A. Royden D'souza

Book II, titled Adhyakshaprachara—"The Activity of Superintendents"—marks a decisive outward turn. The king is now presumed to be disciplined, wakeful, and securely enthroned. The question is no longer how should the king train himself? but how should the king's will be translated into the daily administration of a vast and complex empire?

Arthashastra, a manual on statecraft so detailed and pragmatic that it makes Machiavelli's The Prince seem like a preliminary sketch. Written in Sanskrit, this ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, politics, economic policy, and military strategy is a monumental work of political realism.