The name of Chanakya, the wise prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya, is only too familiar to students of history. There is an interesting story about how he learned one of the most important lessons in war strategy from an uneducated village woman.
Going back to the beginnings, Chanakya was born in a very poor family. His father, Chani, was a wise and learned man although he had no wealth. It is said that baby Chanakya had pearly white teeth. Astrologers told Chani that the boy was fated to be a king. He expected Chani to be delighted to hear this. But Chani was disturbed by the prediction and remarked that the life of a king is by no means a happy one.
Most kings crave for more money and more power, and this inevitably led them to fight and often do things that are neither fair nor moral. Chani did not wish such a life for his son. So he broke the teeth of his infant son. But the astrologers merely laughed and said his action was not likely to change his son's destiny. But it would thwart it to some extent. He might not be a king himself but would certainly be a ruler's right hand man and virtually rule the kingdom.
Chanakya imbibed all the scholarship of his father. He had a razor sharp intellect and a fantastic memory. But despite all his wisdom, Chanakya remained as poor as his father and had a tough time trying to make both ends meet. Once, when his wife went to her father's home to attend a family wedding, her sisters made fun of her because she was wearing a dress made of coarse cloth and no jewellery at all.
They teased her about her rough, work-worn hands and the absense of oil in her hair. In fact, they treated her like a maid and refused to sit near her. Chanakya's wife returned home crying. Though she did not complain or criticize her own people, Chanakya found out what had gone wrong and decided to do something about it. He had heard that King Nanda, the ruler of Pataliputra, honoured wise men and often gave them a place in his kingdom.
