Chanakya: Part X

'Artha-shastra'

The great book 'Artha-shastra' written by Chanakya is world famous. Even European politicians, sociologists and economists study this book with interest.

 

It begins with a narration of how to bring up royal princes and how their education should be. How to choose ambassadors and how to use spies is then explained. How to protect a king against dangers and risks is also dealt with. Law and order, the duties of the police, how to control the wealthy citizens and motivate them to make gifts for charitable purposes, methods of preventing wars, duties of the astrologer, the priest and others, tricks to be employed to eliminate enemy kings, ways of inducing sleep in human beings and animals-these and numerous other subjects are discussed by Chanakya in the treatise. The wide range and variety of the subjects is itself surprising.

 

His sharp intellect is astonishing. According to Chanakya, the primary duty of a king is to protect "Dharma" or righteousness in society. That king who upholds righteousness and virtue will have happiness in this world and also in the next. Another significant statement made by Chanakya is that a king who uses his power improperly and unjustly also deserves to be punished.

 

"The sacred task of a king is to strive for the welfare of his people incessantly. The administration of the kingdom is his religious duty. His greatest gift would be to treat all as equals."

 

"The happiness of the commoners is the happiness of the king. Their welfare is his welfare. A king should never think of his personal interest or welfare, but should every try to find his joy in the joy of his subjects."

 

"These words were written two thousand and three hundred years ago by Chanakya, the expert statesman and wise sage. And Chanakya is also another name forcourage and perseverance.

 

Chanakya: Part VIII

Two Ways

But personal revenge was not the aim of Chanakya. He wanted that the kingdom should be secure and that the administration should go on smoothly, bringing happiness to the people.

 

He thought there were two ways to ensure this: First, Amatya Rakshasa had to be made Chandragupta's minister; secondly, a book must be written, laying down how a king should conduct himself, how he should protect himself and the kingdom from the enemies, how to ensure law and order, and so on.

 

Amatya Rakshasa

To bring Amatya Rakshasaas Chandragupta's minister! Chanakya's thought appears at first sight very strange indeed. Amatya was totally loyal to the Nandas. Would he agree to be Chandragupta's minister?

 

It appears even after the death Nandas, Amatya Rakshasa made several attempts to get-Chandragupta killed; and Chanakya had to protect Chandragupta with utmost care, until he finally made Amatya Rakshasa agree to be the minister. This is the theme of a famous drama entitled "Mudra Rakshasa" written by Vishakha- dutta. All that this literary work expounds cannot be accepted as history. But by and large it portrays the struggle between the two statesmen, each of which was an intellectual giant.

 

Amatya Rakshasa tried in many ways to have Chandragupta killed. Once when Chandragupta was getting a new palace called "Kumara Bhavana" constructed, Amatya sent for an official by name Bhuvanapala and told him - "My friend, you must help me in a big way. Please decorate Kumara Bhavana on a very grand scale. Let it have all royal amenities for Chandragupta to live therein. In the bedroom, fix large full-size mirrors near the cot, and behind them let there be niches in the wall so that armed soldiers can hid there. They must wait for the right times a kill him. Let this be done very secretly. Here is a bag of gold for you."

 

Bhuvanapala made these arrangements in Kumara Bhavana as suggested by Amatya Rakshasa, without giving room for any suspicion to Chandragupta.

 

When Chandragupta expressed his desire to change his residence to Kumara Bhavana, Chanakya said - "Yes, but I will first see that place. If everything is all right, you can move in there on an auspicious day. "

 

Chanakya went with some trusted soldiers to Kumara Bhavana. The decorations were all really good. Yet his eyes were very sharp. He said - "This mirror does not suit the place. Shift it there. That portrait should not be there. Bring it here."

 

And then the soldiers hiding in the niches with drawn swords were discovered. They had been stationed there by Amatya Rakshasa to kill Chandragupta. Chanakya had them arrested and executed.

 

 

 

Chandanadasa to the Gallows

When Amatya Rakshasa fled from Pataliputra, he could not take his wife and children with him. His wife was pregnant. He left his wife and children with Chandanadasa who was a very intimate friend of his.

 

Chanakya tried very hard to find out where Amatya was hiding. He found that his wife and children were in Chandanadasa's house. He sent for Chandanadasa and talking of sundry matters, he suddenly asked, "By the way, Amatya Rakshasa's wife and children are in Your house, aren't they'?

 

Chandanadasa trembled. He understood why he had been sent for. He could guess that his very life was at stake now. 'What if?' he thought. 'One should never betray a friend. To surrender Amatya Rakshasa's wife and children would be against all canons of good conduct and virtue. Chanakya is a very cruel person., He might not hesitate to do anything to them. Even if I die, I should not betray my friend.' So resolving, Chandanadasa said, "Your Honour, I do not know anything about them".

 

Chanakya's eyes were red with anger. He said, "Think well and speak the truth, Chandanadasa. Remember that traitors to the king get only one punishment, namely death. "

 

Chandanadasa knew that his end was near. He saluted Chanakya and replied, "Sir, your pleasure. You are capable of doing anything. But I can only say that I do not know anything about Amatya Rakshasa's family."

 

Chanakya in his heart appreciated his loyalty. He thought, 'Whatever the circumstance, this true friend will not betray. He should not be killed. Anyone must appreciate his loyalty to his friend. Killing one with such loyalty is no virtue. But if an order is proclaimed that he is being hanged, and if it is made to reach Amatya, then he will surely come here."

 

In outward anger, he thundered, "Throw this traitor into prison." He proclaimed that Chandanadasa would be hanged.

 

 

Chanakya: Part VII

The First Mistakes

The next task before Chanakya and Chandragupta was to dethrone the Nanda Ring. The Nanda kings were ruling cruelly and imposing taxes as they liked on the subjects, and had earned the hatred of the people. People were praying for liberation from their oppression. Chanakya's fight against the king was not merely because of personal insult, which had been meted out to him, but also with a desire to free the people from unbridled taxation and the oppression.

 

But dethroning the Nanda king was not an easy task. The Nanda king had conquered several kingdoms and built a vast empire. He had a powerful army. His army consisted of two lake foot soldiers, twenty thousands horses, two thousand chariots and three thousand elephants.

 

Chanakya and Chandragupta had t contend with this mighty force.

 

Unfortunately, even about this great fig no historical details are available.

 

In the early stages they had to suffer defeat. Chandragupta began his fight in the middle of the kingdom. He was defeated. Then he changed his strategy.

 

There is a story about this.

 

A spy of Chandragupta was functioning in a village. He happened to be in a hut where a woman gave a chapati (wheat- cake) to her child. The boy ate the middle portion and threw away the edges.

 

"You eat the chapati in the fashion of Chandragupta waging his war," said the mother.

 

"How did Chandragupta wage the war?" the boy asked.

 

The spy now was all ears.

 

"You ate only the middle portion of the chapati and threw away the edges. Now Chandragupta wants to be king. Instead of beginning his attack from the borders of the kingdom and taking in the towns on the way, he has begun the fight in the central parts. His army is encircled and beaten into bits," the mother explained.

 

The words reached Chanakya through the spy. He was impressed, and changed the method of his attack.

 

This is a story handed down from old days. It is difficult to say how much of it is true.

 

Defeat of the Nanda King

With the change in strategy, Chanakya and Chandragupta began the attack on the borders of the Magadha Empire. Again there were mistakes. The troops were not stationed in the areas conquered. So when they marched forward, the people of the conquered areas joined together again and encircled their army. Thus those who had been defeated had to be fought again and again.

 

Chandragupta and Chanakya learnt lessons from these mistakes. They now stationed troops in the conquered regions so those enemies would not rise and cause any trouble. Chanakya with his cleverness had earlier won the friendship of King Parvataka (or Porus Second). Now Parvataka, his brother Vairochaka and son Malayaketu came with their armies to help them.

 

The Nanda king had the support of a big army. The other equally important support was the guidance of his very able minister, Amatya Rakshasa. This minister was very intelligent and had unlimited loyalty to the king. Chanakya knew that defeating Amatya Rakshasa was as important and necessary as vanquishing Nanda's army.

 

Chanakya told his friend Indusharma, "My dear friend, you must disguise yourself and be in the company of Amatya Rakshasa. Pretend to be a friend and be his astrologer. Change your name to Jeevasiddhi. Keep me informed of all developments there through your disciples very carefully. Your help is very necessary for me to destroy the Nandas. And be very cautious."

 

So he sent Indusharma to Amatya Rakshasa. Disciples of Indusharma- Vegasharma, Siddhartha and Masopavasi also took up jobs under Amatya Rakshasa and under army officers.

 

The Nandas and Amatya Rakshasa made all preparations to face the attack of Chandragupta and Chanakya.

 

Details are not clearly known regarding the war between the Nandas on the one hand and Chandragupta and Chanakya on the other. But it was a keen and bitter fight. The Nanda king died. His sons and relatives also died.Even Amatya Rakshasa became helpless. Chandragupta was victorious. The only survivor was Sarvartha- siddhi, the father of the Nandas. He was very old. "I do not want anything. I will go to the forest for meditation. Please permit me," he begged. Chanakya and Chandragupta agreed.

 

The old king and his wife retired to the forests. It is said that after some days Chanakya had the old king and his wife killed, because he thought that it Amatya Rakshasa made them take a son by the rites of adoption, then there would be claimants to the throne: he wanted that the lineage of the Nandas should be totally eliminated.

 

 

Chanakya: Part VI

The Greek Invader

By then, significant events in the history of Bharat were taking place under the very eyes of Chanakya and Chandragupta.

 

A young prince came from Greece with a big army. He had already conquered many realms. He was Alexander.

 

Even as Chanakya and Chandragupta were looking on, the soil of Bharat was going under foreign yoke. The people of Bharat did fight bravely. It looks as if even women took part in the fight. But not being united, they were defeated.

 

In Chanakya's eyes, foreign rule was poison. It was his belief that alien rulers would exploit, loot and impoverishes the country.

 

It is said that Chandragupta metAlexander. As he talked boldly and defiantlyAlexander was enraged and ordered his arrest. But Chandragupta somehow escaped.

 

Chandragupta's education was over, and Chanakya thought that their first task should, be to drive out the Greeks.

 

Troops Are Amassed

Details are not available as to how exactly Chanakya and Chandragupta fought against the Greeks. Chandragupta was not a king, nor had he any position. It would by no means be easy for such an one to gather a big army. But even this seemingly impossible work was made possible because of Chanakya's expertise. Both of them toured in different areas. They gathered soldiers mainly from the mercenary communities.

 

Chanakya felt that this was not enough. He befriended a king by name Parvataka, or Parvetesha of the Himalayan region and secured his help for Chandragupta. Thus Chandragupta could get the support of the strong Himalayan soldiers.

 

Alexander had settled some Greeks wherever he went. But they did not wish to stay there and wanted to return to Greece. Alexander had divided the realms he conquered in India into some regions and had appointed 'Satrraps' to rule them. Some of them were Greeks and some were Indians. The Greeks always lived in the fear of mutinies and murders. As soon as Alexander left a Satrap in charge of a province, there would be rebellion and sometimes the Satraps would be murdered. Philip, who was very able and experienced, was thus killed. Alexander who was at a distant place could not do anything. Satraps who were Indians were burning with frustration. They were only waiting for the proper time to rebel and become free. After Alexander went out of India and died suddenly in distant Babylon in 323 B.C., all his Satraps declared themselves independent.

 

Freedom from the Greeks

By now Chanakya had made the rustic boy playing the role of kings in boyish games into a great leader educated at Takshashila. He had made him a military commander too.

 

The source of strength for Chandragupta and his army was the power of mind and the towering personality of Chanakya. In that war of independence for Northern India, Chandragupta was the physical instrument, while its thinking brain was Chanakya.

 

In the primary task of elimination the Satraps, one Satrap by name Nicossar was killed even when Alexander was alive, and another, Philip, was killed after his death. After Alexander's death in Babylon, all his Satraps were either killed or dislodged, one by one. Alexander's lieutenants divided his empire among themselves in 321 B.C. No realm east of the Indus - the river Sindhu -wasmentioned in that settlement. It meant that the Greeks themselves had accepted that this region had gone out of their rule.

 

 

Chanakya: Part V

This is The Man: Later Chanakya met Chandragupta.

 

Even of Chandragupta, very little is known. Several things are said about his family. Probably he belonged to the Moria community. (He got the name of Chandragupta Maurya afterwards and his royal lineage came to be known as the Maurya dynasty). His mother was perhaps a daughter of a village headman. His father, king of a forest area called Pippatavana, died in a war. The mother came to Pataliputra with her son.

 

The boy grew up as a village lad among other village boys. But he was a leader by birth. Even as a boy he was accepted as a leader by all other boys. His word was law to them.

 

Chandragupta and other boys used to play in a field. There was a tall boulder. The boy Chandragupta would be seated on the rock. In there games hewas always the king.

 

The other boys were all his * subjects. They would bring up their quarrels and disputes before him. He would hear the arguments on both sides and pronounce his degree.

 

Once Chanakya was passing that way. He was attracted by the dignity with which the boy was seated and the radiance of his face. He stood watching the play.

 

Chanakya was astonished by the sharp intellect and the style of the boy's speaking while judging the disputes.

 

'If king Nanda were dethroned, the realm would need an able king. Chanakya thought this boy would make a good king.

 

He stood there until game was over. Then he talked to the boy. Chanakya's physical features were ugly. That was why king Nanda had treated him with contempt. But the boy Chandragupta became aware of the intellect behind that face, and developed great respect for Chanakya.

 

Chanakya talked to him affectionately. He came to know who he was and his circumstances. He went with the boy to his house and spoke to his mother and other elders.

 

He said, "Send the boy with me. He will have his education at Takshashila."

 

Chandragupta's mother was at first unwilling to send the boy with a stranger. But what future did the boy have in a village? And how to educate this fatherless boy?

 

Schooling in Takshashila would be a boon, a divine gift. This chance might not come again.

 

She was highly impressed by the brilliance of the stranger's face and also by his good words. Chandragupta left for Takshashila with Chanakya.

 

For seven or eight years Chandragupta had his education there, and that, with teachers selected by Chanakya. The art of warfare and the art of government were mastered by him equally well.

 

 

Chanakya: Part IX

Amatya Arrives

Chanakya saw to it that the news, that Chandanadasa would be hanged, did reach Amatya Rakshasa. His spies were there, even near Amatya. Hearing it, Amatya was in an agony. Since this was the direct result of Chandanadasa's giving shelter to his wife and children, Amatya's grief knew no bounds. He was determined to save his friend and came to Pataliputra.

 

He reached the garden skirting the city and sat for a while there beneath a tree,thinking of what should be his course of action. He was so familiar with every area in that city. He had come back to thecapital after such a long time. Remembering the glorious days he had spent with the Nanda kings, and the royal splendor of those days, his eyes were flooded with tears. It was all God's game, he thought. Just then he heard some one shout, 'The traitor Chandanadasa will be hanged today.' He was stunned.

 

He heard sounds of crying. Chandanadasa 's wife and children were walking with a loud wail, as the soldiers marched Chandanadasa towards the gallows. "All of you, go back," the soldiers shouted hoarsely, with drawn swords.

 

Seeing all this, Amatya approached the soldiers and said, "Leave him, he is my friend. You can hang me in his place, and I am ready."

 

The soldiers said, "But we need a royal order. The reverend Chanakya should agree. If he permits, it can be done. All right, till then we shall not execute the traitor." Four of them brought Amatya Rakshasa to Chanakya's hermitage.

 

"One Condition"

Amatya and Chanakya, face to face with each other! Two who fought each other for long period with obstinacy, each equally loyal to one side! And the life of Amatya was now in the hands of Chanakya!

 

Chanakya got down from his seat, and walked towards Amatya. He spoke to him with great respect.

 

Amatya Rakshasa was amazed. He thought within himself, 'What brilliance there is on the face of this great man! And a sage with renunciation, and with such wealth of wisdom!'

 

Chanakya offered him a seat, and then asked, "Amatya, don't you wish that your good friend Chandanadasa should live?"

 

"Certainly," replied Rakshasa. "He is more than a friend. He is my life." his voice was choked.

 

"Then you have to do something. There is one condition," said Chanakya, in a firm voice.

 

Rakshasa was surprised and also apprehensive. What would Chanakya say further?

 

"All right," he replied.

 

And Chanakya told him - "You must agree to be the Prime Minister in the Empire of Chandragupta. You must, day and night, work for the welfare of the realm."

 

Rakshasa could not believe his own ears. He said, "What? I must be Chandragupta's Prime Minister! ?"

 

"Yes.

 

And Amatya Rakshasa accepted the high post of Prime Minister of the Maurya Empire with a full heart.

 

The next day the coronation of Chandragupta took place according to rituals.

 

Chanakya's vow was fulfilled. And also the kingdom of Magadha had got a good king.

 

What happened too Chanakya later is not known with certainty. Some say that he continued with Chandragupta and later with his son Bimbasara for some time as minister. Some also say that after a few years Chandragupta became a Jain and then differences arose between the two. It is also said that after Chandragupta's coronation he went away for penance.

 

According to a few books of Jainism the Chandragupta came to Shravanabelugola along with his Guru-Bhadrabhaus Bhattaraka and he took Sallekana vratha afterwards he ends his life in Shravana- belugola - Karnataka. Regarding this point even Meghastanis 'India' gives sufficient details.

 

 

Amitabh Bachchan

Born on the 11th of October in a well-known family (his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan is a respected Hindi poet), Amitabh studied at a boarding school (Sherwood College) in Nainital where his acting skills first surfaced. He continued participating in plays while studying at Delhi's Kirorimal College.

 

After college, Amitabh got a job as an executive in a company but soon quit to pursue his interest in films. His struggle in Bollywood was long and filled with rejection - the common opinion was that he was too tall, too dark, and too lean to be a leading star.

 

Amitabh's first appearance was in the movie 'Saat Hindustani', which failed to make an impact at the box office. Amitabh continued to struggle (even playing the role of a mute in Reshma and Shera) and hope for success. His talent for acting was noticed and he landed the leading role in Zanjeer, even though it was only because all the leading stars of that time refused to play the part!

 

Zanjeer became a super hit and Amitabh Bachchan was established as a movie star. The film was also his first portrayal of the 'angry young man' - (angry at the evil surrounding him and thirsty for revenge) - a persona in which he blasted his way to box office success and into India's heart. 

 

The personality of Amitabh apart, the situation of the 1970's with its political instability and increasing corruption, student unrest and high level of unemployment was enough to make many young men angry. Amitabh for them was just portraying some of their own anger and restlessness on the screen. 

 

For years on end, the on-screen Amitabh was largely angry, be it Deewar, Trishul, Shakti, Sholay, Don, Sharabi. But when he wasn't shooting down villains, he was making the audience laugh with lines like, "You see, I can walk English, talk English...".

 

His dialogues captivated audiences and were repeated in the nooks and corners of India by the youth who adored him. No other star in the 70s and 80s was half as successful as Amitabh. It seemed as if the whole nation was spell bound by his screen presence, his voice and his unique style of acting. Any film Bachchan did was almost guaranteed to be a box office hit! 

 

When he was seriously injured during the shooting of the movie Coolie, the whole country prayed for his recovery. 

 

Amitabh was once refused a job at Vividh Bharati because the selectors felt he did not have a good enough voice!

 

In 1999, Amitabh was voted the Star of the millennium in BBC's poll on the Internet. Amitabh defeated the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Robert De Niro to win this honour. 

 

Amitabh gave up his film career in the nineties to join politics and even won the Allahabad Parliament seat, but he couldn't succeed in Politics.

 

He then founded his own company called ABCL but the company soon faced bankruptcy!

 

Next Bachchan launched his career as a pop singer with the album 'Abby Baby' but that flopped too.

 

His latest avatar is that of an anchor of the Indian version of 'Who wants to be a millionaire' on the television channel Star Plus and so far he's doing very well.

 

Some of Amitabh' s famous lines

Ø       "Tumhare pas kya hai?" - Deewar

Ø       "Agar apni maa ka doodh piya hai to saamne aa." - Laawaris

Ø       "Mai aur meri tanhaai - aksar ye baatein karte hai...." - Silsila

Ø       "Daaru peene se liver karab ho jaata hai" - Satte Pe Satta

Ø       "Rishte me to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah." - Shahenshah

 

Amitabh is the only Bollywood Star to have been honoured by the Madame Tussad's museum in England. The museum will soon feature a life size wax idol of Amitabh. The actor was chosen after an open poll in which the public could vote for any Bollywood star of their choice. Goes to prove that even despite his recent failures Amitabh is till date the biggest Bollywood Star.

 

Some of the over 100 films in which Amitabh Bachchan has acted Chhoti si Baat, Chupke Chupke, Deewar, Milli, Sholay, Zameer, Kabhie Kabhie, Amar Akbar Anthony, Khoon Pasina, Parvarish, Don, Kasme Vaade, Trishul, Gol Maal, Kaala Pathar, Mr Natwarlal, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Do aur do Paanch, Kaalia, Lawaaris, Naseeb, Silsila, Yaraana, Namak Halal, Nastik, Satte pe Satta, Andha Kanoon, Coolie, Sharaabi, Mard, Shahenshah, Main Azaad Hoon, Agneepath, Hum, Khuda Gawah, Major Saab .

 

Awards 

Filmfare

Best Actor: Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Hum (1991)

Best Supporting Actor: Anand (1971), Namak Haram (1973)

National Award

Best Actor: Agneepath (1990)

 

George Washington

George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732 (Feb. 11, 1731/2, old style) in Westmoreland County, Va. While in his teens, he trained as a surveyor, and at the age of 20 he was appointed adjutant in the Va. militia. For the next three years, he fought in the wars against the French and Indians, serving as Gen. Edward Braddock's aide in the disastrous campaign against Ft. Duquesne. In 1759, he resigned from the militia, married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow with children, and settled down as a gentleman farmer at Mount Vernon, Va.

 

As a militiaman, Washington had been exposed to the arrogance of the British officers, and his experience as a planter with British commercial restrictions increased his anti-British sentiment. He opposed the Stamp Act of 1765 and after 1770 became increasingly prominent in organizing resistance. A delegate to the Continental Congress, Washington was selected as commander in chief of the Continental Army and took command at Cambridge, Mass., on July 3, 1775.

 

Inadequately supported and sometimes covertly sabotaged by the Congress, in charge of troops who were inexperienced, badly equipped, and impatient of discipline, Washington conducted the war on the policy of avoiding major engagements with the British and wearing them down by harassing tactics. His able generalship, along with the French alliance and the growing weariness within Britain, brought the war to a conclusion with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Va., on Oct. 19, 1781.

 

The chaotic years under the Articles of Confederation led Washington to return to public life in the hope of promoting the formation of a strong central government. He presided over the Constitutional Convention and yielded to the universal demand that he serve as first president. He was inaugurated on April 30, 1789, in New York, the first national capital. In office, he sought to unite the nation and establish the authority of the new government at home and abroad. Greatly distressed by the emergence of the Hamilton-Jefferson rivalry, Washington worked to maintain neutrality but actually sympathized more with Hamilton. Following his unanimous reelection in 1792, his second term was dominated by the Federalists. His Farewell Address on Sept. 17, 1796 (published but never delivered) rebuked party spirit and warned against "permanent alliances" with foreign powers.