|
|
Kauṭilya
The Code of Power (Arthaśāstra).
Art of War and Strategy in India
____________________________________________________________
Vicenza 2011
Edizioni Il Punto d'Incontro
pp. 420
____________________________________________________________
In India, 2,300 years ago a mysterious philosopher named Kauṭilya formulated an unconventional science of power, success and financial prosperity, condensing its social, psychological, economic, strategic and political principles in an insidious programme that immortalized in his masterpiece, The Code of Power (Arthaśāstra), for the benefit of Candragupta Maurya, a leader of obscure origins.
Thanks to these suggestions, Candragupta became an invincible conqueror and established the most powerful empire in the history of India.
Kauṭilya, the Indian Machiavelli or Aristotle, put into writing timeless truths on how obtain and use power, also resorting to popular religious superstitions and misinformed propaganda in order to deceive opponents.
After having been hidden by the veil of Maya untill a few decades ago, this multifaceted jewel of Indian wisdom applied to the art of success is today considered a reference work for the Indian ruling class.
«The Arthaśāstra presents ideas and suggestions on practical issues that are still valid today, well over 2,000 years later»
- Amartya Sen
(Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, 1998)
|
