Chanakya: The great Indian Teacher
The Mauryan Empire is long gone. But it seems like Chanakya survived the test of time pretty well. He is a figure well from our ancient past-around 350–275 BCE, and here we are still talking about him. In this essay, we will discuss what is it about this personality that even after 2000 years, he seems to be part of our society.
A brief history of Chanakya:
Chankya was born in a Brahman family. It is believed that he obtained his education from the University of Taxila (currently in Pakistan). He is known to be an ancient Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. Traditionally, he also goes by names such as Kautaliya and Vishnugupta. He is believed to have written Arthashastra- an ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy. He was prime minister under the reign of Chandragupta Maurya — the first Mauryan emperor. Chanakya is known as India’s pioneer in the area of political science and economics. Popular ancient Indian texts — Arthashashtra and Chanakya Niti –are attributed to him. Even today, these treatises come in handy while working on a state’s economic policy and military strategy.
The Arthashastra also explores issues related to the nature of government, law, civil and criminal court systems, ethics, economics, markets and trade, nature of peace, and the duties and obligations of a king. Topics such as agriculture, mineralogy, mining and metals, animal husbandry, medicine, forests, and wildlife are also covered in the treatise. It has been repeatedly compared to Machiavelli’s The Prince, for its clinical approach to exercising power. After critical analysis of the Arthashastra, it has been established that a single person did not write the text but without Chanakya’s contributions, the practical essence of the Arthashastra may never have grown.
The Arthashastra continues to engage students of politics, religion, and philosophy in the examination of this central problem which its concepts and influence present: Stories and legends of Chanakya might lead us to the conclusion that he can be seen as a soulless materialist who uses whatever is to his advantage to achieve his ends, or as an enlightened pragmatist who recognizes that one must sometimes engage in reprehensible acts in order to achieve noble ends. It seems like a good place to ask this question: Can a positive result be regarded as objectively good if it is attained by negative means? Chanakya would no doubt answer in the affirmative but scholars who study his work seem inclined to stipulate, qualify, or even stop before fully agreeing with his vision. If there is a negative light to Chanakya’s character, why is he considered to be so esteemed and wise?
The events of Chanakya’s life are known only through semi-legendary accounts from various traditions. No historical documents have survived concerning him or his role in the establishment of the Mauryan Empire and hence his existence is often questioned.
Scholars have repeatedly identified Chanakya as a rare mastermind over the centuries but Chanakya’s character and his work arises a lot of controversies. In my opinion, he is a person who cannot be categorized as a positive or a negative character. So why are we still talking about this personality? Here are some reasons to consider.
Chanakya Niti is a collection of aphorisms, said to be selected by Chanakya from the various shastras. If a person carefully reads the text, they will realise that these are golden words written by a brilliant character.
Consider the following:
1. Rajya- Moolam Indriya Jayaha: Those who have complete control over their senses can become great leaders. We should learn to control our ‘Mind’, which manages our senses, which are influenced by material desires. Meditation helps in controlling the senses, by developing control over the mind and the body.
2. Jitaatma Sarvayeh Samyujyet: Those, who are self-disciplined and self-controlled, lead their life to serve others in a selfless state of mind. Such people achieve great success across the globe. That means the ones who are short visionary, greedy, and selfish will suffer and have negative effects on their surroundings.
3. Nasti Ahankara Samah shatru: A person’s biggest enemy is their ego like richness, comfort, publicity, and authority. We need to detach from our ego which is a consequence of material achievements related to our current form of material life.
4. Sarva Jayatya Krodha: The one who can overcome anger can conquer everything.
5. Priya- Vaadino Nashatru: The person who can speak politely and pleasantly, never makes enemies.
6. Sarvasya Bhushanam Vinaya: The best ornament of all our characters is humbleness.
7. Sat-Yen Dharayate Lokaha: The commitment to truth leads to true success and true happiness all over the world.
8. Nasti Sukh-Dukha Bhava: The two faces of a coin are sorrow and happiness. Similarly, success and failure are parts of our life cycle. We need to learn from our past failures and success but live in present to plan for the future in a better way.
9. Trushnaya Mati Chhadhyate: Influence of extreme material desires destroys the conscience. It is very easy to get trapped by extreme materialism if you do not understand the power of spiritual intelligence. You will get biased only towards illusory and deceptive material intelligence.
10. Dukhanaam Aushdham Nirvanam: The ultimate solution to all our worries, problems which are attached to material forms of life is only Moksha. This is the extreme state of spiritual growth. It is our permanent liberation from the slavery of temporary material forms of lives on material planets like Earth, Heaven, and Hell.
11. Vidhya-Arvyapita-Khyati: Knowledge fetches respect and real success. Learning is a continuous process. We should always be ready to learn with an open mind.
12. Yatha Bijam Tatha Nispati: We reap what we sow i.e. Law of Karma.
The above text speaks for itself. These words are immortal. All aspects of our lives can be connected to these teachings. Many successful people and leaders lead their lives with these concrete principles to overcome obstacles and sorrows. If we understand even one of these points and strive to implement it in our lives, a lot would change for the better. It is evident that people invoke Chanakya’s figure even today due to all these reasons.
Chanakya’s teachings and his work has had a huge influence on people. Scholars state that Arthashastra was very influential in Asian history.
A question that we can ask here is, “Can Individual effort bring a great change in society?”
As we have established, Chanakya’s existence is often questioned because no historical records prove he existed. Whatever we know today comes from texts and traditions, recorded several centuries after the Mauryans. Some people believe that he was a character fabricated just to provide the ideal means. He was an attempt to set up a figure for others to admire, or to aspire to become. People are interested in who he was and what he said because they believe his teachings were very influential and it could better their lives. So, the contemporary idea of Chanakya is a composite of several legends, traces of historical facts, and interpreted texts. Can we say that he changed society? Well yes, I think Chanakya or his “character” had a great influence on our society.
Chanakya is also considered to be a great personality because he was the first person in Indian history who introduced and advocated the idea of a constitution in India. In ancient times the King used to be the law as well as the judge. The King would analyze a situation and pass a judgment as per his will and understanding. Chanakya saw this as giving too much power to the King and sensed a clear scope of corruption, he advocated the idea of creating a constitution and restrict the King to being only a judge who will have to make a ruling on the basis of the constitution and not his own will. This was a phenomenal change in Indian society as it made the ruling more systematic and fair.
Even Indian Army chief, General Bipin Rawat stressed the importance of ‘Arthashastra’ and ‘Chanakya Niti’ in developing the Armed Forces. This points to the fact that Chanakya’s character has greatly influenced our country and its policies.
Chanakya also seems to not believe in the caste system which was very prevalent back in the day. He believed that education should be provided to everyone and knowledge fetches respect. One of his famous quotes is “A man is great by his deeds, not by birth. Education is the best friend and an educated person is respected everywhere, it beats the beauty and the youth”. He chose Chandragupta to train and eventually make him king because he saw talent and potential in him. Chanakya did not care about his caste (Chandragupta belonged to a lower caste) and mentored him for many years.
These stories and legends about Chanakya tell us why he is still needed in today’s day and age. Whatever he did or said, was over 2000 years ago but the essence of his teachings still stands to this day. He is a person who is wise and respected. His words are precious and hold a lot of value. In this fast-paced world, Chanakya is a figure made to look up to, and I think he does stand up to that. His teachings have and always will lead people to success in every field, be it- economy, battle, management, science, or philosophy. His figure is needed to guide and lead generations to the path of success.
