Chanakya Neeti or Cāṇakya Nīti (IAST) (चाणक्य नीति) is a compilation of Sanskrit (संस्कृत) verses, known as aphorisms by Chanakya (आचार्य चाणक्य: 375–283 BCE). He was a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist and a royal advisor. He authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashāstra (अर्थशास्त्र). He is considered the pioneer in the field of political science and economics in India. Around 321 BCE, Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor, Chandragupta, in his rise to power.

Chanakya chose these aphorisms from ancient literature prior to his own time. It is not known who originally wrote them nor do we know whether some of them were written by him. We are truly indebted to those Rishis and poets who wrote these beautiful verses but chose to remain nameless.

The word Neeti means ethical behavior and/or moral philosophy related to human beings in a society. Most verses in Chanakya Neeti...