{"product_id":"9780143477525","title":"The Arthashastra","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eArthashastra\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinarily detailed manual on statecraft, governance, and the art of living, written by one of classical India’s greatest thinkers, Kautilya—also known as \u003cb\u003eChanakya\u003c\/b\u003e or \u003cb\u003eVishnugupta\u003c\/b\u003e. Composed no later than around 150 CE (though its precise date remains debated), the \u003ci\u003eArthashastra\u003c\/i\u003e stands as the most comprehensive treatise on statecraft from the ancient world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTradition holds that Kautilya was either a Brahmin from Kerala or from northern India. What is certain is his pivotal role in history: he was the strategist who overthrew the Nanda dynasty and installed Chandragupta Maurya as king of Magadha. A master of political strategy and deeply learned in the Vedas, Kautilya’s brilliance is fully reflected in this monumental work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eArthashastra\u003c\/i\u003e consists of fifteen books, covering a vast range of subjects including kingship, law, administration, foreign policy, espionage, economic management, and secret and occult practices. Written primarily in prose, the text also incorporates \u003cb\u003e380 shlokas (verses)\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eArtha\u003c\/i\u003e, meaning wealth, is one of the four supreme aims of life in Hindu tradition, but in the \u003ci\u003eArthashastra\u003c\/i\u003e it carries a broader significance. Kautilya argues that the state has a central responsibility in safeguarding the material well-being of both the nation and its people. As a result, large sections of the text focus on economics, public finance, and resource management. When addressing politics, the \u003ci\u003eArthashastra\u003c\/i\u003e presents a wide-ranging vision of governance, encompassing the maintenance of law and order and the creation of an efficient administrative system.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth a political manual and a philosophical work, the \u003ci\u003eArthashastra\u003c\/i\u003e remains a foundational text for understanding ancient Indian thought on power, economics, and government.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"India Penguin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":65709472842077,"sku":null,"price":16.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1041\/3893\/2573\/files\/9780143477525.jpg?v=1790514845","url":"https:\/\/shop.gazellebookservices.co.uk\/products\/9780143477525","provider":"Gazelle Book Services","version":"1.0","type":"link"}