Abhiyasyatkarma Adhyaya 4 Sutra 8 - Arthashastra | Arabic | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 8

Devanagari script

यदि वा पश्येत्प्रत्यादेयमादाय कोशदण्डनिचयरक्षाविधानान्यवस्रावयिष्यामि खनिद्रव्यहस्तिवनसेतुबन्धवणिक्पथानुद्धृतसारान् करिष्यामि प्रकृतीरस्य कर्शयिष्यामि अपवाहयिष्यामि आयोगेनाराधयिष्यामि वा ताः परं प्रतियोगेन कोपयिष्यति प्रतिपक्षे वास्य पण्यमेनं करिष्यामि मित्रमपरुद्धं वास्य प्रतिपादयिष्यामि मित्रस्य स्वस्य वा देशस्य पीडामत्रस्थस्तस्करेभ्यः परेभ्यश्च प्रतिकरिष्यामि मित्रमाश्रयं वास्य वैगुण्यं ग्राहयिष्यामि तदमित्रविरक्तं तत्कुलीनं प्रतिपत्स्यते सत्कृत्य वास्मै भूमिं दास्यामि इति संहितसमुत्थितं मित्रं मे चिराय भविष्यति इति प्रत्यादेयमपि लाभमाददीत ॥ कZ_०९.४.०८ ॥

Transliteration

yadi vā paśyet pratyādeyam ādāya kośadaṇḍanicayarakṣāvidhānāny avasrāvayiṣyāmi khanidravyahastivanasetubandhavaṇikpathān uddhṛtasārān kariṣyāmi prakṛtīr asya karśayiṣyāmi apavāhayiṣyāmi āyogenārādhayiṣyāmi vā tāḥ paraṃ pratiyogena kopayiṣyati pratipakṣe vāsya paṇyam enaṃ kariṣyāmi mitram aparuddhaṃ vāsya pratipādayiṣyāmi mitrasya svasya vā deśasya pīḍām atra-sthas taskarebhyaḥ parebhyaś ca pratikariṣyāmi mitram āśrayaṃ vāsya vaiguṇyaṃ grāhayiṣyāmi tad amitraviraktaṃ tatkulīnaṃ pratipatsyate satkṛtya vāsmai bhūmiṃ dāsyāmi iti saṃhitasamutthitaṃ mitraṃ me cirāya bhaviṣyati iti pratyādeyam api lābham ādadīta

Translation

أو إذا توقّع أنه بأخذِه حتى ربحًا يجب إرجاعه يستطيع أن: يستنزف خزينة العدو، وسلطته العقابية، واحتياطاته المكدّسة، وترتيباته الوقائية؛ وينزع القيمة من المناجم والموارد المادية وغابات الأفيال وأعمال الجسور/السدود وطرق التجارة؛ ويُضعِف عناصر الدولة لدى العدو (prakṛtis) ويستولي عليها أو يستميلها بالإغراءات؛ وبذلك يثير العدو ليدخل في منافسة مضادّة طائشة؛ ويجعله «سلعة» في أيدي خصومه؛ ويعيد حليفًا واقعًا تحت القيد؛ ويحمي—وهو حاضر هناك—أرضه أو أرض حليفٍ له من اللصوص والأعداء الأجانب؛ ويجعل حليف العدو التابع يدرك نقائصه حتى إذا نفر من العدو عاد إلى جانب سلالته؛ وبإكرامه يمنحه حتى أرضًا—كي يدوم التحالف الناشئ عن مثل هذه الملابسات زمنًا طويلًا—فعندئذ يجوز له أن يأخذ حتى ربحًا يجب إرجاعه.

Word by Word

यदिif

वाor

पश्येत्he should see/observe

प्रत्यादेयम्a recoverable (sum/asset)

आदायhaving taken/collected

कोश-दण्ड-निचय-रक्षा-विधानानिmeasures/arrangements for protecting the treasury, coercive power, accumulated stores, and security

अवस्रावयिष्यामिI will cause to drain away / bleed out

खनि-द्रव्य-हस्ति-वन-सेतु-बन्ध-वणिक्-पथान्the routes/resources of mines, valuables, elephants, forests, bridge-works (tolls), and merchants’ roads

उद्धृत-सारान्with their substance extracted

करिष्यामिI will make/do

प्रकृतीःthe state-elements/constituents

अस्यof him/of this (enemy)

कर्शयिष्यामिI will cause to be weakened / impoverish

अपवाहयिष्यामिI will cause to be carried away / divert

आयोगेनby an operation/agency (ploy)

आराधयिष्यामिI will win over / conciliate

वाor

ताःthose (prakṛtis)

परम्further/moreover/then

प्रतियोगेनby counter-effort/competition

कोपयिष्यतिhe will provoke (them) to anger

प्रतिपक्षेin the opposing side

वाor

अस्यof him

पण्यम्merchandise/commodity

एनम्this person/him

करिष्यामिI will make

मित्रम्an ally/friend

अपरुद्धम्blocked/cut off

वाor

अस्यof him

प्रतिपादयिष्यामिI will cause to be restored/hand over

मित्रस्यof the ally

स्वस्यof one’s own

वाor

देशस्यof the country/territory

पीडाम्distress/oppression

अत्रस्थःbeing here/present here

तस्करेभ्यःfrom thieves/bandits

परेभ्यःfrom others/enemies

चand

प्रतिकरिष्यामिI will counteract/remedy

मित्रम्an ally

आश्रयम्a refuge/protector

वाor

अस्यof him

वैगुण्यम्weakness/defect

ग्राहयिष्यामिI will make (him) grasp/acknowledge

तत्that

अमित्र-विरक्तम्estranged from the enemy

तत्-कुलीनम्of that lineage

प्रतिपत्स्यतेwill resort/come over

सत्कृत्यhaving honored

वाor

अस्मैto him

भूमिम्land/territory

दास्यामिI will give

इतिthus

संहित-समुत्थितम्arisen from a compact/alliance

मित्रम्ally

मेmy/to me

चिरायfor a long time

भविष्यतिwill be

इतिthus

प्रत्यादेयम्recoverable (amount)

अपिeven/also

लाभम्gain/profit

आददीतhe should take/collect

Entities Mentioned

kośa (treasury)

daṇḍa (coercive power)

nicaya (reserves)

khani (mines)

hasti-vana (elephant forests)

setu-bandha (public works/bridges/embankments)

vaṇik-patha (trade routes)

prakṛti (elements of the state)

pratipakṣa (rivals)

mitra (ally)

taskara (robbers)

FAQs

When does Kautilya allow taking even a ‘pratyādeya’ gain?

When it produces decisive strategic effects—bleeding enemy finances and force, degrading key assets and routes, inducing defections, restoring allies, securing territory, and converting temporary advantage into durable alliance.

What modern policy tools does this resemble?

A mix of sanctions/financial warfare, infrastructure denial, influence operations (elite inducement), coalition management, and stabilization/security provision to reshape political alignments.