Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c41.s13.4

v2.c41.s13.4

The *Arthaśāstra* has been criticized for recommending strong-arm tactics and even cruelty, but no state, ancient or modern, has ever discarded these administrative techniques. This text does accept non-violence and moderation as the highest principles (1.3.13), but does not abjure violence as a means to counter internal dissension and external aggression. Mineral, metal and other resources had to fill the treasury and nourish the army, which in its turn had to serve the stark realities of the state politics and national integrity.