The Arthashastra' is one of India's ancient scriptures authored by king Chandragupta Maurya's court advisor and strategist, Chanakya, formally known as Kautilya. A student of the historically renowned Takshashila, Kautilya had penned his knowledge pertaining to the maintenance of a State in this book, basing it on his readings of the Vedas and his pure genius. The book draws from traditional Hindu philosophy and focuses on how an empire is to be run efficiently. The duties of a king are highlighted and words of wisdom have been imparted regarding strategies and ethics of managing the economic, social and political aspects of the State. Everything from the culture, agriculture, industry and nature is described in details to build a wholesome idea about the India that existed in those times. What keeps enemies at bay, how war can be helpful but destructive, the politics that goes behind running an effective administration, the maintenance of the bureaucracy and the art of holding the societal thread intact have been put into prose. Considered to be one of the earliest accounts about the science and art of economics, 'The Arthashastra' is India's oldest contribution to the crucial world of polity and should be studied for acquiring its inherent wisdom.
