In virtue of his power to uphold the observance of the respective duties of the four castes and of the four divisions of righteous life, and in virtue of his power to guard against the violation of Dharma, the king is the fountain of justice.
Sacred law, evidence, history, and government edicts are the four legs of Law. Of these four in order, the later supersedes the previously named.
Sacred law is eternal truth holding its sway over the world; evidence is in witnesses; history is what is found in the tradition of the people; government edicts are the orders pronounced by kings.
As the duty of a king consists in protecting his subjects with justice, its observance leads him to heaven. He who does not protect his people or upsets the social order wields his sceptre in vain. It is the sceptre and the sceptre alone which, only when exercised by the king with impartiality and in proportion to guilt either over his son or his enemy, maintains both this world and the next.
The king who administers justice in accordance with sacred law, evidence, history and edicts of kings which is the fourth will be able to conquer the whole world bounded by the four quarters.
Whenever there is disagreement between history and sacred law or between evidence and sacred law, then the matter shall be settled in accordance with sacred law. But whenever sacred law is conflict with rational law, then reason shall be held authoritative; for there the original text (on which the sacred law has been based) is not available.
Self-assertion on the part of either of the parties has often been found faulty. Examination, honesty, evidence and asseveration by oath – these alone can enable a man to win his cause.
Whenever by means of the deposition of witnesses, the statements of either of the parties are found contradictory, and whenever the cause of either of the parties is found by government spies to be false, then the decree shall be passed against that party
—Kautilya, in the Arthaśāstra, 3.1:38-47
