Arthashastra — Adhyakshaprachara, Sutra 62

Devanagari script

अवर्गे वर्गकरणं चावर्गक्रिया गुणविपर्यासः सम्प्लवः । इति ॥ कZ_०२.१०.६२ ॥

Transliteration

avarge vargakaraṇaṃ cāvargakriyā guṇaviparyāsaḥ samplavaḥ | iti

Translation

যা কোনো শ্রেণির নয় তাকে শ্রেণিভুক্ত করা, যেখানে প্রযোজ্য নয় সেখানে প্রক্রিয়া প্রয়োগ করা, বা মৌলিক গুণ উল্টে দেওয়া—এগুলোই ‘সম্প্লব’ (গোলমাল/মিশ্রণ)।

Word by Word

• अवर्गे: in/with respect to the unclassified (items)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवर्ग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचन (अवर्गे = अवर्गे/अवर्गे ‘अवर्ग-स्थिते/अवर्ग-विषये’)

• वर्गकरणम्: classification; the act of grouping into classes
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ग-करण
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (वर्गस्य करणम्)

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

• अवर्गक्रिया: procedure/action concerning unclassified items
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवर्ग-क्रिया
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (अवर्गस्य क्रिया)

• गुणविपर्यासः: reversal/misassignment of qualities; distortion of attributes
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण-विपर्यास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (गुणानां विपर्यासः)

• सम्प्लवः: confusion; intermixture; disorder
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + √प्लु (प्लवते) → सम्प्लव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन

• इति: thus; so (concluding marker)
• Type: Particle
• Root: इति
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय

More Details

FAQs

Give a governance example of ‘samplava’.

Treating a revenue dispute as a criminal matter (wrong procedural track), or classifying public land as private property (category error).

What institutional remedy aligns with this sutra?

Clear taxonomies (case types, asset classes), decision trees for procedure selection, and audit checks for misclassification.