Contribution of kautilya

Hellow friend today we will know contribution of kautilya
Kautilya is also known as Chanakya or Vishnu Guptha. He
was the teacher of Economics and Political Science at the
ancient Thakshashila University. He was the Prime Minister of
first Maurya Emperor Chandra Guptha Maurya. He lived
during 350-275 BC. He was born in the ‘Kutil’ gotra. His
fathers name was Chankya and he was born at a place called
Chankya. Therefore, he came to be known as Chanakya. He
was educated in Thakshasila University and became a
Professor of Political Economy. He studied architecture and
medicine also. He became the Prime Minister to the Mauryan Emperor
Chandraguptha Maurya. He saw the defeat of some parts of India by Alexander
the Great. He realised that it is because of the Republican system that existed in
the sub continent. Therefore, he was of the opinion that a centralised power is
very much essential for the survival of a large state.

Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’58 is a great book on Political Science and
Economics. The term ‘arthasastra’ can be translated as "science of political
economy". It contains the ancient Indian Political thought. It explains the Hindu
concept of Law and Justice. It also contains the Hindu ideas of Kingship and the
State. It deals with mode of autocracy59, framework of administration, and
economies and welfare of the people. The Mahabharatha refers to many
Arthasaasatras. But the oldest Arthasaasatra was discovered in Mysore in 1909
by Prof. Shamasaastry. According to popular conviction, it is believed to have
written by Chanakya. In the opening lines of Arthasastra, Kautilya (Book 1, Ch.
1) notes that " this Arthasastra is made as a compendium of almost all the
Arthasastra, which, in view of acquisition and maintenance of earth, have been
composed by ancient teachers.

Kautilya says that the science of politics is supreme. For him it is the
supreme art also. However, he did not say that the science of politics is the only
science. He wanted to keep the science of political economy more secular and
devoid of any religious influence. Nevertheless, it is influenced by the current
philosophy and religious edicts. Arthasaastra is divided into sixteen books
concerning almost all aspects of government of a state. It deals with law,
economics, military, taxation, diplomacy etc. According to Arthasaastra, the
foundation of good governance is nothing but knowledge which can be classified
into four namely Anvikasi or philosophy, Trayi or three vedas, the four classes or
varnas 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
policy, warfare etc.

Arthasaastra does not give a clear picture of various department of the
state. However, goldsmith, storehouse, commerce, forest, wights and measues,
tolls weaving, agriculture, pasturelands, cows, slaughter houses, ships, passport
and liquor are the various departments.

Arthasaastra is a detailed work on the administration of Hindu polity. It
deals with ancient philosophy, set of laws(canon), economics and polity
(dandaniti). Strict administration or ‘danda’is the fundamental principle of the
state. It deals with the practical issues of administration. In fact, it is a
compendium of the existing Indian knowledge on the state craft. Chanakya put
them into words in a systematic manner.

According to Arthasaastra, the King is the embodiment of all the virtues.
He is the protector of Dharma. He derived his power from mainly three sources
namely Prabhushakthi (power of treasury and the army), Mantrashakthi (advice
of ministers), and Utsaahashakthi (Power of motivation). In the performance of
his duties, the king is helped by the Council of Ministers or Mantri Parishad.
Interestingly, the council of ministes had a cabinet consisting of the king, the
Chief Minister, the Chief Priest and the Commander of Armed Forces. It included the Crown Prince also.
Arthasastra contains many geo-political ideas regarding the territory of the
state. According to Kautilya, the following are the qualities of a territory of
janapada:-
(1) It should have enough space for the construction of forts. (2) It
should have enough provisions for those inside and those who come from
outside. (3) It should have enough defense (4) It should hate the enemy (5) It
should not have no hostile association of people (6) It should have agricultural
lands, mines and forests (7) It should not depend upon rain for water supply (8)
The people should be faithful and pure at heart.
Kautilya proposed a very systematic scheme for town planning also. He
said the there are four different types of forts that could be build along the four
sides of a city. In the midst of villages, there shall be a town. It will act as a
centre of administration in including tax collection. It will also act as a centre of
economy. It must have all civil amenities like roads, bridges and sewages. The
capital city is of utmost importance. It must be a planned city. The centre point
of the city should be the palace of the king. There shall be separate areas for
business, residences, trade administration entertainment etc. The sourced of
revenue of the country also is important. There shall be constant supply of
finance to the king. He must be diligent and imaginative in his methods. He must
reward rich contributors. He must take more from the wicked and spare the
righteous. He must plant pseudo contributors among the people and make them
contribute large sums so that those who contribute less will be ashamed. During
the times of any financial emergency, the king should not hesitate to take the
help of people and receive contributions. He can also resort to increase in the
taxes from traders, merchants etc.

Foreign policy is another important aspect of the state policy of Kautilya.
According to him, the state system has mainly three aspects: classes of aliens
and enemies, powers and successes. The powers are as follows: power of advice,
power of his material resources, and power of his energy. The successes are
achieved by means of his powers. The basis of foreign policy is the denial of his
power and successes to his enemies. The fundamental of foreign policy is pure
expediency. It should be purely based on practical aspects and not principles. If
progress can be achieved by means of peace or by war, the king must resort to
peaceful means. War involves suffering in the hands of the enemy in the enemy
land. If it is a question of choice between war and neutrality, the latter is the best
choice. In case if the enemy is strong, it is vice to make peace. It is also good to
make peace with an enemy who is equal to him to avoid destruction, calamities,
and miseries. In case if the enemy is weak, war can be avoided in case of
complete submission of the enemy.

As far as the policy on religion and ethics is concerned, Kautilya is a mix of
theological and brahminical traditions. Kautilya placed high importance to the
caste system and the duties of each caste in the state. He was for special
provisions for Brahmins in the form of tax free lands and forest resorts for the
brahmins for meditation and yagas. He accepted the disabilities of the sudras.
According to Kautilya, religious faith of the people can be used for the protection
of the state. Spies can take the form of hermits, sages and priests. The priests of
temples can even make use of the superstition of the people to make them
contribute to raise finance for the state in times of emergencies. Religious
occasions can be used to move against the enemy, if necessary.

Kautilya supported varna system. He was of the opinion that there should
be different sets of people who perform different types of duties. Each class of
people have their own rights and duties. By ensuring this, the King ensures
happiness in the country. The Brahmin must engage in intellectual pursuit and
spiritual matters. The Kshatriya is involved in the protection of the land. The
Vaishya is involved in trade. The job of the Sudra is the service of all the people.
Kautilya also proposes certain stages for the life of a person. They are called
Kautilya’s theory of Law and Justice is such that the legal issues should
be settled according to the canon of the land. In the event of a conflict between
canon and reason, it is the reason which must prevail. The King is not above law.
The king is subject to the civil and criminal laws. According to the system of
justice, there shall criminal courts as well as civil courts. Canon, contract custom
and royal decrees were the four sources of law.According to Kautilya, there is a concept called Matsyanyaya. It means that,
in the absence of a ruler, the strong person will destroy the weak; but under
the protection of the ruler, the weak resist the strong. In ‘Arthasaastra, there is a
concept called rájatva also. It means Sovereignty of a country.

There shall be protection for the forests and wild life. The forests and wild life
should be protected by guards. Protector of animals shall also protect citizens
from animals. There shall be separate forests for timber72, and raring lion and
tiger for skins. Elephants are important for the army.

Practically, King is the head of the Kautilya’s state. He appoints the heads of
administration. When the king is good, the country is benefitted. When the king
is bad, the country suffers. According to Kautilya, a new king is better than a
diseased king. Rule by a father and son or two brothers is not good. It is worse
than the rule of a conqueror. Kautilya proposed many methods to deal with a
situation arising out of the death of a king. The minister must ensure peaceful
succession. He must be able to make use of all sorts of diplomacy. He can even
go out of legal means to ensure peaceful taking over of power. The minister must
also be able to predict any sort of untoward event in case of the death of a king.
He must take all precautionary measures to prevent such an eventuality.
Security and stability of the country is of utmost importance. Kautilya suggested many systematic methods to maintain peace and stability.

According to Kautilya, the king should be educated. His education must
continue after the age of 16 when he shaves off his head. He must be good in all
sciences. On reaching the proper age, the king must start his studies under able
teachers. The king should be disciplined also. Atma Vrata or self control is of
utmost importance for the King. Top acquire this, the king should abandon the
six enemies in him namely kama (lust), Krodha (anger) Lobha (greed), maana
(vanity), mada (haughtiness) and harsha (overjoy).

Kautilya emphasized the 'Doctrine of Trivarga' (three goals). According to him "
Every man was required to strive to satisfy his spiritual needs by fulfilling his
religious and moral duties (Dharma); his material needs by acquiring the
necessities of life, property, wealth and power (Artha); his instinctive desires by
following the dictates of love (Kama). In later times, Moksha (deliverance from the
cycle of death - rebirth) was added as a fourth and highest aim of life "
A king shall never select a indiscipline prince as crown-prince. According to
Kautilya, there are two types of disciplines. One is natural and the other one is
acquired. The king must acquire the second kind of discipline. With the help of
the knowledge of science, he must ensure self control. All the six personal vices or ‘enemies’ should be under control. If he does not control his sense organs, it is
not good for the state. Upon becoming the king, he must learn the meaning of
arthasaastra from his ministers through examples and lessons from history.
However, the king must control revenue and army directly.

Kautilya presented a list of the qualifications of the king. They are classified
into four. They are: qualities of an inviting nature, qualities of intellect, qualities
of the will, and the qualities of a real king.
The officials (amatyas) is very important in the administration of government
(rajatva). A rath or chariot cannot move with only a single wheel. Therefore, the
king must appoint able ministers (sachiva). He must listen to the advice of the
ministers. There is a long procedure for the selection and appointment of
amatyas. The king must constantly observe the administrators. Virtue, wealth,
desire and fear are the four factors for the selection of amatyas. All the
administrative functions of the janapada is looked after by the amatya. It involves
protection from the enemies, protecting from natural calamities, improvement of
waste land for use, collection of taxes and fines etc.

According to Kautilya, when the king is alert, his servants become alert. When
the king is lazy, his servants becomes lazy. It will lead to his inefficiency and the
enemies will overpower him. The king must act like a father to his people. The
king must take care of destitute, children, women and the elderly. He must also
ensure that the slaves will perform his duties with his masters. No one can go for
the monastery life without providing for his wife and children.

When the king is powerful, he is also like a servant of the state. It is the duty
of the king to maintain the state. The king is like a constitutional slave of the
state. If required, he is supposed to give up even his family for the sake of the
state. This is the ideal of Ramayana. That means, the king cannot always follow
his personal likes and dislikes. The people of the kingdom should be loyal to the
king. It is the duty of the king to ensure that there is enough propaganda to
ensure the loyalty of the people. The king must be able to control any dissent
against the king. One important assumption of Kautilya is that masses are
moved by passion and not reason. They are moved by slogans and popular words
and phrases than reasoned convictions. The king must be able to make use of
this situation.

According to Kautilya, it is the duty of the king to maintain law and order.
Danda is important in maintaining law and order. Danda maintains the canon.
Danda maintains philosophy and knowledge. Danda maintains the economy also.
In his administration of justice, the principle of ‘matsyanyaya’ works. It means
that in the absence of rule, the strong will destroy the weak. In the event of theft,
the stolen property should be restored to the owner. It should be made even from
is treasury. If the king happens to punish an innocent man, the king must offer 30 times of the fine to God.
Kautilya proposes detailed methods of acquisition and preservation of a
country. He proposed five methods towards acquisition. The first method is to
create disaffection among the friends of the enemy. The second method is to get
rid of the enemy through secret operations. The third method is to set up spies
against the enemy kingdom. Another method is to seize the enemy territory. The
final method is to attack the enemy territory straight. To create disaffection
among the friends of the king, they must be secretly approached. They must be
presented with all critical views on the administration. They must be told about
the virtues they might acquire if there is a change. To get rid of the enemy, all
types of methods can be used. The assassins can even pose as horse traders and
take the opportunity to kill the enemy. The kingdom must give refuge to
dissatisfied officers so that the information from them can be freely used against
the enemy. The enemy can also be destroyed by blocking the sources of supply of
provision like food and water. The enemy can also be attacked and killed when he
is in a position of disadvantage.

Preservation of a dominion is as important as acquiring a dominion. If a
dominion cannot be preserved, there is no point in acquiring the dominion.
Therefore, Kautilya proposed many methods to preserve a dominion. Security of
the king is the most important. There shall be personal security for the king. He
must be guarded from his very birth. All his subordinates should be under
constant watch. There shall be spies to collect information about any move
against the king. Even minor issues should not be left unattended. There shall be
spies to keep an eye over eighteen different classes of officials close to him. At the
same time, the officials should be guarded against move from enemies also. The
king must be aware of disaffection against the enemy. There may be four reasons
for disaffection. Anger, fear, greed and pride can cause disaffection. With the help
of spies, the king must be able to win over the enemies of the enemy. The king
must be able to find out the reason for the discontentment. It will help him to win over them against the enemy.
So this is all about the theory of kautilya.