The Imprints of A Dead Man On South Asia

The influences of Chanakya (c. 350-283 BCE), who was a political architect and chief Minister  to the first Mayryan Emperor Chandargupta (c. 340-293 BCE), and architect of his rise to power are very well known to the history, political sciences and IR professionals and students. However, the effect of Chankya's works on the modern foreign policy of India in particular and her allies in general are only vaguely known to the outside world while it continues to guide The Indian policies in particular with respect to her immediate neighbors. Kautilya and Vishnugupta, the names by which the ancient Indian political treatise called the "Arthshashtra" identifies its author, are known to be the work of Chanakya. There is also a section of scholars who believe, Kautilya and Chankya to be two different individuals while the former in scripted the work of latter.Some historians consider Chanakya to be "the pioneer economist of the world which is a false claim considering the proven facts that the detailed economic policies in his books were the work of the great economist Ratan Lal Basu. Chankya is also known as "The Indian Machiavelli" in the Western world. Chanakya was a professor to begin with at Takshashila University (Present day Taxilla, at Punjab, Pakistan) and is widely believed to be responsible for the creation of Mauryan empire, the first of its kind on the Indian subcontinent.

In today's world the teachings of Chankya are still the strongest guiding principle and in fact a syllabus for the Indian Foreign service. The book Arthshastra and it's inspired works/translations are taught in the Indian Foreign Services Academy. It is very interesting to note as to how this prehistoric text still inspires the Indian diplomats and their policy makers to pursue their hegemonic designs in the complete South Asian region in order to create the once forgotten "Mauryan Empire" like destiny for the modern day India. To understand in the simplest terms as to what this article is indicating towards is to know the very basic of Chankya's teaching concerning the foreign policy of a state. Chankya taught to greet and subdue the neighboring countries on seven basic principles/strategies, which are:-

1. Sanman – Appeasement, non-aggression pact
2. Dana – Gift, bribery
3. Danda – Strength, punishment
4. Bheda – Divide, split, separating opposition
5. Maya – Illusion, deceit
6. Upeksha – Ignoring the enemy
7. Indrajala – Faking military strength^[

 All these strategies are directed towards creating the hegemony of the state upon thy neighbors. The current Indian policy analysis by any independent observer would confirm the application of these rules of business by India in the South Asian region. 

The most Secret of the teachings not commonly known by the world are the guiding principles as told by Chankya to his pupal i-e, if all the above mentioned seven strategies failed in subduing a neighboring country! than, go for creating the most cordial relations with thy neighbor's neighbor who defies your state's hegemony. Create clandestine operations at the defying neighbor targetting it's internal stability from particularly that neighboring country of their's. Break, divide and Rule. Hence we understand the never ending romance between India and Afghanistan for decades and resulted animosity deep down in modern Afghans towards Pakistan creating the domino when Pakistan actively supports the Pushtun hardliners and extremist like Talibans who are traditionally inclined towards Pakistan due to their divided tribes residing on both sides of the "Durand Line", i-e, International boarder between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It also explains the South Asian power dynamics with India as the major player in it's center following the whims of Chankya to this day. The Indian's state sponsored Tamil Tigers and their fall once studied in detail confirms the same guiding principles of Chankya towards Sri Lanka by the Indians. The subjugation of small countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh by India in a manner best suiting her policies is an open secret while following the golden rules of Chankya. So strong are the influences of this dead man who was burned to death by his own disciple on the modern political sciences are that one of the pioneer Sociologist, philospher and political economist from Germany Maximilian Karl Emil "Max" Weber( 21 April 1864 – 14 June 1920) in his twentieth century classic text, "Politics as Vocation" notes,

" Truly radical 'Machiavellianism', in the popular sense of that word, is classically expressed in Indian literature in the Arthasastra of Kautilya (written long before the birth of Christ, ostensibly in the time of Chandragupta): compared to it, Machiavelli’s The Prince is harmless."

No wonder the US Global Empire's sponsored think tanks and diplomatic top dogs in their newly found strategic partnership with India as a regional partner, hence a proposed counter weight to China in Asia are in love with Chankya. The effects of the dead man spreads the globe as a result. India continues to ignore the Kashmir issue resulting in the nuclear rat race in South Asia bringing it closer to doomsday scenario every time the hawks at both Indian and Pakistani sides try finger each other's internal territories. Unfortunately in the times of Chankya, the top weapon possessed by the state's military were the elephants of whose maintenance and use he wrote extensively. Keeping the blind faith of Indian establishment in the teachings of their political Guru, there are but very less chances of a stable and peaceful South Asia any time in near or far future. As Chankya elaborated very clearly in his own words, "A debt should be paid off till the last penny; An enemy should be destroyed without a trace".