Matsya Nyaya
Matsya Nyaya (
Philosophy
The ancient Indian philosopher Chanakya (Kautilya), who was also the chief advisor of the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya, used this theory in his treatise Arthashastra to describe why a state should enhance its size and security. According to Chanakya, in absence of government or rule of law, the human society will degenerate into a state of anarchy in which the strong will destroy or exploit the weak much like how bigger fish eat smaller fish. So according to this philosophy, the theory of government was based on a belief in the innate depravity of man. In other words, this theory proposes that government, rulers and laws are necessary to prevent this natural law of 'Matsya Nyaya' from operating in human society. Hence this explains why there is a need for a government and laws to be in place. Hence, Kautilya stresses the importance of 'danda' (strong authority), as its absence will lead to the law of fishes, i.e, anarchy.[2][3][4]
Verses in Arthashastra
| Arthashastra 1.4.13-14 |
|---|
| अप्रणीतः तु मात्स्यन्यायं उद्भावयति । बलीयान् अबलं हि ग्रसते दण्डधराभावे । |
| apraṇītaḥ tu mātsyanyāyaṃ udbhāvayati. balīyān abalaṃ hi grasate daṇḍadharābhāve. |
| But when the law of punishment is kept in abeyance, it gives rise to such disorder as is implied in the proverb of law and order of fishes (matsyanyaya udbhavayati); for in the absence of a magistrate (dandadharabhave), the strong will swallow the weak; but under his protection, the weak resist the strong. |
References
- ^ Political philosophy of Mauryan empire, retrieved 23 February 2021
- ^ R Shamasastry (1915), Arthashastra Of Chanakya, p. 12, retrieved 23 February 2021
- JSTOR 44138592, retrieved 23 February 2021
- S2CID 143606741, retrieved 23 February 2021
Bibliography
- King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India: Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra, translated and annotated by Patrick Olivelle, Oxford University Press, 2013
- M. B. Chande (2004), Kautilyan Arthasastra, Atlantic, ISBN 81-7156-733-9, especially Book Six: Circle of Kings as the Basis, pp. 305–312
- Vikas Kumar (2010), "Strategy in the Kautilya Arthasastra", Homo Oeconomicus, 27 (2): 289–320
- Mahendra Prasad Singh (2011), "Kautilya: Theory of State", Indian Political Thought: Themes and Thinkers, Pearson, pp. 1–17, ISBN 978-81-317-5851-9
External links
- Kautilya Arthashastra English translation by R. Shamasastry 1956 (revised edition with IAST diacritics and interwoven glossary)
- Arthashastra (English) (Another archive of 1915 R Shamasastry translation)