KAUTILYA : UNDERSTANDING THE COLOSSAL GENIUS | VOLUME 1 | The most definitive book on ideas and ideals of Kautilya a.k.a. Chanakya a.k.a. Vishnugupta for contemporary Leadership, Politics, and Diplomacy b y U. Mahesh Prabhu
Books by
U. Mahesh Prabhu
Essentials of Vedic Wisdom for Blissful Living
Timeless Tales of a Wise Sage: Vishnu Sharmas Panchatantra Retold
Rishi Tales Volume 1
KAUTILYA
Understanding the Colossal Genius
VOLUME I
The most definitive book on ideas and ideals of Kautilya a.k.a. Chanakya a.k.a. Vishnugupta for contemporary Leadership, Politics, and Diplomacy by
U. MAHESH PRABHU
VEDIC WISDOM PRESS
An Imprint of Vedic Management Centre
www.vedic-management.com
Copyright 2018 by U. Mahesh Prabhu
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Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN: 9781983144073
Printed at The Thomson Printing Press Ltd. New Delhi.
Acknowledgments
My heartfelt gratitude to my friend, guide, and mentor Dr. David Frawley a.k.a. Acharya Vamadeva Shastri for his whole-hearted support and encouragement.
To Dr Narasimha Bhat for his valuable editing and inputs which has made this book a delightful read.
To Prof. Wang Zhicheng of Zhenjiang University, China, who has honored me by offering to translate my first two books, namely Essentials of Vedic Wisdom for Blissful Living , Rishi Tales as well as this book into Mandarin (Chinese) .
To Anurag Batra (BW Business world, New Delhi, India), Harshvardhan Bhatkuly (Editor, Business Goa, India), Angelyne Larcher (Editor, Swiss Entrepreneurs Magazine, Switzerland), Dilip Venkatraman (CEO, VideoTap, India).
To my landlords Lawrence and Sabrinha Pinheiro for their kindness in providing me home to focus on my writing.
To my dear friend Douglas Pinheiro, a great many good things in my life are owing to him.
To the Thomson Press Ltd. Team, Noman Khan and Ashish in particular, for their wonderful typeset and printing.
To my Labrador Winston a.k.a. Winnie - my friend for all seasons.
Dedication
They, who are neither driven by passion nor hate, who neither grieve nor have any expectations, who by giving up petty concepts of loss and gains, live in the very moment, are the ones dear to me.
This book is being dedicated to all those countless unsung Rishis (sages) of the Vedic era, who, untouched by lust, anger, greed, infatuation, ego, and envy, contributed so much to the knowledge and wisdom for universal welfare.
Contents
Introduction
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May the wicked become good, may the good realize peace. May the peaceful be released from all bondages and may the released redeem others.
We live in a new era driven by fear and its resulting insecurity at a global level. Out of this emotional sense of uncertainty, we do many things consciously and unconsciously that can be detrimental not just for ourselves but our family, society, nation, and the world at large.
Humanity faces many challenges today, political, social, economic and ecological. Such entrenched and extensive problems are solvable only through persistence and resilience coming from insightful leadership.
Yet, it appears that we possess neither the interest nor the willingness to understand the very concept of leadership. We certainly lack the scope of vision to understand these vast and complicated problems and deal with them integrally and comprehensively. We often search for short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions.
Some two thousand years ago there was a dynamic individual of great intellect, influence, and motivation who provided the type of leadership that we need today. We dont know much about his personal life, but there are many extraordinary legends about him. He was Kautilya a.k.a. Chanakya a.k.a. Vishnu Gupta a.k.a. Vishnu Sharma. He was neither a warrior, a ruler, nor a priest. He was a wise sage who forged the main ancient Vedic treatises on politics and diplomacy Arthashastra and Artha Sutras - for inspiring and nurturing responsible leadership.
These profound treatises of Kautilya contain many vital principles of management, governance, and polity that can be used with high efficacy in the present day. Kautilyas work provides keys to solving a great many problems threatening our new high-tech world order by nurturing responsible and effective leadership.
Although there are several translations of Kautilyas Arthashastr a , most of its in-depth knowledge and wisdom is neither properly understood nor utilized for various reasons. As a result, much of its secrets remain hidden.
Presenting his crucial knowledge and timeless wisdom with unadulterated insight is the prime objective of this book series.
Kautilya was a legend at many levels. He did not care for recognition, yet he left a legacy that remains unparalleled. His works provide an accurate record of his unique genius.
One cannot understand Kautilya s ideas and ideals without understanding the Vedic philosophy and wisdom underlying their very foundation. Therefore, I have taken the liberty to explain a great many mistranslated as well as misrepresented Sanskrit words and concepts in detail in these volumes.
The objective of these volumes is not to glorify Kautilya. It does not intend to be his hagiography or biography. It is hard to write one in the absence of historical records. Over 2,000 years have passed since Kautilya, and a great many books have tried, some even by concocting or distorting his teachings; doing more harm than good.
In this volume, I have provided substantial data to connect Kautilya to his Vedic lineage. It explains how authors of the Vedas also known as Rishis understood and taught the world and provided ways to sustain enduring peace and prosperity.
It also tries to destroy many misleading myths that continue to be accepted as truths. It explains our true Self ( Atman ), Mind ( Manas ), Duties ( Dharma ), Actions and their consequent results ( Karma ), Vedic approach to politics ( Rajaneeti ), and the qualities of a king ( Raja ) and his mentor (Rajaguru ). It also demystifies concepts like Mantra (Planning) and Tantra (Strategy) . Finally, it also explains the science behind Nirdhaara or decision making.
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