Sutra 4

Devanagari script

निर्दिष्टदेशकालकार्यं च कर्म कुर्युः अनिर्दिष्टदेशकालं कार्यापदेशम् ॥ कZ_०४.१.०४ ॥

Transliteration

nirdiṣṭadeśakālakāryaṃ ca karma kuryuḥ anirdiṣṭadeśakālaṃ kāryāpadeśam

Translation

لا يُؤدَّى العمل إلا إذا حُدِّد المكان والزمان والمهمة تحديداً واضحاً؛ أمّا الأمر الذي لا يحدّد المكان والزمان فليس إلا ذريعةً لـ«ادّعاء عمل» (ولا يُنفَّذ كتكليفٍ صحيح).

Word by Word

• निर्दिष्ट-देश-काल-कार्यं: a task/work whose place, time, and purpose have been specified
• Type: Noun (compound adjective used substantively)
• Root: निर्दिश्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; कर्म (object) qualifying the implied कर्म/कार्य; members: निर्दिष्ट (ppp) + देश + काल + कार्य

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

• कर्म: work; duty; act
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; कुर्युः इति क्रियायाः कर्म

• कुर्युः: they should do / they should perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: लिङ् (विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; विध्यर्थः ‘should do’

• अनिर्दिष्ट-देश-कालं: (a task) with unspecified place and time
• Type: Noun (compound adjective used substantively)
• Root: निर्दिश्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; (कर्म/कार्य) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; members: अनिर्दिष्ट (neg. ppp) + देश + काल

• कार्य-अपदेशम्: a plea/pretext of work; citing work as a reason
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: अपदिश्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; ‘कार्यस्य अपदेशः’ = pretext/plea of work; कुर्युः इति क्रियायाः कर्म (elliptically: ‘(they should do) the plea…’ / ‘they should make…’)

More Details

FAQs

What administrative risk is being controlled by specifying place and time?

Opportunistic disputes—workers/agents claiming completion or expenses for vague orders; clear specifications make verification and enforcement possible.

How is this relevant to modern administration?

It anticipates written work orders/SOPs with scope, schedule, and location to reduce moral hazard and audit ambiguity.