Slavery in the Mauryan Period

Abstract

The information regarding slavery in the Mauryan period is gathered from the Arthasastra of Kautilya, the account of Megasthenes and the Inscription of Asoka, the great 1). Slaves (dasas) have been mentioned in the Kautilya's Arthasastra which deals with social, political and economic problems of the contemporary era. Kautilya was the prime minister (Mahamatya) of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan empire. Kautilya was responsible for destroying the Nanda rule and creating the new empire, the Mauryan kingdom. This happened in 3rd century B.C., therefore this treatise can be assigned to the same period. (This treatise has been translated into various languages.) Megasthenes has written in his account that the Indians did not use aliens as slaves, much less a countrymen of their own 2). He was the historian traveller, who visited India in the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. Asoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. He is famous as a religious king in the history of India, who abandoned the policy of war after the loss of millions of lives in the great war fought in Kalinga 3). He tried to mingle religion and politics together and ordered his kinsmen and public to give kind treatment to the slaves and servants 4), which could be the greatest religion of all. These rules and orders must have been applied in the Mauryan state.