Revisiting Chanakya's concepts of Power

The world is after power. Every individual, organization, and country seeks power. Power Management and Leadership Quality are the two most sought-after skills for ages.

'Chanakya's Fundamentals Of Power' is Dr Sanjay Chauhan's second book based on the two books written by Chanakya in Sanskrit, Arthashastra, and Nitishastra. His first book – 'Stress Management Through the Path of Ashtavakra Gita' pen-pictures the ways to reach salvation and manage stress.

'Chanakya's Fundamentals of power' is a bilingual book wherein the author has tried to explain the shlokas with his views in Hindi and English. The author has attempted to assemble some of Chanakya's work into twelve chapters related to power management and the development of personal leadership in two languages. The author clearly states in the introductory pages that he has attempted to provide straightforward descriptions of some of Chanakya's writings in English and Hindi so that the general people can benefit from his brilliant ideas.

Fifteen books, 150 chapters, 180 themes, and 6000 Sanskrit shlokas make up the Arthashastra.

Each of the 17 chapters in the Nitishastra has 15 or more quotes, originally written in Sanskrit, on topics such as life, friendship, duty, nature, life partners, children, money, business, and other issues that are crucial to human existence.

Arthashastra is mainly written from an administrative point of view, keeping the king in mind, and Niti Shastra mainly emphasises on the various principles of life and society.

The book begins with the four main goals of human existence -

1. Dharma (religion)

2. Artha (wealth)

3. Kama (worldly pleasure)

4. Moksha (salvation)

Chanakya states in his book's concluding part, 'The root of the livelihood of man is riches,' wealth has historically been one of the most significant critical aspects on the pathways to power. Dr Sanjay puts forth Chanakya's fundamentals of power so that people can understand the true meaning of power and manage tactfully with skilled Leadership. From domestic politics to parliamentary politics, from gorilla politics among monkeys in the wild to the contest for global leadership, the fundamentals of power remain the same.

Whether it be a household, a company, a political party, or a state, effective economic policies, the upkeep of law and order, and an adequate centralised administrative apparatus are necessary for the smooth operation of the show.

The statement, 'Any organisation's head should be regarded as the word king', keeps the readers in wonder; however, a thorough reading of the books explains the depth of this statement.

Dr Sanjay has very concisely and aptly brought out the fact of power management through excellent precise Hindi translation. Worth appreciating are the keynotes explaining the meaning of the complicated terms.

The author in this book opines that the caste system was India's greatest sin. He says castes should not have been divided based on birth, but rather on actions.

Raiders can well relate to the author's view when he mentions,

"India spent a considerable amount of time as a slave nation. It is extremely regrettable that the system was unable to be altered even after independence.."

Dr Sanjay explains what Chanakya stated, 'A prince can only become king if he is eligible; otherwise, he cannot.'

The author's tone seems to be firm and strong when he says,

"In a similar vein, do not transfer your business to your son or daughter if they are not capable of handling the tasks. If you follow this, there won't be much separating you from Dhritarashtra."

The author has used very concise and simple language so that every reader from all backgrounds can comprehend the book. However, the language could have been more refined. The author has his reasons to keep it utterly simple.

Chanakya was the first politician to envision a united India. The author has attempted to condense all the tactics and fundamentals of Power Chanakya advocated into a very succinct opinion.

As a whole, the book is highly enlightening carrying the intelligent viewpoints of Chanakya, further made easy-read by Dr Sanjay Chauhan.

Dr Sanjay Chauhan is a university topper, gold medallist, distinction-holder Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, French-trained Implantologist, internationally acclaimed clinician, speaker, and author who loves and lives socialism. He is a dental Implant trainer and conducted more than 100 workshops all over India and abroad. He has been in private practice for the last 22 years.