A scholar had once defined Arthas as ‘power’ in the ancient Indian books. This gives us a different, yet the apt meaning of the word Arthashastra. Thus, Chanakya’s Arthashastra can be taken as a book on ‘power management’.
Such a book would be extremely useful for a person at a top leadership position and who should know which card to play at what time. Chanakya was a master in the field of power management and, throughout the Arthashastra, various options are given to the king.
In the seventh book of Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Chanakya defines six situations and six different measures to handle them. He says: “These are really six measures, because of differences in the situations.” (7.1.5).
Why does Chanakya promote alternative moves for different situations? The reason is simple: No two situations are the same and a unique ‘strategy’ must be applied for every situation.
If we understand just this, we will understand how to manage power. Let us take up some of the most common situations a corporate leader can come across:
Dr Radhakrishnan Pillai is an Indian management thinker, author, and Founder of Atma Darshan and Chanakya Aanvikshiki. Dr Pillai has extensively researched Kautilya’s Arthashastra, the 3rd century BC treatise and incorporated it into modern management.
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