The Arthshastra is a treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. It discusses the acquisition and protection of the means of livelihood as well as ensuring the welfare of citizens. The two main aims of the Arthshastra are administration and protection of the state (Palana) and conquest and acquisition of territory (Labha). It provides guidance on practical aspects of internal and external administration. The Arthshastra advocates for a monarchy and describes the qualities and duties required of a ruler to protect subjects and ensure their well-being and prosperity. It also outlines administrative principles for revenue collection, personnel management and public administration that still have relevance today.

2. Arthshastra
• Concerned with the acquisition and protection of
means of livelihood.
• Also a means to ensure the well-being of men in
general
• Two fold aims
– Palana: administration and protection of the state
– Labha: conquest and acquisition of territory
• Hence it is a science dealing with internal as well as
external spheres.
• Concentrated on the practical aspects of administration

3. Origin of the state
Anarchy
• Might is right
• Matsyanyaya: Law of the fish
• Hence they chose Manu as the king
• Gave him taxes in return for protection
• No explicit theory of social contract in the book

4. Monarchy
• Attaches an element of divinity to the king
• Monarchy seems to have been the accepted
norm
• Other forms:
– Dvairajya: joint rule of the kingdom by the males
of the same family
– Vairajya: rule by a foreign ruler
• Disapproves of Vairajya

5. Qualities of the ruler
• Should be a native of the territory
• Follow the teachings of the shastra
• Strong and of noble birth etc
• Trained in philosophy, economics and political
science (dandaniti)
• Difference between Kautilya’s king and Plato’s
philosopher king
– Kautilya doesn’t mean that the king should lead
the life of a saint or an ascetic.

6. Duties of the king
• Rakshana/Palana: Protection of the subjects and their
property
• Ensure their yogaksema: a broad idea implying welfare,
well-being, prosperity and happiness.
• Take active part in war and the administraiton of justice
• Dharmaniyama: lay down broad lines of policy and codes of
regulation
• <take care of the subjects like a father: paternalistic rule>
• Protection of social order founded on varnas/ preservation
of the vedic order
• So protection has three components: from natural
calamities, anti-social elements and of varna system

7. Kautilya’s state
• Mid way between a welfare and an authoritarian
state
• Neither a police state nor a tax gathering state
• Danda: (army) is symbol of ruler’s authority and is
necessary to prevent anarchy and protect the
weak against the strong
• Use ‘danda’ with restraint.
• The threat of revolt by the subjects expected to
serve as a check on the wanton use of coercive
power

8. Restraint on the king
• No direct checks; only indirect ones
• Through raj purohit, mantri parishad, subjects
• Hereditary monarchy
• The king’s welfare lies not in his own pleasure
but in that of the subjects

9. Doctrine of 7 prakritis
• The king cannot run the state on his own alone. Hence
certain other elements called prakritis are needed.
• Svamin – ruler
• Amatya – minister
• Janapada – territory with people settled on it
• Durga – fortified capital. The symbol of defensive and
offensive capacity of the state.
– Types: Audik, Parvat, Dhanvan, Van
• Kosh – treasury
• Danda – army
• Mitra – ally
• These seven are interrelated

10. • Mantris and Mantri parishad is not analogous to
the modern day cabinet
– The king was not mandated to consult them
– He could consult some or none
• Qualities of the officers of the state
– Sattva (energy)
– Prajna (intelligence)
– Vakyashakti (power of expression)
• Recommends few tests to test them
• 18 tirthas (officers)

11. Revenue Administraiton
• Kosa is one of the 7 prakritas
• Three principal means of livelihood
– Agriculture
– Cattle tending
– Trade
• Samahartrs were revenue officers
• Total control by the state of the ecomic activities of the
state to earn maximum possible revenue
• Trade routes should be under strict control of the state
• Guidelines on prices administration

12. Personnel Administration
• Personnels who man the organisation are as important as the organisation itself.
• Recruitment
– Prescribes qualifications for each post
– All important appointments made by the king
– Tests such as Dharmopadha, Arthopadha, Bhayopadha and Kamopadha
• Training
– Extended discussion on the training of the prince but little on the training of the personnel
• Pay: prescribes the salaries
– Salaries given on a fairly liberal scale to prevent discontent and ensure efficiency.
– Talked about pension as well
• Promotion
– No definite rules
– Who increase revenue may be promoted
– Transfer to prevent misapproriation of funds
• Tenure and removal
– On the will of the king

13. Pub Ad Principles in Arthshastra
• Unity of command
– King as the sole source of authority
• Public accountability
– Makes the king partly responsible to the public
– King has a duty to protect the subjects
• Rule of business
– Departmentalisation
• Coordination
– Because there was division of labour
• Job Classification
– Speical tests prescribed for holding special types of jobs
• Hierarcy
– Because job classification exists
• Planning and Budgeting
• Dencentralisation
– Janapada was also further divided

14. Elements of welfare state in Arth.
• Though one man rule, yet it was a benevolent
monarchy. Seeds of the idea of welfare state.
• King’s mission: Yogakshema
• Paternalistic rule
• Duty of the king to maintain the minors, the aged
and those in distress
• Guidelines on crisis administration
• A newly settled village was initially given some
concessions

15. Appraisal
• Arthshastra shifted attention from political
philosophy to political science
– Plato and Aristotle gave political philosophy
– Kautilya had a very practical approach in the sense
he wanted to give guidelines to show how a state
ought to be ruled.
– Speaks in terms of a highly materialistic world
keeping the moral values aside

16. Kautilya vs Weber
• Spatial and temporal differences between the two significant
– India was ‘traditional’ while Germany had acquired some aspects of
‘legal rational’ authority
• Kautilya never made a serious attempt at theory building. Was
normative and perscriptive in his treatment
– Normativism was not prominent in Weber’s model
• Both were keen on the efficiency and rationality aspects of
administration
• Weberian bureaucratic model is based on ‘authority’ while
Kautilya’s analysis focuses on the concept of control.
– Hence, Kautilya and Weber differ on the basis of legitimacy of
authority.
• We can also see characters like hierarchy, competence, selection by
merit, promotion by seniority, written orders etc