NITISHASTRA ON VIRTUES

                Chanakya details the virtues of life in the book Nitishastra. According to Chanakya, if a person does not possess any virtue, he is said to be ineffective. He considers that virtue adds significance to beauty. To substantiate this, he added, that however beautiful a woman may be, if she were not virtuous, she would be like a barren land, which can never produce crops. According to Chanakya, the same concept applies to men as well. A man is worthless no matter how handsome, healthy and mighty he is, if he does not possess any virtue. Chanakya believed that good conduct adds significance to good lineage. If someone of this lineage is without virtue, then his status goes down. According to Chanakya, being knowledgeable is important. Learning is virtuous. He believed that learning is admirable only if it makes a man successful. Likewise, he considers that the virtue of wealth is in its use. Only that wealth is virtuous which is put to some use for oneself. If a miser amasses wealth, it turns worthless. Unused wealth becomes meaningless. Chanakya was a wise scholar who viewed things from every possible aspect. He believed that virtue and vice are purely relative terms. They can be determined keeping the time, place and circumstance in mind. What is merit for one may be a flaw for another. One must always conform to one’s position in life. Chanakya gave more importance to the knowledge and power of a man. According to him, a scholar is worshipped everywhere. Irrespective of nationality, people who know the value of true worth admire such a man. Chanakya asserts that knowledge is a powerful asset in the hands of a scholar and it confers universal adulation upon him. A knowledgeable and learned man can achieve anything. Chanakya further asserts that greatness begins with a vision and ends with a legacy. One should sincerely ignore the vices of men and learn from their virtues. NITISHASTRA ON RELIGION Chanakya’s Nitishastra on religion includes a whole chapter on religion. Chanakya considered humanity as greatest of all religions.  Chanakya noticed human beings entangled in Dharma. He never approved of this and so he imparted the real knowledge of Dharma or religion. He kept humanity on par with religion. It was on basis of this principle that he intended to improve lives. According to Chanakya, if God were the ruler of the world, then he would have no worries in his life. He believed that pilgrimage, worship and sacred bath purify the mind. He also advised that a man should maintain a good composure and maintain silence while taking his meals. He believed that one who keeps mum while having his meal, for at least a year, can have a place in heaven for millions of years.