Vinayadhikarika ("Concerning Discipline") is a compact disciplinary manual within the ancient Arthashastra, the realist treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya (Chanakya) from the Mauryan era (c. 3rd century BCE). It prescribes rules for officials, hierarchies of punishment, training, supervision and the maintenance of order in palace and bureaucracy. Balancing stern deterrence with administrative prudence, its themes are accountability, procedural justice, and the ethics of governance. Rooted in empirical governance rather than ideology, Vinayadhikarika reveals how an early state sought to codify discipline for efficiency and stability. Today its insights into institutional controls, anti‑corruption measures and pragmatic leadership remain strikingly relevant to modern public administration and corporate governance.