Chanakya pandit the Indian Machiavelli

Chānakya was an adviser to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta (c. 340–293 BCE), and generally considered to be the architect of his rise to power. Chanakya  also known as Kauṭilya and Vishnugupta, who authored Indian political treatise called Arthaśāstra . Chanakya to be considered the original father of Political science and economics. In the Western world, he has been referred to as The Indian Machiavelli, although Chanakya's

works predate Machiavelli's by about 1,800 years. Chanakya was a teacher in Takṣaśila, the oldest university of the world. Two books of Chānakya  Arthashastra and Neetishastra. The Arthashastra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare, international relations, and war strategies in detail. Neetishastra is a treatise on the ideal way of life, and shows Chanakya's in-depth study of the Indian way of life. India which is popularly known as Bharat has been one of the few ancient survived civilization of the world. Of these well-known 455 sutras, about 216 refer to raaja-neeti (the do's and don'ts of running a kingdom). Chanakya used these sutras to groom Chandragupt and other selected disciples in the art of ruling a kingdom.

Chanakya (c.350 - c.275 BC), also known as Anshul or Anshu or Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta was born in a family of Brahmin as the son of Acharya Chanak in Pataliputra, Magadh (Modern day Patna, Bihar, India. According to a Jaina tradition, while Chanakya served as the chief administrator of Chandragupta Maurya, he started adding small amounts of poison in Chandragupta's food so that he would get used to it. The aim of this was to prevent the Emperor from being poisoned by enemies. One day the queen, Durdha, shared the food with the Emperor while she was pregnant. Since she was not used to eating poisoned food, she died. Chanakya decided that the baby should not die; hence he cut open the belly of the queen and took out the baby. A drop (bindu in Sanskrit) of poison had passed to the baby's head, and hence Chanakya named him Bindusara. Bindusara would go on to become a great king and to father the greatest Mauryan Emperor since Chandragupt - Asoka. Chanakya meanwhile stayed as the administrator of Bindusara. Bindusara also had a minister named Subandhu who did not like Chanakya. One day he told Bindusara that Chanakya was responsible for the murder of his mother. Bindusara asked the nurses who confirmed this story and he became very angry with Chanakya.

Chanakya pandit the Indian Machiavelli

It is said that Chanakya, on hearing that the Emperor was angry with him, thought that anyway he was at the end of his life. He donated all his wealth to the poor, widows and orphans and sat on a dung heap, prepared to die by total abstinence from food and drink. Bindusara meanwhile heard the full story of his birth from the nurses and rushed to beg forgiveness of Chanakya. But Chanakya would not change his mind. Bindusara went back and vented his fury on Subandhu, and killed him.

Chanakya after this incident, renounced food and shortly died thereafter. Bindusara revered Chanakya and the loss of his advisor was a considerable

Chanakya pandit the Indian Machiavelli and his political ethics

Even a scholar comes to intense sorrow by teaching to a foolish disciple, a morally bad wife and  by excessive familiarity with the miserable.

. A wicked wife, a false friend, a saucy servant are like snakes so be careful with it.

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.

. Save your wealth against future calamity. When riches

begin to forsake one even the accumulated stock dwindles away.

Do not stay in a country where you are not respected, cannot earn your livelihood, have no friends, or cannot acquire knowledge.

Wise men should never go into a country where there are no means of earning one's livelihood, where the people have no dread of anybody, have no sense of shame, no intelligence, or a charitable disposition.

Examine a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.

The true friend who does not forsake us in time of need, misfortune, famine, or war, in a king's court, or at the crematorium.

A wise man should marry a virgin of a respectable family even if she is deformed. Marriage in a family of equal status is preferable.

Do not believe rivers, men who carry weapons, beasts with claws or horns, women, and members of a royal family.

from poison extract nectar, wash and take back gold if it has fallen in filth, also a girl possessing virtuous qualities (stri-ratna) even if she were born in a disreputable family.

Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men.