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Chanakya was a teacher to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta
(c.
340293 BCE), and generally considered to be the architect of his
rise to
power. Traditionally empire, the first of its kind on the
Indiansubcontinent. His works were lost near the end of the Gupta
dynasty and
not rediscovered until 1915.
Identity
a kingdom). Apparently, Chanakya used these sutras to groom
Chandragupta and other selected disciples in the art of ruling a
kingdom.
Legend
The Nanda King throws Chanakya out of his court, prompting
Chanakya to swear revenge.
Chanakya searches for one worthy for him to rule through.
Chanakya
encounters a young Chandragupta Maurya who is a born leader even
as a
child.
that Chanakya was one
The Kingdom of Magadha maintained contact with Takshasila.
Chanakya's
life was connected to these two cities, Pataliputra and
Takshasila. In
Takshashila, he became a teacher of politics.
Political turmoil in Western India at that time caused by Greek
invasion
forced Chanakya
of resources. He also advocated the development of the already
annexed
colonies. His imperialistic views can be interpreted as the
development of
natural and man made resources.
According to Chanakya, the efficient management of land is
essential for
the development of resources. It is essential that the state
keeps an eye on
the occupation of excess land by the landlords and unauthorized
use of
land. Ideally the state should monitor the most important and
vital resource
Land.
The state should take care of agriculture at all times.
Government
machinery should be directed towards the implementation of
projects
aimed at supporting and nurturing the various processes;
beginning from
sowing of seeds to harvest. The nation should envisage to
construct forts and cities. These
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complexes
to Chanakya than external trade. At each point of the entry of
goods, a
minimal amount of tax should be collected. The state should
collect taxes
at a bare
the people are not running behind material pleasures. Control
over thesense organs is essential for success in any endeavour.
Spiritual
development is essential for the internal strength and character
of the
individual. Material pleasures and achievements are always
secondary to
the spiritual development of the society and country at
large.
BOOK II. The Duties of Government Superintendents.
BOOK III. Concerning Law.
BOOK IV. Removal of Thorns.
BOOK V. Conduct of Courtiers.
BOOK VI. The Source of Sovereign States.
BOOK VII. The End of Sixfold Policy.
BOOK VIII. Concerning Vices and Calamities.
BOOK IX. The Work of an Invader.
BOOK X. Relating to War.
BOOK XI. The Conduct of Corporations.
BOOK XII. Concerning a Powerful Enemy.
BOOK XIII. Strategic Means to Capture a Fortress.
BOOK XIV. Secret Means.
BOOK XV. The Plan of a Treatise.
Such are the contents of this Science. There are on the
whole
15 books, 150 chapters, 180 sections and 6,000 slokas.
Analysis of His Works
Artha is one of the of life (Purshartha) besides dharma, kama
& moksha.
In his Arthashastra, Kautilya made references to various
Acharyas who
include Bharadvaja, Visalaksa, Parasara, Manu, Pisuna and
Kaunapadanta,
among others.
The earliest Arthashastra can be found from the Ayodhya Kanda
of
Valmiki Ramayana and in the Santi Parva of the Vyasa
Mahabharata
Several studies have been done on various aspects of
Arthashastra byKautilya, however studies specifically in the
context of organizational
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management is limited.
Kumar & Rao (1996) conducted a study of value based
management
from Kautilyas Arthashastra.
Narayana (2002) integrated Kautilyas Arthashastra into
strategic
leadership. Garde (2003) made a study on Kautilya's aphorisms on
management.
Sihag (2004) researched Kautilya on the scope and methodology
of
accounting, organizational design and the role of ethics in
ancient India.
Radhakrishnan (2005) identified and exposed some of the
Kautilyan
management fundamentals.
Muniapan & Shaikh (2007) explored lessons in corporate
governance
from Kautilyas Arthashastra in ancient India.
Management and KautilyasArthashastra
Management is an interdisciplinary field with contributions from
various
fields such as psychology, social psychology, sociology,
anthropology,
political science, economics and finance (Muniapan, 2005:b).
Contemporary management also includes issues related to
cross-cultural
management and international management. Increasingly the
understanding of management is coming to depend on
understanding,
analyzing and predicting organizational behavior, which is the
basis forhuman resource management. One of the keys to successful
management
is the ability to understand and apply management principles
and
techniques efficiently and effectively. Managers must develop an
in-depth
knowledge of past and present models, theories and processes to
manage
effectively and intelligently. Contemporary management practice
is
pervasive in every aspect of human life within all types of
organizations.
The Kautilyas Arthashastra deals with different aspects
managementwhich includes strategic management, financial
management, accounting,
human resource management, corporate governance, social
responsibility,
etc.
Kautilya on Leadership
Kautilya had stated that as a king (leader) is, so will be his
people
(followers)
Kautilya emphasized the importance of leadership by example. The
leader
of any organization should be able to maintain high standards
while
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running an organization. If the king is energetic, his subjects
will be
equally energetic. If the leader is slack (and lazy in
performing his duties)
the subjects will also be lazy, thereby, eat into his wealth.
Besides, a lazy
king will easily fall into the hands of the enemies. Hence the
king should
himself always be energetic. According to Kautilya, dharma
without resources is toothless &
resources without dharma is useless.
Resources will make ethical conduct or behaviour possible &
vice versa.
Shubh (goodness or auspiciousness) must come first, then labha
(gain or
profit).
Management must strive to generate resources based on ethical
conduct
or behaviour.
The basis of resources is kingdom
To generate resources you need an enterprise, organization, team
or a
unit.
Resources generated by organizations includes manpower
development,
money, machinery, materials, methods & markets.
Further generation of resources requires expansion of the
kingdom
(organization) not by war but through market & product
development,
market penetration and diversification strategies.
Kautilya on Organizational Management
Managing an organization need to be carried out with help of
senior
leaders or management thinkers. One wheel does not support
transportation, therefore it is necessary to appoint senior
leaders or
management thinkers and listen to their opinion.
organization is rooted in the conquest of senses Victory over
the senses means control of 5 organ of sense & 5 organs of
action
Only a leader who has conquers the organs of his body would be
able to
put organizational interest first before his self interest.
This also involves control of 6 enemies within (desires,
anger,
greed, arrogance, infatuation & envy), also includes pride
& foolhardiness.
conquering the senses is rooted in training The first chapter of
Arthashastra is vinaya adhikarikamor book on
moral training.
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The conquest of senses is rooted in discipline & training in
ethics &
morals should begin from childhood.
The control of the mind, all experiences such as
happiness/sorrow,
gains/losses, victory/defeat, hot/cold should be taken with
equanimity.
The Impact of Kautilyas Arthashastra
Chandragupta Maurya was considered to be the unifier of India
during the
4th Century B.C.
Mauryan Empire was continued by his son Bindusara and by his
grandson
King Asoka .
Mauryan Empire expansion included Afghanistan, all the way to
the
border of Persia (Iran), extending to Bengal.Today, a careful
study the Arthashastra will be useful for expanding
business empire.
Conclusion
Kautilyas Arthashatra is one of the ancient Indian literature
which had
provided some insights to management, although
the context it was written was for kings to govern the state.
There aremany management concepts from Kautilyas
Arthashastra, which are still applicable in todays
organizational
management. A deeper study of the book will open many
new areas of management concepts, which is yet to be known
and
practiced in the modern management.
The author hopesthat more studies in the areas of organizational
management such as
strategic management, financial management and
human resource management from Kautilyas Arthashastra can be
undertaken for future research.
