The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military trategy authored by Chanakya (350-283 BCE).
Chanakya, also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, was an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta, and architect of his rise to power. Other important works of Chanakya are ‘Chanakya Sutras’ and ‘Chanakya Niti Darpanam’.