The Analect and the ArthaÅ›Ä strsa: Kongzi of Zhou China and Kauá¹­ilya of Maurya India Compared

Kongzi/Kongfuzi or Confucius of “China†and CÄ nakya/Viṣṇugupta or Kauá¹­ilya of “India†were statesmen as well as teachers, though never professional classroom instructors. They both dedicated themselves to advising royalty and the ruling class in the art of administration as well as in the secrets of success and survival in a world that was at once uncharitable and unprincipled. Nevertheless, both base their counsels on morality—Kongzi on ren [benevolence] and de [virtue] and Kauá¹­ilya on dharma [duty] and daṇḠa [law]. Both seek to enhance the quality of human life in terms of material and moral riches, their only distinction being the Chinese Master’s teachings are primarily philosophical thus bearing the stamp of universality, whereas the Indian Ä cÄ rya ’s [preceptor’s] insights pertain to the interests of his particular state.