Ancient Indian statecraft

Ancient Indian statecraft treats the king not as an owner of the realm but as a trustee bound by dharma. The Mahabharata develops this through rajdharma and danda-niti, while Kautilya turns it into a working science of administration, economy, law and foreign policy. For example, Kautilya judges a policy not by the ruler's glory but by whether it strengthens the seven pillars of the state, from the treasury to the ally.