Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c4.35

c4.35

The *Arthaśāstra* bears the same evidence. It is interesting to note that the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya itself renders explicit the meaning and implications of these passages from the *Purāṇas*. At the end of the work occurs a passage which states that “the *Arthaśāstra* has been compiled by one who forcibly (*amarsheṇa*) and quickly (*āśu*) achieved the liberation of the mother-country, of its culture and learning (*śāstra*), its military power (*śastra*) from the grip of the Nanda kings.” This passage shows that Kauṭilya considered it to be an urgent and imperative religious duty to extirpate, as soon as possible, and by violent means, the unlawful rule of Śūdra kings who could not be trusted with the spiritual and cultural, nor even the military, interests of the country. The social order and system for which Kauṭilya stands is known as *Varṇāśramadharma* which rules out royalty for the Śūdra and reserves it to the Kshatriya whose occupations are prescribed to be the ‘pursuit of arms’ (*Śastrājīva*), and ‘protection of living beings’, i.e., military and administrative functions. The Kshatriya king is to function as the *Daṇḍa* or the Executive to uphold and enforce *Dharma* as the ultimate Sovereign, the rule of Law. It is thus quite absurd to suppose that Kauṭilya who was out to rescue this Dharma or system from the outrage inflicted upon it by a Śūdra sovereignty could have chosen as his agent in the fulfilment of his sacred mission a person of the same disqualification. He could not consecrate to sovereignty one Śūdra in place of another. To add to this, we have Kauṭilya’s own opinion as to the merits of a king who is high-born (*abhijāta*) and one who is lowborn (*anabhijāta*). Kauṭilya prefers a high-born king, even though he is weak and powerless (*durbalam*), to a king of low birth but of great power (*balavān*). His argument is that the people (*prakṛitayaḥ*) of their own accord welcome a prince of noble lineage (*svayam upanamanti*) and are prepared to follow him (*anuvartate*) out of their natural regard for the greatness that springs from birth (*jātyaṁ kulotpannam*) and character (*aiśvaryaprakṛitiḥ aisvaryārhatā*). On the contrary, the people are naturally averse to a base-born prince whose intrigues (*upajātam*) they are not prepared to support (*visamvādayanti, na anuvartante*). For, as the saying is: ‘Love is kindled by Virtue’