Kautilya's Arthasastra of R. Shamasastry

DETAILS : 

• Editor: Jitendra Thakur
  
• Publisher: Dev Publishers & Distributors
  
• ISBN:9789387496668 
  
• Publication Year: 2021 
  
• Paperback: 436 pages
  
• Weight: 600 g 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Kautilya's Arthasastra of R. Shamasastry, revised and newly edited by the scholar Jitendra Thakur, is an invaluable, updated presentation of one of ancient India’s greatest intellectual achievements. Published by Dev Publishers & Distributors, this meticulously reset and cleanly composed edition brings the historic English translation by Dr. Rudrapatna Shamasastry into the modern era for contemporary researchers, students of political science, and historians. The core philosophy of this classic text centers on Arthasastra—the science of material well-being, statecraft, and governance. Kautilya (popularly known as Chanakya) frames the primary duty of a sovereign ruler not around divine mysticism or passive morality, but around the pragmatic acquisition, maintenance, and strategic protection of the state to ensure the security and prosperity of its citizens.

The structural arrangement of this comprehensive work is preserved across its traditional 15 fundamental books, which contain 150 chapters detailing every conceivable layer of realpolitik. Jitendra Thakur's expert editorial refinement ensures that Shamasastry’s foundational 1915 translation is free of antiquated typesetting errors, presenting a highly legible, flowing text. The book opens with the absolute discipline and rigorous education required of a prince, before systematically transitioning into the detailed administrative duties of government superintendents, the foundational laws of the land, the "removal of thorns" (criminal investigation and internal security), and the complex behavior of courtiers. The latter half of the text deepens into advanced political philosophy and military strategy, mapping out the source of sovereign states, the end of the six-fold foreign policy, the dynamics of diplomatic missions, internal and external threats, and the precise management of wartime operations, making it an essential reference for understanding ancient Indian jurisprudence and diplomacy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The historic text was originally written by Kautilya, the mastermind who helped forge the Mauryan Empire, and was famously discovered and translated into English in the early 20th century by Dr. R. Shamasastry, a brilliant Sanskrit scholar and librarian at the Oriental Research Institute in Mysore. For this modern edition, Jitendra Thakur acts as a precise, dedicated editor and structural curator who specializes in making classic Indian folk traditions, regional histories, and textual classics accessible through clean, modernized typography and structural clarity.

Thakur’s editorial approach is highly respectful, methodical, and user-centric, aimed at bridging the gap between old academic formatting and modern reader preferences. Rather than altering the essential translated text or adding heavy speculative commentary, he focuses on restoring the linguistic flow, correcting historical copyist issues, and organizing the dense layout of the 15 Books into a beautifully readable volume. Through his clean compilation, Shamasastry’s historic breakthrough remains the definitive English standard for universities, international defense academies, and administrative institutions studying ancient political systems.