Chapters 6 through 10 of Arthashastra address the most intimate bonds that hold society together: marriage, family, and inheritance. Kautilya legislates the forms of marriage, the rights and duties of wives and husbands, the grounds for divorce and abandonment, the property a woman brings into marriage and what she may take when she leaves.

Chapters 31 through 36 of Arthashastra's Book 2 complete the architecture of Book II by turning to the instruments of military power and urban order.

The Rig Veda consists of 1,028 hymns grouped into 10 books called Maṇḍalas. Its verses express praise, philosophical inquiry, and deep yearning for prosperity, protection, and truth. Over this series, we will explore the Rig Veda hymn by hymn, beginning with the very first one.