King Candra Gupta's "Handbook for [the Emperor's] Profit" written during 321 BC - 297 BC by Kautilya.
Kautilya's "Handbook for [the Emperor's] Profit" was the classic manual for political administration. In 15 sections it outlined all aspects of government. According to its principles the king is well educated, and his law is above the law of even the highest caste (the Brahmans). He can draw on experts of the various branches of the economy and governs with a centralized bureaucracy and an extensive network of spies.
Kautilya discussed political and secret assassination as a means of maintaining power and stability. Such practices were common well before his time, and Kautliya saw no reason to abandon them; his Handbook encouraged them as part of good government.
The Handbook stressed the importance of the state enterprises, which should use science to improve their productivity, and consequently recommends the support of the sciences. It contained regulations for the employment of labour and provisions for the protection of women, waged labourers and slaves. (In state factories former slaves were now employed as waged labourers, but the use of slave labour continued in the imperial household and gardens.)