CHANAKYA
![](Chanakya_artistic_depiction.jpg)
Chanakya,
artistic depiction
Born
: 375 BCE, Chanaka village in Golla region (Jain legends)
or in Takshashila (Buddhist legends)
Died : 283 BCE, Pataliputra, Maurya Empire
Occupation : Teacher, Philosopher, Economist, Jurist,
advisor of Chandragupta Maurya
Known for : Prominent role in the foundation of
the Maurya Empire & Arthashastra, Chanakya Niti
Gotra
: Kaundinya
Gotra
Chanakya
was an ancient Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and
royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kautilya or Vishnugupt,
who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthshashtra,
a text dated to roughly between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd
century CE. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of
political science and economics in India, and his work is thought
of as an important precursor to classical economics. His works were
lost near the end of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century CE and
not rediscovered until the early 20th century.
Chanakya
assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupt in his rise to power.
He is widely credited for having played an important role in the
establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief
advisor to both emperors Chandragupt and his son Bindusar.
Background
:
Sources of information :
There is little documented historical information about Chanakya:
most of what is known about him comes from semi-legendary accounts.
Thomas Trautmann identifies four distinct accounts of the ancient
Chanakya-Chandragupt katha (legend) :
Version
of the legend |
Example
texts |
Buddhist
version |
Mahavamsa
and its commentary Vamsatthappakasini (Pali language) |
Jain
version |
Parishishtaparvan
by Hemachandra |
Kashmiri
version |
Kathasaritsagar
by Somdev, Brihat-Katha-Manjari by Ksemendra |
Vishakhadatt's
version |
Mudrarakshash,
a Sanskrit play by Vishakhadatt |
In
all the four versions, Chanakya feels insulted by the Nand king,
and vows to destroy him. After dethroning the Nand, he installs
Chandragupt as the new king.
Buddhist
version :
The legend of Chanakya and Chandragupt is detailed in the Pali-language
Buddhist chronicles of Sri Lanka. It is not mentioned in Dipvamsa,
the oldest of these chronicles. The earliest Buddhist source to
mention the legend is Mahavamsa, which is generally dated between
5th and 6th centuries CE. Vamsatthappakasini (also known as Mahvamsa
Tika), a commentary on Mahavamsa, provides some more details about
the legend. Its author is unknown, and it is dated variously from
6th century CE to 13th century CE. Some other texts provide additional
details about the legend; for example, the Maha-Bodhi-Vamsa and
the Atthakatha give the names of the nine Nand kings said to have
preceded Chandragupt.
Jain version :
The Chandragupt-Chanakya legend is mentioned in several commentaries
of the Shvetambar canon. The most well-known version of the Jain
legend is contained in the Sthaviravali-Charita or Parishisht-Parvan,
written by the 12th-century writer Hemachandra. Hemachandra's account
is based on the Prakrit kathanak literature (legends and anecdotes)
composed between the late 1st century CE and mid-8th century CE.
These legends are contained in the commentaries (churnis and tikas)
on canonical texts such as Uttaradhyayan and Avashyak Niryukti.
Thomas Trautmann believes that the Jain version is older and more
consistent than the Buddhist version of the legend.
Kashmiri version :
Brihatkatha-Manjari by Kshemendra and Kathasaritsagar by Somdev
are two 11th-century Kashmiri Sanskrit collections of legends. Both
are based on a now-lost Prakrit-language Brihatkatha-Sarit-Sagar.
It was based on the now-lost Paishachi-language Brihatkath by Gunadhya.
The Chanakya-Chandragupt legend in these collections features another
character, named Shakatal (IAST: Sakatal).
Mudrarakshash version :
Mudrarakshash ("The signet ring of Rakshash") is a Sanskrit
play by Vishakhadatt. Its date is uncertain, but it mentions the
Hun, who invaded northern India during the Gupta period. Therefore,
it could not have been composed before the Gupta era. It is dated
variously from the late 4th century to the 8th century. The Mudrarakshash
legend contains narratives not found in other versions of the Chanakya-Chandragupt
legend. Because of this difference, Trautmann suggests that most
of it is fictional or legendary, without any historical basis.
Identification with Kautilya or Vishnugupt :
The ancient Arthshashtra has been traditionally attributed to Chanakya
by a number of scholars. The Arthshashtra identifies its author
as Kautilya, a gotra or clan name, except for one verse that refers
to him by the personal name of Vishnugupt. Kautilya is presumably
the name of the author's gotra (clan).
One
of the earliest Sanskrit literatures to identify Chanakya with Vishnugupt
explicitly was the Panchatantra.[need quotation to verify]
K.
C. Ojha proposes that the traditional identification of Vishnugupt
with Kautilya was caused by a confusion of the text's editor and
its originator. He suggests that Vishnugupt was a redactor of the
original work of Kautilya. Thomas Burrow suggests that Chanakya
and Kautilya may have been two different people.
Legends
:
![](642px-Nanda_Empire,_c.325_BCE.png)
Dhananand's
empire, circa 323 BCE
Buddhist version :
According to the Buddhist legend, the Nand kings who preceded Chandragupt
were robbers-turned-rulers.Chanakya (IAST: Canakka in Mahavamsa)
was a Brahmin from Takkasila (Takshashila). He was well-versed in
three Vedas and politics. He had canine teeth, which were believed
to be a mark of royalty. His mother feared that he would neglect
her after becoming a king. To pacify her, Chanakya broke his teeth.
Chanakya
was said to be ugly, accentuated by his broken teeth and crooked
feet. One day, the king Dhananand organized an alms-giving ceremony
for Brahmins. Chanakya went to Pupphapur (Pushpapur) to attend this
ceremony. Disgusted by his appearance, the king ordered him to be
thrown out of the assembly. Chanakya broke his sacred thread in
anger, and cursed the king. The king ordered his arrest, but Chanakya
escaped in the disguise of an Ajivika. He befriended Dhananad's
son Pabbat, and instigated him to seize the throne. With help of
a signet ring given by the prince, Chanakya fled the palace through
a secret door.
Chanakya
escaped to the Vinjha forest. There, he made 800 million gold coins
(kahapans), using a secret technique that allowed him to turn 1
coin into 8 coins. After hiding this money, he started searching
for a person worthy of replacing Dhananand. One day, he saw a group
of children playing: the young Chandragupt (called Chandagutt in
Mahavamsa) played the role of a king, while other boys pretended
to be vassals, ministers, or robbers. The "robbers" were
brought before Chandragupt, who ordered their limbs to be cut off,
but then miraculously re-attached them. Chandragupt had been born
in a royal family, but was brought up by a hunter after his father
was killed by an usurper, and the devtas caused his mother to abandon
him. Astonished by the boy's miraculous powers, Chanakya paid 1000
gold coins to his foster-father, and took Chandragupt away, promising
to teach him a trade.
Chanakya
had two potential successors to Dhannand: Pabbat and Chandragupt.
He gave each of them an amulet to be worn around the neck with a
woolen thread. One day, he decided to test them. While Chandragupt
was asleep, he asked Pabbat to remove Chandragupt's woolen thread
without breaking it and without waking up Chandragupt. Pabbat failed
to accomplish this task. Some time later, when Pabbat was sleeping,
Chanakya challenged Chandragupt to complete the same task. Chandragupt
retrieved the woolen thread by cutting off Pabbat's head. For the
next seven years, Chanakya trained Chandragupt for royal duties.
When Chandragupt became an adult, Chanakya dug up his hidden treasure
of gold coins, and assembled an army.
The
army of Chanadragupt and Chanakya invaded Dhannand's kingdom, but
disbanded after facing a severe defeat. While wandering in disguise,
the two men once listened to the conversation between a woman and
her son. The child had eaten the middle of a cake, and thrown away
the edges. The woman scolded him, saying that he was eating food
like Chandragupt, who attacked the central part of the kingdom instead
of conquering the border villages first. Chanakya and Chandragupt
realized their mistake. They assembled a new army, and started conquering
the border villages. Gradually, they advanced to the kingdom's capital
Pataliputra (Pataliputta in Mahavamsa), where they killed the king
Dhananand. Chanakya ordered a fisherman to find the place where
Dhananand had hidden his treasure. As soon as the fishermen informed
Chanakya about its location, Chanakya had him killed. Chanakya anointed
Chandragupt as the new king, and tasked a man named Paniyatappa
with eliminating rebels and robbers from the kingdom.
Chanakya
started mixing small doses of poison in the new king's food to make
him immune to poisoning attempts by the enemies. Chandragupt, who
was not aware of this, once shared the food with his pregnant queen,
who was seven days away from delivery. Chanakya arrived just as
the queen ate the poisoned morsel. Realizing that she was going
to die, Chanakya decided to save the unborn child. He cut off the
queen's head and cut open her belly with a sword to take out the
foetus. Over the next seven days, he placed the foetus in the belly
of a goat freshly killed each day. After seven days, Chandragupt's
son was "born". He was named Bindusar, because his body
was spotted with drops (bindu) of goat's blood.
The
earliest Buddhist legends do not mention Chanakya in their description
of the Mauryan dynasty after this point. Dhammapal's commentary
on Theragath, however, mentions a legend about Chanakya and a Brahmin
named Subandhu. According to this account, Chanakya was afraid that
the wise Subandhu would surpass him at Chandragupt's court. So,
he got Chandragupt to imprison Subandhu, whose son Tekicchakani
escaped and became a Buddhist monk. The 16th-century Tibetan Buddhist
author Taranatha mentions Chanakya as one of Bindusar's "great
lords". According to him, Chanakya destroyed the nobles and
kings of 16 towns and made Bindusar the master of all the territory
between the eastern and the western seas (Arabian Sea and the Bay
of Bengal).
Jain
version :
According to the Jain account, Chanakya was born to two lay Jains
(shravak) named Chanin and Chaneshvari. His birthplace was the Chanak
village in Golla vishaya (region). The identity of "Golla"
is not certain, but Hemachandra states that Chanakya was a Dramil,
implying that he was a native of South India.
Chanakya
was born with a full set of teeth. According to the monks, this
was a sign that he would become a king in the future. Chanin did
not want his son to become haughty, so he broke Chanakya's teeth.
The monks prophesied that the baby would go on to become a power
behind the throne. Chanakya grew up to be a learned shravak, and
married a Brahmin woman. Her relatives mocked her for being married
to a poor man. This motivated Chanakya to visit Pataliputra, and
seek donations from the king Nand, who was famous for his generosity
towards Brahmins. While waiting for the king at the royal court,
Chanakya sat on the king's throne. A dasi (servant girl) courteously
offered Chanakya the next seat, but Chanakya kept his kamandal (water
pot) on it, while remaining seated on the throne. The servant offered
him a choice of four more seats, but each time, he kept his various
items on the seats, refusing to budge from the throne. Finally,
the annoyed servant kicked him off the throne. Enraged, Chanakya
vowed to uproot Nand and his entire establishment, like "a
great wind uproots a tree".
Chanakya
knew that he was prophesied to become a power behind the throne.
So, he started searching for a person worthy of being a king. While
wandering, he did a favour for the pregnant daughter of a village
chief, on the condition that her child would belong to him. Chandragupt
was born to this lady. When Chandragupt grew up, Chanakya came to
his village and saw him playing "king" among a group of
boys. To test him, Chanakya asked him for a donation. The boy told
Chanakya to take the cows nearby, declaring that nobody would disobey
his order. This display of power convinced Chanakya that Chandragupt
was the one worthy of being a king.
Chanakya
took Chandragupt to conquer Pataliputra, the capital of Nand. He
assembled an army using the wealth he had acquired through alchemy
(dhatuvad-visaradan). The army suffered a severe defeat, forcing
Chanakya and Chandragupt to flee the battlefield. They reached a
lake while being pursued by an enemy officer. Chanakya asked Chandragupt
to jump into the lake, and disguised himself as a meditating ascetic.
When the enemy soldier reached the lake, he asked the 'ascetic'
if he had seen Chandragupt. Chanakya pointed at the lake. As the
soldier removed his armour to jump into the lake, Chanakya took
his sword and killed him. When Chandragupt came out of the water,
Chanakya asked him, "What went through your mind, when I disclosed
your location to the enemy?" Chandragupt replied that he trusted
his master to make the best decision. This convinced Chanakya that
Chandragupt would remain under his influence even after becoming
the king. On another occasion, Chanakya similarly escaped the enemy
by chasing away a washerman, and disguising himself as one. Once,
he cut open the belly of a Brahmin who had just eaten food, and
took out the food to feed a hungry Chandragupt.
One
day, Chanakya and Chandragupt overheard a woman scolding her son.
The child had burnt his finger by putting it in the middle of a
bowl of hot gruel. The woman told her son that by not starting from
the cooler edges, he was being foolish like Chanakya, who attacked
the capital before conquering the bordering regions. Chanakya realized
his mistake, and made a new plan to defeat Nand. He formed an alliance
with Parvataka, the king of a mountain kingdom called Himavatkut,
offering him half of Nand's kingdom.
After
securing Parvatak's help, Chanakya and Chandragupt started besieging
the towns other than Pataliputra. One particular town offered a
strong resistance. Chanakya entered this town disguised as a Shaivite
mendicant, and declared that the siege would end if the idols of
the seven mothers were removed from the town's temple. As soon as
the superstitious defenders removed the idols from the temple, Chanakya
ordered his army to end the siege. When the defenders started celebrating
their victory, Chanakya's army launched a surprise attack and captured
the town.
Gradually,
Chanakya and Chandragupt subdued all the regions outside the capital.
Finally, they captured Pataliputra and Chandragupt became the king.
They allowed the king Nand to go into exile, with all the goods
he could take on a cart. As Nand and his family were leaving the
city on a cart, his daughter saw Chandragupt, and fell in love with
the new king. She chose him as her husband by svayamvara tradition.
As she was getting off the cart, 9 spokes of the cart's wheel broke.
Interpreting this as an omen, Chanakya declared that Chandragupt's
dynasty would last for 9 generations.
Meanwhile,
Parvatak fell in love with one of Nand's vishkanyas (poison girl).
Chanakya approved the marriage, and Parvatak collapsed when he touched
the girl during the wedding. Chanakya asked Chandragupt not to call
a physician. Thus, Parvatak died and Chandragupt became the sole
ruler of Nand's territories.
Chanakya
then started consolidating the power by eliminating Nand's loyalists,
who had been harassing people in various parts of the kingdom. Chanakya
learned about a weaver who would burn any part of his house infested
with cockroaches. Chanakya assigned the responsibility of crushing
the rebels to this weaver. Soon, the kingdom was free of insurgents.
Chanakya also burned a village that had refused him food in the
past. He filled the royal treasury by inviting rich merchants to
his home, getting them drunk and gambling with a loaded dice.
Once,
the kingdom suffered a 12-year long famine. Two young Jain monks
started eating from the king's plate, after making themselves invisible
with a magic ointment. Chanakya sensed their presence by covering
the palace floor with a powder, and tracing their footprints. At
the next meal, he caught them by filling the dining room with thick
smoke, which caused the monks' eyes to water, washing off the ointment.
Chanakya complained about the young monks behavior to the head monk
Acharya Susthit. The Acharya blamed people for not being charitable
towards monks, so Chanakya started giving generous alms to the monks.
Meanwhile,
Chandragupt had been patronizing the non-Jain monks. Chanakya decided
to prove to him that these men were not worthy of his patronage.
He covered the floor of the palace area near the women's rooms with
a powder, and left the non-Jain monks there. Their footprints showed
that they had sneaked up to the windows of the women's rooms to
peep inside. The Jain monks, who were assessed using the same method,
stayed away from the women's rooms. After seeing this, Chandragupt
appointed the Jain monks as his spiritual counsellors.
Chanakya
used to mix small doses of poison in Chandragupt's food to make
him immune to poisoning attempts. The king, unaware of this, once
shared his food with Queen Durdhara. Chanakya entered the room at
the instant she died. He cut open the dead queen's belly and took
out the baby. The baby, who had been touched by a drop ("bindu")
of the poison, was named Bindusar.
After
Chandragupt abdicated the throne to become a Jain monk, Chanakya
anointed Bindusar as the new king. Chanakya asked Bindusar to appoint
a man named Subandhu as one of his ministers. However, Subandhu
wanted to become a higher minister and grew jealous of Chanakya.
So, he told Bindusar that Chanakya was responsible for the death
of his mother. Bindusar confirmed the allegations with the nurses,
who told him that Chanakya had cut open the belly of his mother.
And enraged Bindusar started hating Chanakya. As a result, Chanakya,
who had grown very old by this time, retired and decided to starve
himself to death. Meanwhile, Bindusar came to know about the detailed
circumstances of his birth, and implored Chanakya to resume his
ministerial duties. After failing to pacify Chanakya, the emperor
ordered Subandhu to convince Chanakya to give up his suicide plan.
Subandhu, while pretending to appease Chanakya, burned him to death.
Subandhu then took possession of Chanakya's home. Chanakya had anticipated
this, and before retiring, he had set up a cursed trap for Subandhu.
He had left behind a chest with a hundred locks. Subandhu broke
the locks, hoping to find precious jewels. He found a sweet-smelling
perfume and immediately inhaled it. But then his eyes fell on a
birch bark note with a curse written on it. The note declared that
anybody who smelled this perfume will have to either become a monk
or face death. Subandhu tested the perfume on another man, and then
fed him luxurious food (something that the monks abstain from).
The man died, and then Subandhu was forced to become a monk to avoid
death.
According
to another Jain text – the Rajavali-Katha – Chanakya
accompanied Chandragupt to forest for retirement, once Bindusar
became the king.
Kashmiri
version :
The Kashmiri version of the legend goes like this: Vararuchi (identified
with Katyayan), Indradatt and Vyadi were three disciples of the
sage Varsh. Once, on behalf of their guru Varsha, they traveled
to Ayodhya to seek a gurudakshina (guru's fee) from king Nand. As
they arrived to meet Nand, the king died. Using his yogic powers,
Indradatt entered Nand's body, and granted Vararuchi's request for
10 million dinars (gold coins). The royal minister Shakatal realized
what was happening, and had Indradatt's body burnt. But before he
could take any action against the fake king (Indradatt in Nand's
body, also called YogaNand), the king had him arrested. Shakatal
and his 100 sons were imprisoned, and were given food sufficient
only for one person. Shakatal's 100 sons starved to death, so that
their father could live to take revenge.
Meanwhile,
the fake king appointed Vararuchi as his minister. As the king's
character kept deteriorating, a disgusted Vararuchi retired to a
forest as an ascetic. Shakatala was then restored as the minister,
but kept planning his revenge. One day, Shakatal came across Chanakya,
a Brahmin who was uprooting all the grass in his path, because one
blade of the grass had pricked his foot. Shakatal realized that
he could use a man so vengeful to destroy the fake king. He invited
Chanakya to the king's assembly, promising him 100,000 gold coins
for presiding over a ritual ceremony.
Shakatal
hosted Chanakya in his own house, and treated him with great respect.
But the day Chanakya arrived at the king's court, Shakatal got another
Brahmin named Subandhu to preside over the ceremony. Chanakya felt
insulted, but Shakatal blamed the king for this dishonour. Chanakya
then untied his topknot (sikha), and vowed not to re-tie it until
the king was destroyed. The king ordered his arrest, but he escaped
to Shakatal's house. There, using materials supplied by Shakatal,
he performed a magic ritual which made the king sick. The king died
of fever after 7 days.
Shakatal
then executed Hiranyagupta, the son of the fake king. He anointed
Chandragupt, the son of the real king Nand, as the new king (in
Kshemendra's version, it is Chanakya who installs Chandragupt as
the new king). Shakatala also appointed Chanakya as the royal priest
(purohita). Having achieved his revenge, he then retired to the
forest as an ascetic.
Mudrarakshash
version :
According to the Mudrarakshash version, the king Nand once removed
Chanakya from the "first seat of the kingdom" (this possibly
refers to Chanakya's expulsion from the king's assembly). For this
reason, Chanakya vowed not to tie his top knot (shikha) until the
complete destruction of Nand. Chanakya made a plan to dethrone Nand,
and replace him with Chandragupt, his son by a lesser queen. Chanakya
engineered Chandragupt's alliance with another powerful king Parvateshvar
(or Parvat), and the two rulers agreed to divide Nand's territory
after subjugating him. Their allied army included Bahlik, Kirat,
Parasik, Kamboj, Shak, and Yavan soldiers. The army invaded Pataliputra
(Kusumapura) and defeated the Nands. Parvat is identified with King
Porus by some scholars.
Nand's
prime minister Rakshash escaped Pataliputra, and continued resisting
the invaders. He sent a vishakanya (poison girl) to assassinate
Chandragupt. Chanakya had this girl assassinate Parvat instead,
with the blame going to Rakshash. However, Parvat's son Malayaketu
learned the truth about his father's death, and defected to Rakshash's
camp. Chanakya's spy Bhagurayan accompanied Malayaketu, pretending
to be his friend.
Rakshash
continued to plot Chandragupt's death, but all his plans were foiled
by Chanakya. For example, once Rakshash arranged for assassins to
be transported to Chandragupt's bedroom via a tunnel. Chanakya became
aware of them by noticing a trail of ants carrying the leftovers
of their food. He then arranged for the assassins to be burned to
death.
Meanwhile,
Parvat's brother Vairodhak became the ruler of his kingdom. Chanakya
convinced him that Rakshash was responsible for killing his brother,
and agreed to share half of Nand's kingdom with him. Secretly, however,
Chanakya hatched a plan to get Vairodhak killed. He knew that the
chief architect of Pataliputra was a Rakshash loyalist. He asked
this architect to build a triumphal arch for Chandragupt's procession
to the royal palace. He arranged the procession to be held at midnight
citing astrological reasons, but actually to ensure poor visibility.
He then invited Vairodhak to lead the procession on Chandragupt's
elephant, and accompanied by Chandragupt's bodyguards. As expected,
Rakshasa's loyalists arranged for the arch to fall on who they thought
was Chandragupt. Vairodhak was killed, and once again, the assassination
was blamed on Rakshash.
Malayaketu
and Rakshash then formed an alliance with five kings: Chiravarman
of Kauluta (Kulu), Meghaksh of Parasik, Narasimha of Malay, Pushkaraksh
of Kashmir, and Sindhusen of Saindhav. This allied army also included
soldiers from Chedi, Gandhar, Huns, Khas, Magadh, Shak, and Yavan
territories.
In
Pataliputra, Chanakya's agent informed him that three Rakshash loyalists
remained in the capital: the Jain monk Jiv-siddhi, the scribe Shakat-das
and the jewelers' guild chief Chandan-das. Of these, Jiv-siddhi
was actually a spy of Chanakya, unknown to his other spies. Chandan-das
sheltered Rakshash's wife, who once unknowingly dropped her husband's
signet-ring (mudra). Chanakya's agent got hold of this signet-ring,
and brought it to Chanakya. Using this signet ring, Chanakya sent
a letter to Malayaketu warning him that his allies were treacherous.
Chanakya also asked some of Chandragupt's princes to fake defection
to Malayaketu's camp. In addition, Chanakya ordered Shakata-dasa's
murder, but had him 'rescued' by Siddharthak, a spy pretending to
be an agent of Chandan-das. Chanakya's spy then took Shakat-das
to Rakshash.
When
Shakat-das and his 'rescuer' Siddharthak reached Rakshash, Siddharthak
presented him the signet-ring, claiming to have found it at Chandana-dasa's
home. As a reward, Rakshash gave him some jewels that Malayaketu
had gifted him. Sometime after this, another of Chanakya's agents,
disguised as a jeweler, sold Parvat's jewels to Rakshash.
Sometime
later, Rakshash sent his spies disguised as musicians to Chandragupt's
court. But Chanakya knew all about Rakshash's plans thanks to his
spies. In front of Rakshash's spies, Chanakya and Chandragupt feigned
an angry argument. Chandragupt pretended to dismiss Chanakya, and
declared that Rakshash would make a better minister. Meanwhile,
Malayaketu had a conversation with Chanakya's spy Bhagurayan while
approaching Rakshash's house. Bhagurayan made Malayaketu distrustful
of Rakshash, by saying that Rakshash hated only Chanakya, and would
be willing to serve Nand's son Chandragupt. Shortly after this,
a messenger came to Rakshash's house, and informed him that Chandragupt
had dismissed Chanakya while praising him. This convinced Malayaketu
that Rakashash could not be trusted.
Malayaketu
then decided to invade Pataliputra without Rakshash by his side.
He consulted the Jain monk Jiva-siddhi to decide an auspicious time
for beginning the march. Jiv-siddhi, a spy of Chanakya, told him
that he could start immediately. Jiva-siddhi also convinced him
that Rakshasa was responsible for his father's death, but Bhagurayan
persuaded him not to harm Rakshash. Shortly after, Chanakya's spy
Siddharthak pretended to get caught with a fake letter addressed
to Chandragupt by Rakshash. Wearing the jewels given by Rakshash,
he pretended to be an agent of Rakshash. The letter, sealed with
Rakshash's signet-ring, informed Chandragupt that Rakshash only
wished to replace Chanakya as the prime minister. It also stated
that five of Malayaketu's allies were willing to defect to Chandragupt
in return for land and wealth. An angry Malayaketu summoned Rakshash,
who arrived wearing Parvat's jewels that Chanakya's agent had sold
him. When Malayaketu saw Rakshash wearing his father's jewels, he
was convinced that there was indeed a treacherous plan against him.
He executed his five allies in a brutal manner.
The
rest of Malayaketu's allies deserted him, disgusted at his treatment
of the five slayed allies. Rakshash managed to escape, tracked by
Chanakya's spies. One of Chanakya's spies, disguised as a friend
of Chandan-das, got in touch with him. He told Rakshash that Chandan-das
was about to be executed for refusing to divulge the location of
Rakshash's family. On hearing this, Rakshash rushed to Pataliputra
to surrender and save the life of his loyal friend Chandan-das.
When he reached Pataliputra, Chanakya, pleased with his loyalty
to Chandan-das, offered him clemency. Rakshash pledged allegiance
to Chandragupt and agreed to be his prime minister, in return for
release of Chandan-das and a pardon for Malayaketu. Chanakya then
bound his top knot, having achieved his objective, and retired.
Literary
works :
Two books are attributed to Chanakya: Arthshashtra, and Chanakya
Niti, also known as Chanakya Neeti-shashtra. The Arthshashtra was
discovered in 1905 by librarian Rudrapatna Shamasastry in an uncatalogued
group of ancient palm-leaf manuscripts donated by an unknown pandit
to the Oriental Research Institute Mysore.
The Arthshashtra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare,
international relations, and war strategies in detail. The text
also outlines the duties of a ruler. [unreliable source?] Some scholars
believe that Arthshashtra is actually a compilation of a number
of earlier texts written by various authors, and Chanakya might
have been one of these authors (see above).
Chanakya Niti is a collection of aphorisms, said to be selected
by Chanakya from the various shastras.
Legacy :
Arthshashtra is serious manual on statecraft, on how to run a state,
informed by a higher purpose, clear and precise in its prescriptions,
the result of practical experience of running a state. It is not
just a normative text but a realist description of the art of running
a state.
- Shiv Shankar Menon, National Security Advisor
Chanakya is regarded as a great thinker and diplomat in India. Many
Indian nationalists regard him as one of the earliest people who
envisioned a united India spanning the entire subcontinent. India's
former National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon praised Chanakya's
Arthshashtra for its precise and timeless descriptions of power.
Furthermore, he recommended reading of the book for broadening the
vision on strategic issues.
The
diplomatic enclave in New Delhi is named Chanakyapuri in honour
of Chanakya. Institutes named after him include Training Ship Chanakya,
Chanakya National Law University and Chanakya Institute of Public
Leadership. Chanakya circle in Mysore has been named after him.[self-published
source?]
In
Popular Culture :
Plays :
Several modern adaptations of the legend of Chanakya narrate his
story in a semi-fictional form, extending these legends. In Chandragupt
(1911), a play by Dwijendralal Ray, the Nand king exiles his half-brother
Chandragupt, who joins the army of Alexander the Great. Later, with
help from Chanakya and Katyayan (the former Prime Minister of Magadha),
Chandragupt defeats Nand, who is put to death by Chanakya.
Film
and television :
• The
story of Chanakya and Chandragupt was portrayed in the 1977 Telugu
film entitled Chanakya Chandragupt. Akkineni Nageswara Rao played
the role of Chanakya, while N. T. Rama Rao portrayed as Chandragupt.
•
The 1991 TV series Chanakya is an archetypal account of the life
and times of Chanakya, based on the Mudrarakshasa. The titular role
of the same name was portrayed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi
•
Chandragupt Maurya, a 2011 TV series on NDTV Imagine is a biographical
series on the life of Chandragupt Maurya and Chanakya, and is produced
by Sagar Arts. Manish Wadhwa portrays the character of Chanakya
in this series.
•
The 2015 Colors TV drama, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, features Chanakya
during the reign of Chandragupt's son, Bindusar.
•
Chanakya was played by Chetan Pandit and Tarun Khanna, in the historical-drama
television series Porus in 2017–2018.
•
Chanakya was played by Tarun Khanna, in the historical drama TV
series Chandragupt Maurya in 2018–2019.
Books and academia :
• An
English-language book titled Chanakya on Management contains 216
sutras on raja-neeti, each of which has been translated and commented
upon
•
A book written by Ratan Lal Basu and Rajkumar Sen deals with the
economic concepts mentioned in Arthshashtra and their relevance
for the modern world
•
Chanakya (2001) by B. K. Chaturvedi
•
In 2009, many eminent experts discussed the various aspects of Kautilya's
thought in an International Conference held at the Oriental Research
Institute in Mysore (India) to celebrate the centenary of discovery
of the manuscript of the Arthshashtra by R. Shamasastry. Most of
the papers presented in the Conference have been compiled in an
edited volume by Raj Kumar Sen and Ratan Lal Basu
•
Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi is a fictional account of Chanakya's
life as a political strategist in ancient India. The novel relates
two parallel stories, the first of Chanakya and his machinations
to bring Chandragupt Maurya to the throne of Magadha; the second,
that of a modern-day character called Gangasagar Mishra who makes
it his ambition to position a slum child as Prime Minister of India
• The
Emperor's Riddles by Satyarth Nayak features popular episodes from
Chanakya's life
•
Kautilya's role in the formation of the Maurya Empire is the essence
of a historical/spiritual novel Courtesan and the Sadhu by Mysore
N. Prakash
•
Chanakya's contribution to the cultural heritage of Bharat (in Kannada)
by Shatavadhani Ganesh with the title Bharatada Samskrutige Chanakyana
Kodugegalu
• Pavan
Choudary (2 February 2009). Chanakya's Political Wisdom. Wisdom
Village Publications Division. ISBN 978-81-906555-0-7., a political
commentary on Chanakya
•
Sihag, Balbir Singh (2014), Kautilya: The True Founder of Economics,
Vitasta Publishing Pvt.Ltd, ISBN 978-81-925354-9-4
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Chanakya