|
Chanakya
Chanakya has been misunderstood by a lot of people,
mainly the modern western scholars. Though I can not do justice to his greatness
by a few lines of his life, I hope the following lines will convince you read
some more about his life. The country of Chanakya had been ravaged by Alexander
and there were numerous petty kings looking after their own interests. The
nationalistic pride had disappeared, and people were not proud or even aware of
their ancestry. Chanakya appeared on the scene and united Bharat under the rule
of Chandragupta Maurya. He was fearless, not afraid of death, disgrace or
defeat. He was compassionate to the poor and kind, evil to deceit. His writings
which clearly show his fearlessness in the pursuit of Truth has been echoed over
2000 years later when Swami Vivekananda cried out, 'Arise, Awake, sleep not till
the goal is reached.'
Mukherji in his article 'The foundation of the
Mauryan empire' comments, 'The country had hardly recovered from the shock of
Alexanders victorious march through it - march which had dislocated its
indigenous political organisation....The atmosphere was full of frustration and
depression. The battle of India's independence against these heavy odds called
for a leader of exceptional ability and vision who would infuse new life and
enthusiasm into the drooping spirits of a defeated people, and organise a fresh
national resistance against alien domination. Fortunately the country produced
such a leader in young Chandragupta who had already been prepared for the great
mission in life by the Brahmin Chanakya, better known as Kautilya [his given
name was Vishnugupta]. Chanakya's superior vision and insight led him to
discover in this youth the disciple who would be able, under his direction, to
free the motherland of foreign rule.'
Probably the most accurate description of Chanakya
can be found in Nehru's words in the Discovery of India, 'Chanakya has been
called the Indian Machiavelli and to some extent the comparision is justified.
But he was a much bigger person in every way, greater in intellect and reason.
He was no mere follower of a King, a humble adviser of an all powerful emperor.
A picture of him emerges from an old Indian [sanskrit] play 'mudra rakshasa' [rakshasa's
ring] which deals with this period. Bold and scheming, proud and revengeful,
never forgetting a slight, never forgetting his purpose, availing himself of
every device to delude and defeat the enemy, he sat with the reins of empire in
his hands and looked upon the emperor more as a loved pupil than as master.
Simple and austere in life, uninterested in pomp and pageantry of high position,
when he had redeemed his pledge and accomplished his purpose, he wanted to
retire, brahminlike, to a life of contemplation.
There was hardly anything Chanakya would have
refrained from doing to achieve his purpose. He was unscrupulous enough, yet he
was also wise enough to know that this very purpose might be defeated by means
unsuited to the end. Long before Clausewitz, he is reported to have said that
war is only a continuance of state policy by other means. But he adds, war must
always serve the larger ends of policy and not become an end in itself. The
statesman's objective must always be the betterment of the State as a result of
war and not the mere defeat and destruction of the enemy.'
As Subramaniam puts it 'There is an ethical
undertone in his thought and teaching. In the Arthasastra, which has often been
misunderstood, he says that the crux of this political science is control over
senses.' If one looks closely into his teaching, it is seen that Chankaya
advocated moderation in material pleasures and adherence to the path of
righteousness. He himself lived such a life, refusing all adornments or riches
even after establishing the first Indian empire. His constant exhortation to
give up sensory pleasures, and cultivate qualities like kindness, patience etc
may sound hypocritical coming from a man who overthrew governments. But it is
not !! In talking about the four stages of life (commonly followed in Hinduism),
he feels a mixing of spiritual and sensual aspects are essential with the former
slowly displacing the latter in stages. As Subramaniam notes, 'One can go on and
on with illustrations to prove Chanakya's farsightedness, keenness of
perception, and infallibility.'
A few hundred years before Chanakya, Confucius said
that the three marks of a superior man are being virtuous, and thus free from
anxiety, being wise, and thus free from perplexity, being brave, and thus free
from fear. Chanakya may not have known about Confucius or his sayings, but he
lived that life !
Biography
Chanakya lived during the period 350-275 BC. Details
of his birth and life are hazy, and we have to rely on tradition. His works have
been faithfully preserved through word of mouth for well over two thousand
years. His place of birth has to be ascertained from other sources, namely the
Buddhist and Jain scriptures. The mahavamsa tika (buddhist) mentions his birth
place as Taxila, while Jain scriptures like ‘Adbidhana Chintamani’ mention his
birth place as South India, around present day Kerala. Probably the latter is
appropriate when we consider the frequent mention of the tuft of hair, which is
a mark of present day Nambudhiri. However, Chanakya's birth place wll continue
to remain a controversy.
Let us not forget that the major Puranas, including
the Bhagavata Purana, Vayu, Matsya, Brahmanda and Bhavishya Purana all mention
Chanakya along with Chandragupta Maurya. Probably the short and wonderful play
Mudra Rakshasha written by Visakhadatta is the most famous on Chanakya, though
this covers only the portion of his life after the downfall of Nandas and the
establishment of Chandragupta. Naturally, the life of these two people (Chanakya
and Chandragupta) has been closely intervined. However, in my personal opinion,
I would say that Chandragupta's fame and intelligence was in major portion due
to Chanakya (this is not to put down Chandragupta in any way). |
