Moles and Mentors: Utility of the saffron-clad in ancient Vedic India

The Arthashastra was written by a person often clad in a saffron robe – Chanakya a.k.a. Kautilya. He didn’t take a direct role in administration and appointed people to get the things done. It is likely that he was the first ‘kingmaker’ known in human history. Over two thousand years ago, he exemplified the life of a Vedic seeker. He lived in the world, worked to make it better, yet never took anything for himself. Like a lotus flower in a dirty pond, he lived untouched by the temptations of...