Which of the following statements is not correct about Arthasastra ?

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Question

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It opens with the auspicious symbol of 'om'.
A pandit of Tanjore district handed over manuscript of Arthasastra to R. Shamasastry, the librarian of Mysore Government oriental library in 1905.
It does not contain any reference to Mauryas, their empire, Chandragupta or Pataliputra.
It consists of 16 books (Adhikaranas).

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option 4.

Key Points

The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy.
The text is attributed to Kautilya (also known as Chanakya), a scholar and advisor to Chandragupta Maurya.
It does not mention the Mauryas, their empire, Chandragupta, or Pataliputra explicitly, leading historians to debate its exact historical context.
The Arthashastra consists of 15 books.

Additional Information

The Arthashastra opens with the auspicious symbol of 'Om,' which is a common practice in ancient Indian texts to invoke divine blessings.
The manuscript of Arthashastra was indeed handed over to R. Shamasastry, the librarian of Mysore Government Oriental Library, in 1905. He translated and published the text, bringing it to modern scholarly attention.
The Arthashastra does not contain any explicit reference to the Mauryas, their empire, Chandragupta, or Pataliputra. This has been a point of historical debate, as some scholars argue it predates or postdates the Maurya Empire.