The Sukraniti: Statecraft and Warcraft

Indic traditions of science of wealth and power (arthashastra) and pragmatics, politics or statecraft(niti) over the ages have carried forward the key essence of statecraft in India in different forms. There are three texts as milestones dealing with statecraft in varying degrees on grand strategy, warfare and security related issues, military appreciations, diplomacy, intelligence studies, leadership, management, and morals The three Sanskrit texts with translations are the Arthashastra of Kautilya (4th century BCE to 3rd century CE), the Nitisara of Kamandaka (4th to 8th century CE), and The Sukraniti (8th century CE to 19th century CE). In recent scholarship sufficient literature now exists on Kautilya and Kamandaka. This book fills the void by critically examining The Sukraniti as translated in 1914 by Benoy Kunar Sarkar.