Polity, Administration of State and Kautilya’s Doctrines: Rereading “Arthashastra”

Abstract

Is it feasible to carry out the administration of a polity arbitrarily? The art of statecraft is complex and divergent as the nature of polity is never uniform. There has never been a universal formula for state administration. Kautilya’s Arthashastra is a full-fledged quintessential masterwork on the science of polity. Debates about how far the doctrines of Kautilya as presented in Arthashastra can be pragmatically relevant in accord with the imperatives of modern state administration exist. It appears convenient and fashionable to repudiate Arthashastra as an antiquated piece of scholarly work. As the classical political treatise of first order, Arthashastra extensively chisels all the vital subjects of polity in superlative forms. Delving into the pages of Arthashastra invariably illuminates us with the most penetrating insights which can be employed as groundwork to cope with manifold challenges facing a government. This paper examines Kautilya’s teachings on polity and art of statecraft in today’s context. It further seeks to explain why Arthashastra stays pre-eminent as ever.