Artha & Niti - Facets of Dharmashastra

In the Bharateeya tradition, Artha is one of the four Purusharthas (aims of human life), alongside Dharma, Kama, and Moksha. While often translated as "wealth" or "material prosperity," this rendering captures only a fragment of its meaning.

Artha encompasses the entire domain of material welfare, political order, governance, strategic thinking, economic policy, social organization, and the practical wisdom necessary for both individual and collective flourishing. The Arthashastra itself defines Artha as "the sustenance of mankind" — a far broader conception than mere accumulation of riches.

This course explores Artha in its full scope: as the science of acquiring resources ethically, administering them wisely, protecting what is acquired, and distributing prosperity for the welfare of all.

Modern economics and management education typically focus on market mechanisms, profit maximization, and organizational efficiency. This course offers something fundamentally different: a study of how ancient Indian thinkers integrated material prosperity with ethical responsibility, social welfare, and spiritual development.

Rather than treating economics as an isolated discipline, the classical Indian approach embedded Artha within a comprehensive worldview where governance, ethics, and prosperity were inseparable. You'll encounter sophisticated discussions of taxation, treasury management, foreign policy, and administration — but always within frameworks that ask: "What serves the welfare of all beings?"

This course is not a substitute for professional business education, but a complementary exploration of how civilizational wisdom can inform contemporary leadership and decision-making.

The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute has a distinguished legacy in Dharmashastra studies, most notably through Mahamahopadhyaya P.V. Kane's monumental five-volume History of Dharmashastra — a 6,500-page encyclopedic work that remains the definitive reference on Hindu law, custom, and governance.

This course on Artha-Niti extends that scholarly tradition by focusing specifically on the political, economic, and strategic dimensions that Kane documented across his volumes on Rajadharma (duties of kings), Vyavahara (legal procedure), and the various Smritis. While Kane's work provides the comprehensive textual foundation, this course makes those insights accessible through structured video lectures by contemporary BORI scholars.

Learners interested in deeper study will find this course an excellent gateway to Kane's magisterial work and the broader Dharmashastra literature housed at BORI.

No prior Sanskrit knowledge is required. All lectures are delivered in English, and faculty provide clear explanations of Sanskrit terminology, concepts, and textual references as they arise. Key terms are explained in context, and you'll naturally develop familiarity with important vocabulary as you progress through the modules.

That said, learners with some Sanskrit background will appreciate the faculty's references to original texts and nuanced discussions of terminology. The course is designed to be accessible to beginners while offering depth for those with existing knowledge of Indian classical languages and literature.

Kautilya's Arthashastra is arguably the most comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance produced in the ancient world. Composed around the 4th century BCE, this text of approximately 6,000 shlokas (verses) covers an astonishing range of topics: state administration, treasury management, law and justice, foreign policy, military strategy, espionage, and the duties of kings.

Six lectures allow Dr. Manish Walvekar to systematically explore the text's major themes: the training and conduct of rulers, the machinery of government, economic policy and taxation, diplomacy and the theory of the Mandala (circle of states), and the famous discussion of the four Upayas (means of policy) — Sama, Dana, Bheda, and Danda.

This extended treatment ensures learners gain substantive understanding of a text that continues to influence discussions of political realism, strategic studies, and governance philosophy worldwide.

The fundamental challenges of leadership — balancing competing interests, maintaining legitimacy, making decisions under uncertainty, building institutions, managing resources ethically — remain remarkably constant across millennia. What changes are the specific contexts and technologies, not the underlying human dynamics.

The classical Indian texts offer sophisticated frameworks for thinking about these perennial challenges: How should a leader balance pragmatism with principle? When is compromise appropriate, and when is firmness required? How does one build trust while remaining strategically astute? What responsibilities accompany the accumulation of power and resources?

This course does not offer simplistic "ancient wisdom for modern success" formulas. Instead, it provides rigorous engagement with how India's greatest thinkers approached questions that remain relevant today — allowing you to develop your own applications to contemporary contexts.

The course includes topic-wise multiple-choice questions (MCQs) designed to reinforce learning and test conceptual clarity after each major section. These assessments help you consolidate understanding of key ideas, textual references, and the relationships between different traditions covered in the lectures.

Upon successful completion of all modules and assessments, you will receive a certificate of completion from BharatVidya, issued in partnership with the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.