Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q50 (IAS/2022) History & Culture › Ancient India › Mauryan empire polity Official Key

According to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which of the following are correct? 1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment. 2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free. 3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master’s son. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2 (2 and 3 only) based on the legal framework of labor and bondage detailed in Kautilya’s Arthashastra.

  • Statement 1: While Kautilya mentions various ways a person could become a dasa (slave), such as being captured in war or voluntarily selling oneself, formal judicial punishment typically resulted in temporary penal servitude or fines rather than permanent slavery. However, the core focus of the Arthashastra regarding manumission lies in the protections offered to the family unit.
  • Statement 2: Kautilya explicitly states that if a female slave bore a child to her master, both the mother and the child were to be recognized as free. The mother gained her freedom immediately upon the birth of the son.
  • Statement 3: Furthermore, the Arthashastra mandates that a son fathered by the master with a female slave was entitled to the legal status of the master's son, including rights to inheritance.

Thus, statements 2 and 3 represent the progressive legal protections provided to enslaved women and their offspring under Kautilyan law.

How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
21%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest preview
Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. According to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which of the following are correct? 1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishm…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 3.3/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is a 'Bouncer' for generalists but a classic 'History Optional' crossover. While NCERTs mention Arthashastra as a source, they do not detail its specific legal codes (Dasakalpa). The question tests the specific nuance that Indian slavery (unlike Western chattel slavery) was often temporary, regulated, and allowed for manumission (freedom).

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, could a person become a slave as a result of judicial punishment?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > 3.1 Finding out about the Mauryas > p. 32
Strength: 5/5
“Historians have used a variety of sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. These include archaeological finds, especially sculpture. Also valuable are contemporary works, such as the account of Megasthenes (a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya), which survives in fragments. Another source that is often used is the Arthashastra, parts of which were probably composed by Kautilya or Chanakya, traditionally believed to be the minister of Chandragupta. Besides, the Mauryas are mentioned in later Buddhist, Jaina and Puranic literature, as well as in Sanskrit literary works. While these are useful, the inscriptions of Asoka (c.”
Why relevant

Identifies the Arthashastra as a contemporary/specialized source used to reconstruct Mauryan legal and administrative practice, implying it contains rules on punishments and social status.

How to extend

A student could consult the Arthashastra (or summaries) expecting it to list judicial punishments and check whether enslavement is prescribed.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > Social Organization > p. 29
Strength: 4/5
“varna was denied this privilege and the Gayatri mantra could not be recited by the Sudras. Women were also denied upanayana and Gayatri mantra. The king asserted his authority over the three varnas. The Aitreya Brahmana refers to the Brahmana as the seeker of support and he could be removed by king from his position. Certain craft groups managed to attain higher status. For example, the Rathakaras, the chariot makers, had the right to wear the sacred thread. Vaisya referred to the common people. They were involved in agriculture, cattle breeding and artisans. Later they became traders. Vaisyas paid tax to the kings.”
Why relevant

Notes the king's asserted authority to remove a Brahmana from position, showing royal power to impose punitive social/legal sanctions.

How to extend

Combine this with the Arthashastra's role as a text on statecraft to infer the state could impose status-changing penalties; then check specific Arthashastra passages on punishments.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Kinship, Caste and Class > Draupadi's question > p. 68
Strength: 3/5
“Draupadi is supposed to have asked Yudhisthira whether he had lost himself before staking her. Two contrary opinions were expressed in response to this question. One, that even if Yudhisthira had lost himself earlier, his wife remained under his control, so he could stake her. Two, that an unfree man (as Yudhisthira was when he had lost himself) could not stake another person. The matter remained unresolved; ultimately, Dhritarashtra restored to the Pandavas and Draupadi their personal freedom. Ü Do you think that this episode suggests that wives could be treated as the property of their husbands?”
Why relevant

Describes an episode where a person becomes 'unfree' (loss of freedom) through gambling, indicating social recognition of changed personal status (free → unfree) as a result of legal/extra-legal actions.

How to extend

Use this example to argue that ancient norms accepted transitions into unfreedom, so a reader could look for judicial analogues in legal texts like the Arthashastra.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Kinship, Caste and Class > The wealthy Shudra > p. 70
Strength: 3/5
“Kachchana replied: "What if a Shudra were wealthy … would another Shudra …or a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya … speak politely to him?" Avantiputta replied that if a Shudra had wealth or corn or gold or silver, he could have as his obedient servant another Shudra to get up earlier than he, to go to rest later, to carry out his orders, to speak politely; or he could even have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as his obedient servant. Kachchana asked: "This being so, are not these four varnas exactly the same?" Avantiputta conceded that there was no difference amongst the varnas on this count.”
Why relevant

Discusses servitude relations where even members of varnas could have 'obedient servants', pointing to accepted social practices of subordination or servitude.

How to extend

A student might treat this as evidence that servitude existed broadly and then examine the Arthashastra for legal mechanisms (including punishment) that could create such servitude.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

How to study

This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.

Login with Google to unlock study guidance.

Micro-concepts

Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.

Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.

The Vault

Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.

Login with Google to unlock The Vault.

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

NDA-I · 2016 · Q95 Relevance score: 0.80

Consider the following statements : 1. The Arthashastra is the first Indian text to define a State. 2. The main concerns of the Arthashastra are theoretical issues like the origins of the state. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ? '

CDS-II · 2021 · Q46 Relevance score: -0.90

Consider the following statements about Patanjali’s Mahabhashya : 1. It makes a mention of Kautilya. 2. It is a book on grammar and refers to historical personalities only incidentally. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

CDS-I · 2021 · Q63 Relevance score: -3.12

Which one of the following statements about the Act V of 1843 relating to Slavery in India is correct ?

IAS · 2021 · Q20 Relevance score: -3.44

With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

IAS · 2020 · Q62 Relevance score: -3.99

In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around 1. women's right to gain education 2. age of consent 3. restitution of conjugal rights Select the correct answer using the code given below :