Was Chanakya a demon or a man? His opponents had no answer. They
would plot and plan, coax and connive, but the scholar-turned-politician
was always a step ahead, confounding both their motives and their
ambitions. He led his king, Chandragupta, to greatness and set his
kingdom on the road to peace and prosperity. Then, for generations of
future rulers, he compiled a useful guide, the famously canny
Arthashastra.