Chanakya


Chanakya
Chanakya as depicted on the cover of R. Shamasastry's 1915 translation of Arthashastra
Born
375 BCE, Chanaka village in Golla region, South India (Jain legends);[1]
or in Takshashila (Buddhist legends)[2]
Died
Occupation(s)Teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist, advisor of Chandragupta Maurya
Known forProminent role in the foundation of the Maurya Empire
Arthashastra
Chanakyaniti
OfficeAmatya of Mauryan Empire
PredecessorPosition established

Chanakya (ISO: Cāṇakya, pronunciation; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Viṣṇugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra,[3] a text dated to roughly between the fourth century BCE and the third century CE.[4] As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics.[5][6][7][8] His works were lost near the end of the Gupta Empire in the sixth century CE and not rediscovered until the early 20th century. Around 321 BCE, Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power and is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief advisor to both emperors Chandragupta and his son Bindusara.[9]

  1. ^ Trautmann 1971, p. 21.
  2. ^ Trautmann 1971, p. 12.
  3. ^ Mabbett, I. W. (1964). "The Date of the Arthaśāstra". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 84 (2). American Oriental Society: 162–169. doi:10.2307/597102. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 597102.
  4. ^ Transaction and Hierarchy. Routledge. 9 August 2017. p. 56. ISBN 978-1351393966.
  5. ^ L. K. Jha, K. N. Jha (1998). "Chanakya: the pioneer economist of the world", International Journal of Social Economics 25 (2–4), p. 267–282.
  6. ^ Waldauer, C., Zahka, W.J. and Pal, S. 1996. Kauṭilya's Arthashastra: A neglected precursor to classical economics. Indian Economic Review, Vol. XXXI, No. 1, pp. 101–108.
  7. ^ Tisdell, C. 2003. A Western perspective of Kauṭilya's Arthashastra: does it provide a basis for economic science? Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Paper No. 18. Brisbane: School of Economics, The University of Queensland.
  8. ^ Sihag, B.S. 2007. Kauṭilya on institutions, governance, knowledge, ethics and prosperity. Humanomics 23 (1): 5–28.
  9. ^ "Mauryan Empire". National Geographic Society. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2022.