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| Sunday, January 11, 2004 |
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| Sunday, January 11, 2004 |
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Chanakya, The Master
Statesman THIS is the story of a kingmaker, strategist, and statesman of the third century BC who remains relevant even today. Chanakya, the driving force behind Chandragupta who founded the Mauryan empire, is one of those brilliant minds of Indian history about whom very little written material of that time is available. Even Arthashastra, his famous treatise on statecraft and an important source of information about the early Mauryan period, came to light only in 1905. Yet Indian as well as western scholars have acknowledged him as a genius, often compared with Machiavelli. The difference is that while the Italian statesman believed in employing any means to preserve the king’s powers for his own sake, Chanakya required the ruler to serve and protect his subjects if he is to be deemed worthy of being the king or the ruler. How perilously close Arthashastra came to never being known is evident from the way it was found. An unknown priest of a small temple in Tanjore went to the government library of the then state of Mysore with a frayed Sanskrit manuscript. The librarian, Mr R. Shama Shastri, recognised the worth of the manuscript and translated it into English and Chanakya’s work exploded on the world in 1905 and was hailed by scholars all over the world as a discovery as significant as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Yet, controversy has dogged this document. It is argued that while some parts might have been written in the third century BC, variations in language and style indicate that some parts have been added to it in the succeeding centuries. Even if scholars have updated it from time to time, its spirit and message have remained consistent. It shows that the original document was the product of a single mind. It deals with a variety of subjects, almost every aspect of theory and practice of governance. It describes the duties of the king and those of his ministers, besides listing different departments of government. It also deals with diplomacy and issues of war and peace. It gives details of the vast army of Chandragupta, consisting of infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants and points out that mere numbers are not enough. Without discipline and proper leadership, they can become a burden. While discussing weapons of war, Arthashastra mentions machines that can destroy a hundred men at one time. It also refers to fortifications and trench warfare. Other matters that it deals with are trade and commerce, law and law courts, municipal government, social customs, marriage and divorce, rights of women, taxation and revenue, agriculture, irrigation and waterways, census operations, passports and jails. It recognises widow remarriage. There are several versions of Chanakya’s meeting with Chandragupta, but all lack authentic historical evidence. Accounts vary widely, but all agree that Chanakya was the real power behind the Maurya throne. There is no doubt that Chanakya was a teacher at the university of Takshashila (now Taxila). From there he watched the impact of foreign invasions and concluded that the Indian rulers had to dissolve their differences and face the invaders unitedly. He also knew that the intriguing and squabbling rulers would never unite. The answer was one strong Indian ruler. He saw in Chandragupta a man who had the ability to fulfil his dream. He took the young man under his wings, taught him at Takshashila and finally guided him first to harass the outlying territories of the Magdha kingdom and finally installed him on the throne of Magadha. Then Chandragupta swept through the small kingdoms of the North-west. Chanakya’s job was completed when he found Chandragupta a group of loyal persons to assist him and he returned to the spartan life of a teacher at Takshashila. The setting up of the Mauryan empire was an achievement, but his biggest legacy to posterity is Arthashastra which political scientists find relevant even today. |
