Ancient Indian thinker Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, authored the seminal text Chanakya Niti, a treatise on statecraft, economics, and political philosophy. This essay delves into Chanakya’s views on a range of subjects critical to society’s well-being, including the role of women, the caste system, the concept of a nation, and the importance of knowledge.
Woman
Untruthfulness, rashness, guile, stupidity, avarice, uncleanliness and cruelty are a women’s seven natural flaws. 2:1
One should save his money against hard times, save his wife at the sacrifice of his riches, but invariably one should save his soul even at the sacrifice of his wife and riches. 1:6
Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men. 1:17
Courtesy should be learned from princes, the art of conversation from pandits, lying should be learned from gamblers and deceitful ways should be learned from women.
The heart of a woman is not united; it is divided. While she is talking with one man, she looks lustfully at another and thinks fondly of a third in her heart.
Constant travel brings old age upon a man; a horse becomes old by being constantly tied up; lack of sexual contact with her husband brings old age upon a woman; and garments become old through being left in the sun.
The king, the brahmana, and the ascetic yogi who go abroad are respected; but the woman who wanders is utterly ruined.
Trees on a river bank, a woman in another man’s house, and kings without counsellors go without doubt to swift destruction. 1:15
Kings speak for once, men of learning once, and the daughter is given in marriage once. All these things happen once and only once.
We should always deal cautiously with fire, water, women, foolish people, serpents, and members of a royal family; for they may, when the occasion presents itself, at once bring about our death.
One single object (a woman) appears in three different ways: to the man who practices austerity it appears as a corpse, to the sensual it appears as a woman, and to the dogs as a lump of flesh.
The woman who fasts and observes religious vows without the permission of her husband shortens his life, and goes to hell.
A woman does not become holy by offering by charity, by observing hundreds of fasts, or by sipping sacred water, as by sipping the water used to wash her hus- bands feet.
The eating of tundi fruit deprives a man of his sense, while the vacha root administered revives his reasoning immediately. A woman at once robs a man of his vigour while milk at once restores it.
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Caste System
Generosity, pleasing address, courage and propriety of conduct are not acquired, but are inbred qualities.
A brahmana’s strength is in his learning, a king’s strength is in his army, a vaishya’s strength is in his wealth and a shudra’s strength is in his attitude of service. 2:16
The brahmana who is engrossed in worldly affairs, brings up cows and is engaged in trade is really called a Vaishya.
The brahmana who deals in lacdie, articles, oil, indigo, silken cloth, honey, clarified butter, liquor, or flesh is called a Shudra.
The brahmana who destroys a pond, a well, a tank, a garden and a temple is called a Mleccha.
The brahmana who steals the property of the Deities and the spiritual preceptor, who cohabits with another’s wife, and who maintains himself by eating anything and everything s called a Chandala.
He is a chandala who eats his dinner without entertaining the stranger who has come to his house quite accidentally, having travelled from a long distance and is wearied. (Also see al-Maun, Holy Quran)
A wise man should marry a virgin of a respectable family even if she is deformed. He should not marry one of a low-class family, though beautiful. Marriage in a family of equal status is preferable. 1:14.
Friendship between equals flourishes, service under a king is respectable, it is good to be business-minded in public dealings, and a handsome lady is safe in her own home. 2:20
Residing in a small village devoid of proper living facilities, serving a person born of a low family, unwholesome food, a frowning wife, a foolish son, and a widowed daughter burn the body without fire.
Religious austerities should be practiced alone, study by two, and singing by three. A journey should be undertaken by four, agriculture by five, and war by many together.
Agni is the worshipable person for the twice-born; the Brahmans for the other castes; the husband for the wife; and the guest who comes for food at the midday meal for all.
In this world, whose family is there without blemish? Who is free from sickness and grief? Who is forever happy?
Low class men desire wealth; middle class men both wealth and respect; but the noble, honour only; hence honour is the noble man’s true wealth.
Of what avail is a high birth if a person is destitute of scholarship? A man who is of low extraction is honored even by the demigods if he is learned.
He who forsakes his own community and joins another perishes as the king who embraces an unrighteous path.
Even the man who has taught the spiritual significance of just one letter ought to be worshiped. He who does not give reverence to such a guru is born as a dog a hundred times, and at last takes birth as a chandala (dog-eater).
A true meal is that which consists of the remnants left after a brahmana’s meal (learned persons’s, momin ke juthe me shifa?). Love which is shown to others is true love, not that which is cherished for one’s own self. to abstain from sin is true wisdom. That is an act of charity which is performed without ostentation.
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Nation
Give up a member to save a family, a family to save a village, a village to save a country, and the country to save yourself. 3:10 (contrast with It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life causes but a moment’s grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one’s life.)
Do not inhabit a country where you are not respected, cannot earn your livelihood, have no friends, or cannot acquire knowledge. 1:8
He whose hands are clean does not like to hold an office; he who desires nothing cares not for bodily decorations; he who is only partially educated cannot speak agreeably; and he who speaks out plainly cannot be a deceiver.
If the king is virtuous, then the subjects are also virtuous. If the king is sinful, then the subjects also become sinful. If he is mediocre, then the subjects are mediocre. The subjects follow the example of the king. In short, as is the king so are the subjects.
Other Aspects
Knowledge & Education
Upbringing Children
Fondle a son until he is 5 years of age, and use the stick for another ten years (till 15), but when he has attained his 16th year treat him as a friend. [r/w A king, a prostitute, [death], fire, a thief, a young boy, and a beggar cannot understand the suffering of others. The eighth of this category is the tax collector].
Wise men should always bring up their sons in various moral ways, for children who have knowledge of niti-sastra and are well-behaved become a glory to their family.
Those parents who do not educate their sons are their enemies; for as is a crane among swans, so are ignorant so are ignorant sons in a public assembly.
Many a bad habit is developed through overindulgence, and many a good one by chastisement, therefore beat your son as well as your pupil; never indulge them. (”Spare the rod and spoil the child.”)
As night looks delightful when the moon shines, so is a family gladdened by even one learned and virtuous son.
What is the use of having many sons if they cause grief and vexation? It is better to have only one son from whom the whole family can derive support and peace- fulness.
A single son endowed with good qualities is far better than a hundred devoid of them. For the moon, though one, dispels the darkness, which the stars, though numerous, cannot.
A still-born son os superior to a foolish son endowed with a long life. The first causes grief for but a moment while the latter like a blazing fire consumes his parents in grief for life.
My dear child, if you desire to be free from the cycle of birth and death, then abandon the objects of sense gratification as poison. Drink instead the nectar of forbearance, upright conduct, mercy, cleanliness and truth.
Constant Learning
Let not a single day pass without your learning a verse, half a verse, or a fourth of it, or even one letter of it; nor without attending to charity, study and other pious activity.
Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore learning is a hidden treasure.
One should feel satisfied with the following three things; his own wife, food given by Providence and wealth acquired by honest effort; but one should never feel satisfied with the following three; study, chanting the holy names of the Lord (japa) and charity.
The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.
Practicing Knowledge
Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.
One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others, can use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.
Those who are endowed with beauty and youth and who are born of noble families are worthless if they have no learning. They are just like the kimshuka blossoms (flowers of the palasa tree) which, though beautiful, have no fragrance.
Those who are destitute of learning, penance, knowledge, good disposition, virtue and benevolence are brutes wandering the earth in the form of men. They are burdensome to the earth.
Empty minded
Those that are empty-minded cannot be benefited by instruction. Bamboo does not acquire the quality of sandalwood by being associated with the Malaya Mountain.
The wise man should not be anxious about his food; he should be anxious to be engaged only in dharma. The food of each man is created for him at his birth.
We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment.
Men have eating, sleeping, fearing and mating in common with the lower animals. That in which men excel the beasts is discretionary knowledge; hence, in- discreet men who are without knowledge should be regarded as beasts.
Relatives & Kinship
Those men who are happy in this world, who are generous towards their relatives, kind to strangers, indifferent to the wicked, loving to the good, shrewd in their dealings with the base, frank with the learned, courageous with enemies, humble with elders and stern with the wife.
By offending a kinsman, life is lost; by offending others, wealth is lost; by offending the king, everything is lost; and by offending a brahmana one’s whole family is ruined.
The house of a childless person is a void, all directions are void to one who has no relatives, the heart of a fool is also void, but to a poverty stricken man all is void.
A man who encounters the following three is unfortunate; the death of his wife in his old age, the entrusting of money into the hands of relatives, and depending upon others for food.
We should not feel pride in our charity, austerity, valour, scriptural knowledge, modesty and morality for the world is full of the rarest gems.
The following qualities of the denizens of hell may characterise men on earth; extreme wrath, harsh speech, enmity with one’s relations, the company with the base, and service to men of low extraction.
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Spirituality, Religion, Idol Worship, etc
As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do?
Learning & Practice
Scriptural lessons not put into practice are poison; a meal is poison to him who suffers from indigestion; a social gathering is poison to a poverty stricken person; and a young wife is poison to an aged man.
Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife.
Charity
Charity puts and end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear.
A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.
The earth is supported by the power of truth; it is the power of truth that makes the sun shine and the winds blow; indeed all things rest upon truth.
The following four characteristics of the denizens of heaven may be seen in the residents of this earth planet; charity, sweet words, worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and satisfying the needs of brahmanas.
The following qualities of the denizens of hell may characterise men on earth; extreme wrath, harsh speech, enmity with one’s relations, the company with the base, and service to men of low extraction.
Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not at all permanent and death is always nearby. Therefore we must immediately engage in acts of merit.
Desires & Attachment
He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.
Excessive attachment to sense pleasures leads to bondage, and detachment from sense pleasures leads to liberation; therefore it is the mind alone that is responsible for bondage or liberation.
There is no disease (so destructive) as lust; no enemy like infatuation; no fire like wrath; and no happiness like spiritual knowledge.
My dear child, if you desire to be free from the cycle of birth and death, then abandon the objects of sense gratification as poison. Drink instead the nectar of forbearance, upright conduct, mercy, cleanliness and truth.
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God is Supreme
Who realises all the happiness he desires? Everything is in the hands of God. Therefore one should learn contentment. (Also see al-Asr, Quran) [so send salutations on Muhammad PBUH, the orphan Prophet who proclaimed God is the Greatest, not kings, races and adornments of the world, and lived and taught equality and dignity of humankind like no other].
He who sheds bodily identification by means of knowledge of the indwelling Supreme Self (Paramatma), will always be absorbed in meditative trance (samadhi) wherever his mind leads him.
Chanting of the Vedas without making ritualistic sacrifices to the Supreme Lord through the medium of Agni, and sacrifices not followed by bountiful gifts are futile. Perfection can be achieved only through devotion (to the Supreme Lord) for devotion is the basis of all success.
For the twice-born the fire (Agni) is a representative of God. The Supreme Lord resides in the heart of His devotees. Those of average intelligence (alpa-buddhi or kanista-adhikari) see God only in His sri-murti (deity form), but those of broad vision see the Supreme Lord everywhere.
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Wicked & Saintly Company
A wicked man may develop saintly qualities in the company of a devotee, but a devotee does not become impious in the company of a wicked person. The earth is scented by a flower that falls upon it, but the flower does not contact the odour of the earth.
Eschew wicked company and associate with saintly persons. Acquire virtue day and night, and always meditate on that which is eternal forgetting that which is temporary.
Guru & Teachers
There is no treasure on earth the gift of which will cancel the debt a disciple owes his guru for having taught him even a single letter (that leads to God consciousness. [so send salutations on Muhammad PBUH, the orphan prophet who proclaimed God is the Greatest, not kings, races and adornments of the world, and lived and taught equality and dignity of humankind like no other].
Those who were not satiated with the enjoyment of wealth, food and women have all passed away; there are others now passing away who have likewise remained unsatiated; and in the future still others will pass away feeling themselves unsatiated.
The scholar who has acquired knowledge by studying innumerable books without the blessings of a bonafide spiritual master does not shine in an assembly of truly learned men just as an illegitimate child is not honoured in society.
What vice could be worse than covetousness? What is more sinful than slander? For one who is truthful, what need is there for austerity? For one who has a clean heart, what is the need for pilgrimage? If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation? What need is there for wealth for the man of practical knowl- edge? And if a man is dishonoured, what could there be worse in death?
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Compassion for all
He who nurtures benevolence for all creatures within his heart overcomes all difficulties and will be the recip- ient of all types of riches at every step.
For one whose heart melts with compassion for all creatures; what is the necessity of knowledge, liberation, matted hair on the head, and smearing the body with ashes.
That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up, and so should relatives who are without affection.
Those who are destitute of learning, penance, knowledge, good disposition, virtue and benevolence are brutes wandering the earth in the form of men. They are burdensome to the earth.
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Poverty & Deprivation
The house of a childless person is a void, all directions are void to one who has no relatives, the heart of a fool is also void, but to a poverty stricken man all is void.
Scriptural lessons not put into practice are poison; a meal is poison to him who suffers from indigestion; a social gathering is poison to a poverty stricken person; and a young wife is poison to an aged man.
Charity puts and end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear.
Life Skills, Business, etc
He who gives up shyness in monetary dealings, in acquiring knowledge, in eating and in business, becomes happy.
I do not deserve that wealth which is to be attained by enduring much suffering, or by transgressing the rules of virtue, or by flattering an enemy.
A wise man should not reveal his loss of wealth, the vexation of his mind, the misconduct of his own wife, base words spoken by others, and disgrace that has be- fallen him.
Conciliate a strong man by submission, a wicked man by opposition, and the one whose power is equal to yours by politeness or force.
Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.
He who has wealth has friends and relations; he alone survives and is respected as a man.
He who is not shy in the acquisition of wealth, grain and knowledge, and in taking his meals, will be happy.
The enemy can be overcome by the union of large numbers, just as grass through its collectiveness wards off erosion caused by heavy rainfall.
A wise man should not divulge the formula of a medicine which he has well prepared; an act of charity which he has performed; domestic conflicts; private affairs with his wife; poorly prepared food he may have been offered; or slang he may have heard.
He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, as a glutton, speaks unkindly and sleeps after sunrise although he may be the greatest personality will lose the favour of [wealth].
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Source: Miles Davis (Patita Pavana dasa), India Divine