Hi Group,

All of us have heard or read about Chanakya. However, different people have different perceptions about him. How are his teachings relevant for Indian corporates? Here is a piece (source: unknown) It makes good reading.

Chanakya has been misunderstood by a lot of people, mainly the modern western scholars. Though I can not do justice to his greatness by a few lines of his life, I hope the following lines will convince you read some more about his life.

Today India is in a similar situation which Chanakya encountered. The country had been ravaged by Alexander and there were numerous petty kings looking after their own interests. The nationalistic pride had disappeared, and people were not proud or even aware of their ancestry. Chanakya appeared on the scene and united Bharat under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya. He was fearless, not afraid of death, disgrace or defeat. He was compassionate to the poor and kind, evil to deceit. His writings which clearly show his fearlessness in the pursuit of Truth has been echoed over 2000 years later when Swami Vivekananda cried out, 'Arise, Awake, sleep not till the goal is reached.'

Mukherji in his article 'The foundation of the mauryan empire' comments, 'The country had hardly recovered from the shock of Alexanders victorious march through it - march which had dislocated its indigenous political organisation....The atmosphere was full of frustration and depression. The battle of India's independence against these heavy odds called for a leader of exceptional ability and vision who would infuse new life and enthusiasm into the drooping spirits of a defeated people, and organise a fresh national resistance against alien domination.

Fortunately the country produced such a leader in young Chandragupta who had already been prepared for the great mission in life by the Brahmin Chanakya, better known as Kautilya [his given name was Vishnugupta]. Chanakya's superior vision and insight led him to discover in this youth the disciple who would be able, under his direction, to free the motherland of foreign rule.'

Probably the most accurate description of Chanakya can be found in Nehru's words in the Discovery of India, 'Chanakya has been called the Indian Machiavelli and to some extent the comparision is justified. But he was a much bigger person in every way, greater in intellect and reason. He was no mere follower of a King, a humble adviser of an all powerful emperor.

A picture of him emerges from an old Indian [sanskrit] play 'mudra rakshasa' [rakshasa's ring] which deals with this period. Bold and scheming, proud and revengeful, never forgetting a slight, never forgetting his purpose, availing himself of every device to delude and defeat the enemy, he sat with the reins of empire in his hands and looked upon the emperor more as a loved pupil than as master. Simple and austere in life, uninterested in pomp and pageantry of high position, when he had redeemed his pledge and accomplished his purpose, he wanted to retire, brahminlike, to a life of contemplation.

There was hardly anything Chanakya would have refrained from doing to achieve his purpose he was unscrupulous enough, yet he was also wise enough to know that this very purpose might be defeated by means unsuited to the end. Long before Clausewitz, he is reported to have said that war is only a continuance of state policy by other means. But he adds, war must always serve the larger ends of policy and not become an end in itself. The statesman's objective must always be the betterment of the State as a result of war and not the mere defeat and destruction of the enemy.'

As Subramaniam puts it 'There is an ethical undertone in his thought and teaching. In the Arthasastra, which has often been misunderstood, he says that the crux of this political science is control over senses.' If one looks closely into his teaching, it is seen that Chankaya advocated moderation in material pleasures and adherence to the path of righteousness. He himself lived such a life, refusing all adornments or riches even after establishing the first Indian empire. His constant exhortation to give up sensory pleasures, and cultivate qualities like kindness, patience etc may sound hypocritical coming from a man who overthrew governments. But it is not !! In talking about the four stages of life (commonly followed in Hinduism), he feels a mixing of spiritual and sensual aspects are essential with the former slowly displacing the latter in stages. As Subramaniam notes, 'One can go on and on with illustrations to prove Chanakya's farsightedness, keenness of perception, and infallibility.'

A few hundred years before Chanakya, Confucius said that the three marks of a superior man are being virtuous, and thus free from anxiety, being wise, and thus free from perplexity, being brave, and thus free from fear. Chanakya may not have known about Confucius or his sayings, but he lived that life !

srini