An Analytical Study of the Relevance of Arthshastra in Modern India

Abstract

Welfare State Arthsashtra lays the conceptual foundation for making India the first welfare state. He advocates welfare in all spheres. He did not talk only about human welfare but paid attention to animal welfare also. He states, "In the happiness of his subjects lies the king"s happiness, in their welfare lays his welfare. He shall not consider as good as only that which pleases him but treat as beneficial to him whatever pleases his subjects" He advocates the protection of livelihood, of weaker section, consumer protection and even the welfare of prisoners also. The King"s dharma is to be just, fair and liberal in protecting his people. His attitude to his people should be like attitude of a father towards his children. Kautilya defined the ideal ruler as one "who is ever active in promoting the welfare of the people and who endears himself by enriching the public and doing good to them." Good Governance Governance generally encompasses all aspects of the way a country is governed, including its economic policies and regulatory framework. Kautilya had immense knowledge about various aspects of governance such as taxation, diplomacy, trade, business, administration etc. It is said that he had a fair knowledge of medicine and astrology as well. It is a treatise on political economy similar to Machiavelli"s The Prince and hence he has been compared to Machiavelli by some and Aristotle and Plato by others. Kautilya speaks of the way a state"s economy is organized, how ministers should be chosen, war conducted, and how taxation should be arranged and distributed. Emphasis is placed on the importance of a network of spies and informers which function as a surveillance corps for the king, focusing on external threats and internal dissidence. He takes a holistic approach to governance and explains several areas critical to the functioning of a country in depth. The main sections deal with National security and Foreign Policy, Administration of Justice, Policies related to economic development, Taxation, Labor Management, and Financial Management. To him attainment of good governance requires that the objectives of the state are fulfilled and realized. This is possible through properly organized and guided administration. He suggests that good governance should avoid extreme decisions and actions. Decisions should be taken according to the situation. Picking on Kautilya's four-pronged approach to public finance and state planning, which was actually economics, monetarism and much more, based on "dharma, artha, kama and moksha," the experts agreed that understanding human welfare was the cornerstone of Arthshastra, said to be the oldest and most exhaustive treatise on governance and administration of state in the world, which set forth theories of state craft and monetarism and also a code of civil and criminal law still relevant today. The Arthshastra equates political governance with economic governance. The end is economic governance while political governance is the means. But as economic objectives are not realized in the absence of political ones, then political governance becomes an end and economic governance the means. 'The end justifies the means', this is supposed to be the basis of Kautilyan philosophy. Political power and material wealth are the means and ends of governance. And good governance-political or economic-depends upon justifying the ends and means as the socio, economic and political conditions. According to Kautilya, to ensure good governance there must be a properly guided public administration, where the ruler should surrender his likes and dislikes in the interest of his subjects, and the personnel running the Government should be responsive and`1sponsibleand`1sponsible. Kautilya further emphasized that for citizen friendly good governance there should be uniformity in the administrative practices as well as competent ministers and officials possessing qualities of leadership, accountability, intellect, energy, good moral conduct, and physical fitness, capable of taking prompt decision. According to Kaufmann and Kraay," the concept of Governance is not new. Kautilya presented key pillars of the art of governance emphasizing justice, ethics and anti autocratic tendencies. He further detailed the duty of the king to protect the wealth of the state and its subjects, to enhance, maintain, and it does also safeguard such wealth as well as the interests of the subjects." A ruler who administers justice on the basis of four principles: righteousness, evidence, history of the case, and the prevalent law, shall conquer the earth.