By analyzing the Arthaśāstra's early history, Mark McClish overturns prevailing beliefs that ancient India was governed by religion, not politics.

Mark McClish is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University, Illinois. He has published a number of works on the Arthä¿stra and ancient Indian law, politics, and religion including the book The Arthä¿stra: Selections from the Classic Indian Work on Statecraft (with Patrick Olivelle, 2012) and numerous articles. He has received support from the Fulbright-Hays program and the Mellon Foundation.

1. Introduction; 2. Arthä¿stra historiography; 3. The resegmentation of the Arthä¿stra; 4. Citation and attribution; 5. The deep structure of the text; 6. The history of the Arthä¿stra; 7. The politics of the Dä¿an¿ti; 8. Var¿adharma in the Arthä¿stra; 9. Statecraft, law, and religion in ancient India; Appendices.