Arthasastra

Mark McClish is Assistant Professor of Religion at Birmingham-Southern College.Patrick Olivelle is Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Religions and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Introduction; Authorship & Date: The Cāṇakya Legend, The Composer of the Arthaśāstra: the Historical Kauṭilya, Date & Location of the Arthaśāstra; Historical Context: The Indus Valley Period, The Vedic Period, The Classical Period; Arthaśāstra: Text & Tradition: The Concept of "artha", The Genre of Śāstra, The Tradition of Statecraft, Structure & Style of the Text; The World of the Arthaśāstra: Kingship & Royal Authority, Ruling a Kingdom, The King's Administration, The Layout of the Kingdom, Society, Religion & Ethics, Conquest & Success. The Arthaśāstra -- How to be Good King; The Kingdom; Central Administration; The Judiciary; Internal Security & Suppression of Criminal Activities; Foreign Affairs; War; Index of Passages.

"It's of great value to nonspecialists to have this classic work of political theory and political prudence available. This carefully edited and lucidly commented volume will be useful for both research and for courses on the comparative history of politics and civilizations." --Randolph C. Head, University of California, Riverside