The Kautiliya Arthasastra is the oldest and most exhaustive treatise on the governance and administration of a state. Starting with the bringing up and education of the young prince, it proceeds to the appintment of ministers and the organisation and functioning of various state departments, including the setting up of a secret service. It then sets forth a code of civil and criminal law. In the matter of foreign relations, it puts before the ruler the ideal of a ...
