Firstly this is a very big article and I am afraid if I have done justice to the person and his greatness. To the extent possible, I have tried to comprehensive. My learning about Chanakya and his work is just getting started. Wanted to provide below high level summary of the context in which this extraordinary man and his genius reached its peak.
He is known by different names - Vishnu Gupta – the name given by parents, Chanakya – son of aacharya Chanak, Kautilya – presumably because of the Gothra (Kutil) he inherited.
There are various sources which corroborate and prove that these names refer to the same person. Artha-shashtra and Chanakya Niti-shashtra are attributed to this genius - another point of debate but plenty of evidence for than against.
The Who
Born in a not so affluent, but extremely intellectual Brahmin family, he mastered the Vedic scriptures very early and showed a remarkable understanding of politics and its nuances. He was an aacharya (teacher) of political science and economics at the world renowned Takshashila university (present day Rawalpindi). He brought down the corrupt empire of the Nandas and helped founding the Mauryan empire – which for the first time unified all warring states under one rule – for the first time, Indian subcontinent was under a single ruler. The Mauryan dynasty was sustained and expanded, thanks to the guiding principles he put down in his Artha-shastra and Niti-shashtra.
He is someone who proved to the world that wit and grit matters more than money and power. He was a kingmaker, master politician and an economic genius. He was to Chandragupta what Aristotle was to Alexander the great, or what Krishna was to Arjuna.
His ideal India is the one which is united under one king - an India devoid of petty fighting - with a well organized administration and defense. The pursuit of Dharma can only be carried out in such a state of unity and peace. Behind the scenes his effort was instrumental in the defeat of Alexander and his men marching any further into India. He strung together the people and the kingdoms using heritage and cultural bonds they shared – made them realize their common enemy.
Above everything else Chanakya was a realist. It is this single attribute which sets him apart from his predecessors. Previous shashtras by others - Brihaspati (Brihaspati Samhita of Garuda Purana), Shukracharya(Shukra-Niti), Bhartrihari(Niti-Shataka) Vishnusharma(Pancatantra) and Manu (Manu Dharma) - preached dharma and the art of politics at an ideal realm. As always there is a gap between idealism and reality that shows up occasionally. It needed a genius, to be able to digest all that knowledge that existed before, reflect on it, apply it, and from his experience critically analyze, contradict or refine pre-existing laws. Though most of what he did was to compile existing treatises, he was not afraid of being contradict a previous treatise.
The Story
As you can see, Chanakya lived at around the same period (350 to 283 BC) as Alexander the great. He was born in the kingdom of Magadh, where there was a corrupt government run by the Nanda dynasty king Mahanand. Among other honest men, Chanakya’s father Chanak ( friend of a honest Prime Minister Shatkar)was arrested on speaking against the king and his rule in public places. He refused to eat in captivity and dies. Vishnu gupta leaves home, goes to Takshashila for education – graduates top of the class and continues to teach there.
Initially he is not concerned about state politics. He teaches sons of kings and ministers at Takshashila. He and his methods were respected and revered by everyone. His students and classmates were holding high positions in various kingdoms. Alexander defeated the huge army of Porus and Gandhara falls into chaos. The commotion resulted in refugees flocking into Takshashila for cover. The small kingdoms were at each other’s throat than realizing the seriousness of Alexander’s invasion. Observing the Greek strategy of divide-and-conquer, Chanakya felt the need for a revolution to unite the fighting kingdoms and its subjects to pose a strong front against the invasion.
He leaves Takshashila and goes to Pataliputra. A usually money hungry king Dhananand, who introduced multitude of taxes, does a 180 turn once Chanakya is in his capital. He starts distributing money back to public. Chanakya is being included in the committee responsible for distribution of funds/material. He is wrongly accused by the Nanda king and is taken off his post. He swears to dethrone the corrupt king – just as he was unjustly relieved from his job.
He meet Chandragupta as a boy (They have an age difference of around 30 years). He hand picks aacharyas who will teach him the arts of warface, politics – everything he requires to become a king. Then various levels of diplomacy, espionage, direct confrontation and war eventually leads to the demise of the Nanda dynasty. The incredibly skilled prime minister of Dhananand - Amatya Raakshas is outsmarted by Chanakya. But Amatya Rakshas is was reinstated as prime minister – only this time to Chandragupta.
Next two centuries of peace was ushered by the son and grandsons of Chandragupta – Bindhusara and Ashokavardhana. Chanakya himself, who is in his 80s, is killed by a jealous minister of Bindhusara.
The Works – Arthashastra and Chanakya Niti Shastra
Arthashastra - The manual that describes in detail the economy of the Mauryan empire. How the king can retain and increase his wealth, taxes and levies around different businesses, fines for breaking rules/law, how the public machinery is organized, duties of each post, how to keep checks on corruption, how the army and the war machinery was structured, how important it is for the king and superior officers to use spies and other intelligence mechanisms to govern their subordinates etc.
It defines monetary transactions, trade between individuals, businesses and countries. It deals in great detail about inheritance laws, rights of heirs, widows, divorced/separated, and other domestic disputes. Can’t do full justice to this text in this blog – needs entire books to explain the whole Arthashastra
I would like to quote here a verse from —Boesche (source wiki) about Arthashastra
“Is there any other book that talks so openly about when using violence is justified? When assassinating an enemy is useful? When killing domestic opponents is wise? How one uses secret agents? When one needs to sacrifice one's own secret agent? How the king can use women and children as spies and even assassins? When a nation should violate a treaty and invade its neighbor? Kautilya — and to my knowledge only Kautilya — addresses all those questions. In what cases must a king spy on his own people? How should a king test his ministers, even his own family members, to see if they are worthy of trust? When must a king kill a prince, his own son, who is heir to the throne? How does one protect a king from poison? What precautions must a king take against assassination by one's own wife? When is it appropriate to arrest a troublemaker on suspicion alone? When is torture justified? At some point, every reader wonders: Is there not one question that Kautilya found immoral, too terrible to ask in a book? No, not one. And this is what brings a frightful chill. But this is also why Kautilya was the first great, unrelenting political realist. —Boesche”
Sukra Niti, or Manu dharma are considered the most elaborate and comprehensive in defining Dharma and Dhandaniti (Politics). But Chanakya dwells more on controversial and real-life questions –the darker areas not illuminated by the others. May be the reality during their time of these older shashtras were different than the reality at the time of Chanakya. But we can only speculate on that point.
There are comparisons made between Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and the Arthashastra which predated it by around 16 centuries. This is what Max Weber had to say :
“Truly radical 'Machiavellianism', in the popular sense of that word, is classically expressed in Indian literature in the Arthasastra of Kautilya (written long before the birth of Christ, ostensibly in the time of Chandragupta): compared to it, Machiavelli’s The Prince is harmless. – Max Weber”
Niti Shastra - This work is a collection of various maxims, practical applicable to any situation to this date. Again show the mark of a realist.
Due to the Mughal and British occupations and our lackadaisical keeping of historic artifacts, Chanakya’s works were lost, rediscovered only around early 1900s. Dr.Shyamasasthri did a translation of the actual Sanskrit scripture, post which R.P.Kangle and many other learned scholars have written elaborate commentaries on Chanakya’s work. Now it is standard syllabus for beurocrats and political students in India and europe.
Mythological References
Vishnu Purana, Bhagavatha, Vayu and Matsya Puranas seems to have references to Chanakya. But all puranas have dubious composed dates. It is very possible that such references were placed – to attribute an older age to the puranas than they actually are. Passing history as prophecy helped place the Puranas in an older time frame.
To be continued...
