The preservation and advancement of this good was comprised of seven vital elements:

King – who served the people
Ministers/Counselors – who served the king
Farmlands/Countryside – which provided resources
Fortresses – which protected resources and extended control
Treasury – which maintained government and funded expansion
Military – which defended the state and expanded it
Allies – potential enemies who could be made friends to achieve common goals

This concept of the ruler defined as one who sees what must be done and is willing to do it, no matter how distasteful or morally questionable, would later form the basis of Machiavelli’s The Prince which, to greater or lesser degrees, informed later European treatises on statecraft. The Arthashastra continues to be studied today in conjunction with The Prince and other political treatises, not only in political science courses at universities, but by any who wish to learn the principles by which a state functions and the role a true leader should play in the care and nurture of the people who have placed their trust in the promises of their government.