The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c14.56

c14.56

To a student of institutions it is apparent in almost every chapter of the Arthaśāstra and particularly in the later ones that the author is writing of very small states. The idea of a big state never enters his horizon. It seems improbable that he flourished during the days of the Maurya, Kaliṅga, or Āndhra empire. For the same reason he cannot be placed during the Gupta period. A lower date being barred by literary evidence, he seems to belong rather to the 3rd century A.D. than to any other epoch. It is impossible to dogmatise on the subject but the 3rd century A.D. is the best working hypothesis.