Theory of Government in Ancient India (Post-Vedic) c8.10

c8.10

does not profess to describe the institutions of any particular state. His tone is always prescriptive but probably he draws largely on existing facts, and generalising and amplifying, seeks to make out what a state ought to be. Whether an administrator or a mere theoretician, he must have been in intimate touch with men and affairs. While referring frequently to his master and predecessors, he seems always to speak with first-hand knowledge. A severe realism not always joined to practicality distinguishes Kautalya from the majority of Hindu writers on politics.