Kautilya and the ​Arthashastra

By modern Western standards, Kautilya’s ​Arthashastra​ appears tyrannical. He stomps upon many
democratic ideals, from freedom of religion[1] to freedom of speech[2]. Yet Kautilya was not simply
concerned with creating and maintaining a tyrannical empire; if so, he need not have written a chapter
titled Marriage and Women (Kautilya, Book III, Chapter 2), nor would he have “require[d] the ruler to
benefit and protect his citizens” (Brians). The ​Arthashastra​ outlines how a king should rule in order to
consolidate his power, while simultaneously making his state as equitable as possible.

Throughout the text, it is explicit that the king should unreservedly exercise his power to attain his goals.
If anyone obstructs his path, that person “shall be burnt alive” (Kautilya, Book IV, Chapter 11). The king
is to make liberal use of spies, and Kautilya gives many blueprints for doing so. The king also need not
respect the sanctity of religion: Kautilya advocated for both spies disguising themselves as Brahmins and
attacking enemies in temples.

Yet Kautilya never assumes the king to be all-knowing or always right. He notes that because “a single
wheel can never move,” a king should lend his ear to advisers (Kautilya, Book I, Chapter 7). Thus,
Kautilya admits there are limits to a King’s power and wisdom. Similarly, Kautilya defines what goals a
king should have. According to Kautilya, “the duty of a king consists in protecting his subjects with
justice” (Kautilya, Book III, Chapter 1). Furthermore, he shall take pleasure in “whatever pleases his
subjects,” meaning it is their needs, not his, to which he must attend (Kautilya, Book I, Chapter 19).

It is interesting to note Kautilya’s reasoning behind these limitations. He says a king must endear himself
to his people to prevent “public disaffection, and himself a prey to his enemies” (Kautilya, Book I,
Chapter 19). Furthermore, the king cannot act on a whim, for “if he is reckless...they [his subjects]
will...eat into his works” (Kautilya, Book I, Chapter 19). Thus it is not morality which directs Kautilya’s
advice but political and pragmatic concerns.

On the other hand, Kautilya actually had a relatively progressive stance on social issues. Kautilya’s slave
rights were “among the most liberal in history,” (Brians) causing foreigners like Megasthenes to believe
slavery was nonexistent in the Mauryan empire (Sinha, 9/22/10). Kautilya also advocated for women.
While their rights were still few, Kautilya included rape laws and an age of majority or consent. He also
allowed women to hold property and seek divorces from their husbands, albeit in limited cases.
UCLA Professor Vinay Lal,wrote

According to Kautilya, the ruler should use any means to attain his goal and his actions required no moral
sanction...Though the kings were allowed a free rein, the citizens were subject to a rigid set of rules.

Yet after the above analysis, Lal’s characterization seems simplified and, in some ways, untrue.
Kautilya’s measures were extreme, but they served a genuine purpose: to bring the king’s people “in
contact with wealth and [do] good to them” (Kautilya, Book 1, Chapter 7). The king himself had to obey
laws, (eg he was to “keep away from hurting the women and property of others,” so there were moral
sanctions and a restricted rein (Kautilya, Book I, Chapter 7). As for the rigid rules, many of them
promoted social welfare, such as the previously mentioned slave and women rights. So while Kautilya
seems to agree with the Machiavellan principle that the ends justify the means, he believes the means
should not and cannot be in self-interest.

Works Cited

Brians, Paul. "Kautilya: The Arthashastra." ​Washington State University - Pullman,

Washington​. 18 Dec. 1998. Web. 20 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/arthashastra.html>.

Kautilya, ​Kautilya's Arthashastra, 2​ d Ed., trans. R. Shamasastry (Mysore: Wesleyan

Mission Press, 1923), ​passim.​

Sinha, Mrinalini. History of the Indian Civilization. Mason Hall, Ann Arbor. 22 Sept.
2010. Lecture.

[1] ​A person must fulfill certain conditions before he “embraces asceticism” (Brians).
[2] ​“Any person who insults the king...shall have his tongue cut off” (Kautilya, Book IV, Chapter 11).