King as Divine in Mahabharata

The concept of considering king as divine or representation of divine finds its strongest suport in Hindu Polity in Mahabharata. In Hindu Polity, Manusmriti is the another text which affirms the king to be divine while Acharya Kautalya’s Arthashastra doesn’t accept the concept of king being divine in nature. Rather, it suggests the spies to

Constituents of the State in Hindu Polity

Hindu Political thinkers and texts dealing with polity have deliberated on the conception of elements of state or what factors constitute a state quite comprehensively. Though there exists sort of consensus on what are the elements of the state, but there exists some interesting variations as well. I’ll be considering the views of Arthashastra, Manava

Fourfold Division of Knowledge in Ancient India

Ancient India–which was the pinnacle of human civilization–excelled in the field of material advancement as much as it excelled in spiritual and religious glory. The advancement in each of the spheres of life was based on the recognition of the fundamental reality that there can’t be any separation of the religious from material for the

Turning the Citizens’ Against Their Own State: Chanakya’s Tactics

For a state, maintaining its sovereignty is paramount considering the fact that every state attempts to secure its sovereignty, resulting in conflict between the different states. The conflict can get manifested in either hostility, strategic alliance, muted hostility or tactical cooperation which is dependent on different dynamics. However, for a state to secure its sovereignty,

Council of Ministers: The Eyes of a Ruler in Hindu Polity

Hindu Polity since its very inception has been a discipline elucidating every aspect of administration and statecraft having its own model of sovereignty and objectives of governance. Acharya Chanakya calls it दंडनीति as दंड is the instrument through which a ruler executes his orders, upholds Dharma and ensures that society doesn’t plunge into lawlessness (मत्स्यन्याय)