Shukra-Niti

Shukranīti (–), also known as Shukranītisara (–) and ''Shukracharya's System of Morals, is a part of the Dharmasastra. It is a treatise on government, instructing how to use political theory to uphold morality. The code is authored by Shukracharya, also known as Usanas, and was claimed to have been written during the Vedic period. However, modern historians claim the composition could date as early as the 4th century AD during the Gupta period, or as late as a 19th-century forgery. The term Niti is derived from the Sanskrit word which translates to To Lead. Shukra-Niti focuses on morality, which it states to be vital for the overall well being of the people and the state (Rajya). Thus, the ruler must regulate the economic, social, and political aspects of human activity. According to the Shukranīti, the main responsibilities of the king should be towards the protection of his subjects and punishment of the offenders, and such actions cannot be enacted without a guideline (Niti). According to Shukracharya: a person can live without grammar, logic, and Vedanta, but cannot do in absence of Niti, and describes it as an essential aspect required for maintaining social order in the society.

==History== ===Claims of much later period of origin=== Lallanji Gopal disputes the origin of Shukra-Niti to the Vedic period and claims the work was written far later. This is due to the mention of guns, gunpowder, and cannons in the work. Modern historians argue that although some incendiary arrows were used in ancient India, there were no mentions of fire-arms using gunpowder in those texts. Historically, guns were introduced to India by the Portuguese in the early 16th century and later used in the first Battle of Panipat. Hence, according to them, the origin of the Shukranīti is attributed to the 16th century AD. Similarly, J C. Ray places the origin to 11th century AD based on the use of the word Yavana and Mleccha in the ShukraNiti. According to him, the term Yavana or Mleccha refers to Greeks and Muslims respectively during the 11th century, as by then Muslims such as Mahmud of Ghazni had spread to most parts of India. Some historians, based on the reference made to various classifications of punishment meted out to the offenders and on other regulations mentioned in the Shukranīti'', conclude that the work was modern in approach, hence a nineteenth-century composition.