Sutra 13

Devanagari script

अरन्ध्रव्यसनो वा ज्यायान्दुरारब्धकर्माणं भूयः क्षयव्ययाभ्यां योक्तुकामो दूष्यदण्डं प्रवासयितुकामो दूष्यदण्डमावाहयितुकामो वा पीडनीयमुच्छेदनीयं वा हीनेन व्यथयितुकामः संधिप्रधानो वा कल्याणबुद्धिर्हीनं लाभं प्रतिगृह्णीयात् ॥ कZ_०७.७.१३ ॥

Transliteration

arandhravyasano vā jyāyān durārabdhakarmāṇaṃ bhūyaḥ kṣayavyayābhyāṃ yoktukāmo dūṣyadaṇḍaṃ pravāsayitukāmo dūṣyadaṇḍam āvāhayitukāmo vā pīḍanīyam ucchedanīyaṃ vā hīnena vyathayitukāmaḥ saṃdhipradhāno vā kalyāṇabuddhir hīnaṃ lābhaṃ pratigṛhṇīyāt

Translation

يجوز للحاكم الأقوى، الخالي من الثغرات والنوائب، أن يقبل كسبًا أدنى حين يريد أن يقيّد خصمًا شرع في عملٍ عسير بمزيدٍ من الخسارة والنفقة؛ أو حين يريد نفيَ صاحبِ نفوذٍ فاسد/معادٍ (dūṣya-daṇḍa)، أو استجلابَ ذلك العنصر الفاسد إلى نطاق سلطانه؛ أو حين يريد إيلامَ هدفٍ جديرٍ بالضغط أو بالإزالة عبر تنازلٍ يسير. وكذلك من يقدّم عقد المعاهدات، إن كان حسن النية، جاز له قبول كسبٍ أقل.

Word by Word

अरन्ध्रव्यसनःone whose vice/obsession is unremitting (leaves no opening)

वाor

ज्यायान्superior; stronger; more powerful

दुरारब्धकर्माणम्a man whose undertakings are badly begun

भूयःagain; further; moreover

क्षयव्ययाभ्याम्by loss and expenditure

योक्तुकामःdesirous to involve (him)

दूष्यदण्डम्a punishable/culpable person (liable to penalty)

प्रवासयितुकामःdesirous to send into exile

दूष्यदण्डम्a punishable person

आवाहयितुकामःdesirous to summon (him)

वाor

पीडनीयम्one who should be harassed/oppressed

उच्छेदनीयम्one who should be cut off/eliminated

वाor

हीनेनby an inferior (person/means)

व्यथयितुकामःdesirous to distress/torment

सन्धिप्रधानःone who gives primacy to treaty/peace

वाor

कल्याणबुद्धिःone of good judgment/intent

हीनम्inferior; lesser

लाभम्gain; profit; advantage

प्रतिगृह्णीयात्should accept

Entities Mentioned

stronger ruler (jyāyān)

opponent in hard enterprise

dūṣya-daṇḍa (corrupt/hostile power-holder)

targets for pressure (pīḍanīya) or elimination (ucchedanīya)

FAQs

How can accepting a lesser gain be strategically advantageous for a stronger ruler?

It can function as a tool to increase the opponent’s long-run costs (attrition), enable exile/co-optation of dangerous actors, or soften a target for later pressure or removal.