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History has seen and read several authors of the ancient period but none like Kautilya. A mastermind behind the great work called 'Arthashastra' (अर्थशास्त्रम्) Kautilya, has the recognition of being the most influential political philosopher and guide for Chandragupta Maurya during the 326 B.C.E., Mauryan era. Kautilya's work is an enema written originally in Sanskrit and he is considered the greatest political thinker and state craftsman Indian civilization has ever produced. The veracity of application to Kautilya's Arthashastra ranges to limitless boundaries of knowledge and learning from medicine to education to philosophy and even to contemporary management sciences. Arthashastra is a ''moolamantra'' not only for political governance but also a ''guptamantra'' for corporate management governance. The preaching of Arthashastra elevate human thinking to work with sixth sense engaging cognitive, affective and connative domains to keep control over mind, body and self so that institutions can prosper.   

History has seen and read several authors of the ancient period but none like Kautilya. A mastermind behind the great work called 'Arthashastra', Kautilya, has the recognition of being the most influential political philosopher and guide for Chandragupta Maurya during the Mauryan era (326 B.C.E.). Kautilya's work is an enema written originally in Sanskrit and he is considered the greatest political thinker and state craftsman Indian civilization has ever produced.    

While there may be doubts from the very fact as to how his name should be spelt (as Kautalya or Kautilya) to his native place of birth and origin ('<nowiki/>''Takshashila''' in Punjab or Dravidian from South, or a Nampudiri of Kerala or Magadha in South Bihar) to whether he truly scripted the Arthashastra, the world still believes with credible evidences provided by exponents that he is the architect of this monumental work. He was called Kautilya because he belonged to Kautalyagotra. Born at 'Chanaka' in Punjab as it is believed, he was called Chanakya but later named Visnuguptas by his parents. Hence the names Kautilya, Chanakya and Visnugupta are the resounding names in literature. The Chanakya Neeti is nothing but a political strategy suggesting ways and means to combat any administrative and political eventuality. When the Nanda dynasty was weaning to self destruction there was void in the political climate for a strong administrator to manage the reigns.The political doldrums, foreign invasions, social unrest and mis-governance presented fertile opportunity to Kautilya and he immediately seized it. Not interested in power, position and authority, he found and fermented Chandragupta Maurya to lead the Mauryan empire teaching him all tricks of the trade codified in his treatise Arthashastram, to the extent that the Mauryan dynasty become the uncontested power for several years in history. The treatise covers all social, political, warfare, welfare, law, policy making, economics, finance, and disciplinary aspects of administration that led the Mauryan dynasty to claim a unique political fabric of its own.  Kautilya's Arthashasta is a work justifying every type of tactic played craftily so as to offer real life solution to every conceivable hypothetical situation. Single and brahmana, simple yet bold, austere yet opportunist, never forgetting a slight yet scheming, Chanakya was known to achieve his ultimate purpose regardless of the means (referred also as Indian Machiavelli) as he never admitted defeat of purpose due to means unsuited to the end.{{Citation needed}}

Scholars continue to study about his    

== Importance of Arthashastra<ref>Lecture Notes of Prof C. D. Sebastian, IIT Bombay</ref> ==

* Name (Kautalya or Kautilya, Chanakya, Vishnugupta):     

When Arthashastra was discovered by Rudrapatnam Shamashastry, he could not have anticipated the revolution in Indian self-image his discovery would bring about. The text became a focal point with which to contest every cliché that had been used to define India:

 

 

 

 

 

When Arthashastra was discovered by Rudrapatnam Shamashastry, he could not have anticipated the revolution in Indian self-image his discovery would bring about. The text became a focal point with which to contest every cliché that had been used to define India:    

* A society that allegedly never had a rational state suddenly acquired one

* A society that allegedly never had a rational state suddenly acquired one

* A society defined by a dreamy moralism suddenly acquired a narrative of steely realism

* A society defined by a dreamy moralism suddenly acquired a narrative of steely realism

* A society without sophisticated economic thinking acquired insight into the foundations of wealth

* A society without sophisticated economic thinking acquired insight into the foundations of wealth

* A society without a strategic culture acquired a veritable theory of international relations

* A society without a strategic culture acquired a veritable theory of international relations

* A nation with ostensibly no political identity acquired a prehistory of political unity.  

* A nation with ostensibly no political identity acquired a prehistory of political unity.<ref>Lecture Notes of Prof C. D. Sebastian, IIT Bombay</ref>

 

== Introduction ==

== Introduction ==

Written nearly 1500 years ago, the relevance of Arthshastra is often re-validated in the present century, one can always say that human beings  have always remained the same over generations and their attitude, desire, thinking and behaviour is governed by their surroundings, challenges and opportunities open to them. Some of their native instincts may be nature and ancestoral but lot of it is nurture and environment. States may have been divided,  reconfigured, and re-defined but the tenets of maintaining internal peace, managing external attacks, maintaining international relations among states continues to be the same. The statecraft of managing administration, governance and polity (social, economic and political structure) of the current times still borrows its foundation from the ancient tenets. So long as humans and societies are significant Arthashastram will be found relevant to creating ideal states.

 

Written nearly 1500 years ago, the relevance of Arthshastra is often re-validated in the present century, one can always say that human beings  have always remained the same over generations and their attitude, desire, thinking and behaviour is governed by their surroundings, challenges and opportunities open to them. Some of their native instincts may be nature and ancestoral but lot of it is nurture and environment. States may have been divided,  reconfigured, and re-defined but the tenets of maintaining internal peace, managing external attacks, maintaining international relations among states continues to be the same. The statecraft of managing administration, governance and polity (social, economic and political structure) of the current times still borrows its foundation from the ancient tenets. So long as humans and societies are significant Arthashastram will be found relevant to creating ideal states.  

The Purusharthas follow ''dharma, artha, kama and moksha'' to be the 4 tenets human beings are expected to follow that is moral behaviour, wealth, worldly pleasure, and salvation. The Arthashastra follows Dharmashastra, which signifies duty, universal order, righteousness of the individual towards oneself, society and ancestors. Similarly the state comprising of the society, ministers  ruler, priests and people are governed by morality, ethics, conventional and adhyatmik law; another manifestation of dharma. Kautilya himself assumed his dharmic responsibility by wandering in disguise for years only to find the boy 'Chandragupta' in the village grounds among cowherd and friends, to fit the royal line. Kautalya was so impressed with the boy that he purchased him for thousand ''panas i''mmediately and thereon gave him all the ''dikshas'' to fit into the role of a perfect king. It was Kautilya's orientation to Rajadharma that until he made Chandragupta the ruler of  Magadha, and made it the most powerful dynasty he had sleepless nights, '''''Artha''''' meaning wealth''', f'''ollows dharm'''a.''' however in Arthashastram it signifies more than wealth. It talks of wealth of nations, territories, and well being of the individual inhabitants doing various occupations. The state plays a major role in appraising and elevating the material status and well being of its people. Therefore Artha is not as simple to mean money, worldly possession or capital. Rather it means the 'scientific economics' of a state stressing on treasury, revenue, expenditures, state taxes, budgets, accounts and productive output of enterprises which in turn enhance the  material status of human society and individuals within it.     

The Purusharthas follow ''dharma, artha, kama and moksha'' to be the 4 tenets human beings are expected to follow that is moral behaviour, wealth, worldly pleasure, and salvation. The Arthashastra follows Dharmashastra, which signifies duty, universal order, righteousness of the individual towards oneself, society and ancestors. Similarly the state comprising of the society, ministers  ruler, priests and people are governed by morality, ethics, conventional and adhyatmik law; another manifestation of dharma. Kautilya himself assumed his dharmic responsibility by wandering in disguise for years only to find the boy 'Chandragupta' in the village grounds among cowherd and friends, to fit the royal line. Kautalya was so impressed with the boy that he purchased him for thousand ''panas i''mmediately and thereon gave him all the ''dikshas'' to fit into the role of a perfect king. It was Kautilya's orientation to Rajadharma that until he made Chandragupta the ruler of  Magadha, and made it the most powerful dynasty he had sleepless nights, '''''Artha''''' meaning wealth''', f'''ollows dharm'''a.''' however in Arthashastram it signifies more than wealth. It talks of wealth of nations, territories, and well being of the individual inhabitants doing various occupations. The state plays a major role in appraising and elevating the material status and well being of its people. Therefore Artha is not as simple to mean money, worldly possession or capital. Rather it means the 'scientific economics' of a state stressing on treasury, revenue, expenditures, state taxes, budgets, accounts and productive output of enterprises which in turn enhance the  material status of human society and individuals within it.