KAUTILYA ON STATE

Political thought is primarily concerned with the state and its functions. There
are no historical records to tell us how and when man originally came to live
under state conditions or a political system. In the absence of historical
evidence, political thinkers have, however, made various suggestions to explain
how state originated. There are differences of opinion among various political
thinkers regarding the meaning, origin, nature, functions, objectives and
elements of the state.
The word 'state' drives from the Latin word, ‘Statvs’, literally "standing" but
meaning "condition" or "status". The idea of the state as an organized society
goes back to the Greek city-states. Aristotle described it as the natural growth
of family and village. The theory is prior in nature, family being older in time.
The Romans borrowed the idea of state from the Greeks but applied it to a
bigger geographic unit. In its modern sense, the term was first used by
Machiavelli during the 16th century as general term for a body politic.
It was for the first time, in ancient India, that the Arthashastra of Kautilya
provided a definition of the state. Kautilya was an ancient Indian polymath who
was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and
royal advisor. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political
science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important
precursor to classical economics.
According to him 'no territory deserves the name of kingdom (state) unless it is
full of people and controlled by an agglomeration of power with absolute
authority over the territory". Kautilya's Arthashastra is not a theoretical treatise
on political science. It does not directly concern itself with the question of the
origin of the state. The entire teaching of the Arthashastra is addressed to the
king, the single ruler of a state.
THE SAPTANGA THEORY: ELEMENTS OF SATE
The state is defined for the first time in the Arthashastra of Kautilya as
consisting of seven elements. The state as seven- limbed is contemplated by
the ancient Hindu thinkers. Kautilya, in his Arthashastra, put the order of the
elements of state like the Swami, the Amatyas, the Janapada, the Durgas, the
Kosha, the Danda and the Mitra. He writes 'the king and his kingdom are the
primary elements of the state' because all other elements evolve round these
two elements.
The seven ‘angas’, ‘prakritis’, or elements were enumerated and elucidated by
Kautilya for describing “the nature of the State” in its totality. As laid down in
the first chapter of Arthashastra’s Sixth Book, entitled Mandala Yonih, these
are:
1. Swami (The Sovereign King)
Subscribing to monarchy as the ideal form of state, Kautilya has accorded to
the king “the highest place in the body- politic”. The Swami is the chief
executive head of the state and, is, thus “the consummation of all other
elements”. The word Swami is derived from the word ‘swayam’ which refers to
self-determining. The Swami, therefore, becomes a living and animate
embodiment, which is subjected to be ruled by none, does not follow any
external rulings and is liable only to self- imposed restrictions. He is, thus, the
symbol of legal and political authority and power.
Kautilya gives a comprehensive list broad categories of qualities which
constitute the ideals of a Swami. This categorization of qualities supplements
the usual notion of kingship being characterized by coercion and subordination
of people. The king was, thus, not to be a despot, exercising power through
sheer military force, but was to rule his subjects through affection. Accordingly,
he also lays down duties and functions that the king is called upon to perform.
In the exercise of these functions, Kautilya’s king was all- powerful. The limits of
his authority were imposed by the social and religious customs of his state.
2. Amatya (The Minister)
In its narrow sense, the term Amatya or Mantrin is used for the minister of the
high grade. Kautilya describes an elaborate system of recruitment of the
Amatyas and other officials who were to be morally and ethically pure, honest
in financial matters and of good character. The Amatyas were expected to be
natural born citizens, persons of noble origin, free from all vices, men of
infallible memory, friendly nature, wisdom, patience and endurance. The king
was expected to appoint only wise men to these offices as they were to be his
trusted advisers. These ministers were not only to advise the king whenever
their advice was sought; they were also to maintain the secrecy of their
deliberations.
3. Janapada (The People and The Territory)
This unique element of Saptanga is the symbol of State, which stands for a
“territorial society”. Here, ‘Jana’ denotes people and ‘Pada’ is a symbol of
territory where these inhabitants permanently reside. D.R. Bhandarkar and R.S.
Sharma are of the view that Kautilya’s Janapada includes not only territory but
also population. Kautilya prescribes the following requisites of a prosperous
Janapada in terms of territory:
(i) accommodate and support people;
(ii) defend the state against enemies;
(iii) find occupation of people;
(iv) have manageable neighbours;
(v) provide pastures;
(vi) have arable land, mines, forest and
(vii) provide good internal communication, i.e. rivers, roads, and outlet to sea.
4. Durga (Fortification)
Kautilya regarded fortification as essential for the defence and protection of
the state. He wanted the state to fortify the territories from all sides. He has
described four types of fortification which include Audak, Paarvat, Dhannvana
and Vana. Of these categories, the first two are used for the protection of the
territory and the remaining two are used for the protection of the farmers.
These fortifications, thus, would not only protect the people and the capital,
but would also be suitable for fighting purposes, i.e. for both defensive and
offensive purposes.
5. Kosha (The Treasury)
The flourishing economy is essential for the existence of the State in all times
and circumstances. That is probably why the philosophers of Ancient India
looked at treasury as an essential element of the State. Though Kautilya
wanted a prosperous treasury, he specifically directed the king to earn the
wealth of nation only by legitimate and righteous means and in no way by
unfair and immoral means. For the collection of revenues, Kautilya suggested
the following legitimate sources:
(i) various forms of land tax;
(ii) duty levied on the sale of commodities in the market;
(iii) tax on imports and exports and
(iv) miscellaneous taxes.
 6. Danda (The Army or The Force)
Kautilya accepted a strong and hereditary Kshatriya army, as the most
important requisite of the state. He insisted on the hereditary army, as it would
not only be skilled, well- contended and obedient to the king’s will, but also be
free from duplicity. Such an army would serve both the defensive and offensive
purposes of the king. Hence, it was obvious for Kautilya to pay great attention
to the maintenance and organization of the army. For instance, in Arthashastra,
we find him mentioning as many as half a dozen heads of departments namely
the in charge of the armory, naval forces, cavalry, elephants, chariots and
infantry.
7. Mitra (The Allies)
- Having realized that “political isolation means death”, Kautilya proceeded to
consider the Mitra or the ally as a vital factor. Kautilya recognizes two kinds of
allies, namely Sahaja and Kritrima. The Sahaja or natural ally is the one whose
friendship is derived from the times of King’s father and grandfather and who is
situated close to the territory of the immediately neighbouring enemy. On the
other hand, the Kritrima or the acquired ally is the one whose friendship is
specially resorted to for the protection of wealth and life. Kautilya, however,
preferred an ally who is traditional, permanent, disciplined, and enthusiastic
and from whom the possibility of opposition or rebellion is minimum.
CONCLUSION
Most of the basic features of modern-day concept of good governance,
responsiveness of the government, efficiency of administration well-being and
prosperity of the people, overall development of political community, good
quality of life, ethical upwardness and economic affluence have got prominent
place in the thought process and administrative structures postulated by
Kautilya in his Arthashastra.
Kautilya’s concept of ‘State’ is, however, vividly reflected in his description of
angas or elements of the state. He did not specifically define the term ‘State’,
as he was essentially a man of action, and not a theorist. His concern for and
emphasis on the internal and external security of state was to save humanity
from a sort of Hobbesian state of nature. The Saptang theory is a vivid
manifestation of Kautilya’s deeper understanding of not only the political
nature of man, but also the functioning of his political institutions, especially
the state.