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The Arthaśāstra is the foundational text of Indic political thought and ancient India's most important treatise on statecraft and governance. It is traditionally believed that politics in ancient India was ruled by religion; that kings strove to fulfil their sacred duty; and that sovereignty was circumscribed by the sacred law of dharma. Mark McClish's systematic and thorough evaluation of the Arthaśāstra's early history shows that these ideas only came to prominence in the statecraft tradition late in the classical period. With a thorough chronological exploration, he demonstrates that the text originally espoused a political philosophy characterized by empiricism and pragmatism, ignoring the mandate of dharma altogether. The political theology of dharma was incorporated when the text was redacted in the late classical period, which obscured the existence of an independent political tradition in ancient India altogether and reinforced the erroneous notion that ancient India was ruled by religion, not politics.

Political science --- State, The --- Administration --- Civil government --- Commonwealth, The --- Government --- Political theory --- Political thought --- Politics --- Science, Political --- Social sciences --- History --- Early works to 1800. --- Kauṭalya. --- Criticism, Textual. --- India --- Politics and government --- Political science - India - History - Early works to 1800 --- State, The - Early works to 1800 --- Kauṭalya. - Arthaśāstra --- Kauṭalya. - Arthaśāstra - Criticism, Textual --- India - Politics and government - To 997 --- Kauṭalya. - Arthaśāstra