KNOWING THE GREAT CHANAKYA
Chanakya (l. c. 350-275 BCE, also known as kautilya and Vishnugupta) was prime minister under the reign of Chandragupt maurya (r. c. 321-c.297 BCE), founder of the maurya empire (322-185 BCE). He is best known as the author of the political treatise Arthshastra which he wrote as a kind of instruction manual for the young Chandragupt on how to rule effectively. The events of his life are known only through legends from various traditions; no historical documents have survived concerning him or his role in the establishment of the Mauryan empire.
According to one tradition, he served as advisor to the last king of the
Nanda Dynasty (c. 5th century -322 BCE) Dhanananda (also given as Dhana Nanda,
r. 329-322/321 BCE) who ruled the Kingdom of Magadh. According to another, he was a
Vedic scholar from the university of Taxila who visited the
court of Dhanananda where he was insulted at an alms-giving ceremony and, after
this event, devoted himself to deposing the king.
He first attempted to enlist the king’s son, Pabbata, in his cause and is also said to have approached others before narrowing his most likely candidates down to Pabbata and a young man who was either a lesser member of the noble house or a commoner, Chandragupta. After testing the two youths, Chandragupta proved the most resourceful and Chanakya focused his efforts on training the future king for the next seven-to-nine years. When his training was completed, Chandragupta overthrew Dhanananda and assumed control of Magadha.
The Arthashastra is considered Chanakya’s training manual by which he transformed Chandragupta from a citizen to a monarch. The precepts of the Arthashastra not only enabled Chandragupta to seize power but to maintain it, passing it down to his son, Bindusara (r. 297-c.273 BCE) and then to his grandson Ashoka the great (r. 268-232 BCE) whose initial success can also be attributed to the Arthashastra until he grew disillusioned by war and converted to Buddhism. The Arthashastra is informed by the philosophical school of Charvaka (developed c. 600 BCE) which rejected the supernatural explanation of phenomena in favor of a completely materialistic world view. The practical, hands-on, nature of the Arthashastra most likely could never have developed without the foundation of Charvaka to build on. The Arthashastra continued to exert considerable influence after the reign of Ashok but then disappeared and was considered lost until it was discovered in 1905 CE by the Sanskrit scholar Rudrapatna Shamasastry (l. 1868-1944 CE). Shamasastry published the work in 1909 CE and then translated it into English and published that version in 1915 CE which brought it greater attention.
knowing the great chanakya
EARLY LIFE
Birth
Chanakya's birthplace is unknown , possibly Acharya Chanakya born in
Kusumpur near Pataliputra (modern day Patna) city in ancient India . According
to the Buddhist text Mahavamsa Tika, his birthplace was Taxila. According to
some other Jain accounts, he was a native of South India. His father name
was "Chanak"
When Chanakya was born he had a full set of teeth, which is a sign that
he would become a king or an emperor. But since he was born in a Brahmin
family, it was considered inappropriate. Thus, his teeth were broken and it was
predicted that he would make another person a king and rule through him
Even as a child, Chanakya had the qualities of a born leader. His level
of knowledge was beyond children of his age.
Chanakya's Education
Rishi Canak named his son
as "Chanakya". Being a teacher himself, he knew the importance of
education. Taxila was one of the world centres for education. At a very early
age little Chanakya started studying Vedas. The Vedas; considered to be the
toughest scriptures to study were completely studied and memorized by Chanakya
in his infancy. He was attracted to studies in politics. In politics Chanakya’s
acumen and shrewdness was visible right from childhood. He was a student of
politics right from child hood. Known as a masterful political strategist, He
knew how to put his own people in the opposite camp and spy the enemy without
his knowledge before destroying him forever. Chanakya was an ace in turning
tables in his favour irrespective of the circumstances. He never budged to
pressure tactics by the ruthless politicians. In this way after studying religion
and politics, he turned his attention to economics, which remained his lifelong
friend. "Nitishastra", a treatise on the ideal way of life shows his
in depth study of the Indian way of life
Life as a student
Takshashila, (later corrupted as Taxila),one of the
topmost centers of education at that time in India became Chanakya’s breeding
ground of acquiring knowledge in the practical and theoretical aspect. The
teachers were highly knowledgeable who used to teach sons of kings. It is said
that a certain teacher had 101 students and all of them were princes! The
university at Taxila was well versed in teaching the subjects using the best of
practical knowledge acquired by the teachers. The age of entering the
university was sixteen. The branches of studies most sought after in around
India ranged from law, medicine, warfare and other indigenous forms of
learning. The four Vedas, archery, hunting, elephant-lore and 18 arts were
taught at the university of Taxila. So prominent was the place where Chanakya
received his education that it goes to show the making of the genius. The very
requirements of admission filtered out the outlawed and people with lesser
credentials.
After acquiring vast knowledge in various branches
of study he wanted everybody to get benefited. He believed in the broadcasting
of knowledge and not in the storage of it. So famous was Chanakya in the
vicinity of the university that he had many nicknames. He was called variously
by different people, namely – Vishnugupta, Kautilya and Chanakya. The whole nation
was bewildered by the cleverness and wit of this seemingly small boy who went
on to single handedly unify the country with the sheer power of his character.
He lived his life working to his capacity in pursuit of his vision of a happy
strong and prosperous India.
Move towards Patliputra
Though Chanakya was just a professor in the Taxila University which seemed to be far away from the happenings in the country, he actually was able to influence the governments in a big way. His students looked at him as an ideal teacher who inspired and exemplified great knowledge. His students respected him and were ready to fight at any moment at his orders. Two of his students who have been mentioned at various instances were Bhadrabhatt and Purushdutt. In the events that unfolded in the life of Chanakya, these two played a pivotal role in the achievement of his goals. It is rumored that they acted as spies for Chanakya, collecting information about his enemies.
knowing the great chanakya
"I will destroy you"
Since Chanakya was a great scholar from Taxila, he
was included in the committee for charity. Chanakya later on became the
president of the ‘Sungha’ (Trust). The Sungha used to help the king in the
distribution of the money allotted for charity to the different sections of the
society. In the process of delegation of the funds for charity, the president
of the trust had to meet the king frequently. When Chanakya met the king for
the first time, he was disgusted at the ugly appearance of Chanakya. As time
passed he developed contempt for Chanakya. There was no refinement in words and
conduct. To increase the fire between Dhanananda and Chanakya, the courtiers
dissuaded the king from having a cordial
Defeat of the Nanda king
Before defeating the Nandas, Chanakya had to employ
various strategies before victory. Chanakya firstly tested the policy of
attacking the core of the city. The policy met with defeats again and again.
With the change in strategy, Chanakya and Chandragupta began the attack on the
borders of the Magadha Empire. Again there were mistakes. The troops were not stationed
in the areas conquered. So when they marched forward, the people of the
conquered areas joined together again and encircled their army. Thus
those who had been defeated had to be fought again and again
Chandragupta and Chanakya learnt lessons from these
mistakes. They now stationed troops in the conquered regions. So those enemies
would not raise and cause any trouble. Chanakya with his cleverness had earlier
won the friendship of king Parvataka (or Porus Second). Now Parvataka, his
brother Vairochaka and son Malayeketu came with their armies to help them. The
Nanda king had the support of a big army. The other equally important support
was the guidance of his very able minister, Amatya Rakshasa. This minister was
very intelligent and had unlimited loyalty to the king. Chanakya knew that
getting Amatya out of his way was the only way of defeating King Nanda.
Chanakya devised a plan which involved planting of spies in the enemy camp. In
a very short span of time, the weaknesses of the Nandas became visible.
Parallely, the Nandas and Amatya Rakshasa made plans to counter any attacks by
Chanakya.
Details are not available regarding the war between the Nandas on the one hand and Chandragupta and Chanakya on the other. But it was a keen and bitter fight. The Nanda king died. His sons and relatives also died. Even Amatya Rakshasa was helpless. Chandragupta was victorious proving the foresight of Chanakya regarding his abilities. The old king and his wife retired to the forest. It is said that after sometime Chanakya had the old king and his wife killed , because he thought that if Amatya Rakshasa made them take a son by the rights of adoption, there would be claimants to the throne. He wanted the lineage of the Nandas should be totally eliminated.
knowing the great chanakya
Literary works
Two books are attributed to Chanakya: Arthashastra
and - Neetishastra (also known as Chanakya Niti).
The Arthashastra discu- sses monetary and fiscal p-
olicies, welfare, internatio- nal relations, and war strategies in detail. The
text also outlines the duties of a ruler. Some scholars believe that
Arthashastra is actually a compilation of a number of earlier texts written by
various authors, and Chanakya might have been one of these authors.
Neetishastra is a treatise on the ideal way of life, and shows Chanakya's deep study of the Indian way of life. Chanakya also developed Neeti-Sutras (apho- risms – pithy sentences) that tell people how they should behave. Of these well-known 455 sutras, about 216 refer to raja-neeti (the dos and don'ts of running a kingdom). Apparently, Chanakya used these sutras to groom Chandragupta and other selected disciples in the art of ruling a kingdom.
knowing the great chanakya
Legacy
Chanakya is regarded as a great thinker and diplomat in India. Many
Indian nationalists regard him as one of the earliest people who envisaged the
united India spanning the entire subcontinent. India's- National
Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon praised
Chanakya's Arthashastra for its clear and precise rules which apply
even today. Furthermore, he recommended reading of the book for broadening the
vision on strategic issues.
The diplomatic enclave in New Delhi is named Chanakyapuri in honour of Chanakya. Institutes named after him include Training Ship Chanakya,Chanakya National Law University and Chanakya Institute of Public Leadership. Chanakya circle in Mysore has been named after him.
nowing the great chanakya
Death
(around 275 BCE)The real cause of
Chanakya's death is unknown and disputed. According to one legend,
he retired to the jungle and starved himself to death. According
to another legend mentioned by the Jain writerHemachandra, Subandhu, one of
Bindusara's ministers, did not like Chanakya. One day he told Bindusara that
Chanakya was responsible for the murder of his mother. Bindusara asked the
nurses, who confirmed the story of his birth. Bindusara was horrified and
enraged. Chanakya, who was an old man by this time, learnt that the King was
angry with him, he decided to end his life. In accordance with the Jain
tradition, he decided to starve himself to death. By this time, the King learnt
the full story: Chanakya was not directly responsible for his mother's death,
which was an accident. He asked Subandhu to convince Chanakya to give up his
plan to kill himself. However, Subandhu, pretending to conduct a ceremony for
Chanakya, burnt Chanakya alive.
1) डर को नजदीक न आने दो अगर यह नजदीक आ जाय तो इस पर हमला कर दो.
2) भगवान मूर्तियो मे नही बसता बल्कि आपकी अनुभूति ही आपका ईश्वर है और आत्मा आपका मंदिर
3) भाग्य उनका साथ देता है जो कठिन परिस्थितयो का सामना करके भी अपने लक्ष्य के प्रति ढृढ रहते है
4) मनुष्य स्वयं ही अपने कर्मो के दवारा जीवन मे दुःख को बुलाता है
5) जो तुम्हारी बात को सुनते हुए इधर-उधर देखे उस आदमी पर कभी भी विश्वास न करे
6) दूसरो की गलतियो से सीखो अपने ही ऊपर प्रयोग करके सीखने पर तुम्हारी आयु कम पड़ जायेंगी
7) कभी भी अपनी कमजोरी को खुद उजागर न करो
8) कोई भी व्यक्ति ऊँचे स्थान पर बैठकर ऊँचा नहीं हो जाता बल्कि हमेशा अपने गुणों से ऊँचा होता है
9) बुद्धि से पैसा कमाया जा सकता है,पैसे से बुद्धि नहीं
10) बहुत से गुणो के होने के बाद भी सिर्फ एक दोष सब कुछ नष्ट कर सकता है
No comments:
Post a Comment