KAUTILYA: The Arthashastra

This is a literal translation and that's about it. The whole book is just a list of do's and don'ts for a king. It lists the fines that were levied for cattle theft to crimes against women to incest, and so on. It explains how a king can attack an enemy fort and when fire brands should be used in an attack, and so on. This is just a rule book or administration/police manual.If you are looking for good analysis and thought on the lines of Will Durant or Henry Kissinger, this is not the book for you. Of course, this is not a comment on the translator. His aim might have been just to translate the text.What can we do with this information? How does it benefit the reader to know what diet was given to horses, and how elephants were cared for 2000 years ago? Even present day Prime Ministers and Presidents can not benefit from it because the world has changed in 2000 years and very few rules and strategies described in it can be implemented as is.Having said that, the author is so thorough in his efforts. He is balanced in his views, neither idolizing nor doubting Chanakya. His research and attention to detail are impressive. He is so clear in his objectives and so rigorous in presentation.

Its a great book. This book has been very well translated. The presentation and explanation is the best. I would recommend this book to everyone. Please do not be scared by the thickness of the book. Once you get through the first few pages it literally impossible to put it down. I keep going back to it as a referral. One must appreciate the genius and cunningness of Kautilya aka Chanakya. He was a shrewd man and this book gives us a peak into his mind. I'd recommend this book to all who are in a place of power or aspire to be in one.

The book comprises Chanakya's evolution of administration:1.The State and its constituent elements.2. The King3.The Well-Organized State.4.Treasury,Sources of revenue,accounts and audit.5.Civil service regulation6.The Government Department7.Law and Justice8.Covert Operations9.Foreign Policy10. Defense and WarCompletely enthralling and will definitely capture the reader's contemplation.

The Arthashtra facinates me as I have been researching it privately but then I saw the book on Amazon and ordered it. It has more than 800 pages so i got intimidated just to look at it, but then very randomly I started reading off different chapters and i realises than Indian Wisdom has been gifted to us through our ancestors. Why do we have to look at western philosophy when everything is provided to us in our lap. A lot of study is required of this book and I'm going to do it.I recommend this book for all the true citizens of Bharat.

It was an experience of a lifetime. Almost two thousand years some of the Chanakya`s sayings are still valid. Sadly after his murder the country has not produced such a thinker. It was all due to his Sanskrit knowledge