Sutra 39
अभ्यन्तरो वा शठो बाह्यमेवमुपजपति कोशमस्य हरिष्यामि दण्डं वास्य हनिष्यामि दुष्टं वा भर्तारमनेन घातयिष्यामि प्रतिपन्नं बाह्यममित्राटविकेषु विक्रमयिष्यामि चक्रमस्य सज्यताम् वैरमस्य प्रसज्यताम् ततः स्वाधीनो मे भविष्यति ततो भर्तारमेव प्रसादयिष्यामि स्वयं वा राज्यं ग्रहीष्यामिण् बद्ध्वा वा बाह्यभूमिं भर्तृभूमिं चोभयमवाप्स्यामि विरुद्धं वावाहयित्वा बाह्यं विश्वस्तं घातयिष्यामि शून्यं वास्य मूलं हरिष्यामि इति ॥ कZ_०९.३.३९ ॥
abhyantaro vā śaṭho bāhyam evam upajapati: kośam asya hariṣyāmi, daṇḍaṃ vā asya haniṣyāmi; duṣṭaṃ vā bhartāram anena ghātayiṣyāmi; pratipannaṃ bāhyam amitrāṭavikeṣu vikramayiṣyāmi; cakram asya sajyatām, vairam asya prasajyatām; tataḥ svādhīno me bhaviṣyati; tato bhartāram eva prasādayiṣyāmi, svayaṃ vā rājyaṃ grahīṣyāmi; baddhvā vā bāhya-bhūmiṃ bhartṛ-bhūmiṃ ca ubhayam avāpsyāmi; viruddhaṃ vā vāhayitvā bāhyaṃ viśvastaṃ ghātayiṣyāmi; śūnyaṃ vā asya mūlaṃ hariṣyāmi iti.
Or a deceitful insider approaches an outsider with plans such as: “I will seize his treasury or cripple his coercive power; using this man I will have the (corrupt) master killed; I will push the outsider, once engaged, into battles among enemy forces and forest-tribes; let his war-machine be set in motion and his enmities be activated—then he will fall under my control. Thereafter I will either reconcile with my master or seize the kingdom myself; or, having bound the outsider, I will obtain both the outsider’s territory and my master’s territory. Or I will draw him into a hostile situation, kill the trusting outsider, and strip his base when it is left empty.”
FAQs
The treasury (kośa) and the coercive apparatus (daṇḍa) are primary targets; once weakened, leadership assassination and territorial capture become easier.
An ally can be induced into costly conflict and then neutralized; therefore alliances must be structured with safeguards against capture, overextension, and exposure of one’s base.