Published Online:March 2025
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Case Folio
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJCF030325
DOI:10.71329/CaseFolio/2025.25.1.41-53
Author Name:Harish R
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:41-53
Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra is the oldest available treatise devoted exclusively to statecraft and governance anywhere in the world. This case study puts together a short exposition on what Arthaśāstra has to say on foreign policy in a simplified manner, without going into detailed interpretations and critiques. It explains briefly the four principal frameworks related to foreign policy that are explained in Arthaśāstra , i.e., saptāṅga (the seven elements of a sovereign state), maṇḍala siddhānta (the doctrine of concentric states), śhāḍguṇya siddhānta (the sixfold doctrine), and four upāyas (the four stratagems). It then concludes with a discussion on the applicability of these in the modern context, particularly in relation to issues related to India’s foreign policy. It is hoped that this document could serve as a basic resource material to learn about this topic, and also inspire further study and application of this subject.
Arthasastra is written in Sanskrit in the form of short pieces of text or sutras (maxims or aphorisms). It is divided into 15 adhikara?as (commonly referred to as ‘Books’). It is mainly written in prose form, interspersed with some poetic verses (slokas ). The maxims and verses together number about 6,000.i, ii When translated into English, it has over 160,000 words. Arthasastra identifies its author as Kau?ilya , who is considered to be the same as Cha?akya . It is popularly acknowledged that Cha?akya was a crafty statesman and king-maker, who placed Chandragupta Maurya (who ruled from 321 to 296 BCE) on the throne of the Maurya empire headquartered in Pa?aliputra (modern Patna) by overthrowing the previous regime of the Nanda dynasty. If Kau?ilya and Cha?akya were indeed the same person, it would suggest that Arthasastra was written around 300 BCE.