Kantakashodhana Adhyaya 8 Sutra 26 - Arthashastra | Bengali | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 26

Devanagari script

पूर्वकृतापदानं प्रतिज्ञायापहरन्तमेकदेशदृष्टद्रव्यं कर्मणा रूपेण वा गृहीतं राजकोशमवस्तृणन्तं कर्मवध्यं वा राजवचनात्समस्तं व्यस्तमभ्यस्तं वा कर्म कारयेत् ॥ कZ_०४.८.२६ ॥

Transliteration

pūrvakṛtāpadānaṃ pratijñāyāpaharantam ekadeśadṛṣṭadravyaṃ karmaṇā rūpeṇa vā gṛhītaṃ rājakośam avastṛṇantaṃ karmavadhyaṃ vā rājavacanāt samastaṃ vyastaṃ abhyastaṃ vā karma kārayet

Translation

যে ব্যক্তি পূর্বে করা আপদান/সমাধানের প্রতিশ্রুতি দিয়েও আবার আত্মসাৎ করে; অথবা যার সম্পদ কেবল আংশিকভাবে পাওয়া যায়; অথবা যে কর্ম দ্বারা বা পরিচয়ে ধৃত হয়েও রাজকোষ লুণ্ঠন করতে থাকে; অথবা যে দেহদণ্ডের যোগ্য—তার ক্ষেত্রে রাজার আদেশে দণ্ডকর্ম সম্পূর্ণভাবে, পৃথকভাবে, বা পুনঃপুন, উপযুক্ত অনুযায়ী, প্রয়োগ করতে হবে।

Word by Word

पूर्वकृतpreviously committed (earlier-done)

अपदानम्a prior offence / previous misdeed (record)

प्रतिज्ञायhaving promised / having undertaken

अपहरन्तम्one who is carrying off / stealing

एकदेशa part / partial

दृष्टseen / observed

द्रव्यम्property / valuables

एकदेशदृष्टद्रव्यम्property identified only in part / partially traced property

कर्मणाby an act / by deed

रूपेणby form/appearance/marks

वाor

गृहीतम्seized / taken into custody

राजकोशम्the royal treasury

अवस्तृणन्तम्one who is stripping/denuding (plundering)

कर्मवध्यम्punishable / liable to penalty

वाor

राजवचनात्by the king’s command

समस्तम्as a whole / collectively

व्यस्तम्separately / in parts

अभ्यस्तम्repeated / habitual

वाor

कर्मpunishment / penal action (or act)

कारयेत्should cause (it) to be done / should impose

Entities Mentioned

rājā

treasury (rājakośa)

offender/embezzler

FAQs

What triggers harsher/compound punishment here?

Recidivism after settlement, partial recovery suggesting concealment, continued treasury-plunder, and cases formally qualifying for corporal penalties.

What is the control on discretion?

Escalation (full/separate/repeated) is tied to ‘rājavacana’—explicit sovereign authorization, not mere officer whim.