KAUTILYA'S RAJADHARMA CULMINATES IN RASHTRADHARMA by SANDEEP BALAKRISHNA (Dharma Dispatch)

All-Encompassing

An unfortunate phenomenon that has crept into and accelerated over the years in public discourse especially after “independence,” is the exclusive emphasis on specialization. When we study the Sanatana tradition and practice of statecraft, it becomes clear that our ancients had an all-encompassing view of the world. This among others, is one of the roots of the evolution of the profound concept of Rta or the invisible Cosmic Order. Its offshoots in practical life include Dharma, Satya, Yajna, Dana and Tapas. This is the innate reason the term “Dharma” has been used as a suffix to almost every conceivable area of human activity: profession, education, marriage, social relationships, and statecraft.

There is an ocean of difference between “politics” and Rajadharma. Bharatavarsha is the only civilization that has evolved a lovely seamlessness between Rajadharma and Rashtradharma: when Rajadharma is fulfilled in a profound manner, it automatically culminates in and upholds Rashtradharma.

This is also one of the immortal messages of Kautilya.

When we talk about a country’s politics, it includes virtually all domains: wars, empires, military, economics, administration, religion, society, customs, culture and traditions.

With this backgrounder, we’ll try and explore Kautilya’s direct and indirect impact on most of these areas throughout Bharatavarsha’s long civilisational history.

The Arthasastra in Action

To begin with, let’s look at these famous verses from the Arthasastra:

आन्वीक्षिकी त्रयी वारतनां योगक्षेमसधनो दण्डः |

तस्य नितिर्दण्डनीतिः ||

अलब्ध लाभार्था लब्ध परिरक्षणी |

रक्षितविवर्धिनी वृद्धस्य तीर्येषु प्रतिपदानि च ||

Which means, “Danda (punishment or the scepter of the ruler) is the means of the stability and welfare of Anvikshiki, Trayi and Vaarta. The rules that deal with Danda are called Dandaniti. Dandaniti is the means for acquiring that which is not acquired; it safeguards what has been acquired; it increases what is being safeguarded and it distributes this ever-increasing wealth and prosperity among the deserving.”

From one perspective, Kautilya’s enduring impact on India’s civilisational and political history is basically a real-life, practical exposition of these two verses. And this impact begins right from the dynasty he inspired and founded: the Mauryan dynasty. In fact, the Mauryan dynasty was Arthasastra in action.

The political history of Bharatavarsha’s civilization history is the history of its great empires including but not limited to the following:

1. Mauryan

2. Satavahana

3. Sunga

4. Gupta

5. Chalukya – Pallava

6. Chola

7. Rashtrakuta

8. Gurjara-Pratihara

9. Pala

10. Hoysala

11. Vijayanagara

12. Maratha

13. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s magnificent Sikh Empire

Now we can explore Kautilya’s influence on India’s history based on this classification.

Emphasis on Dharma

While the Arthasastra places the greatest emphasis on Dharma, on the practical side of things, it is inherently imbued with the realization of the practical side of Dharma—that Dharma cannot be sustained by sweet-talk or Gandhian appeals to the “goodness of the heart” and phony universal brotherhood.

Thus, on the practical side, the Arthasastra it is mainly concerned with everyday realities like central and local administration, taxation, police, diplomacy, security, wars, army, bureaucracy and justice. Taken together, the Dharma aspect in all these realms reflects in its practical application as we shall see. In passing, this focus on practical realities is most visible while deciding on justice. Thus, Kautilya clearly says that if there is a conflict between Arthasastra and Dharmasastra, Dharmasastra should always prevail.

Another area in which this pragmatism is visible might sound harsh today. Chanakya advocates the use of temple funds in order to fill the empty treasury of the kingdom. In fact, we notice almost a photocopy of this practice in the Vijayangara Empire in which all the temples were directly under State control. Its funds closely scrutinized, accounted for, and were used for welfare activities, commerce, and in some cases, to fund war.

Deciding Royal Succession

First, we can trace the direct and indirect impact of Kautilya on Indian history in his rules for royal or political succession. Here, we see his imprint in almost all of our great Hindu dynasties.

We have the case of the celebrated Samudragupta. The younger son of Chandragupta I, the father spotted his talent, competence, valour and acumen at an early age and nominated him as the successor, setting aside his eldest son. The fact that his succession caused no royal split or war is remarkable.

Next, we have Harihara I, the founding monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire who nominated his younger brother Bukkaraya, instead of his eldest son.

Even as recent as the 17^th century, the Tanjavur Nayaka, Venkata II nominated his nephew Chikka Raya as the king, choosing him over his incompetent sons.

There’s another facet of this Kautilyan precept: we have the great example of the young boy Sri Harsha who was elected as King after his brother Rajyavardhana was murdered. Likewise, after Pallava Parameshwaravarman was killed in battle, the new king Nandivarman II was elected. Finally, we have the brilliant example of the bloodless transfer of power from the Hoysalas to the sons of Sangama who founded the Vijayangara Empire.

The oceanic contrast between this noble—even virtuous—tradition of deciding political succession in Hindu Empires becomes immediately evident when we notice the fact that royal succession in Muslim dynasties was synonymous with patricide and fratricide.

Literature

To a smaller extent, literature is another area where notice Kautilya’s influence. Chapter 8 of Dandin’s great work, Dashakumara-carita shows how solidly he had grasped the Arthasastra. Scholar-poets like Dandin were also advisers and counsels to the king.

Then we have Vishakhadatta’s Mudrarakshasa, a play whose subject is Chanakya himself.

This is the other vehicle through which Kautilya’s legacy was transmitted throughout Bharatavarsha.

Tragically, the new breed of scholars, writers and poets that had emerged after the Gupta Empire had imploded, began to condemn the Arthasastra as a “wicked book.” Thus, as early as the seventh century CE, this is what the celebrated Sanskrit Kavi Banabhatta says:

Is there anything that is righteous for those for whom the science of Kautilya is an authority? It is merciless in its precepts, rich in cruelty. Its teachers are habitually hard-hearted with the practice of witchcraft. Its ministers are always inclined to deceive others. They are the counsels of the king. Their constant desire is always for the Goddess of Wealth [Lakshmi] that has been cast away by thousands of kings.

Evidently, this was a subconscious manifestation of the debilitating and long-term influence of Buddhism that had corroded the psyche of both Buddhist and Hindu kings of Bharatavarsha. In a classic case of misapplication, here, Bana confounds the virtue of renouncing wealth: that which is a virtue in the ordinary individual becomes fatal when the king embraces it.

And so, by the 12^th or 13^th century, when most of north and all of northwestern India had lost its freedom, we still notice many replicas of Banabhatta who actively dissuaded people from reading the Arthasastra. Needless, this faint-hearted phenomenon was a great mirror to the early stages of Sanatana Bharata’s downfall.

  

Courtesy: https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/kautilyas-rajadharma-culminates-in-rashtradharma#:~:text=Bharatavarsha%20is%20the%20only%20civilization,the%20immortal%20messages%20of%20Kautilya.

Kautilya’s Eternal Imprint on the History of Bharatavarsha: An Introduction by Sandeep Balakrishnan

Without doubt, Kautilya’s Arthasastra is one of the readily-available magic keys to understand the civilizational history of Bharatavarsha. However, it is not merely limited to either our civilization or history. The study of the Arthasastra which has to be concomitant with the study of Kautilya himself, is a profound penance of Hindu civilizational rediscovery and of our own self-discovery.

When we wake up to the dawn of our Sanatana civilization, we clearly notice only a handful of works, which akin to the reddish-orange-tinged Sun, rose on the sky of this sacred geography. And like the Sun, they have remained eternal, showering resplendence and they continue to guide us with that unsetting brilliance. And because they first saw this Sun, their authors—rather, these Tapasvins—have become the epoch-makers of the Sanatana civilization and culture. They are the builders who laid the unshakeable foundation stones of our civilization, the architects who gave it its timeless design, and the sculptors who breathed immortal beauty into it. Which is why they have been exalted and emulated throughout our tradition as Rishis, Munis, and celebrated as Avataras.

And the spheres in which they worked are fundamental in all respects. Thus,

1. In the realm of Darshana, we have phenomenal Rishis including but not limited to Yajnavalkya, Nachiketa, Vasistha, Vishwamitra, Jabali etc.

2. In language, we have Maharshi Panini. For a moment, think about Sanskrit minusPanini to understand the full significance of his contribution. In fact, think of the origin or the fate of other Bharatiya Bhasha sans Sanskrit.

3. In the Arts, we have Bharatamuni’s Natyasastra.

In literature, we have Valmiki Maharshi and Bhagavan Veda Vyasa. The gift of this duo is indeed immeasurable. It is the Ramayana and the Mahabharata that have truly shaped Bharatavarsha, more than any philosophical treatise.

And in the realm of politics and statecraft, Vishnugupta, Chanakya or Kautilya belongs to this same rank of Rishis.

We can think about this in another way. What all of these immortal civilizational geniuses and cultural lodestars did was irreversible. For example, it is possible to undo our Vedantic darshana? Can we…umm...reverse the Natyasastra? Can someone “write” another “original” Ramayana and the Mahabharata? Likewise, can we pretend that the Arthasastra does not exist and conclude that the tapestry of our rich, expansive, and noble political legacy is not shaped by it? In fact, a bunch of half-baked and ill-informed German Indologists did make such attempts in the wake of the rediscovery of the Arthasastra in the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of them argued that the Arthasastra was not a single work but a compilation. Others tried to “prove” that Chanakya never existed. Still others went so far as to compare the Arthasastra with the Mein Kampf and equated Chandragupta Maurya to Hitler! These semi-brains were awarded PhDs for this sort of “research.”

Study of the Arthasastra

Let it be said that any serious study of the Arthasastra must be done with the conscious realization that it is a phenomenal work of the philosophical genius of a detached Rishi who sought nothing for himself but birthed and chiseled an entire epoch whose legacy lasted for more than two thousand years.

 

The Arthasastra became epochal because it was also foundational in the sense that Chanakya built upon the older traditions of Sanatana statecraft when he charted a fresh course on the strength of this traditional heritage to which he added his original genius. The result is that he gave Bharatavarsha a grand vision and practical methods to achieve lasting and sturdy civilizational outcomes.

The fact that he is being studied even today by Governments and other institutions throughout the world is another brilliant testimony to this one-man epoch-maker.

Loss of Independence

Bharatavarsha lost her freedom the day her kings forgot Chanakya. In fact, in Chanakya’s own time, Bharatavarsha stood on the brink of losing her freedom to the Greeks. It was precisely this reality that Chanakya realized and inspired the foundation of the Mauryan Empire, Bharatavarsha’s first truly National Empire.

And when later Hindu kings forgot this Chanakyan edifice, they lost their freedom to desert barbarians motivated by an alleged religion.

However, the ironical fact is that even during the 800-year-long Islamic rule over parts of Hindustan, Hindus still managed to resist, and Hindu Empires continued to exist because Kautilya’s tenets were inextricably embedded in their DNA. Sadly, they failed to re-manifest it in their active life.

The other important fact that we must remember while studying Kautilya is that the Arthasastra is not a book for the faint-hearted. More importantly, no Hindu should be ashamed of it or feel apologetic. On the contrary, we should constantly celebrate it in both our private lives and public spaces because it has ensured that we have still remained Hindus.

The Arthasastra is also unique in the realm of world’s political literature because it is characterized by completeness and integrity as an entire system incorporating public and private law. Like all the Arthasastras that came before Kautilya, his Arthasastra is also a Dharmasastra, and this is what makes the Indian political and legal system unique from the rest of the world. It simultaneously reveals that all-important difference between Bharatavarsha and the rest of the world. Sanatana polity and statecraft is distinguished by Dharma and the rest of the world is distinguished by its absence.

Likewise, we can gauge its importance and impact on our civilizational and political history from what is known as the “relativity” of the work - i.e., how the Arthasastra can be related to a particular region or Empire or historical period. This relativity also helps us gain a genuine and well-rounded understanding of the various currents of political, social and cultural developments throughout the history of India.

Courtesy: https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/kautilyas-eternal-imprint-on-the-history-of-bharatavarsha-an-introduction

KAUTILYA'S AXIOM TO PEACE, POWER AND PROSPERITY - by MAHESH PRABHU

“Kautilya” or “Chanakya” inspires a great many of his admirers even to this day. A legend who played a pivotal role in building a great empire that unified India under a single rule – is often compared with 16th century renaissance author Niccolo Machiavelli. Although it could be considered– Kautilya was a genius way ahead of his time and had a vision beyond the statesmanship of the western world. It becomes evident when we read his version of Artha Shastra.

“Kautilya” or “Chanakya” inspires a great many of his admirers even to this day. A legend who played a pivotal role in building a great empire that unified India under a single rule – is often compared with 16th-century renaissance author Niccolo Machiavelli. Although it could be considered– Kautilya was a genius way ahead of his time and had a vision beyond the statesmanship of the western world. It becomes evident when we read his version of Artha Shastra.

As strange as it may sound Kautilya was not the author of Artha Shastra – he was a compiler, editor and commentator. His version of Artha Shastra was accidentally rediscovered in 1905 by R. Shamsastry who promptly published it in 1909. The first English translation came out in 1915.

Power – a subject which most authors today fail to explain – is meticulously taught in the Artha Sutras. “Lust, anger, greed, infatuation, ego and envy are the six elements if found in those who wield power, will fail to retain it.” Says Kautilya’s Artha Sutras. Also, “The person without these six elements is capable of manipulating power – unlike those who are manipulated by it.”

Yet the translations that are available do not do justice to the work. Perhaps the most influential as well as the engaging section of this magnum opus work is found at the end – Artha Sutras. Strange but true – scholars have failed to translate it effectively. Those who read them without substantial knowledge of Sanskrit or dharmic wisdom find themselves to be naïve.

This is because of the mistranslation of Sanskrit words like Sukha, Dharma, Artha, Rajyam and Indriya Vijayi. The first four axioms, or sutras, are as below:

Sukhasya Moolam Dharmaha 

Dharmasya Moolam Arthaha 

Arthasya Moolam Rajyam 

Rajyasya Moolam Indriyaanaam Vijayaha

When translated subtly they read as below:

Foundation of Happiness is Dharma 

Foundation of Dharma is Artha 

Foundation of Artha is Raajyam 

Foundation of Rajyam is Indriyaanam Vijayam

Unfortunately, since Dharma is oft translated as “religion”, Artha is mistaken to be “money”, Raajyam is mistaken for “state” people often translated it as below:

Foundation of Happiness is Religion 

Foundation of Religion is Money 

Foundation of Money is State

Foundation of State is winning over everyone’s senses

With such translations, their deeper meaning is lost! And as they are the foundation of all the following axioms or Sutras, they are often disregarded.

Such mistranslations happen because all Vedic texts, including Artha Shastra, are looked from the western perspective even by Indian “scholars” and not Vedic perspective – as they should be.

These short Sutras, or axioms, form the most comprehensive formulae to understanding, working with as well as retaining power for the greater good. Interestingly, these sutras can be applied for even destabilizing ruthless rulers. “Ruthlessness in rulers ensures their certain demise.” says Artha Sutras before mentioning, “If a self-restrained individual without qualities of lust, anger, greed, infatuation, ego and envy decides to take on such ruler – he’s bound to win sooner than later.”

Dharma is not a religion. Dharma is anything that is just – not only from an individual perspective but from the perspective of a greater good. Dharma is good Karma or deeds. Artha is wealth – not just money. Rajyam is governance – not state. Indriya Vijayam isn’t winning everyone’s sense – but controlling one’s own senses.

Given these right translations the hidden wisdom becomes clearer:

Foundation of Happiness is Good Deeds 

Foundation of Good Deeds is Wealth. 

Foundation of Wealth is Governance. 

Governance is best administered by those who are self-controlled.

With deeper examination and by revisiting history, the deeper meaning of these axioms is obvious. Interestingly, Kautilya’s Artha Shastra was written around 2^ndCentury BCE. Over 2,000 years before today. The earlier versions of Artha Shastra, which were edited by earlier teachers of Rajaneeti, including Bharadwaja, Vishalaksha, Parashara,  Shukracharya, Manu and Pishuna, are long lost. However, Kautilya first mentioned them, before agreeing or disagreeing with them. Artha Sutras were not invented by Kautilya but rewritten for greater clarity and relevance It means that some of these Sutras could more than 4,000 years old. This is important because modern education has failed to bring in a proper system of teaching politics to aspiring students.

Interestingly, Kautilya’s Artha Shastra was written around 2^nd Century BCE. Over 2,000 years before today. The earlier versions of Artha Shastra, which were edited by earlier teachers of Rajaneeti, including Bharadwaja, Vishalaksha, Parashara, Manu and Pishuna, are long lost. However, Kautilya first mentioned them, before agreeing or disagreeing with them. Artha Sutras were not invented by Kautilya; but rewritten for greater clarity and relevance It means that some of these Sutras could more than 4,000 years old. This is important because modern education has failed to bring in a proper system of teaching politics to the aspiring students.

Most of the colleges and schools on “Political Science” teach political history – at best. Ancient Indian or Vedic people were ahead of times in terms of administration and leadership succession. This is not surprising if we remember that India was once called the “golden dove” owing to its prosperity. This colossal prosperity attracted Islamic maunders, Arab merchants, European trading enterprises and the like to India. If not for its prosperity – there would have been no reason for their fatal attraction to this land. Prosperity seldom happens by itself – it’s a result of efficient governance. And those in the governance across various kingdoms in the subcontinent followed the principles of Artha Sutras.

These Sutras were the fundamental axioms that students of Rajaneeti were made to memorize at a time when lasting instruments of recording words weren’t present. Smriti (memorizing) and Shruti (hearing) were the two ways by which these texts were handed down over generations for centuries.

Because they are ancient – some people question their viability to work in the present-day globalized economic scenario. The question is fair. While there definitely are significant advances in technology in terms of information transmission and reception – fundamentally the quality of people thoughts, desires and actions have remained the same.

There were diseases then – there are diseases now; there were greed and corruption then – it’s there now too. People were violated by ruthless rulers then – so they are now. While the outer quality of life may have improved – the inner sufferings haven’t changed much. In the end, politics is still a game of resilience, strength, patience, persistence and, importantly, power manipulation. These are best taught by the Rajaneeti of Artha Shastra and Artha Sutras in particular.

Because they are ancient – some people question their viability to work in the present-day globalized economic scenario. The question is fair. While there definitely are significant advances in technology in terms of information transmission and reception – fundamentally the quality of people thoughts, desires and actions have remained the same.

With over 500 axioms – many more than the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – it presents a clear picture as to how happiness is understood, attained and retained through the appropriate application of knowledge and skills to access power and employ it appropriately.

Power – a subject which most authors today fail to explain – is meticulously taught in the Artha Sutras. “Lust, anger, greed, infatuation, ego, and envy are the six elements if found in those who wield power, will fail to retain it.” Says Kautilya’s Artha Sutras. Also, “The person without these six elements is capable of manipulating power – unlike those who are manipulated by it.”

One of the most significant challenges of leadership is putting the right team in place. “The king should only employ those who are second best to him.” says another axiom. “If a king employs someone better than himself, then he must take care to find a counterweight to that person for there will be a threat to his seat of power.” The following axiom declares “The greatest threat to a king is through his own people –  ministers.”Also, “King is as competent as all of his ministers.” And “A king is only stable until his ministers feel insecure in their position.”

These short Sutras, or axioms, form the most comprehensive formulae to understanding, working with as well as retaining power for the greater good. Interestingly, these sutras can be applied for even destabilizing ruthless rulers. “Ruthlessness in rulers ensures their certain demise.” says Artha Sutras before mentioning, “If a self-restrained individual without qualities of lust, anger, greed, infatuation, ego, and envy decides to take on such ruler – he’s bound to win sooner than later.”

On realizing the greater wisdom hidden in these Sutras, a person can feel enlightened about the means and nature of power before applying it for peace and prosperity – not just for himself – but for the world, at large. It, therefore, becomes important that we revisit, learn and propagate this knowledge of Kautilya’s Artha Sutras for the better world we so desire to create.

  

Courtesy: https://www.vedic-management.com/decoding-artha-sutras-kautilyas-axiom-to-peace-power-and-prosperity/

The Kautilya’s Perspective on Wealth: Artha, Vyartha & Anartha - U Mahesh Prabhu

Kautilya advises, “Wealth has only three ends – it’s either spent on deserving people or things, misspent on undeserving people and things or just rots away and falls into the hands of others (deserving or undeserving).” Stagnant wealth is of no utility.

If you want to know about the importance of wealth, ask a pauper; if you want to know the pains of wealth, ask a billionaire. “It’s a pain to earn wealth, causes stress to retain it, and leads to catastrophe when you lose it. Wealth is a sum of pain and gain,” said revered king-turned-hermit, Bhartrihari. True wealth, like all material things, has its own pros and cons. There are not many texts, which explain the nitty-gritty of wealth as much as Vedic scriptures – Kautilya’s Artha Shastra being foremost.

Many consider currency as wealth. But currency is only a legal bill which is worth only in exchange. 

Besides, it has its own geographical limitations. Conventional currencies like dollar, pound sterling, rupees, yen, etc. can be exchanged only in set geographical areas. Crypto-currencies like Bitcoin – that which is valued much greater than US dollar – is mostly useful in online transactions. Currency is nomination of wealth – not wealth itself.

Many consider currency as wealth. But currency is only a legal bill which is worth only in exchange. Besides, it has its own geographical limitations. Conventional currencies like the dollar, pound sterling, rupees, yen, etc. can be exchanged only in set geographical areas. Crypto-currencies like Bitcoin – that which is valued much greater than the US dollar – are mostly useful in online transactions. Currency is the nomination of wealth – not wealth itself. 

So, what is wealth? Wealth is defined, in modern English, as “an abundance of valuable possessions or money” or “a plentiful supply of a particularly desirable thing.” The father of capitalism, Adam Smith, in his book The Wealth of Nations, described wealth as “the annual produce of the land and labor of society”. This “produce” is “that which satisfies human needs and wants of utility.” In popular usage, wealth is understood as an abundance of items of transactional value.

Wealth is defined, in modern English, as “an abundance of valuable possessions or money” or “a plentiful supply of a particular desirable thing.” The father of capitalism, Adam Smith, in his book The Wealth of Nations, described wealth as “the annual produce of the land and labour of society”. This “produce” is “that which satisfies human needs and wants of utility.” In popular usage, wealth is understood as an abundance of items of transactional value.

Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, had a great understanding of wealth. He often termed it Artha. In the Artha Sutras, he suggests “Artha is the root of happiness.” Kautilya’s Artha is not just currency, but also material property and, most importantly, knowledge. “No wealth is greater than the wealth of knowledge,” he argues in his Neeti. That is because “Knowledge explains our being, as well as that which is in our possession (resources) and enables us to use those resources to get that which we want (wealth).” [rml_read_more]

In the second axiom, he says, “the root of wealth is Dharma.” Kautilya’s Dharma is never to be translated as “religion”. Dharma is good conduct. It’s that “which sustains” and that which empowers us to “do good to us as well around us” – our family and society. Anything that hurts any being (humans as well as animals) for no fault of theirs, is Adharma or against Dharma. Therefore, any Artha or wealth gained through the path of Adharma is called Anartha. Anartha, in Sanskrit, also means “disaster”. 

Wealth is useless, when hoarded without any utility to the one who possesses it. Modern economists will agree that hoarded currencies are detrimental to a nation’s economy. For Artha or wealth to be in shape, it must be used in the transaction – either as an investment or expenditure. Kautilya defined hoarded wealth as Vyartha or liability. In Sanskrit, Vyartha also means useless. He advises, “Wealth has only three ends – it’s either spent on deserving people or things, misspent on undeserving people and things or just rots away and falls into the hands of others (deserving or undeserving).” Stagnant wealth is of no utility.  

Wealth is useless when hoarded without any utility to the one who possesses it. Modern economists will agree that hoarded currencies are detrimental to a nation’s economy. For Artha or wealth to be in shape, it must be used in transaction – either as an investment or expenditure. Kautilya defined hoarded wealth as Vyartha or liability. In Sanskrit, Vyartha also means useless. He advises, “Wealth has only three ends – it’s either spent on deserving people or things, misspent on undeserving people and things or just rots away and falls into the hands of others (deserving or undeserving).” Stagnant wealth is of no utility.

When wealth is used for something good, which includes satisfying one’s needs, needs of dependents, helping those who are less fortunate as well as those who are despondent, is Artha. It is important to note that Artha also means “meaningful” in Sanskrit. 

According to Kautilya, the understanding of the ideas and ideals of Artha, Vyartha, and Anartha are key to earning, retaining as well as the rightful dispensation of wealth for one’s own as well as universal welfare. It also helps in establishing peace and prosperity in one’s family, society, the nation as well as the world at large. 

A despicable person bereft of wealth, is often the one who’s bereft of knowledge or Gyaana. Knowledge, one must understand, is not just data or information. Modern educational institutions, often offer courses with the apparent intent to provide knowledge, but only end up providing some form of data or information, and a certificate to that effect. 

If “knowledge” does not help you sustain yourself or those who depend on you, it is not “knowledge”, but data or information. They are subject to change. This does not mean data is useless, rather it is pointless without the knowledge and its application. Knowledge provides us with the ability to interpret data and information and use it to our best advantage. In the absence of knowledge, we suffer. In the absence of knowledge, we are ignorant. In ignorance, there is uncertainty bound with a certain fear. Fear causes mental unrest. Mental instability often makes us take detrimental decisions, causing loss of wealth and even poverty.

If “knowledge” does not help you sustain yourself or those who depend on you, it is not “knowledge”, but data or information. They are subject to change. This does not mean data is useless, rather it is pointless without knowledge and its application. Knowledge provides us with the ability to interpret data and information and use it to our best advantage. In the absence of knowledge, we suffer. In the absence of knowledge, we are ignorant. In ignorance, there is uncertainty bound with certain fear. Fear causes mental unrest. Mental instability often makes us take detrimental decisions, causing loss of wealth and even poverty.

Many governments in the free world, during the early 1900s, gave significant importance to literacy. Their argument was that, with literacy, poverty would end on its own. But, today, with the collapse of financial systems, we see so many literate as well as educated people in the free world living on the streets. Literacy, is a form of data and information; it only helps us to read and write. It fails to empower us to chart a course of action to make the best use of this data and information, for even our own welfare. 

It cannot be called knowledge if you possess information which only makes you uncertain and fearful. Unfortunately, our academic systems are churning out candidates with diplomas, bachelor and master’s degrees, who end up failing to employ themselves! If their knowledge was true, they would have known what to do with it and find a way to employ and provide for themselves and even others. Kautilya’s Artha Sutras explicitly suggests that “an educated person, who cannot find a way to employ oneself, is as good as an uneducated person”. He perhaps implied that an education that does not provide for sustenance is not education at all. 

The current system of education needs to be redesigned to provide knowledge, not redundant data and information. For, according to Kautilya, such “knowledge” is Vyartha – useless – and often results in Anartha – disastrous consequences. 

Kautilya’s axioms on Artha have rarely been wrong. When the global economy collapsed in 2009 – the tremors of which can be felt even to this day – it was not because illiterates were at the helm. Wall Street honchos were Ivy League graduates – they were apparently the “smartest guys in the room”. Somehow, they failed the system, as well as themselves, because they didn’t understand the concept of Artha and did everything that resulted in Anartha. When these grand “leaders” occupied positions of power, their alma maters felicitated them, with awards and honorary doctorates, but when they were put behind bars, there was no course correction or even acknowledgment of failure. The students should have been taught the reasons behind the past students’ fall from grace. The should have learned and taught the ideas and ideals of Artha, Vyartha, and Anartha. 

Mahesh Prabhu

Udupi Mahesh Prabhu is a seasoned investor, internationally published author of over seven books as well as a globally respected media, management and political consultant. He is the founder & Chairman Emeritus of Wyoming US-based multi-million investment and holding firm Vedic Management Group LLC, as well as its international publishing label Vivaswaan. He founded Vedic Management Center in 2016 with Dr David Frawley and continues to be its active founder-director ever since. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Asiatic Society in 2009 and has a bachelor's and master's in business management with a specialization in marketing.

 

Article courtesy: https://www.vedic-management.com/kautilyas-concept-of-wealth-artha-vyartha-and-anartha/