Matsya Nyaya

2021-06-22T21:29:22Z

2402:3A80:CA3:7F2F:DC41:218A:9161:4584: /* Verses in Arthashastra */In Sanskrit, Nasalisation doesn’t take the form of a Consonant when met with a vowel. It instead either follows Guna or Vrddhi rule (depending on declensional inflection) and nasalises the new vowel.

{{short description|Indian philosophy}}
'''Matsya Nyaya''' ({{lang-sa|मात्स्यन्याय}}; [[IAST]]: mātsyanyāya) is an ancient [[Indian philosophy]] which refers to the principle of the ''Law of Fish''. It is described as the fundamental law of nature explained by the proverb of the big fish devouring the smaller fish, hence strong devour the weak. It can be equated to the 'Law of the Jungle'. In simple words, The strong dominates over the weak when there is disorder.<ref>{{citation |title=Political philosophy of Mauryan empire |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/matsyanyaya |access-date=23 February 2021 }}</ref>

==Philosophy==
The ancient Indian philosopher [[Chanakya]] (Kautilya), who was also the chief advisor of the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan emperor]] [[Chandragupta Maurya]] used this theory in his treatise [[Arthashastra]] to describe why a state should enhance its size and security. According to Chanakya, in absence of government or rule of law, the human society will degenerate into a state of anarchy in which the strong will destroy or exploit the weak much like how bigger fish eat smaller fish. So according to this philosophy, the theory of government was based on a belief in the innate depravity of man. In other words, this theory proposes that government, rulers and laws are necessary to prevent this natural law of 'Matsya Nyaya' from operating in human society. Hence this explains why there is a need for a government and laws to be in place. Hence, Kautilya stresses the importance of 'danda' (strong authority), as its absence will lead to the law of fishes, i.e, anarchy.<ref>{{citation |title=Arthashastra Of Chanakya |url=https://archive.org/details/arthashastraofchanakyaenglishrshamasastry/page/n11/mode/2up |page=12 |author=R Shamasastry |date=1915 |access-date=23 February 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44138592?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A50cd845b0fcd22fefe2afe04a8fe5d54&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents |publisher=Indian History Congress |author=Raghavendra Vajpeyi |title = The Term Matsyanyaya in the Kautiliya Arthasastra|journal = Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|date=1973 |volume = 34|pages = 64–69|jstor = 44138592|access-date=23 February 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Overcoming the Ways of Matsya Nyaya |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09700161.2013.821243#abstract |publisher=Taylor & Francis |author=P.K. Gautam |journal=Strategic Analysis |date=3 October 2013 |volume=37 |issue=5 |page=521-525 |doi=10.1080/09700161.2013.821243 |s2cid=143606741 |access-date=23 February 2021 }}</ref>

==Verses in Arthashastra==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Arthashastra 1.4.13-14
|-
| अप्रणीतः तु '''मात्स्यन्यायं''' उद्भावयति । बलीयान् अबलं हि ग्रसते दण्डधराभावे ।
|-
| apraṇītaḥ tu mātsyanyāyaṃ udbhāvayati. balīyān abalaṃ hi grasate daṇḍarābhāve.
|-
| But when the law of punishment is kept in abeyance, it gives rise to such disorder as is implied in the proverb of fishes (matsyanyaya udbhavayati); for in the absence of a magistrate (dandadharabhave), the strong will swallow the weak; but under his protection, the weak resist the strong.
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* ''King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India: Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra,'' translated and annotated by [[Patrick Olivelle]], Oxford University Press, 2013
* {{Citation |author=M. B. Chande |title=Kautilyan Arthasastra |publisher=Atlantic |year=2004 |isbn=81-7156-733-9}}, especially Book Six: Circle of Kings as the Basis, pp. 305–312
* {{Citation |author=Vikas Kumar |title=Strategy in the Kautilya Arthasastra |journal=Homo Oeconomicus |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=289–320 |year=2010}}
* {{Citation |author=Mahendra Prasad Singh |title=Kautilya: Theory of State |work=Indian Political Thought: Themes and Thinkers |publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-81-317-5851-9 |year=2011 |pages=1–17}}

==External links==
* [https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/kautilya-arthashastra Kautilya Arthashastra] English translation by R. Shamasastry 1956 (revised edition with IAST diacritics and interwoven glossary)
*[https://archive.org/details/Arthasastra_English_Translation ''Arthashastra'' (English)] (Another archive of 1915 R Shamasastry translation)

{{Indian philosophy}}

[[Category:Ancient Indian literature]]
[[Category:Political theories]]

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Matsya Nyaya