Chanakya/Kautilya Biography
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| Chanakya/Kautilya |
Chanakya or Kautilya is famous in the history of India
as a sage-like person who by his political shrewdness and expedience helped in
the establishment of the mighty Mauryan Empire. Compared to Plato and Aristotle
for his knowledge about the affairs of the state and to Machiavelli for his
political acumen (ability to understand and judge things quickly), his views
and theories are documented in the Arthashastra. This is regarded as a
classical treatise comparable to Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Chanakya lived around
300 BC but no specific dates are available. He was born in a poor Brahmin
family. His real name was Vishnugupta and he was educated at Taxila University.
In ancient times scholars received their education at the universities at
Taxila, Vikramshila and Nalanda. But graduation from a university did not mean
much. They had to prove their knowledge at a king’s court through debates.
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| Chanakya/Kautilya |
Chanakya was very wise, clever, foresighted and
determined. He deeply read in economics, politics and diplomacy. Once he went
to the court of Dhanananda, the Nanda king of Magadha, to contest a seminar (a
meeting where different views are expressed). There he felt extremely insulted
as he did not receive proper status and respect from the king. This insult
injured the scholar so much that he untied his much nurtured long hair-knot
(the symbol of a scholar) and pronounced, “I shall not oil my hair nor shall I
tie the top-knot once again until the king is dethroned”.
He met the young
adventurer Chandragupta Maurya whom he inspired for the throne of Magadha.
Chanakya trained men and women to form an efficient network of spies. He
trained a girl named Basanti as a super spy. As planned, Basanti infiltrated
(gained entry secretly) into the palace to become the chief kitchen maid. She
served poisoned food to the queen and all the princesses which resulted in
their death.
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| Chanakya/Kautilya |
Chanakya also arranged a girl dancer to entertain the
king in his bedroom, with a snake hidden somewhere, and the snake bit the king
to death. At the same time, he signalled Chandragupta to march towards Magadha.
The planning and strategy worked perfectly. Chanakya succeeded in destroying
the Nanda Dynasty. He then oiled his hair and tied up his hair-knot.
Kautilya became the
counsellor and adviser to Chandragupta (reigned 321 BC-297 BC), the founder of
the Mauryan Empire. Kautilya’s book Arthashastra was a compilation of property,
economics and material success. This came to be Chandragupta’s guide. It lays
down rules of government and also gives a detailed account of the contemporary
state administration. Each of the 15 sections of Arthashastra deals with a
phase of government, which Kautilya sums up as ‘science of punishment’. He
openly advises the development of an elaborate spy system permeating all levels
of society and also encourages political and secret assassinations (murder of
important or famous person for political reasons).
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| Chanakya/Kautilya |
Chanakya was called Kautilya because of his mastery of
‘Kutniti’ or diplomacy. He is known to have had a knowledge of medicine and
astrology. It is also said that he was familiar with elements of Persian and
Greek learning. A very famous Sanskrit play, Mudrarakshasa has for its theme
one of the diplomatic feats of Chanakya.
Kautilya is condemned
for his ruthlessness and trickery. At the same time he is praised for his sound
political wisdom. He is also praised for his knowledge of human nature. It
cannot be denied that it was mainly because of Kautilya that the Mauryan Empire
under Chandragupta and later under Ashoka became a model of efficient
government.
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