Chanakya's Niti-Sastra

Preface Sri Chanakya Pandit, also known as Kautilya, or sometimes as Vishnugupta, attained lasting fame over 2300 years ago for two reasons: (1) his Sanskrit writings on polity and (2) the practical and effective counsel he gave to King Chandragupta Maurya, who conquered most of India under his guidance. Of his writings, Artha-shastra is the best known work, and many editions have come out in English. As implied by its title, Artha-shastra is a scripture of economic development meant for being studied by kings and court pandits. Some of its topics are: king's duties, qualifications of ministers, formation of villages, tax collection, proper punishments for offenders, training of spies, declaring war and making peace, protecting the citizens, etc.