Arthashastra

अर्थशास्त्रम् · അർഥശാസ്ത്രം

Kautilya’s treatise on statecraft, economics, law and military strategy.

Attributed to Kautilya Period c. 4th century BCE–3rd century CE

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The original Sanskrit is preserved in every verse. Translations and explanations appear only where they have been contributed.

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Details

Structure: Book → Chapter → Sutra
Text type: smriti
Counting convention: Counts differ by edition and by whether prose passages are counted as sutras.
Books: 15
Counts: Traditional attribution, not yet independently verified
Rights: Sanskrit source text is in the public domain; the imported edition and translator credits are recorded per text.
Dating source: Approximate scholarly range; traditional chronology differs.
Languages online: Sanskrit

Related scriptures

Manusmriti Yajnavalkya Smriti Narada Smriti Nyaya Sutras

Introduction

The Arthashastra is a systematic treatise on governance, economy, law and war. Its authorship and dating are debated, and the surviving text shows several layers of composition.

Contents

Chapters are being prepared

The structure of this scripture has not been published yet. Its shlokas will appear here as they are added.

Source note. The source edition for this scripture has not been recorded yet. Translations and explanations are credited to their contributors. Nothing on this page should be treated as a verified critical edition unless the record says so.