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Arthashastra

The ancient Indian concepts of state and state-craft were derived from the concept of . It was the general philosophical position that the goal of each individual on earth is to move towards spiritual realisation or and duties in one's day to day life or was seen as a way of aiding that process. The branch of knowledge that prescribed how people in different positions in society should conduct their secular duties and carry out their roles were part of what was called Arthashastraas opposed to Dharmashastrathat dealt with the realm of spiritual perfection. Arthashastra dealt with the science of prosperity and material gains, of a political unit or territory and promoting prosperity. In 1905 a book called Arthashastra was discovered written by one Kautilya, a minister in the kingdom of the great Mauryan king , Kautilya's work was written in the context of the social and political scene during the fourth century BC. Arthashastra is divided into sixteen books concerning almost all aspects of of a state. It deals with , , military, taxation, etc. According to Arthasaastra, the foundation of good governance is nothing but knowledge which can be classifiedinto four namely Anvikasi or philosophy, Trayi or three , the four classes orvarnas and the four orders or ashrams. The text of Arthasaastra has 32 divisions, 15 books or parts and 150 chapters. Book-I is concerned with kingship. Book-II is concerned with civil administration. Books-III and IV deal with civil criminal and personal law. Book-V deal with the duties and responsibilities of the courtiers. Book-VI deals with the nature and functions of the seven elements of the state. The last books are concerned with the problems connected with foreign , warfare etc. Basic differences between tradition of Dharmashastra and Arthashashtra? 1. In Arthashastra king/ is more important than dharma. It is a treaty over politics. ‘’ basically means a land in habituated by the people. It deals with the fact that how we can preserve and protect the people who are in habituating over a specific land or area. Arthashastra describes ‘Artha’ the highest priority of a king. Here dharma is under the politics and Material gain is highest aim of the king not common people. 2. Social system is more or less same in Dharmashastra and Arthashastra. In Arthashastra there is less rigidity in ‘’s’. There is possibility about different categories of Varna’s too. 3. In Dharmashastra there is concept of divine theory of origin of state, however in Arthashastra there is social contract theory of origin of state. This thought is like Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau in western thinking. State is not creation of God but it is creation of individuals. Similarly like Hobbes, Kautilya supported a strong and powerful State. 4. In Dharmashastra, dharma and morality is central, but in Kautilya’s (Arthashastra) there is separation between politics and morality and politics and religion. Just like Machiavelli in western thought. Therefore it appears that in Arthashastra economy and politics is more important and there is minute description of administrate and politics too. Arthashastra is also a dedicated book over too. Saptanga Theory of State- The Saptanga Theory of Kautilya, is given in his book 'Arthasastra'. According to the theory, the State consists of seven elements. Kautilya adopts the seven limbs theory of the state of Indian tradition or Saptanga which are; (1) Swami, (2) Amatya, (3) Janpad, (4) Durg, (5) , (6) Sena and (7) Mitra. He suggests a state can only function when all these elements or limbs of a body politic are mutually integrated and cooperate well with each other.

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Swami (The Sovereign King) - The king was referred to as the Lord or Swami and placed at the top of the body politics. Kautilya says a perfect king should have the following qualities: (a) He should have an inviting nature. (b) He should have qualities of intellect and intuition. (c) He should have great enthusiasm. (d) He should have qualities of self-restraint and spirit. In addition Kautilya mentions the king should be from a high family, be non-fatalistic, Endowed with strong character and should be religious and truthful. He should be free ofpassion, anger, greed, and fickleness and capable of self-, observing the customstaught by elderly people and have the capacity to make judgments like when to go towar and when to seek peace through a treaty. He should have a sense of andowe allegiance to anybody and be the king of one whole political organization and not part of it. Amatya (Ministers) - By Amatya Kautilya refers to higher officials of the state like ministers and not necessarily just ministers. He says the qualities of a high official should be: he must be a janpad, a native of the county that he is an official of, come from a good family, be Adequately trained, have foresight, eloquence, dignity, enthusiasm, have administrative Ability, knowledge of scriptures, and high character, a morally and ethically pure Character, stead fastness and devotion. Janpad (Territory and People) - Territory and People constitute the third limb of the state in Kautilya's Arthashastra. Kautilya gives a clear cut description of what an ideal territory would be like. He says the territory should be free from muddy, rocky, saline, uneven and thorny areas and from wild beats. There should be lands that are fertile with lots of timber and forests.there should be plenty of arable land and richness of cattle and the land should bewholesome to cows and men. The territories should not be dependent on rains too muchand have waterways. Also there should be roads and good markets capable of bearing thearmy and taxation. The people populating a state should have the qualities of being hostile to the foes, be powerful enough to control the neighboring kings and consist of people who are pure and devoted. The people should respect the rule of law and the government Kautilya also says the people should consist of industrious agriculturists and a majority of lower classes of economically productive vaishand . Also the masters of the people should be not too intelligent so that they can be controlled by the king easily. Durg (Fort) - Kautilya identifies forts as the fourth limb and mentions four kinds of forts that a king needs. He says the four kinds of forts that are necessary are: water forts, hill forts, desert forts and forest forts. The water and hill forts are suitable for defending the populationand the desert and forest forts and suitable as head quarters for wild regions and to serveas places to run away to in case of emergency. Kautilya says the power of a king dependson the forts which should be fit for fighting and to defend the state. Kosha (Treasury) - Kautilya clears puts great store by the economic resources of a state and mentions that the success of a state depends upon its treasury size which should have enough gold and silver to see the king through long periods of calamity. The treasury should belegitimately acquired by the king or his predecessors. The treasury is easily increased when; (1) there is opulence of the industrial department run by the state, (2) there is apropensity for commerce and (3) abundance in harvest. In cases of emergency Kautilya finds no problem with the king raising revenue even through means such as a higher assessment on first class and fertile land and heavy taxes on merchandise etc. He also condones in emergencies for the king to exploit the superstitious and religious sentimentsof the people. A-20, 102, Indraprath Tower, (Behind Batra Cinema), Dr Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 2 Ph:- 011-27651250, 09810702119, 09899156495 Email- [email protected] , Visit us at. www. saraswatiias.com

Sena (Army) - Kautilya mentions the army or Sena as the limb that the king needs to control both hisown people and his enemy's. Kautilya talks about six types of army; (1) hereditary forces, (2) hired troops, (3) soldiers of fighting corporations, (4) troops belonging to an ally, (5) troops belonging to the enemy and (6) soldiers of wild tribes. Interestingly the best of the six according to Kautilya is the hereditary army composed of members of the caste for they are loyal to the king and are committed to serve the king through wealand woe and have powers of endurance and superior fighting skills because they have fought many battles. Mitra (Ally) - Kautilya finally stresses on the need for political friends in the other states because nostate functions in isolation. Kautilya classifies allies into two kinds; Sahaj (natural) and Kritrim (acquired). The sahajally is one who is close by territorially and has been inherited as a friend from fathers and grandfathers and the kritrimally is one who isresorted to temporarily for the protection of wealth and life. Kautilya prefers the sahajally over the kritrim one if the sahajally is free from deceit and is capable of making large scale preparations for war quickly and on a large scale. The nature of state is organic. A strong state consisted of these seven elements. Kautilya propounded some theory regarding treasury– Theory of Taxation (Maturity) – According kautilya, Taxes was levied for maintenance of the social order and for the state run welfare apparatus. In case of aggression by an outside agency, the janapads (districts) could ask for tax remission as the King had failed in his duty to protect the citizens Kautilya realized the critical role of the tax system for ensuring the economic well being of the society. The hallmark of his tax system was 'certainty' of time of rate and of the mode of payment Stability in the tax regime was an important factor in ensuring active trade and commerce in the Mauryan Empire. This in turn strengthened the revenue base of the state and enabled it to maintain a huge and the welfare apparatus. Taxation should not be imposed on the initial development of any industry. Theory of Rarity– It some rare objects or found in the state then it should be exempted from the taxation. Taxes should be levied on Proper Places at proper time in a proper form.

Exemption Theory– Over religious activities, there should be no taxation. Taxes should be levied on Proper Places at proper time in a proper form.

Description of Administration Activities in Arthashastra- Kautilya has written that there are forty ways of embezzlement (corruption) and he is of the view that the king should keep a light vigil over the prevention of corruption. Various ways of corruption like;

1. Less weighing. 2. Mixing of unwanted elements in goods and especially when the officers of state are exploiting the people. This is the responsibility of the king to prevent exploitation of the people. Kautilya has also classified various types of administrations and also described regarding intelligence agencies too. For a strong state people should be stranger i.e. strengthened. Theory of International Relations in Arthashastra– It is collectively known as Mandal theory that is Collection theory. There are two types of Mandals that is Small Mandal consisted of four states and Big Mandal consisted of twelve states.

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Tactics- 1. Saam – policy of peace. 2. Daam – policy of concession or providing some economic assistance. 3. Bheda – divides and rule. 4. Danda – means attack or physical coercion. Six - Kautilya elaborates on strategies for not only the strong king and the aggressor but also Explains the strategies a weak king should follow to defend himself and protect the state. His forms of diplomacy also depends on the type of the king whether the policy isdirected toward the superior, inferior or equal. The six types of tactics that headvocates are- 1. Sandhi-This means accommodation, which means that kings seek to accommodate the each other and does not resolve to hostile means. These Sandhis could be temporary or permanent and it depends on the environment and relative powers of the kings. The various sub-forms in this sandhi have been practiced by states men later. Bismarck had used Karmasandhi with Austria and now Britain’s foreign policy has been to maintain Anavasitasandhi with the United States. 2. Vigraha- This means hostility shown to neighbor or a state. Policy of hostility that is enemy. It is eremite or coercive behavior towards other states. Kautilya strongly believed that the states are always at war and seek power hence it is necessary to have hostile foreign policy towards few states which are either equal in power or subordinate in power.

3. Yana- This policy is to attack. Kautilya does mention that peace and stability in a state makes the state even powerful but never shies away from attacking the weak and unjust king. He thinks that an unjust king keeps the society unhappy which makes that state a potential target as it is weak due to social unrest. 4. Asana- This means indifference and he chooses this policy for states which are neutral in his Mandela concept of nations. He also believes that an in different foreign policy works well in the case of equal power. He may not agree on this point as we have seen in case of equal powers in history, there has been always tension which either led to a war or an alliance during the cold war. 5. Samsarya- This policy of protection is followed where a stronger state intervenes and shelters a weak state. Kautilya advocates this policy when a stronger state needs a shield to protect itself from an equal power it is good to use this policy of protection for a third state and use this alliance to defend against the potential enemy. 6. Dvaidhibhava- It is policy of hostility that is enemy. It is enemies or coercive behavior towards other states. His diplomacy tactics were also influenced by Hindu religion and the social structure which shaped his thinking in terms of type’s of Foreign policies and their application. Kautilya says that king should know the policy of use of these tactics when occasions arise. Six policies – in known as Shadagunya- 1. Sandhi – policy of peace. 2. Vigraha – policy of hostility that is enemy. It is enemies or coercive behavior towards other states. 3. Yaan – Mobilization of the army.

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4. Aasan – sitting quietly and thinking over particular issue and king should take position when he is weak. 5. Sanshraya – alliance or asylum. If state is weeks it should try to seek the help of stronger state. 6. DwaidhaBhava – policy of hostility that is enemy. It is eremite or coercive behavior towards other states.

Mandal theory- The concept is one in which there are circles of friends and foes with the central point being the King and his State. This embraces twelve kings in the vicinity and he considers the kingdoms as neighbors, the states which are the enemies neighbors are his enemies’ friends and the next circle of states are his friends. He also believes that the states which are his neighbors and are also neighbors of his enemies are neutral and should always be treated with respect. He believes that this circle is dynamic and the King should strive to be expanding his central position and reduce the power of the other kings in the vicinity. He also proposes to build alliances with states which are two degrees away from the center to create a balance of power. First or strangest stat knows as Vigigeshu means willing to win. Vigigeshu is the local of Mandal theory. The states which is striated (touting) the foundry is Ari (enemy). Therefore neighbor cannot become ally (friend). It is basic assumption of Mandal theory. The state which is just adjacent to Ari (enemy) is Mitra (friend). Mitra-Mitra – friend of vigigeshu. Ari-Mitra-Mitra – enemy of Vigigeshu. Parsnigrah – enemy of vigigeshu. Akrand – friend of vigigeshu. Parsnigrahsar – enemy of Akrand and hence enemy of vigigeshu. Akrandasar – it is friend of Akrand and hence friend of vigigeshu. The seed of Mandal theory is found in manse but expanded by Kautilya. Madhyam – the state salivated over the boundary of vigigeshu and Ari together. It is physically stronger. Udaseen – It is neutral state. It is the most powerful state in mandal theory. It will always be strongest state in mandal theory. Ari-Mitra – It is enemy of the vigigeshu. This is complete twelve mandal theory. This is somehow similar to western theory of International Relations known as Realism. Mandal theory and Neo-realism- Some scholars have compared Mandal theory with neo- realism. There is striking similarities b/w both, because the power politics is the central theme of the both. But there exists important differences– Neo–realists are also known as structuralisms/structural realism and Kenneth waltz derives the behavior of state on the basis of stricture of International Relations (IR0 and structure of IR is anarchic means there is no central authority for regulating the behavior of state. However is Kautilya, twelve (12) types of states are mentioned and these states are either friendly or enemy towards each other and Kautilya’s analysis is inductive because he analyzed and described the feature of twelve (12) states. Similarity is that both are of the view that power politics is centre. Commonality and Differences between Machiavelli and Kautilya – Commonalities– 1. Both believe in separation of politics and morality, both propounded amoral (neutral towards morality) politics i.e. moral foundations are not applicable over politics. A-20, 102, Indraprath Tower, (Behind Batra Cinema), Dr Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 5 Ph:- 011-27651250, 09810702119, 09899156495 Email- [email protected] , Visit us at. www. saraswatiias.com

2. Both believe in power politics and try to strengthen the power of state. 3. For both religions is secondary in comparison to state. 4. Both had the faith in monarchical form of government. 5. Ideas of both are realist in terms of IR and 6. Both have propounded the principle of statecraft i.e. how state can strengthen. Differences- 1. Arthashastra is very comprehensive writing which covers administration, politics, IR and statecraft too and social system is also mentioned in Arthashstra. But Prince is a very small writing which primarily deals with state craft. 2. For Machiavelli republican form of government is best although for Italy he supported monarchical form of government is best. 3. Machiavelli said that king should learn that he should not be look like actually he is, but Kautilya said king should follow the morality in religion although for the protection of state king can adopt any means. Conclusion– Arthasastra is a very comprehensive treatise on the governance in a monarchical Vedic state. Kautilya had a rational approach to governance and statecraft. He conceptualized the state and the office of the kingship to be human artifacts. Also his model of the human being was very realistic. However he expected super human qualities from a 'human' King. Clearly the system of checks and balances amongst the king, the associations and the citizens worked well as long asthe King wanted it to work. He proposed the mandala concept in war and diplomacy and created intricate web of relations but he did not predict an outcome for this empire. It was the good luck that the progeny of this Empire were even stronger kings and expanded the empire else, Kautilya needs to be looked at from today’s perspective and one can definitely say that his blind subordination to the social structure is unacceptable. The current social structure is dynamic and driven by both political and economic forces. Kautilya could not advocate any change to this social structure and in fact I think it could be one of the key reasons that is still deep rooted in social caste system as no great thinker ever challenged it.

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