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Keyword of the Day | Adhyaksha System
Adhyakshas were specialised superintendents responsible for specific departments under the Kautilyan administrative system.
Thinker of the Day | R.P. Kangle
Work – The Kautiliya Arthashastra
Kangle studied the text critically and examined its political, economic, legal and administrative institutions.
Views
- Arthashastra as a systematic treatise
Kangle treated the Arthashastra not merely as a manual of political intrigue but as a comprehensive work dealing with: State → Administration → Economy → Law → Diplomacy → Security
-Highly organised administration
The text describes numerous specialised officials (adhyakshas) dealing with areas such as
Agriculture
Trade
Treasury
Mines
Weights and measures
Public works
This demonstrates considerable functional differentiation in ancient Indian administration.
- Strong but welfare-oriented state Kangle’s interpretation helps highlight that Kautilya’s state was not concerned solely with coercion. Economic prosperity and welfare of subjects were important to state stability.
Kangle’s scholarship enables the Arthashastra to be read as a comprehensive treatise of statecraft and administration rather than merely a text on political strategy.
PUB AD PYQ VAULT | Day 53 | PYQ (2012)
The Riggsian model of prismatic society is a critique of the Sala model of administration. Discuss.
