Sutra 13

Devanagari script

अरन्ध्रव्यसनो वा ज्यायान्दुरारब्धकर्माणं भूयः क्षयव्ययाभ्यां योक्तुकामो दूष्यदण्डं प्रवासयितुकामो दूष्यदण्डमावाहयितुकामो वा पीडनीयमुच्छेदनीयं वा हीनेन व्यथयितुकामः संधिप्रधानो वा कल्याणबुद्धिर्हीनं लाभं प्रतिगृह्णीयात् ॥ कZ_०७.७.१३ ॥

Transliteration

arandhravyasano vā jyāyān durārabdhakarmāṇaṃ bhūyaḥ kṣayavyayābhyāṃ yoktukāmo dūṣyadaṇḍaṃ pravāsayitukāmo dūṣyadaṇḍam āvāhayitukāmo vā pīḍanīyam ucchedanīyaṃ vā hīnena vyathayitukāmaḥ saṃdhipradhāno vā kalyāṇabuddhir hīnaṃ lābhaṃ pratigṛhṇīyāt

Translation

যে শক্তিশালী শাসক দুর্বলতা ও বিপদ থেকে মুক্ত, সেও কম লাভ গ্রহণ করতে পারে—যদি সে কঠিন কাজে লিপ্ত প্রতিপক্ষকে আরও ক্ষয় ও ব্যয়ে জড়াতে চায়, বা দূষ্য-দণ্ড (দূষিত/বিরোধী ক্ষমতাধারী)কে নির্বাসিত করতে চায়, বা তাকে নিজের অধিক্ষেত্রে টেনে আনতে চায়, বা চাপ/উচ্ছেদযোগ্য লক্ষ্যকে সামান্য ছাড় দিয়ে কষ্ট দিতে চায়; তদ্রূপ, যে সন্ধিকে প্রধান্য দেয়, সে সদুদ্দেশ্য হলে কম লাভও গ্রহণ করতে পারে।

Word by Word

अरन्ध्रव्यसनःone whose vice/obsession is unremitting (leaves no opening)

वाor

ज्यायान्superior; stronger; more powerful

दुरारब्धकर्माणम्a man whose undertakings are badly begun

भूयःagain; further; moreover

क्षयव्ययाभ्याम्by loss and expenditure

योक्तुकामःdesirous to involve (him)

दूष्यदण्डम्a punishable/culpable person (liable to penalty)

प्रवासयितुकामःdesirous to send into exile

दूष्यदण्डम्a punishable person

आवाहयितुकामःdesirous to summon (him)

वाor

पीडनीयम्one who should be harassed/oppressed

उच्छेदनीयम्one who should be cut off/eliminated

वाor

हीनेनby an inferior (person/means)

व्यथयितुकामःdesirous to distress/torment

सन्धिप्रधानःone who gives primacy to treaty/peace

वाor

कल्याणबुद्धिःone of good judgment/intent

हीनम्inferior; lesser

लाभम्gain; profit; advantage

प्रतिगृह्णीयात्should accept

Entities Mentioned

stronger ruler (jyāyān)

opponent in hard enterprise

dūṣya-daṇḍa (corrupt/hostile power-holder)

targets for pressure (pīḍanīya) or elimination (ucchedanīya)

FAQs

How can accepting a lesser gain be strategically advantageous for a stronger ruler?

It can function as a tool to increase the opponent’s long-run costs (attrition), enable exile/co-optation of dangerous actors, or soften a target for later pressure or removal.