Machiavelli should be known as the Italian Kautilya who wrote the Prince that should be dubbed the Italian Arthashastra or the Science of Material Gain, but who was Kautilya otherwise known as Chanakya?
Early Life
Just like his protégé and Emperor, Chandragupta Maurya,
obscurity shrouded Kautilya’s background. He came from a family of Brahmins.
His caste of origin predetermined his destiny to become an intellectual. He
studied Hindu scriptures along with other sciences such as medicine and
astrology. He studied in Taxila (modern day Pakistan) for further education.
There, he possibly influenced by knowledge from the Greeks and Persians that
arrived through traders traversing the famous Silk Route. He might had known about
Persian politics and government and the conquest of Alexander the Great.
After his studies, he served as an official to the Nanda
Kings until being alienated and finally disgraced from court. After his fall
from grace, he wished for the downfall of the Nanda Dynasty. His loath towards
the Nanda Kings led to the rise of the founder of the earliest major Empire in
Indian history – Chandragupta Maurya.
Alexander the Great |
Partnership with
Chandragupta
Disgraced and out of job as an official, Kautilya dreamt of
overthrowing the Nanda Kings. According to legend, he stumbled upon a young
charismatic leader Chandragupta Maurya. He adopted Chandragupta and hoped this
boy would be his sword that one day would bring the Nanda Kings their demise. He
taught the kid and sent him to attend schools in Taxila where according once
again to stories met with Alexander the Great that inspired him to build his
own empire.
Chandragupta Maurya entertains his bride from Babylon |
After his studies, Chandragupta said to have become a
soldier and rose in ranks before finally launching a rebellion. Kautilya guided
Chandragupta, campaigning to gain popular support, hiring mercenaries, and
negotiating alliances. In 321 BCE, Kautilya dreams realized when Chandragupta
defeated the Nanda Dynasty into submission and established his own Mauryan Dynasty.
As an influential figure standing beside Chandragupta,
Kautilya gained the position of chief adviser or prime minister. He advised and
contributed in the consolidation of the position of the Maurya Dynasty and
organization of the government. He served Chandragupta until the Emperor’s
death in 297 BCE and continued to serve his successor Bidushara.
Arthashastra
Kautilya gained accolades from his famous political work
called the Arthashastra or the Science of Material Gain. Lose for more than a
millennium, the text of the Arthashastra reemerged in 1905. Since then it drew
parallelism to the famous work of Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince even though
the Kautilya lived more than thousand years before the Italian writer. As the
Prince only fitted in about 90 pages, the Arthashastra exceeded that and had 15
sections covering a range of topic beyond political and encompassed even
economics.
Niccolo Machiavelli |
The Arthashastra and the Prince, however, aimed for the same
goal, the protection, maintenance, and strengthening of power. Both disregard
morality as part of politics. The Arthashastra even went further suggesting the
poisoning of political enemies – surprising suggestion from a man with a
religious background. The Arthashastra promoted the use of spies to maintain
power. It promoted war as long as it would enhance the power of the King.
Unlike the Prince, however, the Arthashastra covered
economic policies as well. It promoted state enterprises and investments,
supervision of agriculture, and development of weapons industry.
The Arthashastra became a classical work in politics that
inspired many leaders to this day. It served as a great contribution of India
in literature and political thought.
Last Years
Kautilya’s later years, like his beginnings, clouded by
mystery. No one knew how he passed away. One story suggested in 275 BCE, he was
burned to death by a jealous political rival.
So much his life shrouded, Kautilya became an elusive
figure. Yet his work had a profound effect in world history. He became
instrumental in the foundation of India’s earliest empire. He showed India’s
intellectual sophistication with his work Arthashastra. He fascinated many with
his equally ruthless messages that rivaled Italy’s Niccolo Machiavelli. More
amazing, Kautilya rivaled Machiavelli while living more than thousand years
before the Italian thinker.
See also:
Bibliography:
"Kautilya." International
Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. . Encyclopedia.com. (August
23, 2018). http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/kautilya
Mishra, Patit Paban & Sudhansu S. Rath. “Kautilya.”
Encyclopedia of World History. Edited by Marsha Ackermann. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2008.
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