📄 Abstract
This paper examines the ancient Indian work on law and justice, the Arthashastra by Kautilya, and how its understanding of these two important elements of a society can be applied to the Indian legal system today. The Arthashastra by ancient Indian philosopher Kautilya is a manual not only of governance but also of the ethics of governance that implies the maintenance of justice for all, while stressing the path of the ruler towards their moral obligations. The political leaders are concerned with the business of state governance, and part of that business is the balance between governance and justice (rights and wrongs) that belong, judicially, to every person in the state. With particular regard to this latter issue, this paper considers some of the lessons of the Arthashastra and uses these to inform an evaluation of contemporary Indian law and politics. In particular, it explores the manifestation of two little-examined aspects of the text: (1) the effort to achieve a balance between state power and individual interests, and (2) the persistent, and sometimes shockingly explicit, concern for the well-being of the people. This paper argues for an interdisciplinary marriage between ancient knowledge and contemporary thought on law. Together, these different types of knowledge may create a much more powerful legal system (legally, ethically, and in terms of governance) than exists today.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
N R Gopal , RELEVANCE OF KAUTILYA’S ARTHASHASTRA TO CONTEMPORARY LEGAL THOUGHT , Volume 11 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Research & Development (IJRD) , Pages: 205 - 209 ,