CHANAKYA.

Who was Chanakya?

Chanakya was an Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnu Gupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra.

Pearls of wisdom

During his lifetime -which lasted 350–283 BCE- he was an adviser, strategist, author and politician. His thoughts on various subjects prove to be beneficial if adopted by people even today. A wise man, he had an opinion on various things in the world.

What you should not discuss?

A wise man, he has written about a lot of things in life. Below are the four pointers Chanakya thought you should not discuss with anyone if you want to lead a happy life.

1)      Money loss

The first thing that Chanakya said not to discuss with people is a financial crunch. If you are going through a financial loss, keep it to yourself.

No one helps

The reason for this is that when people come to know about your money problem, they will never help you and even if they show their support, it is fake.

Poor and downtrodden

According to him, the poor in the society are not respected. So, one should keep his poverty to himself.

2)      Personal problems

The second thing that has to be kept as a secret always according to Chanakya is your personal problems.

Ridiculed by people

Chanakya says, that people who share their personal problems with others are always ridiculed and looked down upon. People laugh at them behind their back.

3)      Character of your wife

The third thing that needs to be kept as a secret is the character of one’s wife. Those who keep this a secret are wise men at the end of the day.

Blabber unwanted things

He said that men who talk about their wives in front of others might say something they did not intend to.

Dire consequences

This can in a later stage result in a dire consequence for them.

4)      Insult by the poor

The fourth thing that should always remain as a secret is one’s insult by down trodden or the "neglected" of the society. Chanakya thought if you do share such an incident , people might make fun of you.

Pride and ego

This will eventually harm your pride and ego, leading to loss in self confidence.

Other names	Kauṭilya, Vishnugupta
Occupation	Advisor of Chandragupta Maurya
Known for	Prominent role in the foundation of the Maurya Empire
Notable work	Arthashastra, Chanakya Niti

Chanakya . 4th century BCE, was an Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics His works were lost near the end of the Gupta Empire and not rediscovered until the early twentieth century

Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief advisor to both emperors Chandragupta and his son Bindusara.

Literary works

Two books are attributed to Chanakya: Arthashastra and Chanakya Niti, also known as Chanakya Neeti-shastra. The Arthashastra was discovered in 1905 by librarian Rudrapatna Shamasastry in an uncatalogued group of ancient palm-leaf manuscripts donated by an unknown pandit to the Oriental Research Institute Mysore.

The Arthashastra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare, international relations, and war strategies in detail. The text also outlines the duties of a ruler. Some scholars believe that Arthashastra is actually a compilation of a number of earlier texts written by various authors, and Chanakya might have been one of these authors.

Chanakya Niti is a collection of aphorisms, said to be selected by Chanakya from the various shastras.

Chanakya is regarded as a great thinker and diplomat in India. Many Indian nationalists regard him as one of the earliest people who envisaged the united India spanning the entire subcontinent.

#1. Keeping regrets

The first and foremost quality that distinguishes a successful person from the rest is ‘Not regretting’. Anyone who laments for the time they wasted, or the decision they took or, could never be successful. Chanakya explains that remembering the past is futile to regret. If you made a mistake in the past, to remember that would bring you nothing in life, but try to optimize the good learning from it for the present.

#2 Greed for black money

Money acquired through deceiving anyone, or earned after sacrificing your values and principles, due to closeness with people who demand to rule over your soul, is nothing but a poison for your success. Acharya Chanakya warns about the true nature of a poison i.e. it tastes good initially, but leaves you with nothing but brutal end. Therefore, one must no fascinate about power and money, acquired through uncompromising means.

#3. Always asks these 3 questions to themselves

It is very important to deeply think about setting your foot out, before taking an important decision and speaking words out your mouth. A person who questions these 3 questions to himself/herself, before making a decision, can never go wrong in their life; What Do I Need To Do? What Will Be The Outcome? What Will Be Its Worth? Chanakya explains that every word that comes out of our or any decision that we take, not only has an impact on our life, but also risks the lives and integrity of other.

#4. Never jeopardise your stand

Even a non-venomous snake will never ditch itself, by revealing it isn’t poisonous enough to kill you. He will never put himself in a situation that would harm him in the end. Likewise, a person should never give-in to a situation that they cannot handle. Chanakya explains a successful person, no matter how deeply in debt or suffering through a personal crisis, would never let display a hint in their actions or on their face. He says face is the first thing that cheats you out in front of others.

#5. Never chases appreciation

For an aroma to reach your sense of smell, it may require the support of air, but a successful person never awaits appreciation or support of others, to speak high of him/her. They do not believe in chasing accolades; instead, spend more time finessing them. Chanakya says, when people start talking about you- good or bad, it means you have set on the right path. Do not wait for people to applaud, or appreciate your effort, concentrate on your work and let things follow.

#6. Never underestimate the weak

It’s always good to keep friends close, but great to keep your enemies closer. Animosity with a weak person, can prove dangerous than a sting of scorpion. Never forget or ignore a person who is weak, while you are riding high, neither share feeling of hatred, as their way of revenge is the meanest of all. Chanakya explains that a weak person knows he can’t compete with you, so instead of running parallel with you, they would start cutting you from back. It’s not wise to turn you back on weak, because they always patiently wait for the right time to strike back. Weak people never live to become successful, they always plan to them down