A. Royden D'souza

Arthashastra emphasizes that these first five categories—the fraudulent disciple, recluse, householder, merchant, and ascetic—constitute the five established institutes of espionage (samsthāḥ).

The story of ancient India from c. 900 BC to c. 550 AD is one of repeated cycles of fragmentation and unification, each cycle producing more sophisticated mechanisms of ideological control and administrative reach.