Question

Who was Chanakya ?

Answer 1

Hint: Chanakya was an ancient Indian teacher and popular royal advisor in the court of Chandragupta Maurya. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, he wrote the most popular book on political outlook the Arthashastra, which was written between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.

Complete answer: Chanakya was considered as the most important figure of the ancient period. Chanakya was in the court of Chandragupta of Maurya dynasty. Chanakya was born in 375BCE in Chanaka village in Golla region according to the Jain legends, but according to Buddhisht legends he was born in Takshashila. Chanakya was considered the pioneer of political science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics. His works were lost near the end of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century CE and not rediscovered until the early 20th century.
Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power. He is widely credited for his important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief advisor to both emperors Chandragupta and his son Bindusara. He played a very crucial role in the political as well as military sphere of the Mauryan dynasty. His work Arthashastra gave enormous details of the Maurya dynasty. He mentions the different kinds of administrative positions as well as different aspects of the cultural dynasty. He gives little details about the empire which were not known to the historians of ancient India. His work Arthashatra was also known as Chanakya Neeti Shastra.
The Arthashastra talks about the different issues like that of social welfare, ethics that hold a society together, advising the king that in times and in areas devastated by famine, epidemic and such acts of nature, introduction of public projects such as creating irrigation waterways, roads construction, welfare work for the poor people and building forts around major strategic holdings and towns and exempt taxes on those affected. This work of Chankya also deals with the moral aspect of the society which was never talked about before by anyone. So this aspect of Arthashastra makes it very valuable through the eyes of historians.

Note: Do not get confused between the details mentioned in Arthashastra with the text of Indica which was written by Megasthese as both the text gives different details about the administration in the Maurya empire.