Sutra 20

Devanagari script

सर्वतः पार्ष्णिमस्य ग्राहयेत् ॥ कZ_१२.१.२० ॥

Transliteration

sarvataḥ pārṣṇim asya grāhayet

Translation

Von allen Seiten soll man seine „Ferse“ fassen — seinen Rücken und seine verwundbare Unterstützungslinie.

Word by Word

• सर्वतः: from all sides; on every side
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्व
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (सर्व + तः); अर्थे—'सर्वदिक्/सर्वतः' (from all sides)

• पार्ष्णिम्: the heel; (by extension) the rear/weak point
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्ष्णि
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; कर्मपद (object)

• अस्य: of him; his
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-एकवचन; सम्बन्धे—'of him/this (person)'

• ग्राहयेत्: he should cause (it) to be seized/secured; should have (it) taken hold of
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: धातु: ग्रह् (9P/गृह्णाति); णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative) 'ग्राहयति'; विधिलिङ्/आज्ञार्थे—प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन परस्मैपद; अर्थ: 'cause to seize/hold'

Entities Mentioned

• enemy rear/support

More Details

FAQs

What does ‘pārṣṇi’ signify in statecraft terms?

The adversary’s rear—logistics, allies, internal stability, and any vulnerable dependency that sustains frontline action.