What is the Arthashastra? History and Meaning

The Arthashastra is traditionally attributed to Kautilya, who is also widely known as Chanakya or Vishnugupta. He was the brilliant scholar, chief advisor, and Prime Minister to Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the massive Mauryan Empire (around 321 BCE).

The word 'Arthashastra' can be translated in several ways.

• Artha means wealth, prosperity, or economic well-being.
• Shastra means a treatise, science, or book of rules. Therefore, it broadly translates to the 'Science of Wealth' or the 'Science of Politics and Economics'. In modern times, the Hindi word for Economics is 'Arthashastra'.

The book is incredibly detailed and covers almost every aspect of running a kingdom:

1. Economics: It details how to manage agriculture, collect taxes, control trade, and mint coins to keep the treasury full.
2. Law and Justice: It provides a strict penal code for crimes ranging from theft to murder.
3. Foreign Policy & War: It famous advises the 'Mandala theory', which essentially states that 'your neighbor is your natural enemy, and your neighbor's neighbor is your natural friend.'
4. Espionage: Chanakya heavily emphasized the use of a vast network of secret spies to keep the king informed about his enemies and his own corrupt ministers.