Arthashastra 3.2.48: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 2, Sutra 48

Devanagari script

नीचत्वं परदेशं वा प्रस्थितो राजकिल्बिषी ।

प्राणाभिहन्ता पतितस्त्याज्यः क्लीबोऽपि वा पतिः ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.2.48

Transliteration

nīcatvaṃ paradeśaṃ vā prasthito rājakilbiṣī

prāṇābhihantā patitastyājyaḥ klībo'pi vā patiḥ

Translation

Oder (wenn) er in Erniedrigung verfallen ist, oder in ein fremdes Land aufgebrochen ist, oder einer Verfehlung gegen den König schuldig ist. Ein Ehemann, der nach dem Leben trachtet (gewalttätig bis zur Lebensgefährdung), moralisch verkommen ist oder impotent ist, ist zu verstoßen.

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Word by Word

• नीचत्वम्: lowness, degradation, humiliation
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीच
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextually accusative as object of implied verb)

• परदेशम्: a foreign country; exile (going abroad)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परदेश
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (object)
• Compound: Tatpurusha (Karmadharaya)
• In statecraft: exile/going to a foreign country (as a penalty/measure)

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive ‘or’)

• प्रस्थितः: having departed; having set out
• Type: Verb (participial)
• Root: प्र-स्था
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; ‘having set out/departed’

• राजकिल्बिषी: one guilty of a royal offence; offender against the king
• Type: Noun (agent noun)
• Root: राजकिल्बिषिन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; -इन् प्रत्ययान्त; ‘one who has (committed) offence against the king’
• Compound: Tatpurusha (Genitive/Relation)
• In statecraft: a person guilty of an offence against the king/state (राजापराधिन्)

• प्राणाभिहन्ता: a killer / one who assaults with intent to take life
• Type: Noun (agent noun)
• Root: हन् (√हन्) with अभि-
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नृ (अभिहन्तृ) — ‘one who strikes/kills’; समासः प्राणानाम् + अभिहन्ता
• Compound: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष
• In statecraft: प्राणाभिहन्ता = प्राणघातकः (life-threatening assailant / one who attempts to kill)

• पतितः: a fallen/degraded man
• Type: Noun/Adjective (past participle used adjectivally)
• Root: पत् (√पत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (पतित) — ‘fallen, degraded, outcaste’
• In statecraft: पतितः = धर्मतः बहिष्कृतः/अधमः (socially/religiously fallen person)

• त्याज्यः: should be abandoned / is to be repudiated
• Type: Adjective (gerundive)
• Root: त्यज् (√त्यज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive) — ‘to be abandoned/repudiated’
• In statecraft: त्याज्यः = परित्याज्यः (legally/ritually to be rejected as husband)

• क्लीबः: an impotent man
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्लीब (nominal stem)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; ‘impotent/eunuch-like man’
• In statecraft: क्लीबः = नपुंसकः/अशक्तः (impotent husband; ground for repudiation)

• अपि: also / even
• Type: Particle
• Root: अपि
• Form: निपात; समुच्चय/अपवादार्थे — ‘also/even’

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: निपात; विकल्पार्थक — ‘or’

• पतिः: husband
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (nominal stem)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; ‘husband/lord’
• In statecraft: पतिः = पति (husband, in marital/legal context)

Sandhi Notes

• ‘परदेशं’ is the accusative singular of ‘परदेश’ (a tatpuruṣa compound: पर + देश)
• ‘राजकिल्बिषी’ is a tatpuruṣa compound (राजन् + किल्बिषिन्) with final -न् of राजन् not shown in composition
• the form is nominative singular masculine
• प्राणाभिहन्ता = प्राणानाम् + अभिहन्ता (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; ‘slayer/assailant of life’)
• पतितस्त्याज्यः = पतितः + त्याज्यः (विसर्ग-लोपः; ‘पतितः’ before ‘त्’ loses visarga)
• क्लीबोऽपि = क्लीबः + अपि (विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः, अकारे परे; written as ‘ोऽ’)

Entities Mentioned

• husband (implied)
• king/state
• pati (husband)
• wife (implied)

Topic and Governance

Prakarana (topic)

Vivāha-dharma & polygynous marriage rules; women’s property; consent; penalties

Governance domain

Status/legal capacity in family law; state security linkage

Vocabulary Breakdown

Technical Terms

FAQs

Why does a state offence appear in a marriage-law sequence?

Because political delinquency and flight affect civil standing and the enforceability of marital obligations, linking private law to state security.

What administrative intent does this sutra serve?

It defines legally cognizable grounds to dissolve/repudiate a marriage to protect the spouse and reduce private violence becoming a public-order problem.

Why include impotence as a ground?

In a lineage-and-property regime, marital capacity is tied to household continuity; the state clarifies exit conditions to prevent disputes and fraud.