Kautilya--The Arthashastra

by L.N. Rangarajan

Arthashastra is a pioneering work on statecraft in all its aspects, written at least one thousand five hundred years ago. Unfortunately, the greatness of Kautilya remains unappreciated for want of a modern translation. The main objective of this translation is to make it as simple and modern as possible, avoiding intricate constructions and archaisms, thereby making it easily understood by the educated lay reader. For reasons explained in greater detail in the Introduction, the order of verses in the original text is not strictly followed in this translation; some rearrangement and regrouping by topic has been made. A lengthy Introduction and a description of the Kautilyan state and society have become necessary in order to satisfy scholars and provide the necessary background for others.

About the Author:

L.N. RANGARAJAN graduated from the University of Madras with an M.Sc in experimental physics. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1956 and has been Ambassador to Greece, Sudan, Tunisia, Norway and Iceland. He has contributed articles on political economy to several journals. His previous publications include: Commodity Conflict: The Political Economy of International Commodity Negotiations and The Limitation of Conflict: A Theory of Bargaining and Negotiation.