We often think ancient wisdom cannot help in modern times. But what if your weekend splurges, credit card debt, and ignored savings were exactly the problems Chanakya warned against? His 2,000-year-old financial advice might just be the unexpected solution your wallet needs today.
We might think all the valuable takeaways from ancient wisdom are confined to dusty history books. But that’s just not quite true. After all, what could a strategist from 2,000 years ago possibly have to teach us about tracking just the right amount of food orders from last week, whatever was purchased on a spree, or an online subscription purchase at 1 AM? Quite a bit, actually.
Chanakya, the brainchild of Arthashastra, was no slouch when it came to politics, but he possessed knowledge of money, discipline, and strategy. Furthermore, his teachings regarding finances are not only applicable to our lives but are surprisingly well-suited for our modern, chaotic, credit-fuelled lives.
In days of constant spending and saving money nowhere close to mind, Chanakya’s words shine like arrows. Chanakya warned against the idleness of wealth, praised preparation, and noted that we should lead lives of knowledge, not greed. What is most startling is how real and applicable these teachings come into modern personal finance, whether you want to create an emergency fund, invest with purpose, or remain vigilant in preventing personal finance “leaks.”
In this article we break out Chanakya Niti into takeaways to keep your wallet, as well as your future self, happy.
1. Save in Times of Prosperity for Times of Scarcity
“धनं तु सञ्चयं कुर्यात् कालहेतोः प्रयोजने।
One should accumulate wealth for times when it will be needed most.”
Chanakya believed that we ought to accumulate wealth during abundance in order to be safe during difficult times. In the modern-day context we are fortunate to have relatively abundant resources available to us and that’s exactly why creating an emergency fund is important.
Although people’s incomes are rising, few have significant savings for emergencies regarding loss of income, body emergencies, economic downturn, etc. Make sure you set aside at least 3-6 months of expenses in liquid savings or funding, if not a lot more. Go as high as 24 months if you are conservative person. As your resources approach exhaustion, it is not a luxury but a necessity, the financial oxygen mask for the chaos ahead.
For example, if you get a bonus this Diwali, and let’s say that you are thinking of spending that on a new phone, consider parking your bonus income into a high-interest savings account or short-term debt fund. Or go all the way and add it to your long-term portfolio.
2. A Life Without Financial Planning Is Similar to a Ship Without a Rudder“अनागतविधाता च प्रत्युत्पन्नमति स्मृतः।
He who plans for the future and acts wisely in the present is truly intelligent.”
In Chanakya’s teachings, one of the common themes is foresight, and his message was simple. Foresight with respect to the long-term future is critical. And if you lack foresight, you will lack stability.
In today’s world, that means taking a hard look at specific financial goals – retirement, saving for a home, or education/funding for your children. When you fail to create a financial plan, you lose some control over spending, and you can easily accumulate debt in the process. Start slow and small, the minimum, with vehicles like SIPs (systematic investment plans), the public provident fund (PPF) or the national pension system (NPS) to begin laying down the groundwork for wealth accumulation.
To demonstrate, if you start a monthly SIP of ₹5,000 at 25 years of age, you could potentially have ₹1 crore by the time you are age 50, all because of time and compounding.
3. Wealth if Unaccompanied with Wisdom is a Burden
“विद्याविहीनः पशुरेव नृपः।
A man without knowledge is like a beast, even if he is wealthy.”
Chanakya ranked wisdom over wealth. The greatest burden in the world today is not having wisdom. Social media and influencers have made it to easy to mislead the financially ignorant. In investing, it is easy to take the bait on a Ponzi scheme, or, invest based on hearsay, and lose years of savings. Learning about personal finance is not an option, it is a responsibility.
Before you buy your first speculative crypto currency, or follow the next trending advice on where to invest in stocks, take a learning course, read a book, or seek advice from a financial provider.
4. Small Leaks Sink Great Ships
“सूक्ष्मं अपि न प्रमाद्येत्।
Do not ignore even the smallest matters; they can grow to cause great harm.”
This one quote encompasses one of Chanakya’s most useful teachings. In today’s context, it is the day-to-day spending – the coffee you buy every day for ₹300, your unused Netflix subscription, the food delivery you order every weekend – that slowly leaks into your budget. A few leakages will not matter, but after a year, you could lose thousands of rupees. Perhaps a lot more. Getting clear on this part of your life can be the distinction between being broke and building wealth./
5. Idle Wealth is Wasted Wealth
“स्थावरं च चलं चैव द्विविधं संपदुच्यते।
स्थावरं यः परित्यज्य चलं संपद्यते बुधः।
There are two kinds of wealth—static and dynamic. The wise convert idle wealth into moving, growing wealth.”
Wealth cannot be hoarded indefinitely, which Chanakya did not believe in. Chanakya taught that money must be working, not just sitting there. Today, allowing your money to sit in a savings account collecting minimal interest while inflation continuously eats away at its value is wasteful. Let your money work for you in the form of Fixed Deposits, mutual funds, gold or through equity instruments. Wealth that grows is wealth that can work.
Consider ₹1 Lakh for example. A plain savings account may earn ~3.5% or so a year. A balanced fund could be giving you 9-10% .
6. Safegaurd Your Wealth Like Your Life
“आयुः कामं यशो धर्मं वित्तं इन्द्रियनिग्रहं।
धर्मकार्यं च विज्ञानं एतानि च सतां गुणाः।”
Health, desire, fame, wealth, control over senses, and wisdom—these are the true virtues of a good life.”Chanakya viewed wealth not as gaudy ornaments on a neck, but as a support of craft that is worth protecting with violence. In an unpredictable digital world, wealth is protected through the means of insurance and risk management. One accident and subsequent health emergency can reverse a lifetime of saving in one fell swoop. Nowadays, insurance options like term plans, health insurance, and cyber safety protection are non-negotiable – they are sentinels protecting the gate to your wealth.
With a basic health insurance policy and a term plan, you can pre-empt expenses creating a medical deductible that obliterates everything you have saved.
In this age of EMIs, credit cards, and instant gratification, we are happy to dismiss ancient wisdom as unsuitable for the modern world of finance. But Chanakya’s wisdom transcends time in its startling relevance. His insights on saving in times of surplus, wasting money, planning for the future, and protecting money were not only moral ideas – they were about survival. What he said in his Sanskrit scrolls resonates even more loudly now, in an age where many live with money they don’t have, through impulsive spending.
Chanakya did not just advise on how to make money, he advised on how to protect money, grow money, and respect money. And that’s what your wallet needs now more than anything: not more sales. not more price tags, not more swiping cards. What your wallet needs is strategy; your wallet needs clarity. So, the next time you think that spending without thinking, or putting off a financial plan is a good idea, just ask yourself – what would be beneficial for me? That answer just might be the catalyst for your financial future.