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Kautilya
Kautilya's Arthashastra is one of the great political books of the ancient world, but it is little known outside of India. Kautilya (300 BCE) was the key adviser and the genius of the strategy undertaken by the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321–298 BCE), who unified the Indian subcontinent in empire. Chandragupta Maurya's grandson was the great Emperor Ashoka (268–233 BCE), who was strongly influenced by Buddhism, ruled in a benevolent but paternalistic manner, and is one of the great kings in world history.
What does the word arthashastra mean? Literally translated, it means “science of material wealth,” but arthashastra is routinely translated as “science of politics.” Says Kautilya, “The source of the livelihood of men is wealth [artha], in other words, the earth inhabited by men. ...
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