Adhyakshaprachara Adhyaya 24 Sutra 18 - Arthashastra | Bengali | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 18

Devanagari script

स्वसेतुभ्यो हस्तप्रावर्तिममुदकभागं पञ्चमं दद्युः स्कन्धप्रावर्तिमं चतुर्थं स्रोतोयन्त्रप्रावर्तिमं च तृतीयं चतुर्थं नदीसरस्तटाककूपोद्धाटम् ॥ कZ_०२.२४.१८ ॥

Transliteration

svasetubhyo hastaprāvartimamudakabhāgaṃ pañcamaṃ dadyuḥ skandhaprāvartimaṃ caturthaṃ srotoyantraprāvartimaṃ ca tṛtīyaṃ caturthaṃ nadīsarastaṭākakūpoddhāṭam

Translation

নিজস্ব বাঁধ/সেচ-ব্যবস্থায় সেচিত ক্ষেতের ক্ষেত্রে—হাতে জল তুললে জল-ভাগ এক-পঞ্চমাংশ দিতে হবে; কাঁধে বহন করে তুললে এক-চতুর্থাংশ; স্রোত-যন্ত্র/যান্ত্রিক উপায়ে তুললে এক-তৃতীয়াংশ বা এক-চতুর্থাংশ; এবং নদী, হ্রদ, পুকুর/ট্যাঙ্ক বা কূপ থেকে তোলা জলের ক্ষেত্রেও একই নিয়ম।

Word by Word

स्वसेतुभ्यःfrom/for private embankments (owned dams/levees)

हस्तप्रावर्तिमम्the (water-share) measured by a ‘hasta’-standard discharge

उदकभागम्a share/portion of water (water allotment)

पञ्चमम्one-fifth (the fifth part)

दद्युःthey should give/pay

स्कन्धप्रावर्तिमम्the (water-share) measured by a ‘skandha’-standard discharge

चतुर्थम्one-fourth (the fourth part)

स्रोतोयन्त्रप्रावर्तिमम्the (water-share) measured by a discharge standard of a flow-device (sluice/mechanism)

चand

तृतीयम्one-third (the third part)

चतुर्थम्one-fourth (the fourth part)

नदीसरस्तटाककूपोद्धाटम्(a levy/share) for the excavation/opening/creation of rivers, lakes, ponds, and wells

Entities Mentioned

irrigators

revenue/irrigation officers

water sources (river, lake, tank, well)

FAQs

What modern policy idea is closest to this udakabhāga schedule?

A differentiated user-charge: payment varies with the method/cost of supplying water, aligning fees with effort/technology and discouraging waste.