Kautilya on Power

Arthsastra of Kautilya is a masterpiece. It covers how to deal with international territories as well as the nation's politics and power structures. It begins with Matasya Nyay concept by saying if there is no king, mighty people will cause trouble and distress to weaker section of people exactly the same way, a big fish eats small fish. Hence to keep equality and equanimity in place we need to have a formal structure of governance in place. He talks about Saptang Theory where he classifies a kingdom in seven parts.

King: - First and foremost, part is King, he termed King as the Swami, the representative of god. The king is the supreme power of Kingdom. The King has broadly two important functions. First is protective function and second is promotive function. Protective function means providing protection to the countrymen. It includes both internal and external. A well-qualified army is maintained and trained to task and prepared for all emergency situations. Promotive function is about promoting welfare, it is said that King’s welfare is not his personal welfare it is the welfare and contentment of his countrymen.

प्रजासुखे सुखं राज्ञः प्रजानां च हिते हितम् | 

नात्मप्रियं हितं राज्ञः प्रजानां तु प्रियं हितम् |

["In the happiness of the people lies the happiness of the king, their welfare is his welfare. Not his own pleasure is the king's welfare, but the people's pleasure is their welfare,"]

Amatya:- The second important designation after King is Amatya which is termed as minister, there could be one Amatya or multiple depending upon the size of kingdom. Minster should be Nobel, educated and more than anything a person with highest character. They should have great memory skills. Kautilya also emphasised that these Amatya’s should be a born citizen not someone who acquired citizenship. He reemphasised loyalty part, wisdom and confidentiality as must have qualities for Amatya’s.

Janpada:- It alludes to the state's territory and populace. The state's land should be rich in forests, rivers, mountains, minerals, wildlife, and other natural resources. It ought to have a pleasant climate. People ought to be obedient to their monarch, diligent, disciplined, devout, prepared to defend their homeland, and content to pay taxes on a regular basis.

Durga :- It alludes to forts. To provide defence against foreign invasions, the state should maintain a sufficient number of forts situated strategically throughout its territory. Forts ought to be constructed next to large bodies of water, dense woods, deserts, and hills or mountains. They stockpile food grains for emergencies and house soldiers. It also act as the king's hiding place when his life is in jeopardy.

Kosha: - This refers to the state treasury. Any state cannot function without its finances, which are its lifeblood. Funds are required for infrastructure development, salary payments, etc. The treasury ought to be brimming with cash as well as precious metals and jewels. Taxation and the looting of warring nations are two ways to raise it.

Danda (The Army):- It stands for military. The state ought to maintain a sizable, disciplined, and highly skilled military. For the state's security, it is essential. It is best to recruit soldiers from families who have historically been connected to the military. It is important to pay soldiers adequately and provide the best possible care for their families. Equipment and appropriate training should be made available. Any fight can be won by soldiers who are well-fed and trained. If the king provides for the soldiers, they will be willing to give up everything, including their lives, for him.

Mitra:- is used to describe the king's friends. The king or queen ought to keep cordial ties with his ancestors' old allies. Moreover, he ought to establish new acquaintances. For his buddies, he ought to provide presents and other courtesy. When there is an emergency, they should be assisted. Loyalty is expected of them. The state's authority is increased via friends. They are also significant from the perspective of international trade.

King should advocate good deeds among his countrymen. So that a peace and prosperity can be promoted in the country.

सुखस्य मूलं धर्मः। धर्मस्य मूलमर्थः।

अर्थस्य मूलं राज्यम्।राज्यस्य मूलम् इन्द्रियजयः ।

इन्द्रियजयस्य मूलं विनयः ।विनयस्य मूलं वृद्धोपसेवः ।

वृद्धोपसेवया विज्ञानम् ।विज्ञानेन आत्मानं संपादयेत् ।

संपादितात्मा जितात्मा भवति ।जितात्मा सर्वार्थैः संयुज्येत ।

[The basis of happiness is dharma [i.e., right conduct, ethics]. The basis of dharma is artha [i.e., resources, wealth, economy]. The basis of artha is kingship [i.e., state, government]. The basis of kingship is control over the senses. The basis of control over the senses is discipline. The basis of discipline is subservience to elders. Through subservience to elders comes proficiency [i.e., discernment]. Equip yourself with proficiency. Those who have equipped themselves become self-controlled. Those who are self-controlled will become endowed with all attainments.]

His mandala theory is so true when we see today’s context in terms of our own standing with respect to bordering countries.

• Vijigishu: The king who aspires to be the conqueror

• Ari: Shares border with Vijigishu, an enemy

• Mitra: Friend or an ally of Vijigishu, shares border with ari

• Ari-Mitra: Friend of ari, shares border with mitra

• Mitra-Mitra : Friend or an ally of friend

• Ari Mitra-Mitra: Friend of enemy’s friend

• Parshnigraha: Enemy in the rear of the Vijigishu

• Aakranda: Friend in the rear behind Parshnigraha

• Parshnigraha-asara: Friend of Parshnigraha behind Aakranda

• Aakranda-asara: Friend of Aakranda behind Parshnigrahasara

• Madhyama: Indifferent kingdom

• Udasina: Neutral Kingdom

According to Kautilya, there is a good likelihood that our neighbours would turn against us since they have a strong desire to expand. Knowing exactly which nations belong to which group, it will help us plan our strategy and optimize our resources.

· Sandhi or peace: - A policy of peace and compromise is recommended if the monarch is in a weaker position than his opponent. The king would use this era of peace to develop military capabilities in order to rise from a position of weakness to one of power. Once substantial capabilities are achieved, new alternatives for foreign policy would become available.

· Vigraha or war:- Since war can be won with little loss, this tactic is recommended if the king has a military advantage over its adversaries. Only the opponent's fighting skill, not its prakriti, shall be destroyed by the king. The victor ought to be kind and forgiving to the loser.

· Asana or neutrality/wait and watch: If a king's challenger has an equal potential for power, Kautilya prescribes an asana policy. Once more, maintaining neutrality gives the monarch time to improve his military prowess. Once this is accomplished, the king should adopt an aggressive and active foreign policy.

· Yana or coercion: The king should use coercion and military mobilization if his enemies weaken or stagnate while he becomes more powerful. Even without engaging in combat, the opponent could be persuaded to make significant concessions and his surrender could be guaranteed by covert operations.

· Samshrya or alliance: The king ought to form an alliance with other nations if he does not believe that he will soon be able to outperform an enemy. Although it would be a defensive alliance, the king ought to try to turn it into an assault against the shared enemy.

· Dvaidhibhava or duplicity: Kautilya has recommended a program of diplomatic double-gaming, contingent on a number of intricate circumstances and configurations. In terms of intelligence, deceit, forethought, and psychological traits, this policy is extremely difficult.

Kautilya's Arthashastra emphasizes the value of soft power even if it is frequently linked to realpolitik and hard power. In order to increase its worldwide impact, India's modern foreign policy makes use of multilateral collaboration, economic alliances, and cultural diplomacy. Soft power is demonstrated, for example, by India's participation in the International Solar Alliance and its support of international health programs. In addition to tackling global issues, these initiatives present India as a responsible and significant player in the world. These contemporary tactics echo Kautilya's emphasis on gaining supporters via kindness and diplomacy.

In the end I would like to propose my thoughts by saying that Kautilya Arthsatra is a practical book of governance. No Surprise that western thinker Max Weber and Helmut Plessner have sighted his work and contributed collective wisdom effectively. No wonders that most powerful countries across the world are following Kautilya’s Arthsatatra for their internal and external governance policies.

- submitted by Deepak Tiwari, Ph D Scholar