The Essence of Politics

by Kamandaki, Jesse Ross Knutson (Translation)

A foray into to the complexities of statecraft and leadership in medieval India.

Kamandaki’s Nītisāra , or The Essence of Politics , redefined the field of political thought in early medieval India and became one of the most influential works in the genre across South and Southeast Asia. It was likely written during or shortly after the Gupta Empire (c. 325–550 CE) and enjoyed wide popularity for nearly a millennium.

An elegant introduction to the intricacies of statecraft, The Essence of Politics encompasses virtually all aspects of elite social life, making it indispensable for generals, spies, ministers, and other members of the royal court, especially poets writing about war and conquest. Addressed directly to the king, its lessons range from the finer points of military strategy and economic policy to the moral qualities of effective rulers. Kamandaki anchors political practice in intellectual and spiritual discipline. His model of leadership, based on self-control and personal cultivation, is as relevant today as it was in its own time.

The Sanskrit text, presented here in the Devanagari script, accompanies a new English prose translation.

Genres: Politics, India

368 pages, Hardcover

Published January 5, 2021

Reviews

[Mateusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

People with focus on realpolitik and ancient Hindi military strategy will be delighted to read it, especially on the use of elephants that may be a key to similar unit in Carthage's army during the Punic Wars. Personally, I focused on the aretology (virtue-driven traits) contained in the "Essence of Politics", although Kamandaki presents multiple traits and elucidates them shortly, mastership is attained by simultaneous engagement and single means - knowledge is one thing, experience and training another. That is why Marcus Aurelius was a great Emperor while his unpolished son, Commodus, a miserable one - he did not lack the knowledge and training, but the polish one gets from living, confronting, and deriving an ethos from a broadly lived life. The ability to shape the world with insight, and foresight upon the waves of change, flashes of events distributed in time in a wise and conciliatory fashion is desired. Kamandaki argues that pleasure is related to power, amassing virtuously these things and being generous is a dharmic principle, so it was for Hellenes and Romans, yet that has a whole array of foundations: it rests upon countless virtues, if it amasses vice, it is an immoderate greed worthy of a wretch. The “Essence of Politics” doesn’t present a static ad hoc policy characterizing most modern politics, but an engaged method of all means in stratagems that are continuous and far-reaching. One may apply it in life, similar to the wisdom found in the Book of Changes, if he sees himself as the king and the kingdom (not a bombastic delusion, but a way of conduct, shining inwardly and outwardly in a natural unforced manner) or the ministers and the emperor, contained within one's personal conduct and ease of being. What I mean by this is that he constitutes an autonomous unit of many means as one, without caring for having power, or none, for being wealthy or destitute, he commits to life and power over himself. Who can’t command himself should not command others, or it ends up in mutual rot. Adding a metaphysical polish to it: Who is more reviled by the Gods than an unwise, greedy power-holder, and whom more elevated, paving his ways to godhood than a destitute man, that has the qualities of a king? Training contained in the book is worthy, incorporating these qualities in the development of personality is of great advantage; Like a lotus flower unfolding, its traits are innumerable, yet none of them, nor their combination are enough to fully be the lotus flower in an act, the enumeration contained in the "Essence of Politics" even with stanzas illumining them are to be grasped as a whole. Finally, a Master is someone who has many good qualities mustered into one blend, a dilettante is someone who is overthinking one virtue, tripping over life, and falling into many vices without a single reflection on his behavior or thought.

[Pramod Pant · Rating 3 out of 5]

It belongs to the late Gupta period and is undated ( more or less, as most in ancient Indian history that back , and more , are uncertain ) . Borrows vastly from the Arthashashtra of Vishnugupta , but adds some conflicting ideas : like prescribing non-violence and also prescriptive of the punitive powers of the ruler . Arthashashtra didn’t do that . It was clear about the divide between practical ( as it thought them to be ) and emotional issues .

A good book to look at the times of the Gupt empire, and also to compare it with the venerable Arthashashtra .