Indian Political thinking, one of the most developed political thoughts, represents the East in the history of political thought. Indian political thought has its own distinguishing features. It is closely linked to religion, social structure, ethics so much so that it becomes extremely difficult to distinguish the political from others spheres of thought. Though Indian political thought is often equated with Hindu political thought, there were other non-Brahminical traditions which contributed to the evolution of political thought in India. Buddhists, Jains and later Muslims came out with their own notions of good government, its duties and obligations etc. 

Ancient Indian Political Thought is not available in any single source or work. They are scattered in different areas like social, religious and others. However, the main sources of ancient Indian Political Thought are the following:

1. The Vedas: The vedas are regarded as the authentic works of Gods at the time of the creation of the world and so are considered the original source of information. Though Vedas  do  not  describe  the  political  system  that  existed,  information  can  be  drawn from the concepts like King,  Kinship, Saints or Rishis etc., and their duties towards the  subjects.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  institutions  like  sabha  and  samiti  that  are prevalent even in the modern days have their roots in the Vedic period.

2. The  Mahabharata:  This  Indian  epic  is  considered  a  classic  work  on  the  art  of politics. Certain episodes like Shanti Parva provide outstanding information related to political  philosophy  and  administrative  system  and  the  political  system  of  the  time. The entire art of statecraft, diplomacy, war ethics and strategies, state relations and the like can be very well understood by making a reference to the Mahabharata.

3. The Arthasastra: This work authored  by Kautilya is again a masterpiece on polity. According  to  Prof  Altekar,  it  is  mainly  concerned  with  the  practical  problems  of governance and describes it machinery and functions both in times of war and peace. This work of  Kautilya also highlights issues like taxation, diplomacy, war  strategies and revolution. It is also a  handbook of economics as well as administration for the kings.

4. Works of thinkers: Some of the great works that act as major sources of the political thought of ancient India are the Smrithis, Kamandakeya Neethisaara, Sukraneetrisara and the like. Smrithis advocated that a king was the servant of the subjects and that is was  not  wrong  to  kill  a  tyrant.  A  king  was  expected  to  be  virtuous,  gracious  and helpful.  Similarly,  Kamandakeya  Neethisaara  was  also  a  source  of  ancient  Indian political thought. It was, in fact, a summary of Kautilya’s Arthasastra.

5. Inscription: Stone and copper inscriptions throw light on the contemporary political life of the people and the administrative system of those days.

6. Account  of  Foreign  Travellers:  The  writing  of  foreign  travellers  to  India  like Megasthenes,  Fahien,  Huang  Tsang  and  others  provide  great  information  about  the ancient  Indian Society, administration, trade and industry and the like.

7. Smritis:   Smritis  which  were  written  long  after  Kautilya’s  Arthasastra  and  repeat what had already been said by other scholars, are also a useful source of information. They supply additional information about the various political aspects. We get an idea about the changing position of the king from these Smritis.

8. Kumandakiya  Nitisara:  This  treatise  written  in  500  A.D  is  mainly  a  summary  of Kautilya’s Arthasastra, except that it provides some additional information about the king and his family. It further informs us that by this time the king had become more powerful and assumed real powers. The absence of any reference about the existence of  Republics  in  this  work leads us  to the  conclusion  that  by this  time  republics had declined any monarchy was the prevailing system of government.

9. Compilations  by Hindu Lawyers: During the period between 14th & 18th centuries A.D  a  number  of  Hindu  lawyers  compiled  certain  treatise  which  chiefly  contains useful  material  relating  to  political,  economic  and  religious  matters  which  lay scattered  in  stray sources.  Some  of  the  important writers  who  produced  such  works include Nibandhakara Chandesvara, Mitra Misra and Nilakantha. Though these works were not original and merely reproduction from other well-known authors, their value lies  in  the  fact  that  they  contain  extracts  from  authorities  which  were  otherwise unknown.

10. Other  Sources:  Apart  from  the  above  sources  on  the  ancient  Indian  Political Thought, the following books give an extensive knowledge:

a) Brihapati Sutra

b) Neeti Vakya Niritha of Somadeva

c) Rajaneethi Ratnakara

d) Rajaneethi Mayukha

e) Veeramrityodaya

f) Puranas

g) Coins and seals found in the excavations

h) The Jain and Bhuddhist literature.