A systematic treatise on statecraft, economics, and security, traditionally attributed to Chanakya and notable for its frank, unsentimental treatment of political power.
The Arthashastra is a systematic treatise on governance, economics, and strategy, traditionally attributed to Chanakya and associated with the founding of the Mauryan Empire. It is one of the most sustained and unsentimental works of political theory to survive from the ancient world, and this archive treats it as a primary text whose authorship and precise dating remain genuinely debated.
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The classical scheme of four legitimate aims of human life — duty, prosperity, pleasure, and liberation — held in tension.
A cluster of ideas around duty, order, and right conduct that is understood differently across Indian traditions.
A statesman and strategist traditionally credited with advising the founding of the Mauryan Empire and authoring a treatise on statecraft.
An ancient city and centre of learning and exchange, known from extensive archaeology and references in a range of sources.
One of the earliest and largest empires on the subcontinent, known from a combination of inscriptions, archaeology, and later accounts.