Sutra 3

Devanagari script

ये बन्धुषु निह्स्नेहाः क्रूरा अलसाश्च ते रसदाः ॥ कZ_०१.१२.०३ ॥

Transliteration

ye bandhuṣu niḥsnehāḥ krūrā alasāś ca te rasadāḥ

Translation

Diejenigen, die selbst ihren eigenen Verwandten gegenüber ohne Zuneigung sind, grausam und träge — solche Personen sind als rasada-Agenten (bezahlte, hart agierende Operative) einzusetzen.

Word by Word

• ये: those who
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्

• बन्धुषु: among (their) relatives/kinsmen
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु
• Form: सप्तमी बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्

• निःस्नेहाः: without affection; devoid of attachment
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःस्नेह
• Form: प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्; विशेषणम् (ये इति सर्वनामस्य)

• क्रूराः: cruel; harsh
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर
• Form: प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्; विशेषणम्

• अलसाः: lazy; indolent
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलस
• Form: प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्; विशेषणम्

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• ते: they/those
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्

• रसदाः: rasadas (base/worthless fellows; a contemptuous class-term)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसद
• Form: प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; पुल्लिङ्गम्

Entities Mentioned

• rasadāḥ

More Details

FAQs

Why would Kautilya prefer ‘niḥsneha’ (unattached) persons for certain covert roles?

Because weak family loyalties reduce the risk of defection, leakage, or refusal to execute harsh tasks; the state prioritizes reliability in coercive or deniable operations.

What is the administrative intent of classifying ‘rasadāḥ’?

To define a usable personnel pool for coercive intelligence tasks—people suited to intimidation, extraction, or rough surveillance where empathy is a liability.