Sutra 27

Devanagari script

यत्र तु दण्डः प्रहितस्तं वा चार्थमन्यांश्च साधयति तत्र मौलभृतश्रेणीमित्राटवीबलानामन्यतममुपलब्धदेशकालं दण्डं दद्यात् अमित्राटवीबलं वा व्यवहितदेशकालम् ॥ कZ_०७.८.२७ ॥

Transliteration

yatra tu daṇḍaḥ prahitās taṃ vā cārtham anyāṃś ca sādhayati tatra maulabhṛtaśreṇī-mitrāṭavī-balānām anyatamam upalabdha-deśa-kālaṃ daṇḍaṃ dadyāt, amitrāṭavī-balaṃ vā vyavahita-deśa-kālam

Translation

ولكن حيث تستطيع قوةٌ مُرسلة أن تُنجز ذلك الهدف وأن تُنجز أيضًا أهدافًا أخرى، فهناك ينبغي تزويدُ قوةٍ—سواءٌ من الجنود الوراثيين، أو الجنود المأجورين، أو قوات النقابات، أو قوات الحلفاء، أو قوات قبائل الغابات—بما يلائم المكان والزمان المتاحين؛ وإلا فليُستَخدَمْت قواتُ الغابات التابعة للعدو في مكانٍ وزمانٍ مُبعَدَيْن (أي مفصولَيْن/أقل تمكينًا على الفور).

Word by Word

यत्रwhere

तुbut, however

दण्डःthe punitive force / royal army (the ‘danda’)

प्रहितःsent forth, dispatched

तम्that (him/it)

वाor

चand

अर्थम्the objective, purpose

अन्यान्other (ones)

चand

साधयतिaccomplishes, achieves

तत्रthere, in that case

मौलभृतhereditary retainers/forces

श्रेणीguild (corporate body)

मित्रally, friendly power

आटवीforest region/forest tribes

बलानाम्of forces/troops

अन्यतमम्one (out of them), any one

उपलब्धavailable, obtained, at hand

देशकालम्place and time (circumstances)

दण्डम्the punitive force / army (danda)

दद्यात्should give, should deploy/assign

अमित्रenemy

आटवीforest region/forest tribes

बलम्enemy forest-force

वाor

व्यवहितseparated, distant, not readily accessible

देशकालम्place and time (circumstances)

Entities Mentioned

daṇḍa (force)

maula (hereditary troops)

bhṛta (mercenaries)

śreṇī (guild/corporate forces)

mitra-bala (allied forces)

āṭavī-bala (forest/tribal forces)

amitra-āṭavī-bala (enemy forest forces)

FAQs

What is the administrative intent behind ‘upalabdha-deśa-kāla’?

Deploy forces only when geography and timing create advantage—logistics, season, distance, and readiness determine whether a contingent is efficient and controllable.

Why use ‘amitra-āṭavī-bala’ only with ‘vyavahita-deśa-kāla’?

To contain blowback: enemy-linked irregulars are useful but risky, so they should be employed where/when they cannot quickly turn against you or gain immediate strategic leverage.