Chapter I & II – The Life of a King & The End of Sciences 

Four Sciences According to Kautilya: 

• Anvikshaks (Triple Vedas, Värra, Danda Niti) 
• Triple Vedas: Cover righteous and unrighteous acts (Dharmadharmau) 
• Värra: Encompasses agriculture, cattle breeding, and trade 
• Danda Niti: Science of government 

School of Manu’s Perspective: 

• Three Sciences 
• Excludes Anvikshaki, considering it a branch of the Vedas 

School of Brihaspati’s Perspective: 

• Two Sciences 
• Triple Vedas seen as a pretext for those experienced in worldly affairs 

School of Usanas’ Perspective: 

• One Science 
• Declares the science of government as the root of all other sciences 

Kautilya’s Stance: 

• Supports the existence of four sciences 
• Emphasizes that righteousness and wealth are derived from these sciences 
• Anvikshaki comprises philosophy from Sankhya, Yoga, and Lokayata 

Benefits of Anvikshaki: 

• Highly beneficial to the world 
• Provides stability of mind in all circumstances 
• Enhances foresight, speech, and action 
• Facilitates various forms of knowledge and acts 
• Encourages the development of virtues  

Chapter III – Determination of the Place of the Triple Vedas 

• Triple Vedas: Comprise Sama, Rik, and Yajus, alongside Atharveda and Itihasveda, forming the Vedas. 
• Angas: Include Siksha (Phonetics), Kalpa (ceremonial injunctions), Vyakarana (grammar), Nirukta (glossarial explanation of obscure Vedic terms), Chandas (Prosody), and Astronomy. 
• Importance of Triple Vedas: Crucial in determining the duties of the four castes and four orders of religious life. 
• Duties Based on Caste: 
• Brahman: Focused on study, teaching, sacrifice, officiating in others’ sacrificial performance, and giving and receiving of gifts. 
• Kshatriya: Involves study, performing sacrifices, giving gifts, military occupation, and protection of life. 
• Vaisya: Includes study, sacrifice, giving gifts, agriculture, cattle breeding, and trade. 
• Sudra: Mainly serving the twice-born, involvement in agriculture, cattle-breeding, trade, artisan professions, and court-bards. 
• Duties Based on Life Stage: 
• Householder: Earning livelihood, proper marriage, religious offerings, and specific interactions, including with family, gods, ancestors, guests, and servants. 
• Student (Brahmacharin): Focused on learning Vedas, fire-worship, ablution, and devotion to the teacher, even at the cost of one’s own life. 
• Vanaprastha (Forest-Recluse): Emphasizes chastity, simple living, worship, and using forest resources. 
• Ascetic Retired from the World (Parivrajaka): Requires control of senses, abstaining from work, living in isolation, begging, and dwelling in forests, with internal and external purity. 
• Common Duties: Include harmlessness, truthfulness, purity, absence of spite, cruelty, and forgiveness. Violating one’s duty can lead to confusion of castes and ultimate destruction. 
• Role of the King: Vital in ensuring that people adhere to their duties and customs, ultimately contributing to the well-being of society and its progress when aligned with the Vedas. 
• End Goal: Upholding one’s duty and adhering to the customs and rules of caste and religious divisions leads to happiness in this life and the hereafter. Maintaining society in accordance with the Vedas ensures progress and prevents its demise. 

Chapter IV – Varta & Dandaniti 

Vam Mo (Agriculture, Cattle Breeding, and Trade): 

• Brings in grains, cattle, wealth, food produce, and free labor (visha). 
• Treasury and military strength depend on revenues generated through Varta. 
• Critical for the king’s control over his own territory and that of his enemies.  

The Significance of Danda (Punishment): 

• Danda is the science of government. 
• It is the means to acquire, secure, improve, and distribute profits justly. 
• The progress of the world relies on the science of government. 
• Whoever desires the world’s progress should wield the scepter, the instrument of control. 
• Caution is necessary when imposing punishment, as its severity can repulse or make one contemptible, while deserved punishment garners respect. 
• Properly administered punishment encourages righteousness, wealth generation, and enjoyment. 
• Misapplied punishment due to greed, anger, or ignorance provokes anger even among hermits and ascetics. 
• In the absence of law and order, chaos ensues, as the strong subdue the weak, but a just system protects the vulnerable.  

Governing a Diverse Society: 

• The people consist of four castes and four orders of religious life. 
• A ruler, with his scepter, ensures that people adhere to their respective duties and occupations. 
• This maintains social order and stability, allowing everyone to pursue their responsibilities and roles. 

Chapter V – Association with the Aged 

• The first three sciences are dependent on the science of government (Danda) for their well-being. 
• Danda, which ensures safety and security, is, in turn, independent of discipline (vinaya). 
• Discipline exists in two forms: artificial and natural. 
• Instruction can shape a docile being according to discipline, but not an undocile one. 
• The study of sciences can only tame those with the mental faculties for it. 
• Sciences should be studied and their precepts observed under specialist teachers’ authority. 
• A student, after undergoing the ceremony of tonsure, learns the alphabet and arithmetic. They study the triple Vedas, Anvikshaki, Vatra, and Dandaniti from reputable teachers, government superintendents, and theoretical and practical politicians. 
• The prince observes celibacy until age sixteen, followed by the tonsure ceremony and marriage. 
• Maintaining discipline involves constant association with aged science professors. 
• Daily routines include lessons in military arts and hearing Itihasa in the forenoon, with other subjects in the afternoon. 
• Repetition and understanding are crucial for efficient learning. 
• Hearing leads to knowledge, knowledge enables steady application, and application results in self-possession, signifying efficient learning. 
• A well-educated and disciplined king who governs for the good of his subjects and all people will enjoy unopposed rule.  

Chapter VI – Restraint of the Organs of Sense 

• Success in study and discipline depends on restraining the organs of sense. 
• This restraint can be achieved by giving up lust, anger, greed, vanity (mána), haughtiness (mada), and overjoy (harcha). 
• Absence of discrepancy in the perception of sensory inputs (sound, touch, color, flavor, scent) is also a form of sense restraint. 
• Strict adherence to the precepts of sciences serves the same purpose, as the core aim of all sciences is the restraint of the organs of sense. 
• Those with a contrary character, who do not control their sense organs, will ultimately meet their demise, even if they possess vast territories. 
• Historical examples of rulers who perished due to a lack of sense restraint include Bhoja, Karála, Janamejaya, Tálajangha, Aila, Ajabindu, Ravana, Duryodhana, Dambhodbhava, Arjuna of Haihaya dynasty, Vátapi, and the Vrishni corporation. 
• These kings, driven by the influence of the six enemies (lust, anger, greed, vanity, haughtiness, overjoy), failed to control their sense organs and, as a result, lost their kingdoms and relationships. 
• Restraint of the six enemies allowed Nábhága, famous for his control over the sense organs, to enjoy the earth for an extended period. 

Chapter VII –The Life of Saintly King 

• Overthrowing the aggregate of the six enemies is essential to restrain the sense organs. 
• Wisdom can be acquired by associating with wise elders. 
• Spies play a crucial role in gathering information and maintaining safety and security. 
• Rulers should ensure their subjects observe their respective duties by exercising authority. 
• Personal discipline is maintained by receiving lessons in the sciences. 
• Winning the affection of the people involves providing them with wealth and assistance. 
• Keeping sense organs under control prevents harming others and indulging in lustfulness, falsehood, haughtiness, and improper behaviors. 
• Rulers should act in accordance with righteousness and economy to maintain happiness and balance in their lives. 
• The three pursuits of life – charity, wealth, and desire – are interdependent, and excessive focus on one can harm the others. 
• Kautilya emphasizes that wealth is of paramount importance, as charity and desire rely on wealth for realization. 
• Teachers and ministers who protect the ruler from dangers and provide timely warnings are highly valued. 
• Sovereignty is only possible with assistance, and a ruler should rely on ministers and seek their advice. 

Chapter VIII – Creation of Ministers 

• Different scholars have different opinions on who the king should employ as ministers. 
• Bharadvaja suggests that the king should employ his classmates as ministers because he knows their honesty and capacity. 
• Visáláksha disagrees, believing that classmates would despise the king and suggests that ministers with shared secrets are better options. 
• Parásara mentions the fear of betrayal and recommends ministers who share common habits and defects with the king. 
• Pisuna suggests that the king should appoint as ministers those who excel in financial matters and show the ability to generate revenue. 
• Kaunapadanta argues for the employment of ministers whose fathers and grandfathers had been ministers, as they have knowledge of past events and loyalty. 
• Vátavyadhi advises choosing new persons proficient in the science of polity, as they won’t seek to dominate the king. 
• The son of Báhudantí emphasizes qualifications and suggests that ministerial appointments should be based on the person’s wisdom, purity of purpose, bravery, and loyalty. 
• Kautilya endorses this approach, stating that a person’s ability is reflected in their capacity to perform work. Ministerial officers should be chosen based on their qualifications. 
• These ministers should be assigned specific spheres of power, roles, and responsibilities based on their qualifications. 
• They are referred to as ministerial officers (amátyah), not just councillors (mantrinah). 

Chapter IX – The Creation of Councillors and Priests 

• A ministerial officer (amátyasampat) should possess various qualifications, including being native, born into a high family, influential, well-trained in arts, wise, with strong memory, eloquent, intelligent, and more. 
• Those with half or one-quarter of the above qualifications are considered to be in the middle or lower ranks. 
• The qualifications should be verified through reliable sources, educational qualifications from learned professors, practical knowledge from work, eloquence from conversation, and so on. 
• The king’s works can be visible, invisible, or inferential, and ministers are responsible for carrying them out. 
• The king should employ a high priest who is highly regarded, well-educated, skilled in reading portents, well-versed in the science of government, and can prevent calamities through expiatory rites. 
• The Kshatriya breed brought up by Brahmans, guided by good counselors, and following the precepts of the sástras becomes invincible and successful, even without relying solely on weapons. 

Chapter X – Ascertaining by Temptations Purity or Impurity in the Character of ministers 

• The king, assisted by his prime minister and high priest, should examine the character of ministers in government departments through temptations. 
• The priest who refuses to teach the Vedas to an outcaste person or perform a sacrificial ceremony for them should be dismissed. 
• Dismissed individuals may attempt to instigate ministers to overthrow the king and take his place. 
• The king uses various kinds of allurements, such as religious, monetary, love, or fear-based, to test the purity or impurity of ministers’ character. 
• Those who resist such allurements are considered pure and can be employed in corresponding roles, while impure ones may be assigned to other tasks like mines, timber, and forests. 
• The king should never use himself or the queen as a testing object for his councillors’ character. 
• External objects should be used for testing, and spies help to find out the purity or impurity of ministers’ characters. 
• The chapter emphasizes the importance of ensuring the purity of ministers to maintain the integrity of the government. 

Chapter XI – The Institution of Spies  

• Types of Spies: The king is advised to create spies who serve under different guises. These spies include fraudulent disciples, recluses, householders, merchants, ascetics practicing austerities, classmates or colleagues, firebrands, poisoners, and mendicant women. 
• Fraudulent Disciple (Kapatika-chhátra): This spy is skilled at understanding the minds of others. He is encouraged with honor and rewards, sworn to the king and the minister, and tasked with informing them of any wickedness he discovers in others. 
• Recluse Spy (Recluses): This spy is initiated in asceticism, possesses foresight and a pure character. He takes up agriculture, cattle-rearing, trade, and provides for other ascetics’ subsistence, clothing, and lodging. He employs these ascetics as spies, each tasked with detecting a specific type of crime related to the king’s wealth. 
• Householder Spy (Householders): This spy, fallen from his profession but still possessing foresight and a pure character, engages in cultivation on lands assigned to him. He is also tasked with maintaining other cultivators. 
• Merchant Spy (Merchants): Like the householder spy, this individual has fallen from his trade but maintains foresight and a pure character. He carries out the manufacture of merchandise on lands allocated to him and employs others. 
• Ascetic Spy Practicing Austerities (Ascetics): This spy, appearing as an ascetic, takes up residence in the suburbs of a city. He attracts disciples with shaved or braided heads, and they promote him as someone with preternatural powers. He predicts the future for those who seek his guidance. 
• Usage of Spies: The information gathered by these spies is used by the king’s minister to govern the kingdom effectively. They predict events, rewards, and even potential changes in ministerial appointments. The minister acts based on the predictions, rewarding the deserving and punishing those disaffected or plotting against the king. 
• Verification of Servants: The spies’ information helps the king and his minister determine the character and intentions of the king’s servants. 

These spies serve a vital role in gathering information, maintaining order, and ensuring the loyalty and purity of the king’s government. 

Chapter XII – Creation of Wandering Spies  

• Types of Wandering Spies: Kautilya outlines different types of wandering spies, each with specific roles and characteristics. These spies include fraudulent disciples, recluses, householders, merchants, ascetics practicing austerities, classmates or colleagues, firebrands, and poisoners. 
• Classmate Spies: Orphans who are fed and put through education are classified as classmate spies. They study various subjects, including palmistry, sorcery, religious orders, legerdemain, and omens. Their primary role is to learn through social interaction. 
• Firebrand Spies: These spies are daring individuals who confront dangerous situations, such as fighting elephants or tigers, to earn money. They are considered brave desperados. 
• Poisoner Spies: Poisoners are individuals with no trace of filial affection, and they are cruel and indolent. They are tasked with using poison when needed. 
• Woman Ascetic Spies: Women, especially widows from Brahmin families, who are clever and seek to earn a livelihood, are employed as woman ascetic spies. They are honored in the king’s harem and interact with prime ministers. 
• Tasks of Wandering Spies: The wandering spies, depending on their roles, have specific tasks. They interact with specific individuals, learn their secrets, and report back to the king or his ministers. 
• Verification and Reliability: The information gathered by the wandering spies is verified for reliability. If the information from different spies aligns, it is considered reliable. If not, spies providing inconsistent information may face punishment or dismissal. 
• Secrecy: Kautilya emphasizes the need for secrecy in espionage. Spies should not know one another, and their missions should be carried out discreetly. 
• Payment: Spies working for foreign kings should receive their salaries from those kings. However, if they assist in catching robbers, they may receive salaries from both states. The purity of their character can be ascertained through people of a similar profession. 
• Deployment of Spies: Spies are deployed in various locations and environments, such as inside houses, forts, suburbs, country parts, boundaries of the country, and forests, depending on their specific roles and tasks. 
• Detection of Foreign Spies: Local spies are responsible for detecting foreign spies operating within the state. Chiefs suspected of having inimical designs should be placed on the boundaries to help identify foreign spies.  

Chapter XIII – Protection of Parties for or against One’s Own Cause in One’s Own State  

• Role of Classmate Spies: Spies, acting as classmate spies (satri), engage in disputations or debates in various public settings, including pilgrimage places, assemblies, houses, corporations, and gatherings of people. Their goal is to gauge public sentiment and opinions about the king and the state. 
• Disputation Strategy: The spies use a specific strategy in their disputes. One spy may present a favorable view of the king, highlighting his desirable qualities and his commitment to protecting the citizens. Another spy, posing as an opponent, may counter this view, emphasizing the historical role of kings in levying taxes and fines. The latter spy argues that kings have a duty to maintain the safety and security of their subjects. The king is portrayed as a dispenser of both punishments and rewards, ensuring order and justice. 
• Managing Discontent: Spies are responsible for identifying rumors and discontent among various groups, such as those who depend on the king for their livelihood, those who supply resources to the king, those who keep rebellious districts in check, and those who defend against external threats. The king should prioritize keeping content individuals satisfied with honors and rewards. For disaffected groups, the king can use conciliation, gifts, sowing discord among them, or even punishment to manage their discontent. 
• Relationships and Alliances: Spies disguised as astrologers and omens-tellers are tasked with assessing the relationships between disaffected individuals, their connections to foreign kings, and their motivations. This information helps the king understand potential threats and alliances within his kingdom. 
• Guarding Factions: Kautilya emphasizes the importance of a wise king guarding factions within his state, whether they are supportive or hostile. The king should use a combination of rewards, conciliation, manipulation, and, if necessary, punishment to manage and control these factions and prevent them from becoming tools of foreign powers. 

Chapter XIV – Winning Over Factions for or against an Enemy’s Cause in an Enemy’s State  

• Provoked Persons: These are individuals who have been provoked or wronged in some way. They include those who have been treated unfairly, banished, had their property confiscated, or faced imprisonment. Spies can manipulate these individuals by convincing them that they can gain redress or seek revenge through a foreign power. 
• Alarmed Persons: Alarmed persons are those who are fearful of repercussions, such as those who have committed wrongful acts, had their own misdeeds exposed, or fear punishment for their actions. Spies can exploit their fear by offering them protection or assistance in exchange for support. 
• Ambitious Persons: These individuals have personal ambitions or desires for power and wealth. Spies can lure them by promising opportunities to fulfill their ambitions or amass wealth through a foreign alliance. 
• Haughty Persons: Haughty individuals have a sense of superiority and may be discontented with their current status. Spies can appeal to their pride by portraying the foreign power as recognizing and respecting their worth. 
• Manipulating Factions: Spies, especially those with specific attributes, can work to win over these factions by presenting persuasive narratives and arguments. They may use comparisons or analogies to make their points, portraying the king in a negative light and emphasizing the potential benefits of joining forces with the foreign power. The goal is to convince these factions to cooperate and form a combination under the leadership of the spies. 
• Managing Foreign Alliances: Kautilya advises that friends of a foreign king can be won over with persuasion and rewards, while enemies can be managed by sowing discord among them, issuing threats, or highlighting the flaws of their master. The idea is to ensure that factions within the foreign state align with the king’s interests. 

Chapter XV – The Business of Council Meeting  

• Secrecy of Council Matters: Council matters are to be kept entirely secret, and deliberations must be conducted with utmost discretion. The importance of secrecy is emphasized to prevent information from being leaked to outside parties. 
• Penalties for Disclosure: Anyone who discloses council matters is to be punished, even to the extent of being torn to pieces. This strict penalty is intended to deter individuals from betraying the king’s confidence. 
• Detecting Disclosure: Kautilya mentions ways to detect potential disclosure, such as observing changes in the attitude and countenance of council members. Changes in conduct and appearance can indicate that someone might have revealed council secrets. 
• Protection Against Betrayal: The chapter provides guidance on how to safeguard council deliberations, including monitoring the behavior of council members, especially those with hidden or disregarded natures. 
• Consulting with Ministers: The king is encouraged to consult with his ministers on various matters, seeking their advice and opinions. However, it is advised that these consultations should involve a limited number of ministers (ideally three or four) to ensure efficient decision-making. 
• Components of Council Deliberation: Kautilya outlines five components essential for council deliberations: means to carry out works, the availability of resources (men and wealth), the allocation of time and place, measures to mitigate risks, and the ultimate achievement of success. 
• Assembly of Ministers: Different schools of thought provide varying opinions on the composition of the assembly of ministers, with some suggesting twelve, sixteen, or twenty members. However, Kautilya asserts that the assembly should consist of as many members as needed for the king’s dominion. 
• Consultation During Emergencies: During times of emergency, the king may call for council meetings with both ministers and the assembly of ministers. He should take into account the majority’s opinion and act accordingly, while ensuring that his own secrets remain hidden from enemies. 
• Secrecy and Intelligence: The king is advised to act like a tortoise by drawing in his limbs, signifying that he should keep his plans secret and hidden, while remaining vigilant about the weaknesses of his enemies. 
• Importance of Knowledge: Kautilya emphasizes that only those who are well-versed in various sciences and subjects are fit to participate in council deliberations. 

Chapter XVI – The Mission of Envoys 

• Types of Envoys: Kautilya classifies envoys into various categories based on their qualifications and roles: 
• A successful counselor is considered an “envoy.” 
• One who possesses ministerial qualifications is a “chargé d’affaires” (nistishtirthah). 
• Someone with qualifications slightly less than a chargé d’affaires is an “agent entrusted with a definite mission.” 
• An envoy with qualifications reduced by half becomes a “conveyor of royal writs” (parimitarthah). 
• Mission Preparation: Envoys are tasked with carrying out missions for the king, and they need to make adequate arrangements for transportation, accommodation, servants, and sustenance. They must be fully prepared for their mission. 
• Mission Strategy: Envoys are encouraged to make friends with the enemy’s officers, understand the enemy’s strongholds, assess fortifications, and gather information about the enemy’s territory. They should have a clear understanding of the purpose of their mission and state it explicitly. 
• Reading the Enemy: Envoys should carefully observe the enemy’s response and the signals they give, such as their tone, facial expressions, and gestures. A respectful reception, inquiries about the envoy’s well-being, and taking an active interest in the envoy’s narrative may indicate the enemy’s goodwill. 
• Maintaining Secrecy: Envoys must guard against revealing their own king’s secrets, and they should remain vigilant while staying in the enemy’s territory, especially when asleep or under the influence of alcohol. 
• Gathering Intelligence: Envoys can collect information by using various sources, including ascetic and merchant spies, as well as secret agents posing as physicians or heretics. They must gather information on loyalty or disloyalty within the enemy’s territory. 
• Communication with the Enemy: Envoys should interact with the enemy’s officers and convey their messages clearly, even at the risk of their own lives. 
• Securing Release: If an envoy is detained, they should infer the reasons for their continued stay, be it to protect their own king or other ulterior motives. Based on this understanding, they may decide whether to stay or leave without permission. 
• Tasks of Envoys: Envoys are responsible for various tasks, including transmitting messages, maintaining treaties, issuing ultimatums, making alliances, and collecting information about the enemy’s spies and military movements. 
• Employing Counter Measures: Kings should use their own envoys and spies to guard against foreign envoys and their potential intrigues. Counter envoys, spies, and visible and invisible watchmen are essential for protecting the kingdom’s interests. 

Chapter XVII – Protection of Princes  

• Need for Protection: Kautilya emphasizes the importance of protecting princes from a young age. He compares princes to crabs that have a tendency to harm their own fathers, and he warns against the potential dangers posed by unruly or disloyal sons. 
• Methods of Protection: Kautilya and various scholars propose different methods for protecting princes, including keeping them under guard in a designated place, placing them in the custody of boundary guards, or confining them inside a distant foreign fort to minimize the risk they pose. 
• Careful Handling: Kautilya suggests that imprisoning or banishing princes may not be the best course of action, as it can lead to hostility or alliances against the king. He advises allowing dissolute princes to dissipate their lives through sensual excesses while avoiding animosity. 
• Balanced Upbringing: Kautilya recommends a balanced approach to raising princes, emphasizing the importance of teaching them righteousness and wealth. He discourages exposing them to unrighteousness or non-wealth. 
• Terrifying the Prince: To deter princes from engaging in harmful behavior, Kautilya suggests using various methods, such as employing impure women to scare them away from promiscuity, serving them liquor adulterated with narcotics to dissuade them from drinking, and using spies disguised as fraudulent individuals to discourage them from gambling. 
• Inculcating Good Qualities: Kautilya emphasizes the need to teach princes the value of righteousness and wealth. Classmate spies are advised to be courteous and guide the prince in the right direction, building a sense of trust and allegiance. 
• Control Measures: In extreme cases, where a king has a single son who is either devoid of worldly pleasures or is a favored child, the king may keep him under chains for control. If a king has many sons, he can send some of them to regions where there is no apparent heir. 
• Eldest Son: Kautilya mentions that sovereignty often falls to the eldest son, and it is usually respected. However, he also highlights the importance of the corporation of clans in maintaining stable rule, as it can provide for a permanent existence on earth. 

Chapter XVIII – The Conduct of a Prince Kept under Restraint and the Trestment of a Restrained Prince  

• Duties of a Restrained Prince: A prince who is kept under restraint should remain faithful to his father’s rule unless the tasks assigned to him cost his life, enrage the people, or lead to other severe calamities. 
• Engaging in Meritorious Work: If a prince is assigned a good or meritorious task, he should strive to excel in it and present the profits to his father. He should aim to exceed expectations and provide substantial benefits. 
• Seeking Permission for Forest Life: If the king is still displeased with the prince or shows undue partiality to other princes and wives, the restrained prince may request permission to live in the forest as an ascetic. 
• Seeking Refuge with a Neighboring King: If the prince fears imprisonment or death, he can seek refuge with a neighboring king known for his righteousness, charity, and truthfulness. This king should be hospitable and respect guests of good character. While residing in this foreign kingdom, the prince can build alliances and connections. 
• Earning Livelihood: A restrained prince can earn his livelihood by working in mines, manufacturing ornaments, or engaging in commercial activities. He may also build connections with various groups, including heretics, wealthy widows, and merchants, and accumulate wealth. 
• Making Alliances: The prince may form alliances with wild tribes and parties in his father’s state who are dissatisfied with the current rule. 
• Taking Direct Action: If he decides to confront his father directly, he can disguise himself and, with the assistance of spies under similar disguises, approach the king. He should assert his claim to the throne, emphasizing that both of them should enjoy the state, and express a willingness to share the rule with the king. 
• Reconciliation and Return: Spies or his mother, whether natural or adoptive, may reconcile the restrained prince with the king and persuade him to return to the court. 
• Elimination of an Abandoned Prince: In some cases, an abandoned prince, who poses a significant threat to the king, may be killed by secret emissaries armed with weapons and poison. 
• Recovery of a Strayed Prince: If a prince strays from the court, the king can employ various tactics to bring him back, such as using women, alcohol, or hunting as opportunities to recapture the prince. 
• Banishment: If a prince continues to be unruly and poses a danger to the kingdom, he may be banished. 
   

Chapter XIX – The Duties of a King  

• Energetic Rule: Kautilya emphasizes that a king’s energy and diligence set the tone for his subjects. If the king is energetic, the people will also be energetic. Conversely, if the king is reckless, the people will follow suit and may undermine his rule. A reckless king is also more vulnerable to external threats. 
• Active and Diligent King: A king is advised to be vigilant and active. Kautilya suggests dividing the day and night into eight parts and allocating specific tasks for each part, such as attending to the affairs of citizens, managing finances, supervising the military, and studying administrative matters. 
• Accessibility: The king should always make himself accessible to his subjects and not keep them waiting at the door. Kautilya argues that when a king becomes inaccessible and delegates all work to his officers, it can lead to confusion, public dissatisfaction, and leave the king vulnerable to his enemies. 
• Prioritizing Duties: The king is expected to attend to various aspects of governance, including the concerns of gods, heretics, scholars, cattle, sacred places, minors, the elderly, the afflicted, helpless individuals, and women. Urgent matters should be addressed immediately, without delay. 
• Religious Vows: The king’s readiness to take action is described as his religious vow. He should perform his duties diligently and see the welfare of his subjects as his own. Pleasing the subjects should be his priority, not self-interest. 
• Importance of Activity: Kautilya underscores the significance of a king’s activity in governance. Activity is the root of wealth, and inactivity can lead to the loss of both current and future acquisitions. The king’s diligence can help achieve desired goals and accumulate wealth. 

Chapter XX – Duty towards the Harem  

• Construction of the Harem: The king is advised to construct a harem with many compartments, one within the other, enclosed by a parapet and a dish. It should have a door for entrance. The construction should be well-planned to ensure the safety and security of the women in the harem. 
• Fire and Poison Safety: The chapter emphasizes the use of various safety measures to protect the harem against fire and poison. Special construction methods and materials are recommended, such as walls made of mud mixed with ashes from lightning strikes. Additionally, various plants and trees are mentioned for protection against poisonous creatures like snakes. 
• Security Measures: Specific measures are recommended to protect against threats and dangers within the harem. Hidden compartments, underground chambers, and secret passages are suggested for the king’s own residential quarters. Security is a primary concern, given the historical context of political intrigue and internal threats. 
• Purity and Access Control: The king is instructed to be cautious and not touch any woman in the harem without verifying her personal purity. He is also advised to ensure the cleanliness of all those who enter the harem, including midwives and prostitutes. Purity checks are to be carried out by a designated team. 
• Regulation of Movement: Inhabitants of the harem are expected to stay in their assigned places and not move to the areas designated for others. This strict regulation of movement helps maintain order and security within the harem. 
• Control of Commodities: The passage of commodities into and out of the harem is strictly controlled. Everything entering or leaving the harem must be examined and authorized based on seal marks. This measure aims to prevent unauthorized access and protect the harem’s security. 

Chapter XXI – Personal Safety  

• Receiving the King: The chapter describes the protocol for receiving the king when he gets up from his bed. Various groups of attendants and officials are designated to receive him as he moves through different compartments. These groups include women armed with bows, harem attendants, door-keepers, and others. The specific personnel receiving the king may vary based on the compartment he enters. 
• Selection of Personal Attendants: The king is advised to choose his personal attendants carefully. Those who are loyal, well-trained, and have a history of serving the royal family are recommended. Foreigners or individuals with no record of loyal service are not suitable to form the king’s bodyguard or serve as harem attendants. 
• Food Safety: The chapter discusses food safety measures in detail. The head-cook is responsible for supervising the preparation of dishes. Before partaking of food, the king is advised to make oblations of the dishes to fire and birds. Unusual changes in the appearance, smell, taste, or consistency of food are considered signs of possible poison. In such cases, the presence of poison should be inferred. 
• Detecting Poison: The text provides a list of indicators that may suggest the presence of poison in food or beverages. These include changes in color, texture, and appearance of various substances, as well as specific signs and symptoms in a person who may have ingested poison. This information is meant to aid physicians and experts in identifying poison. 
• Testing Medicines: To ensure the purity of medicines, the physician, along with the decoctioner and the purveyor, is advised to taste the medicine before presenting it to the king. This practice is intended to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of the medicines administered to the king. 
• Military Attire and Escort: When the king leaves the capital to inspect his army or participate in military affairs, he should be dressed in military attire. Depending on his mode of travel, he may mount a horse, chariot, or elephant. This not only presents the king as a commanding figure but also prepares him for any potential military situations. 
• Road Security: The roads leading into and out of the capital should be well-guarded during the king’s movements. Armed persons, ascetics, and the disabled should not be present on these roads. This measure helps to clear the way for the king and enhance his security. 
• Attending Events: The king is advised to attend festive processions, fairs, and sacrificial performances only when they are organized and protected by “The Ten Communities” (dasavargikadhishthitáni). This is to ensure that the events are safe and secure for the king’s presence. 
• Personal Safety Measures: Just as the king is responsible for the safety and security of his subjects through the use of spies and other means, he is also advised to take measures to protect himself from external dangers. 
• The chapter emphasizes the importance of ensuring the king’s personal safety and minimizing potential risks when he leaves the capital for various purposes. 
• This chapter concludes Book 1, “Concerning Discipline,” of the Arthashastra of Kautilya, which primarily focuses on the administration and governance of a kingdom. If you have more questions or would like to explore other aspects of the Arthashastra or any other topic, please feel free to ask.