Arthashastra - India’s Science of Governance
Do you think our Indian ancestors only cared about theoretical philosophy?
No, they had an entire subject called "Arthashashtra" that dealt with real-world management & state politics so here's the tea!
So my favourite thing about our Hindu way of life is that one of the four goals or Purusharthas we have - besides Dharma, Kama & Moksha - is Artha, the pursuit of material well-being & wealth. It's divided into yoga-kshema, getting & preserving land & power.
In simple words, our culture has always known how important economics, politics, finance & governance domains are, to keep nations running.
Because when authority (danda) is not used by a leader, it leads to matsya-nyaya - a lawless world of chaos where big fish eat small fish. This was best explained by the great ancient thinker Chanakya or Kautilya who planned the fall of the Nanda dynasty & brought Chandragupta Maurya to the throne.
This Chanakya (a.k.a Vishnugupta), drew from other schools & weighed his work against gurus like Shukra & Brihaspati to solidify & build his theories, so like any other great name, there were many that came before him.
Either way, my favourite parts about his work include the Saptanga theory, seven limbs of a leader's state, including mitra (allies), janapada (his people), and amatya (his ministers).
Kautilya also explained how the economy should be managed, how taxes should be collected, and how ministers should be screened through four kinds of secret tests, so he basically taught HR & recruiting before it was a thing!
In fact, this subject was so advanced that it also covers civil law, foreign policy, secret spy networks and crisis management in terms of emergencies like war or natural disasters.
Chanakya also explained how to run two types of courts - the Dharmasthiyas to deal with civil matters & the more aggressive Kantakashodhana, that tackled anti-social elements, criminals, corrupts & internal threats.
His formula on Shadgunya, the six-fold matrix of foreign policy, is still used in our country’s international geopolitical decisions.
Ultimately, Kautilya knew that Dharma is actually protected not just through peace but also through war when it’s necessary - he taught us the three types of war - open, psychological & silent - so we Hindus need need to take him more seriously.