Expand Your Intellectual Horizons and Upgrade Your Life Management Skills: Check out the Top Books on Chanakya - A Must-Read for All Generations (2022)

One of the major reasons why the Mauryan empire is considered one of the biggest and most glorious ones, is Chanakya. Also known as Kautilya and Vishnugupta, Chanakya was a phenomenal teacher, economist, jurist, philosopher and statesman. The Mauryan Empire’s founder Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the last Nanda king on the advice of Chanakya. Later, Chanakya also served as the royal advisor to Chandragupta and Bindusara.

Chanakya observed various walks of people and kingdoms throughout his life. He wrote the much-celebrated Arthashastra, an ancient Indian political treatise. He also penned life lessons he observed in Chanakya Neeti, that people follow to face difficulties across different walks of life. Here, we will guide you about the best books on Chanakya that you can read to gain success through his keen perspective.

Add these books on Chanakya to your Kindle library or create a physical library at home with paperback formats:

Many successful businessmen are good readers while several have written books themselves. And a decent part of following Chanakya’s teachings comes from the corporate world. That’s where this book by Radhakrishnan Pillai hits the right chord. It includes corporate governance and management principles through Chanakya’s lens.

The book covers various aspects of the corporate world from team management to leadership. It’s a good read, especially if you want to ace your corporate skills for time, finance, resource, and competition management. You can learn a lot from this, even if you are a student. Get your hands on Radhakrishnan Pillai’s Corporate Chanakya from Amazon for ₹ 220.00. You can also read it on Kindle for ₹ 103.00.

The next book on this list is from the renowned author, B. K. Chaturvedi. If you want to read through Chanakya’s principles in a simple language, add this book to your to-read list. The author uses simple language so that starters and newbie readers can understand the context while building their reading habits. It also covers English transcriptions of Chanakya’s slokas. Refer to this book if you are willing to learn decision-making and strategic planning. The book is available in paperback format for ₹ 98.00 on Amazon, or you can switch to Kindle and read it on a smartphone or tab for ₹ 74.10.

If you want to read Chanakya’s story, this is an entertaining title to read. The author pens a gripping tale of political strategies, knowledge and game plans. Ashwin divided the novel into two parts to make it an interesting read. The first part is a revisit of ancient India with a focus on how an Indian ruler is directed by an extraordinarily clever Brahmin to fight against Alexander. In the second half, the setup moves to modern India. Add this spine-chiller to your library if you enjoy reading about Chanakya. The book is available in paperback format for ₹ 476.00 on Amazon.

If you are struggling to achieve success in modern times, this book can help you grow. Penned by Radhakrishnan Pillai, the title is a wonderful guide for effective leadership. It lays down the seven secrets of leadership you can read, understand and follow. The title has also received accolades from reviewers in terms of its relevance, research, entertainment quotient, and the subject.

Although the book is stated to be a continuation of “Corporate Chanakya,”, you can read it without having read the first part, and if you have already read “Corporate Chanakya,” Get this on Kindle for ₹ 155.80 or order a paperback version for ₹ 254.00 from Amazon.

Another title on Chanakya by the acclaimed author, Radhakrishnan Pillai, Chanakya in You follows a boy’s story. The boy learned about Chanakya and his Arthashastra from his grandfather. When he started applying Chanakya’s principles his grandfather taught him, he started achieving his life goals. The book tells the tale from the boy’s perspective about demonstrating Chanakya’s Arthashastra principles for success.

The book is written in a way so that readers from all walks of life can read and understand it. It’s easily understandable by a business tycoon as well as an academic scholar. Interested in reading how a boy applied Chanakya’s principles? Get the paperback format of this book on Chanakya for ₹ 265.00 from Amazon or read it on Kindle for ₹ 184.17.

In this book the author, Mahendra Mittal, has tried to keep the accuracy and authenticity intact by including the original Sanskrit extracts. The title introduces Chanakya Neeti along with a light on his life to the readers. Don’t worry if you aren’t good at Sanskrit as it provides explanations and meanings of the principles in Hindi. So, you can also read this book on Chanakya if you don’t understand English well. The book is available in paperback format on Amazon for ₹ 200.00. If you are a Kindle user, add it to your library for ₹ 100.00.

The title is considered to be one of the oldest about Chanakya as penned down by Kautilya. With immense historical significance, it effectively talks about everyday life’s science and the art of statecraft. The English translation from the original Sanskrit version highlights the roles and responsibilities of government in people’s lives. It also covers aspects about economic management. It combines 380 shlokas, divided into 15 sections for enhancing readability. Overall, the book talks about money, material security and people’s interests. Get this book on Chanakya on Kindle for ₹ 339.35 or buy a paperback version for ₹ 480.00 from Amazon.

We all know Chanakya as a kingmaker and statesman. In addition, he was a keen observer and had his viewpoints on various aspects of everyday life. This book by Ashwani Sharma focuses on one such selection of his pithy observations. The title presents what opinion Chanakya had about women along with his pragmatic advice on spirituality, friendship, and related topics. The reader-friendly book combines short and pithy life quotes from Chanakya. Get this on Amazon for ₹ 147.00 for paperback and for ₹ 107.79 on Kindle.