Kautilyan statecraft and its implications for the present. Authorship, date of writing, and structure, The need for law, economics and government, Officials, advisors and checks on government, Causes of impoverishment, lack of motivation and disaffection among people, Book on strategy anticipating all scenarios, The girl, notes Olivelle (2013), may marry a man of equal status or any status (no mention of caste, the original Sanskrit text does not use the word, Rangarajan (1992), however, translates the verse to "same varna or another varna". The state was an institutional necessity for the development of the public. Philip Kosloski-published on 07/05/20. The importance and relevance of such strategies and concepts could be enriching to the contemporary world. An extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical India's 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 XXXI, No. Name any two sources to reconstruct the Age of the Mauryas. Who was Kautilya (Chanakya)? [41], The author of Arthashastra uses the term gramakuta to describe a village official or chief, which, according to Thomas Burrow, suggests that he was a native of the region that encompasses present-day Gujarat and northern Maharashtra. Systematic cropping patterns and irrigation systems followed by Kautilya is what today's experts need to recognize". Question 15. (vi) The empire that Ashoka ruled was founded by his father. [6] Some scholars believe them to be the same person,[7] while most have questioned this identification. —Stocking the Treasury, Arthashastra 5.2.70[124][113]. [112][105] The spy operations and its targets, states verse 5.2.69 of Arthashastra, should be pursued "with respect to traitors and unrighteous people, not with respect to others".[113]. [29] The first chapter of the first book is an ancient table of contents, while the last chapter of the last book is a short 73 verse epilogue asserting that all thirty two Yukti – elements of correct reasoning methods – were deployed to create the text.[29]. Arthashastra stipulates restraint on taxes imposed, fairness, the amounts and how tax increases should be implemented. MV Krishna Rao (1958, Reprinted 1979), Studies in Kautilya, 2nd Edition, S Set (2015), Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World: Revisiting Kautilya and his Arthashastra in the Third Millennium, Strategic Analysis, Volume 39, Issue 6, pages 710-714, BS Sihag (2004), Kautilya on the scope and methodology of accounting, organizational design and the role of ethics in ancient India, The Accounting Historians Journal, Vol 31, Number 2, pages 125-148, Origin Story, A big history of everything, KAZ03.1.41 - KAZ03.1.43 Transliterated Arthashastra, The Place of the Emperor Asoka in Ancient Indian Political Thought, The Structure and Principles of Public Organization in Kautilya's Arthashastra, Ancient Indian Kingship from the Religious Point of View (Continued and Ended), Strategic Planning 2300 Years Ago: The Strategy of Kautilya, "India needs to develop its own doctrine for strategic autonomy: NSA", "Notes on Political Thought in Medieval and Early Modern South India", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthashastra&oldid=1014159337, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles containing Sanskrit-language text, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from February 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, R.P. And its importance? The Arthashastra was written by Vishnugupta Chankya, a scholar at Takshashila. It is the most important source for writing the history of the Mauryas and is divided into 15 adhikarnas or sections and 180 Prakaranas or subdivisions. There is no doubt, states Olivelle, that "revisions, errors, additions and perhaps even subtractions have occurred" in Arthashastra since its final redaction in 300 CE or earlier.[32]. For example, states Brekke, the legends in Hindu epics preach heroism qua heroism which is in contrast to Kautilya suggestion of prudence and never forgetting the four Hindu goals of human life, while Kamandaki's Nitisara, which is similar to Kautilya's Arthashastra, is among other Hindu classics on statecraft and foreign policy that suggest prudence, engagement and diplomacy, peace is preferable and must be sought, and yet prepared to excel and win war if one is forced to. It contains 6000 shlokas divided into 15 sections and 180 subjects. The similarities between the administrative terms used in the Arthashastra and in the Asokan edicts certainly suggest that the Mauryan rulers were acquainted with this work. [146], Scholars disagree on how to interpret the document. (iv) Most Ashokan inscriptions are in the Brahmi script. 10). Who wrote Arthashastra? [105] After success in a war by the victorious just and noble state, the text argues for humane treatment of conquered soldiers and subjects. [66] Kautilya first lists various alternate different opinions among extant scholars on how key government officials should be selected, with Bharadvaja suggesting honesty and knowledge be the screen for selection, Kaunapadanta suggesting that heredity be favored, Visalaksha suggesting that king should hire those whose weaknesses he can exploit, Parasara cautioning against hiring vulnerable people because they will try to find king's vulnerability to exploit him instead, and yet another who insists that experience and not theoretical qualification be primary selection criterion. My successor will make all the plans.” But Prof Jaganath says the best way to commemorate the event is to study properly the several commentaries that have been written on the Arthashastra after the 12th century. 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