Chanakya's Revenge

Mauryan Empire was the first great empire to rise in India. It comprised almost the entire Indian subcontinent. The establishment of Mauryan Empire by Chandragupta was assisted by his revered teacher, Kautilya or Chanakya. The Nandas were the ruling dynasty of Magadha. One story tells us that when Chanakya was a kid, his teeth marked royalty as told by a seer. To allay his mother’s fears, that he would forget his mother after becoming a king, Kautilya broke his teeth. He also had crooked feet.

In a ceremony, King Dhanananda was so grossed by his appearance that he banished Chanakya from the kingdom. Chanakya vowed to take revenge for this humiliation. One day he saw a boy who was playing with other kids, pretending to be a king, dispensing justice. Chanakya took Chandragupta under his wings. He trained Chandragupta in the arts of warfare and administration. After many hardships, lessons learnt and proper planning, they overthrew Dhanananda. Thus Chanakya’s revenge was completed.

As per the Jain version, Chanakya’s teeth were broken by his father. Chanakya married and his wife was made fun of for being the wife of a poor Brahmin. Chanakya went to the King’s court for seeking alms. Upon seeing the empty throne, Chanakya sat on it. The servants of the King offered another seat. Instead, he kept a water pot on it and kept sitting on the throne. The servants kicked him out. Chanakya vowed to replace the King and swore to not tie his hair tufts until he achieved this aim. He helped a pregnant lady in the jungle. Chandragupta was born to this lady, whom Chanakya took under his tutelage and made a king.

Chanakya stayed as a hermit near the capital Patliputra. He advised the new King on various matters concerning the administration of the state and helped the spread of Muryan empire, making it one the biggest empires in the world. For advising future kings, he wrote a treatise called Artha-shastra, the book on economics, which tells us about warfare techniques, agriculture, taxation and administration. He laid down the duties of the King and advised him to treat his subjects as his own children. Thus he is called the Indian Machiavelli.

This story tells us that no matter how disfigured or ugly a person might be, we should never make fun of anybody. Another important lesson is that if a problem is too big, start by dealing the corners or small parts of it. Chandragupta, after his failed attempts to win Magadha, captured the outposts first and then went for the kill, after it weakened the state. This story also teaches us that a teacher is the one who can guide us properly towards achieving success. It also implores us to dream big. Our beginnings may be humble, but we can do bigger things with our lives if we continuously strive to achieve success.