Who Wrote Arthashastra

Q. Who wrote Arthashastra?

Answer: 

Arthashastra

Arthashastra consists of the shastra of wealth, earth and policy (artha). Artha includes a broad range and all-embracing terms with different meanings. It is used to understand well-being, livelihood, economically productive activity, trade, etc. In short, Arthashastra can be described as the science and art of politics and diplomacy. This treatise is divided into 16 books that are concerned with the running of a state, law, diplomacy, taxation, military, economics, bureaucracy, strategy, etc. This book also deals with the masterwork which includes statecraft, leadership skills, legal systems, accounting systems, civil rules, internal and foreign trade, etc.

Writer of Arthashastra- Kautilya

The book Arthashastra was written by Kautilya/ Chanakya. He was a teacher and guardian of the Indian Emperor Chandragupta Maurya (321-297 BC). It was one of the greatest kingdoms of India, the Maurya empire. Kautilya had another name, Vishnu Gupta. He included 350 shlokas to Arthashastra. He was well aware of the empire’s economic status. Kautilya wrote about how the state’s economy is maintained. He also included how the ministers must be chosen. In this Kautilya’s masterpiece, he wrote about how war should be conducted, and the implementation of taxation. He emphasized the systemisation of law and uniformity of this law throughout the empire.  This work of Kautilya was influential in the 12th century and then it disappeared. Further, it was rediscovered in 1904 by R. Shamasastry. He published it in 1904 and its English translation was available in 1915.