First and most important victory - indriya jayaH

Third topic of artha SAstra is indriya jayaH i.e., victory over senses. There are six internal enemies who need to be conquered by one and all. cANakya states "विद्या विनय हेतुः इन्द्रिय जयः" the basis for learning and training is victory over senses.

kAma, krOdha, lObha, mAna, mada, harsha have to be given up. They are the six internal enemies. Desire, anger, possessiveness, ego, pride and making fun of elders are the six enemies.

One should win over these six. How?

By decoupling ears, skin, eyes, tongue, nose respectively from their subjects sound, touch, shape, taste, smell by strong will and controlling the enjoyments as per the SAsta with the necessary restraints.

कृत्स्नं हि शास्त्रम् इदम् इन्द्रिय जयः - This SAstra is ALL about victory over senses!

If a King has not attained this FIRST victory, even if he conquered the whole world, he will be destroyed completely sooner rather than later by his own internal enemies. cANakya gives examples of different past kings who have destroyed themselves and their kingdoms due to the dominence of internal enemies.

dAnDakya due to kAma; karAla due to kAma; janamEjaya due to krOdha; lAlajangha due to krOdha; ilA's sone purUrava due to lObha; rAvana due to mAna; duryOdhana due to mada; daMbhodbhava and kArtavIryArjuna due to pride; vAtApi and yAdavAs due to harsha i.e., moking at the elders. Not only these, several others have destroyed themselves along with their kingdoms! But Kings like Ambarisha have attained perfection having conquered their senses!

So, The first and most important victory for a vijigIshu is the victory over the senses and internal enemies.

How EGO causes corruption? - An upanishadic narration.

Human body is considered as the kshetra or the kingdom and the real king powers the whole of this kingdom is the prANa or vital force.

Once there was a war between the good and evil forces within. In the war the good forces made the faculty of speech as their leader. Speech kept alive traces of ego for its unique capability of reciting virtuous words. Evil used this and corrupted the faculty of speech and won over it by making it speak bad words!
Next the good forces made eye as their leader; Eye kept alive traces of ego for its capability to see good things. Evil used this and corrupted the faculty of seeing and won over it by making it see bad things!
In the same way faculty of hearing, faculty of smell and faculty of touch i.e., each indriya failed to win over the evil forces.
Finally, good forces made the prANa i.e., the vital force their leader. Evil could not corrupt it as it is impartial and equally powered everything without any EGO. In the impartial and egoless leadership of vital force, evil forces shattered into pieces and good forces won the war.

Moral: Only when the leader is impartial and conquered the senses & EGO, he can be victorious!

This is the 10th post covers the 6th adhyaya of artha SAstra.