Projects

Political Concepts in Ramayana, Mahabharata and Arthashastra: An Analysis — Sovereignty, Kingship, Welfare, Market, Diplomacy, War

PI: Dr. Vinayak Rajat Bhat
Co-PI: — Dr. Saurav Sarmah, Dr. CHaru Ratna Dubey
About the Project –

Politics is the sum total of the activities of the state, including the form of government, public administration, resource generation, foreign policy and military strategy. The study of politics is as old as human civilisation. In ancient India, texts like the Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Arthashastra discuss various aspects of political life. मनुष्याणां वृत्तिरर्थः मनुष्यवती भूमिरित्यर्थः, तस्याः लाभपालनोपायः शास्त्रमर्थशास्त्रम् । (Arthashastra 15.1.1). According to Kautilya, the attainment and protection of the means of livelihood are known as artha, which is equivalent to the term politics in the context of the activities of the state. In the last few centuries, Western scholars have developed different schools of political philosophy, e.g., liberalism, realism, conservatism, socialism, feminism, postmodernism, etc. leading to Western domination of the discipline, while Indian political writing was disrupted by foreign invasions and colonialism. As a result, there is a gap between ancient and modern political thought in India. This project would try to bridge this gap by looking at ancient Indian texts in light of the modern classification of political philosophy. Specifically, it would identify and analyse political concepts – sovereignty, kingship, welfare, market, diplomacy and war in three important texts – Ramayana, Mahabharata and Arthashastra. Then, it would classify these ideas into four ideological categories, viz., realism, liberalism, conservatism and socialism and attempt to conceptualise the ideological orientation of ancient Indian political philosophy.

School: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Sponsoring Agency: IKS Division of MoE@ AICTE
Project Amount: ₹ 9,60,000
Duration: 2 years
Start Date: Jan-23
Status: Complete
ACA Year: 22-23
Outcome:

1. Book: Bhat, Vinayak Rajat and Shukla, Tejusvi (2024), Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra: Timeless Strategies for Modern Governance, New Delhi: IKS Division Ministry of Education. URL: https://iksindia.org/uploads/ebook/Arthashastra_textbook.pdf
2. Research Paper: Bhat, Vinayak Rajat and Shukla, Tejusvi (2024), “Kauṭilya Uvāca: Seeking Interest in the Adversary’s Prosperity”, Journal of Defence Studies, 18 (2): 157–165. URL: https://www.idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/18-2_Vinayak-Rajat-Bhat-and-Tejusvi-Shukla-11.pdf
3. Conference Paper: Sarmah, Saurav (2023), “The Role of Knowledge in National Power: A Perspective from Kautilya’s Arthashastra” Three-day Conference on Chanakya’s Philosophy and its Relevance to 21st Century: Theories and Practices on 5-7 September 2023 at Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, Karnataka
4. Book Chapter: Agrawal, Harsh and Bhat, Vinayak Rajat (2023), “Daily Regimen for Contemporary Leaders: Insights from Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra and Rāmacarita Mānasa”, in Padmaja D. S., Vanishree M. R. and Pooja R. (eds.), Rebuilding Bharat Through Indigenous and Innovative Practices: A Way Forward Towards Vishwa Guru, New Delhi: Trans Stellar
5. Online Article: Sarmah, Saurav (2024), “National Power by Kautilyan Parameters”, Kalinga International Foundation. URL: https://www.kalingainternational.com/saurav_sarmah.html

Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems

PI: Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy
Co-PI: —About the Project –
School: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Sponsoring Agency: IKS Division of AICTE, Ministry of Education, Government of India
Project Amount: ₹ 31,80,000
Duration: 2 years
Start Date: Yr2022
Status: Complete
ACA Year: 22-23
Outcome:

A 2-Credit MOOC on The Art and Science of Avadhānam

PI: Dr. Ramakrishna Pejathaya
Co-PI: —
About the Project

School: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Sponsoring Agency: Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi
Project Amount: ₹ 9,00,000
Duration: 1 year
Start Date: Jun-23
Status: Complete
ACA Year: 23-24
Outcome: Online MOOC course developed and launched.

Development of courses in Indian Psychology

PI: Dr. Ramakrishna Pejathaya
Co-PI: —
About the Project

PI: Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy
Co-PI: —
About the Project-

School: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Sponsoring Agency: IKS Division of MoE GoI
Project Amount: ₹ 35 Lakhs
Duration: 2 years
Start Date: Oct-23
Status: Ongoing
ACA Year: —
Outcome: [Course materials under development]

IKS Internship Project (Indian Jurisprudence and Dispute Resolution)

PI: Dr. Naveen Bhat
Co-PI: —
About the Project- School: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Sponsoring Agency: IKS Division of MoE GoI
Project Amount: ₹ 7.5 Lakhs
Duration: 06 months
Start Date: Sep-24
Status: Complete
ACA Year: 23-24
Outcome: Internship reports and documented case studies on Indian legal traditions

Development of Textbooks on Indian Astronomy for Beginner and Intermediate Levels

PI: Dr. Ramakrishna Pejathaya
Co-PI: —
About the Project-

School: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Sponsoring Agency: Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi
Project Amount: ₹ 14,00,000
Duration: 2 years
Start Date: Sep-24
Status: Ongoing
ACA Year: —
Outcome: [Textbooks under development]