INTRODUCTION
1. Preliminary — Politics was a separate study in India as early as the 7th centry B.C. if not earlier. The earliest mention of it as a separate study is found in the jatakas, the Ramayana and the Grihya.Sutras. In Asoka's in scriptions uttama, a technical term of Hindu politics, occurs. In Kharabela's inscription we have the well known technical terms Danda, Sandhi , Bhedu and Sama. It was then known by the names of Arthasastra, and Dandaniti. According to Kautilya, artha means territory with human population and Arthasastra means the code of artha; and Dandaniti means the principles of Government. The title Dandaniti was adopted by Usanas and Arthasastra by Brihaspati. Later the terms Niti and Naya superseded the old words Artha and Danda. Kamandaka's metrical work is called Nitiara, Similarly the treatise based on Usanasa's Dandaniti is called Sukra-nitisara. Panchtantra adopts the term Naya-sastra. In the present work, as in other nibandhas, the term Naga-sasta is adopted.
The study of Hindu politics was continued in India during the Muslim period. The Hindu lawyers compiled several works on the subject from the 14th to the 18th century. They are called nibandhas or hand-books. The famous jurists Chandeswar Mantrin, Mitra Misra and Nilakantha compiled several works on Hindu politics, Our present author Bagis Dwija also belongs to this list. These treatises being the works of a decadent period bear no originality. The merit of these works lies in the preservation of some valuable extracts from authorities which are otherwise unknown.
2. The Manuscript.—The name of the present manuscript is Nitilatankar. It belongs to the number of those valuable manuscripts lying unnoticed in various parts of Assam whose publication will throw a good deal of light on the cultural history of the Province.
