King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India This page intentionally left blank King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India  ́ ̄ Kau t ilya’s Artha sa stra z A New Annotated Translation by PATRICK OLIVELLE 1 3 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © Oxford University Press 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kautalya. [Arthasastra. English] King, governance, and law in ancient India : Kautilya's Arthasastra : a new annotated translation / by Patrick Olivelle. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978–0–19–989182–5 1. Political science—India—History—Early works to 1800. 2. State, The—Early works to 1800. 3. Kings and rulers (Hindu law)— Early works to 1800. 4. India—Politics and government—To 997— Early works to 1800. 5. India—Social conditions—Early works to 1800. I. Olivelle, Patrick. II. Title. JA84.I4.K3813 2013 351.01—dc23 2012018348 ISBN 978–0–19–989182–5 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Keya ketakyai ś ubhasundaryai m ā t ā mahakula ś riyai | putrik ā putrik ā yai me pustakam arpita ṃ may ā || This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface i x Abbreviations x i Note to the Translation xiii Outline of the A rtha ś ā stra xix Introduction 1 Translation Book One: On the Subject of Training 63 Book Two: On the Activities of Superintendents 99 Book Three: On Justices 179 Book Four: Eradication of Thorns 223 Book Five: On Secret Conduct 2 53 Book Six: Basis of the Circle 2 71 Book Seven: On the Sixfold Strategy 277 Book Eight: On the Subject of Calamities 331 Book Nine: Activity of a King Preparing to March into Battle 349 Book Ten: On War 3 73 Book Eleven: Conduct toward Confederacies 389 Book Twelve: On the Weaker King 393 viii Contents Book Thirteen: Means of Capturing a Fort 405 Book Fourteen: On Esoteric Practices 421 Book Fifteen: Organization of a Scientifi c Treatise 435 Appendix 1: Fauna and Flora 439 Appendix 2: Weights and Measures 4 55 Appendix 3: Geographical Names 4 61 Notes 4 67 Bibliography 701 Index 715 Preface there are many things that I would never have undertaken if I had only known how diffi cult they would turn out to be! Translating the A rtha śā stra can be counted among them. It was a little over fi ve years ago in a moment of foolishness that I embarked on this project, motivated partly by the fact that one of my students, Mark McClish, was doing his dissertation on the Artha śā stra. Now, fi ve years later and much wiser, I present this translation to my colleagues and readers, deeply conscious of its short- comings. For this, I beg forgiveness of that great master of intrigue and political wisdom, Kauṭ ilya; this translation clearly cannot measure up to his masterpiece. It would have been far worse if not for the help and wisdom of sev- eral friends and colleagues. First and foremost, my heartfelt thanks go to Professors Albrecht Wezler and Hartmut Scharfe, who patiently and generously read through my entire translation and notes, and off ered judi- cious criticism and prudent suggestions for improvement. They put their vast knowledge of ancient India and the Artha śā stra at my disposal. I also thank Professor Gyula Wojtilla for help with the sections on agriculture. Our height is always measured by the shoulders upon which we ride, and it is a pleasure to acknowledge my debt to the numerous scholars who have worked on the Artha śā stra over the past century. I can name only a few here: fi rst, the pioneers in the fi eld, R. Shamasastry, Julius Jolly, Ga ṇ apati Ś astri, and J. J. Meyer. Harihara Sastri is an unsung hero in Artha śā stric scholarship; his edition of the most signifi cant commentary and insightful introductions were of enormous help. R. P. Kangle, with his critical edition, translation, and study, set a fi rm foundation for future scholarship. Finally, the works of Hartmut Scharfe, Thomas Trautmann, Dieter Schlingloff , and my former student Mark McClish are models of scholarship. Sometimes, those who spend countless hours preparing