Lead with the discipline of the Arthashastra, without its dark arts
A practical leadership system drawn from an ancient Indian manual of statecraft: a daily practice, a seven-pillar health check, stakeholder mapping, six strategic options and a 12-week programme, with every file you need to run it.
- A 10-chapter e-book that turns the Arthashastra into a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly leadership rhythm, with 43 verbatim quotations from the 1915 translation and plain-English renderings
- Two Excel workbooks: a 10-sheet Leadership System Workbook with a 52-principle library, practice streak and team pulse, and a 9-sheet Seven Pillars Health Check with mandala map, six options lab and calamity register
- 5 fillable PDF forms, a governance pack with a leadership code, council charter and 24 audit red flags, 40 scripts, 30 AI prompts and 52 ready-to-send weekly emails
- A 52-card practice deck, a team workshop guide, a 49-event calendar and a 32-task board import
Chanakya's Arthashastra for Leaders · Bodhih Pro Kits · 139 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
What are Chanakya's leadership principles?
Chanakya's Arthashastra teaches leaders to master their own judgment, structure the day, measure success by the welfare of the people they lead, check seven pillars of organisational health, take counsel from three or four advisers, and choose among six strategic options. Bodhih Training's kit turns these into an ethical, practical system.
Want the full free guide first? Read Chanakya's Leadership Principles: The Arthashastra for Modern Managers.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Every hour belongs to someone else
Your calendar is other people's meetings. The numbers, the floor and thinking time get whatever is left, which is usually nothing.
Decisions made on a high, or in a temper
The deal signed after a flattering call. The reply sent in four minutes. You can probably name the decisions you made by mood rather than judgment.
Fragile, but every report looks fine
Revenue is up, yet one resignation or one system crash would hurt badly. Each problem has its own report, and nobody has a picture of the whole.
Meetings that decide nothing
Fourteen people, two hours, and decisions that unravel by Wednesday, while the truly sensitive calls get made alone in the car.
Strategy as fight or give in
A rival moves and the only options on the table are to match it or to wait. The partners, mediators and quieter moves never make the slide.
Old wisdom, quoted carelessly
Popular Chanakya quotes often come from modern books, not the text, and some celebrate the very methods no decent leader should copy.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture next Monday at 7.45. Before you open your inbox, you take ten minutes with the Leader's Day Plan. Eight periods, each with a job. You run the six-enemies check on the biggest decision of the day and notice it is euphoria, so you decide to sleep on it. The day already feels different.
Now imagine week five. As you score your unit on the seven pillars, two red ones stand out, and the workbook ranks the one whose trouble would spread. You take one action, with an owner and a date, to your leadership team. They see one picture instead of seven reports.
Think ahead to week ten. A competitor makes a move, and instead of the old argument about matching it, you open the Six Options sheet. The law and ethics test comes first. The option nobody had mentioned, a partner from the outer ring of your mandala map, scores highest.
And at the end of the quarter, whether you begin with the card deck tonight or the workbook tomorrow, picture a rhythm that runs without much thought, and a team that knows how decisions are made.
21 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
Chanakya's Arthashastra for Leaders (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the leadership system map
The whole system on one page: which file to open for which leadership moment, your first hour, and a 30/60/90 day use plan.
Leadership System Workbook
Ten-sheet master workbook: settings, 52-principle library, daily practice log with streak, weekly review, situations log, Yogakshema Ledger, monthly team pulse, 12-week programme and a dashboard with chart.
Seven Pillars Health Check workbook
Nine-sheet quarterly diagnostic: 35 evidence-based pillar questions, red-amber-green summary with trend and priority, quarterly trend, mandala stakeholder map with suggested options, six-options decision lab, calamity register and a dashboard with bar chart.
Leader's day plan (the eight-period day)
Three-page fillable planner: morning six-enemies check and eight-period plan, evening review, and a week-at-a-glance tracker.
Quarterly pillars and calamity review
Three-page fillable review for your leadership team: seven pillar scores and actions, the calamity register's top risks, a pre-mortem and sign-off.
Mandala stakeholder map
Two-page fillable map of your circle: rivals, allies, mediators and independent powers, with stance, influence, next move and influence rung, plus a monthly review.
Six options decision sheet
Two-page fillable sheet for one strategic decision: your position, the law and ethics test, all six options scored, the five council questions and go or wait conditions.
Integrity check for a key appointment
Three-page fillable, ethical evidence check for roles with power over money, people or safety: role powers, evidence map, open conflict-of-interest declaration and a 90-day review.
Governance pack: leadership code, council charter, decision rights and controls
Editable Word pack: a one-page leadership code, a council charter, a decision-rights table, an audit checklist with 24 red flags, speak-up principles and a meeting template.
Leadership scripts and messages
40 ready-to-adapt scripts, emails and chat messages for the moments the programme creates, from open-door announcements to crisis updates.
Team workshop facilitator guide
Run the method with your team in 90 minutes or a half day: timings, slides outline, five exercises, debrief questions and facilitator notes.
Principle of the week: 52 team emails
52 ready-to-send weekly emails or team posts, one principle each, with subject line, short body, one question and one action.
AI prompt pack for Arthashastra leaders
30 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by leadership moment, each with what to paste in and what to check before you use the output.
Worked example pack: Kavya's plant
The main forms completely filled in for one composite leader, a plant head in Pune, so you can see what good looks like.
All 52 principles at a glance
Every principle in the kit by suit, with its code and an In plain words line.
Situation finder decision card
If this happens, use this: 25 common leadership situations mapped to the right principles and kit files.
About the source, misreadings and mistakes
The text, its translation and how to read it, plus the twelve most common misreadings and mistakes and what to do instead.
52-card practice deck
52 illustrated principle cards in eight suits to print and cut, each with a source line or In plain words line, a reflection question and a one-line action, plus a how-to-use page.
12-week programme calendar
49 events for the 12-week programme: weekly principle and review, councils, monthly pulse and circle review, the workshop and the quarterly review.
12-week programme task board
32 programme tasks ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira. Due dates assume a start on 4 January 2027: shift them to your own start date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 21 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 70 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Managers, founders, heads of function, HR and L&D leaders, boards
- Source text
- R. Shamasastry's English translation of the Arthashastra, 1915 (public domain)
A Manual for People Who Run Things
What the Arthashastra is, what we leave out and why, and the daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly rhythm.
The Six Enemies
A two-minute check on the six forces that bend a leader's judgment.
The Leader's Day
The royal timetable rebuilt as an eight-period working day, with open doors and a fast lane for urgent calls.
People First
Yogakshema, the welfare test of success, the ledger and the monthly team pulse.
The Seven Pillars
The saptanga as a quarterly, evidence-based organisational health check.
Choosing and Testing Key People
Appointments on evidence, with an open, ethical integrity check.
Councils and Counsel
Hear widely, decide in three or four, and ask five questions of every decision.
Superintendents, Measures and Red Flags
Operational measures, controls that protect honest people and a safe speak-up channel.
The Circle
Mapping rivals, natural allies, mediators and independent powers.
Six Options and the Influence Ladder
Six strategies instead of two, and an ethical ladder from dialogue to lawful consequence.
Calamities
Risk by pillar, the trouble that spreads, pre-mortems and tested responses.
The Hub of the Wheel
Keeping the rhythm after the first 12 weeks.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- Chanakya's Arthashastra for Leaders: 10 chapters, conclusion and two appendices, with 6 illustrations
Spreadsheets
- Kautilya-Leadership-System-Workbook.xlsx: 10 sheets including Settings, 52-principle library, daily practice log with streak, weekly review, situations log, Yogakshema Ledger, team pulse, programme tracker and dashboard
- Seven-Pillars-Health-Check.xlsx: 9 sheets including 35 pillar questions, red-amber-green summary, quarterly trend, mandala map, six options lab, calamity register and dashboard
Fillable PDF forms
- Leaders-Day-Plan.pdf
- Quarterly-Pillars-and-Calamity-Review.pdf
- Mandala-Stakeholder-Map.pdf
- Six-Options-Decision-Sheet.pdf
- Integrity-Check-for-a-Key-Appointment.pdf
Word templates
- Governance-Pack-Council-Charter-and-Controls.docx: leadership code, council charter, decision rights, 24 audit red flags, speak-up principles
- Leadership-Scripts-and-Messages.docx: 40 scripts and messages
- Team-Workshop-Facilitator-Guide.docx: 90-minute and half-day versions
- Principle-of-the-Week-52-Team-Emails.docx: 52 weekly emails
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Arthashastra-Leaders.docx: 30 prompts
- Worked-Example-Pack-Kavyas-Plant.docx: the main forms filled in for one composite leader
Cheat sheets and cards
- 00-Start-Here-Arthashastra-Leadership-Map.pdf
- All-52-Principles-on-One-Page.pdf
- Situation-Finder-Decision-Card.pdf
- Misreadings-Mistakes-and-About-the-Source.pdf
- 52-Card-Practice-Deck.pdf: 52 cards on 13 pages plus a how-to page
Plans and imports
- 12-Week-Programme-Calendar.ics: 49 events for Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- 12-Week-Programme-Task-Board.csv: 32 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Run a two-minute six-enemies check before decisions that matter
- Plan an eight-period working day that protects numbers, people, the floor and thinking time
- Score your team or company on seven pillars with evidence, and act on the weakness that spreads
- Appoint key people on evidence, using an open and lawful integrity check
- Set up a small decision council with written reasons and clear decision rights
- Test a process against 24 audit red flags and design controls that protect honest people
- Map your stakeholders in a circle and choose among six strategic options
- Build a calamity register by pillar and run a pre-mortem with your team
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
A taste of Chapter 3
The canteen meeting Kavya had been dreading took eleven minutes. The union representative did not want more money. He wanted the night-shift canteen to serve hot food after midnight, because the night crew had been eating cold sandwiches since a contractor changed eighteen months earlier. Nobody on the day shift had noticed. Productivity on nights was eight per cent below days, and Kavya had a slide explaining it through equipment age and supervision. She had never thought to ask what the night shift ate. One of the best-known lines of the Arthashastra sits in the same chapter as the timetable. "In the happiness of his subjects lies his happiness; in their welfare his welfare; whatever pleases himself he shall not consider as good, but whatever pleases his subjects he shall consider as good." In plain words: a leader succeeds when the people they lead and serve are doing well. What pleases the leader is not the test. What serves the people is.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Popular quotes of unclear origin, often from modern books | Only verbatim quotes from the 1915 public-domain translation, cited by Book and Chapter |
| Ethics | Celebrates cunning, spies and 'ruthless' tactics | States plainly what it leaves out and gives an ethical version of every method |
| Practice | Inspiring lists with nothing to do on Monday | A daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly rhythm with a 12-week programme |
| Tools | None, or one blank template | Two working Excel workbooks, 5 fillable forms, 6 Word templates, 52 cards |
| Team use | Personal reading only | Workshop guide, leadership code, council charter and 52 team emails |
| Examples | Kings and battles | Composite leaders from Pune, Lagos, Leeds, Manila, Dubai, Nairobi, Ohio and Melbourne |
Made for you if…
- Managers, team leads and heads of function who want a structured, practical leadership method
- Founders and business owners building governance as they grow
- Plant heads, hospital and school leaders, public servants and programme directors who run complex units
- HR and L&D leaders looking for a leadership programme with ready tools and a team workshop
- Board members and senior professionals who want a simple organisational health check
- Anyone curious about Indian leadership heritage who wants it applied responsibly
Probably not for you if…
- Readers looking for tricks, manipulation or 'ruthless' tactics: the kit deliberately leaves out the text's espionage and deception
- Scholars wanting a critical edition or a new translation: we quote one public-domain translation and focus on practice
- Anyone seeking legal, HR or financial advice: the kit teaches good practice and points you to the right professionals
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Start the rhythm this week
Open the Start Here map, plan tomorrow in eight periods, and score your first pillar. Whether you begin with the card deck tonight or the workbook on Monday, the kit gives you an old discipline in a modern, ethical form.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Gita Leader
Decisions, duty and calm from the Bhagavad Gita.
Sun Tzu's Art of War for Leaders
Strategy and competition from Sun Tzu.
The Stoic Leader
Calm and character under pressure.
Old Wisdom for Modern Days
Ten philosophies for everyday life.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
Chanakya's Arthashastra for Leaders: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkIs this a religious book?
No. The Arthashastra is a text on statecraft, economics and administration, and this kit treats it as philosophy and heritage put to work in everyday leadership. It contains no prayer, ritual or claims about the divine, and it is written with respect for the many people who hold the text and Chanakya in high regard.
Which translation do you use and why?
We quote only R. Shamasastry's 1915 English translation, which he published in full after identifying the manuscript in 1905 and printing parts of it in journals from that year. It is in the public domain, so every quotation can be reproduced word for word with its Book and Chapter. All other wording, including the plain-English renderings, is Bodhih Training's own.
Does the kit teach Chanakya's spying and deception?
No. The text describes espionage, loyalty traps, secret killing and deception. The kit says plainly that it does not teach or endorse any of these and translates only lawful, ethical principles: open pulse surveys instead of spies, consented reference checks instead of traps, honest realignment of interests instead of sowing dissension.
What are the seven pillars of the Arthashastra?
Book VI lists seven elements of a state: the ruler, ministers, the country and its people, the fort, the treasury, the army and the ally. The kit turns them into leader, key people, people and market, systems and defences, treasury, delivery force and allies, and gives you a workbook to score them each quarter.
How do I start, and how long does it take?
Open the Start Here map, type your start date in the workbook's Settings sheet and plan tomorrow on the Leader's Day Plan. That takes under an hour. The full programme runs for 12 weeks at about two to three hours a week, after which the rhythm runs on its own.
Can I use it with my team?
Yes. The facilitator guide has a 90-minute and a half-day workshop, the governance pack includes a leadership code and council charter your team can adopt, and the 52 weekly emails keep the principles alive for a year. For company-wide use, ask about a team licence.
How can I measure my starting point?
Take an AssessAll assessment before and after the programme. Strategic Thinking & Business Judgment, Stakeholder Management & Influence, and Business & Commercial Acumen map closely to the kit's chapters on pillars, the circle and controls. Links are on the Start Here map.
How do I turn this into a development plan?
Use what the Weekly Review and Situations sheets show you, especially your most frequent enemy and weakest pillar, as the basis for a Jobulary development plan. Jobulary helps you turn a few clear goals into a practical plan.
Is this legal or HR advice?
No. The kit teaches good leadership practice. Hiring checks, discipline, investigations, whistleblowing and dealings with competitors are governed by law that differs by country. The tools remind you to involve your HR and legal teams and to follow company policy.
Will the files work outside India?
Yes. Examples come from many countries, the workbooks let you set your own currency label and thresholds, and nothing depends on Indian law. The kit is written in international English.
How much does Chanakya's Arthashastra for Leaders cost?
₹1,299 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $34 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
