INTER-STATE RELATIONS
In the branch of inter-state relations, Shukra in the fourth chapter of his work Shukraniti refers to the Arthshastra category of the constituents of the state system, while he deals exhaustively with the list of six types of foreign policy and especially the policies of peace and war.
Besides internal administration of the state, Shukra is very much particular about foreign policy and interstate relations. His classification of states is different from that ce Manu and Kautilya. He has not mentioned about Mandal theory. He has classified states into Vijigishu, ally, enemy and neutral. Shukra states that the king should wage war after considering the policies of the four upayas and six gunas in relation to himself as well as his enemy.
Upayas
Shukra, alike Manu recommends the application of four Upayas (expedient or strategies) for dealing with the neighbouring states. These are:
(1) Sama-Sama means appeasement or conciliation. The king should begin with Sama.
(2) Dama or Dana-A ruler had to subdue his enemies by following the policy of offering financial assistance, gifts or bribery.
(3) Bheda-Bheda means creating dissension or division to weaken the enemy.
(4) Danda-A king had to subdue his enemies by the use of force or punishment.
Shukra arranges these expedients in order of descending the importance assigning first place to conciliation (sama). second to gift or bribery (dama), third to division (bheda). and fourth to punishment (danda). Any one or all the four can be used against enemies.
Six Attributes of Statescraft
Alike Manu, Shukra's six fold or Shadgunya policy or the six attributes of statescraft are-
(1) Sandhi (Treaty ]- Sandhi involves those actions by which friendship of a powerful enemy is acquired.
(2) Vigraha (Conflict)- Vigraha spells out actions which harass the enemy. It is the policy by which enemy is oppressed or subjugated. But it would be fruitless to fight against a powerful enemy.
(3) Yana (Attack)-A Yana is expedition for the furtherance of one's own objects and destruction of the enemy's interests. Conditions favourable to the king must be fully exploited.
(4) Aasana (Waiting)- Asana permits to wait till favourable opportunity arrives at to open up conflict with the It is that from which oneself can be protected and the enemy. enemy is destroyed.
(5) Ashraya or Samsraya (Refuge)- Ashraya happens when a weak king, after getting protection from friends, turns powerful, the king is advised to seek his shelter. Thus it is that by which even the weak becomes powerful.
(6) Dwaidibhava (Two fold policy of friendship and hostility) Dwaidibhava is the stationing of one's troops in two parts, one against the enemy and the other to remain with the friend.
Shukra states that these attributes have to be used along with four expedients or upayas.
Shukra explains the methods of cumulative application of the four expedients towards the king's enemies and subjects. Towards the enemy, the policy should be one of conciliation and bribery, of conciliation and division, of dissension and punishment and lastly of punishment alone. Towards the friend, the policy (upaya) should be one of conciliation and gift, and not one of dissension and punishment. To his enemy's subjects, the king should apply the policy of dissension and bribery. To those appressed by the enemy, it should be reconciliation and gift. Towards his own subjects, he advises that the king should apply the strategies of conciliation and bribery, but not those of dissension and punishment.
"When the king has been attacked by a powerful enemy is unable to counteract him by any means, he should desire peace in a dilatory manner, but there can be no peace without giving gifts to the aggressor. In order to conquer enemies, peace should be made even with one's own feudatories. Usually, peace should be made with the very powerful, war with the equal and expedition against the weak; but to friends should be granted refuge as well as residence in the forts. The king should never trust the enemy even after conducting peace. A ruler with small army should never engage in war with a valorous enemy backed by a powerful army. The ruler should pacify his own troops by gifts or rewards and should go ahead accompanied by heroic guards Separation is the best of all methods of policies of work and samasraya or refuge is the best of the six attributes of state-craft. Both these are to be adopted by the aggressor who wants success. Without these two, the king should never commence operations' .
The king should always by gifts and artifices promote military alienation or disaffection among the enemies troops should satisfy the very powerful enemy by service and humiliation, serve the strong ones by honours and presensts, and the weak ones by wars. He should turn over the equal by alliance of friendship and subjugate all by the policy of separation. But a king should follow rules of niti or moral rules so long as one is powerful; because people remain friends till then, just as the wind is the friend of the burning fire. Astra is that which is thrown by means of charms machines or fire, and a shastr is any other weapon eg. sword dagger, kunta etc.
The Army -Army is one of the seven organs or constituents of the state. 'It is of two kinds (1) Swagama that which proceeds independently; (2) Anyagama that which has resort to vehicles, etc. Each of these two is of three kinds :(i) that pertaining to the gods, (ii) that pertaining to monsters and (iii) that pertaining to human beings. The preceding ones are stronger than the following. Without the army there is neither kingdom, nor wealth, nor prowess, as without it no one can overpower even au insignificant enemy. On another basis, the army is of two kinds : one's own and that belonging to the allies. Still on several other bases the army is of two kinds; untrained or trained; officered by the state or not; equipped by the state with arms or supplying their own arms and ammunitions and bringing their own vehicles or supplied with vehicles D the state. Some other types of army are : The mula army that which has been in existence for many years; the saro efficient or useful army which is adept in warfare. A R should have in the army a predominance of foot-soldiers," medium quantity of horse, a small amount of elephant and an equal number of bulls and camels. The ruler whose income is of one lakh of rupees should have every year one hundred reserve force of the same age, well accounted and decently equipped with weapons and missiles'
Diplomacy
Conduct of interstate relations during peace time is done through the system of Ambassadors. He has not classified various types of ambassadors. Shukra mentions Doota among the ten tendencies or prakrities. In the same way he knew the need of spy or intelligence and realized their importance at all levels.
Rules of War
The war must be conducted within limits and rules of war must be observed strictly. The king having attained victory must treat the vanquished king and his people in a dignified manner. Soldiers unwilling to fight or without weapons, diseased or wounded must not be killed. He should make full arrangement for the look after of the family of a king defeated by him in the battlefield.
Conclusion - In the field of inter-state relations, Dr. Ghoshal has come to the following conclusions, in regard to Shukra's view about morality :
(1) It appears that morality may be sacrified for the sake of achieving political ends,
(2) Following Arthashastra's view of state-craft, Shukra recommends to the king that he should not trust others; and this is justified on the ground of man's greedy nature; and
(3) He supports a policy of total war based on deceit and oppression.
In short 'while Shukra has placed politics over morality, in actual practice he has only co-operated in stabilizing the time-honoured practice of Arthashastra, according to which politics is more or less separated from morality. Shukra has not recognized the ordinary principles of morality for the achievement of one's objective even the deceitful battle is justified."
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