Kautilya's advice to Chandragupta on the Mauryan soldier

jul 8th, 2008

india is disrespecting its armed forces at great peril.

i have been advocating for some time that india should enforce the draft. every non-handicapped 20 year old, boy or girl, must be asked to do compulsory military service. in that case, the high-and-mighty in delhi will pay close attention to terrorist activities, so that their children do not get turned into hamburger by some mohammedan terrorist. the armed forces are so demoralized and finding it so difficult to fill the officer ranks (there are still enough poor people who can be hired to die for the middle class) that jawaharlal may yet get his dream: an india without an army. of course, there won't be an india either, as pakistan, china, bangladesh etc. will have taken over large chunks.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: S. Kalyanaraman
Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 6:36 AM
Subject: Kautilya's advice to Chandragupta on the Mauryan soldier. Sonia, don't lose your moral sanction to be empress.
To:

Indian Ex-Servicemen's Movement

...bureaucrats have been trying to create a caste system in the Government and have been aided by the 6^th Pay Commission. They have  usurped the slot of the highest caste who supposedly deem themselves to deserve the icing on the Pay commission cake. India is not a banana republic and the Indian Armed Forces are not mercenaries. We are an Armed forces with time honoured values and traditions and have always performed. The erosion of these values and traditions is irreparable. The depletion of the Armed forces cannot be made up overnight by outsourcing the Defence of the country.

It would thus be apt to recall Kautilya's sagely advice to Chandragupta on the Mauryan Soldier: "If ever things come to a sordid pass when, on a given day, the Mauryan soldier has to LOOK BACK over his shoulder (simhawalokana) prompted by even a single worry about his and his family's material, physical  and social well being, it should cause you and your Council the greatest concern and distress. I beseech you to take instant note and act with uncommon dispatch to address the soldier's anxiety. It is my bounden duty to assure you, My Lord that the day when the Mauryan soldier has to demand his dues or, worse, plead for them, will neither have arrived overnight nor in vain. It will also bode ill for Magadha. For then, on that day, you, My Lord, you will have lost all moral sanction to be King! It will also be the beginning of the end of the Mauryan Empire!" 

 

[Excerpt from a Press Note issued during an Ex-Servicemen's Rally is being held in front of Hotel Tamil Nadu, Gandhipuram on 06^th July 2008 from 09:45 A.M to 11:00 A.M]