Reading the Arthaśāstra #01: What the First Line of Arthaśāstra Tells Us

पृथिव्या लाभे पालने च यावन्त्यर्थशास्त्राणि पूर्वाचार्यैः प्रस्थापितानि
प्रायशस्तानि संहृत्यैकमिदमर्थशास्त्रं कृतम् ।

pṛthivyā lābhe pālane ca yāvanty arthaśāstrāṇi pūrvācāryaiḥ
prasthāpitāni prāyaśas tāni saṃhṛtyaikam idam arthaśāstraṃ kṛtam.

“Having gathered together the principal teachings on acquiring and governing a kingdom that had been set forth in the various Arthaśāstras by earlier teachers, this single Arthaśāstra has been composed.”

– Arthaśāstra by Kauṭilya, Chapter 1, Salutations

Interestingly, this is the very first line of Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra!

Kauṭilya starts the book by crediting the pūrvācāryas — his predecessors who had created earlier works on Arthaśāstra. These were significant thinkers and schools associated with names such as Bṛhaspati, Manu, Bharadvāja and Parāśara.

He goes one step further and says, “prāyaśas tāni saṃhṛtya” — that he has largely brought together and compiled these earlier works into this Arthaśāstra.

There are multiple things that we can take away just from this opening statement.

1. The tradition of Arthaśāstra is much older

Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra itself is dated to more than 2,000 years ago. But his opening statement tells us that there were already multiple works and schools of thought on Arthaśāstra before him. It gives us a glimpse of how much earlier the study of governance, administration and statecraft had developed.

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2. Humility

For someone who created a work of this scale, it is interesting that the first thing Kauṭilya does is to give credit to those who came before him. In fact, he goes to the extent of saying that he has largely brought together their works and compiled it into a single work.

There is something to learn from this. We sometimes feel that acknowledging the people and ideas we have built upon somehow reduces the originality of our own contribution. Kauṭilya acknowledges his predecessors fully, while still having the confidence to add, question and disagree with them in his work.

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3. Communication and Stakeholder Management

This was particularly interesting for us from a leadership perspective.

Kauṭilya calls his work a compilation, but that does not mean he agrees with his predecessors everywhere. At multiple places in the Arthaśāstra, he presents their views, disagrees with them and then gives his own position (“iti Kauṭilyaḥ” — here is my view) with reasoning.

He was engaging with multiple established schools of thought. Starting by acknowledging their contribution brings everyone onto common ground before presenting his differences.

This is especially relevant today as organisations adopt AI. AI is changing processes, roles and ways of working that people have built and refined over many years. If the conversation starts with “the old way is wrong, AI will change everything,” resistance is natural.

In times of rapid change and uncertainty, leaders need the knowledge and experience of the people who built the existing system, even as they work with them to change it.

Acknowledging what exists and bringing people onto common ground before introducing a different point of view can make that change much easier.

That is perhaps what makes Kauṭilya’s opening so interesting. He acknowledges the tradition he inherited, while retaining the freedom to question it and build further.

Acknowledge what came before. Give credit generously. And when you disagree, build from common ground rather than beginning with “you versus me.”

And all of this comes from just the first line of the Arthaśāstra!

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About the Reading the Arthaśāstra Series

‘Reading the Arthaśāstra’ is a series from the Anaadi Center for Indic Leadership (ACIL), exploring ideas from the Arthaśāstra and exploring some of its ideas through the lens of leadership and organisations today. We hope to bring together the depth of the original text with questions and challenges that leaders encounter in the contemporary world.

Read the original Sanskrit text of the Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Arthaśāstra of Kauṭilya?

Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra is a classical Indian text dealing with governance, administration, statecraft and related aspects of managing a kingdom.

What does the first line of the Arthaśāstra tell us?

The opening verse explains that Kauṭilya has brought together the principal teachings on acquiring and governing a kingdom that had been established by earlier teachers.

Who were the pūrvācāryas?

The term pūrvācāryas refers to the earlier teachers whose works and ideas preceded Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra. The text refers to traditions associated with thinkers such as Bṛhaspati, Manu, Bharadvāja and Parāśara.

What leadership lesson can we learn from Kauṭilya’s opening?

The opening offers a powerful reflection on acknowledging those who came before us. Giving credit to previous thinkers does not prevent us from questioning their ideas or developing our own position.

How can the Arthaśāstra be relevant to leaders today?

The Arthaśāstra can be explored as a source of ideas about governance, decision-making, leadership and dealing with complex situations. The Reading the Arthaśāstra series examines some of these ideas through the lens of contemporary leadership and organisations.

How is the Arthaśāstra connected to Indian Knowledge Systems?

The Arthaśāstra is part of the wider Indian intellectual tradition that explored governance, statecraft, administration and the organisation of society. Studying it today can provide an opportunity to engage with Indian Knowledge Systems while reflecting on their relevance to contemporary leadership and organisations.