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Name – Dipika Mehra What is the difference between Vedic Sanskrit and Panini Sanskrit? Vedic Sanskrit was a spoken vernacular language of its time. The earliest Sanskrit work is the Rig Veda, which was probably composed around 2000 B.C. However, it was subsequently continued from generation to generation by oral tradition, and had to be memorized orally in the Gurukul by the young boys by repeating the verses chanted by their Guru. In the 5th Century B.C. the great scholar Panini, who was perhaps the greatest grammarian the world has ever seen, wrote his great book `Ashtadhyayi’ (book of eight chapters). In this book Panini fixed the rules of Sanskrit, and thereafter no further changes in Sanskrit were permitted except slight changes made by two other great grammarians, namely, Katyayana who wrote his book called ‘Vartika’, and Patanjali who wrote his commentary on the Ashtadhyayi called the ‘Maha Bhashya’. Except for the slight changes by these two subsequent grammarians, Sanskrit as it exists today is really Panini’s Sanskrit or Classical Sanskrit. Who was the author of Arthashastra? Likely to be work of several authors over centuries, Kautilya was the compiler, editor and Commentator of Arthashastra that is available to us today. Why is Arthasutra disregarded by most people? There are two main reasons: With change in time people are of the view that the old text (2000 years old) might not be relevant in today’s time. They do not understand that the basic forces of life , money , management remains same The misinterpretation and translation of the text due to lack of knowledge of Vedic Sanskrit has created confusion and wrong notion in minds of people. I have personally read two books on Arthashastra , which led me believe that Chanakya encouraged Caste system and was a misogynist . What other names of Kautilya? Frankly , when I saw Chanakya Series in Doordarshan , I came across all the names mentioned in the chapter except Vishnu Sharma . The names are as follows: Vishnu Gupta – Name given by his parents Chanak and Chandeswari Chanakya – son of Chanak Kautilya When did Kautilya live? Kautilya a.k.a. Chanakya lived over 2,200 years before. The Indian Subcontinent, consisting of modern day of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka and Myanmar, was then known as Bharath, Bharath Varsh as well as Aryavartha. Chanakya was born during reign of Nanda Dynasty, had seen the invasion of Alexander the great, consolidated the small kingdoms and helped Chandragupta Maurya establishing Mauryan empire. As far as some historians believe he did also trained Chandragupta’s son Bindusara . Explain Indian Subcontinent during Kautilya times. The Indian Subcontinent, consisting of modern day of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka and Myanmar, was then known as Bharath, Bharath Varsh as well as Aryavartha. Who was Bharat? The name Bharath and Bharath Varsh because of a sage king named Bharath Which Vedic scripture mention him? The story of Bharath is mentioned in the ancient Vedic Sanskrit classic called Mahabharatha. Why was Bharath called Great? According to Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa a.k.a. Veda Vyasa a.k.a. Vyasa, author of Mahabharatha, Bharath had three wives and three sons with each of them. A total of nine sons. When it was time for him to retire, he interviewed his sons for succession. He found none of them competent enough to be a king. He then found a lad by the named Bhumanyu and installed him on the throne. The fact that a king who lived over 6,000 years ago refused his power to his children for the sake of his nation made Bharath “Great.” Explain the word Mahantam? In Vedic Sanskrit, Mahantam is the word we use to mention “Greatness.” The word Mahantam consists of two Vedic Sanskrit words, namely Maam or Self and Hantam or End. Therefore Mahantam can be better understood as “Without Selflessness.” Needless to say that according to Vedic philosophy and wisdom, no selfish person can ever be called “great.” Who was Vyasa? Why is he an important figure in Vedic knowledge and wisdom? Vyasa is the legendary author of the Mahabharata, Vedas and Puranas, some of the most important works in the Hindu tradition. He is also called Veda Vyāsa or Krishna Dvaipāyana. The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. What is the meaning of Vedic word Arya? In Vedic Sanskrit, the word Arya means Significant. It can also be used to denote greatness. What makes Vedic Sanskrit word Arya different from the Nazi term Aryan? According to Nazi racial theory, the term "Aryan" described the Germanic peoples. However, a satisfactory definition of "Aryan" remained problematic during Nazi Germany. The Nazis considered the purest Aryans to be those that belonged to the "Nordic race" physical ideal, known as the "master race" during Nazi Germany. Where as , In Vedic Sanskrit, the word Arya means Significant. It can also be used to denote greatness. Explain Varnashram. Vedic Sanskrit word Varnashram comes from the root word Varnan – meaning description and Ashram meaning Phase. Varnashram was, therefore, the word that was used to describe the vocation or profession of individuals. These Varnas were: 1. Brahmana or Intellectual Class included sages, hermits, teachers, mentors, guides, counselors, writers, doctors, etc. 2. Kshatriyas or Warrior Class included kings, ministers, soldiers, generals, law enforcement, cops, etc. 3. Vaishyas or Business Class consisted of businessmen, traders, entrepreneurs, etc. 4. Shudras or Service Class were people who worked for a salary/remuneration/retainer like clerks, service people, gardeners, house helps, waste management workers, etc. Was Varnashrama hereditary? If not why? It is imperative to note that none of the class were hereditary. There was never a condition such as “to be a Brahman; you must be born to Brahman parents.” Vishwamitra, one of the revered seven sages or Sapta Rishis or Saptarshi of the Vedic era was born as a Kshatriya who eventually went on to become one of the powerful kings of the land before relinquishing the power, of his own volition, to become a sage hermit. On the contrary, Bhumanyu, who succeeded king Bharath, was born in a Brahman family but was a Kshatriya when he went into administration. What is the difference between Varnashrama and Caste System? Varna means a nature of an individual because of which s/he inclined to particular kind of job or occupation to earn a living, and caste means a lineage of an individual about, which job or occupation his/her very early ancestors used or made to do as family occupation Which Varnashrama did Kautilya belong to? Kautilya was born into a family of Brahmans and continued to be one according to all legends. How can we confirm the existence of Kautilya? Whatever we know today about Kautilya is mostly owing to three semi-legendary works, namely: 1. Buddhist Legends: Mahavamsa and Vamsatthappakasini in Pali 2. Jain Legends: Parishisthaparvan by Hemachandra 3. “Hindu” Legends: Kathasaritsagara by Somadeva, Brihat-Katha- Manjari by Ksemendra and Mudra rakshasa by Vishakhadatta. Why did Kautilya never mention anything about himself in his Arthashastra? In Arthashastra. Kautilya’s absolute focus is on the idea of leadership, management, politics, and diplomacy – one that will help countless people for ages to co Explain the word Hindu. It is important to note here that the word “Hindu” is never found in any of the Vedic Sanskrit texts starting from the Vedas, Upanishads, Aranyakas, Brahmanas until Kautilya’s Arthashastra. For many, it may be surprising to note that word Hindu became prominent as a “religion” under the British administration. British administrators had little or no time and interest in understanding the complex history, culture, and traditions of Indian Subcontinent. They were Christians, and they understood religious people such as Jews, Christians, Parsis, and the like. To simplify, they called anyone “Hindus” who were “not Christians, Muslims, Jews, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains, etc.” Who was Vishnu Sharma and how was he related to Kautilya? Vishnu Sharma is said to be an Indian scholar and author who is believed to have written the Panchatantra collection of fables. One of the earliest works of Sanskrit literature to identify Kautilya with Vishnu Sharma was Panchatantra in the 3rd century B.C.E. Explain the definition of the word Kautilya. There are two noteworthy legends on how Vishnu came to be known as Kautilya. According to one argument, the word Kutila stands for crooked and according to other Kutil is a Gotra or Clan. In Vedic Sanskrit, Kutil means one who is discreet. Why was Kautilya called Chanakya? Kautilya is known as Chanakya as he was the son of Chanak. Chanakya literally translates to Son of Chanak. Was Kautilya a misogynist? If not why? Some historians claim Kautilya’s view on women to be misogynistic. However, in his defense, other legends mention that Kautilya directed Chandragupta Maurya to maintain an army of women. These women, also known as Vishakanyas, were not only gorgeous but were also formidable both on the battlefield and covert warfare. It is believed by many that they would seduce and neutralize enemies of the state using venom on their tongues. Most of the “misogynistic” views of Kautilya can be traced back to mistranslations and misinterpretations. Are you moved by Kautilya? If yes, or no, explain why. Frankly all my answers are copy paste except this one . About 3 years back I got interested in Chanakya/Kautilya after watching the Doordarshan series. Ever since I had tried to read books written on him and his Chanakya Neeti but was never satisfied. I am not only moved by him , rather mesmerized by him . Having a strong personality, unbiased teacher, he was the one who saw true potential in Chandragupta and became his teacher .

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