Kantakashodhana Adhyaya 5 Sutra 13 - Arthashastra | Arabic | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 13

Devanagari script

गृहीतान् समाहर्ता पौरजानपदानां दर्शयेत् चोरग्रहणीं विद्यामधीते राजा तस्योपदेशादिमे चोरा गृहीताः भूयश्च ग्रहीष्यामि वारयितव्यो वः स्वजनः पापाचारह् इति ॥ कZ_०४.५.१३ ॥

Transliteration

gṛhītān samāhartā paurajānapadānāṃ darśayet; coragrahaṇīṃ vidyām adhīte rājā; tasyopadeśād ime corā gṛhītāḥ; bhūyaś ca grahīṣyāmi; vārayitavyo vaḥ svajanaḥ pāpācāraḥ iti

Translation

The Collector-General (samāhartṛ) should display the apprehended offenders to the townsmen and countryside people, proclaiming: ‘The king has mastered the art of catching thieves; by his instruction these thieves have been seized; more will be seized; restrain your own kinsman who behaves wickedly.’

Word by Word

गृहीतान्(those) arrested

समाहर्ताthe collector (revenue officer)

पौरof townsmen

जानपदानाम्of the people of the countryside (janapada)

दर्शयेत्should show / should present

चोरग्रहणीम्the method of catching thieves

विद्याम्knowledge / a technique

अधीतेlearns / studies

राजाthe king

तस्यof him / from him

उपदेशात्from (his) instruction

इमेthese

चोराःthieves

गृहीताःhave been seized / arrested

भूयःagain / further

चand

ग्रहीष्यामिI will seize / arrest

वारयितव्यःmust be restrained / must be prevented

वःyour

स्वजनःyour own man / kinsman

पापाचारःa man of sinful conduct / wrongdoer

इतिthus

Entities Mentioned

samāhartṛ (Collector-General)

king

urban populace (paura)

rural populace (jānapada)

thieves

FAQs

Why involve the samāhartṛ (revenue authority) in displaying captured thieves?

Because theft directly affects revenue and economic order; the revenue administration publicly signals enforcement capacity to stabilize compliance and commerce.

What political function does the proclamation serve?

It projects state competence, deters future crime, and shifts social enforcement onto kinship groups to self-regulate deviant members.