Abstract
The chapter deals with ancient Indian laws of war and compares two streams of thinking about military laws in ancient India. There is the prescriptive stream which insists on fair means of war, forbids fighting in certain circumstances, protects several groups of people and prohibits the usage of certain weapons.
The second stream, represented primarily by Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra, recommends using unfair means if it brings an advantage. The two approaches are compared and examples of breaches of the law from narrative literature are presented.