Sutra 2

Devanagari script

दूष्यशुद्धायां पौरेषु जानपदेषु वा दण्डवर्जानुपायान्प्रयुञ्जीत ॥ कZ_०९.६.०२ ॥

Transliteration

dūṣyaśuddhāyāṃ paureṣu jānapadeṣu vā daṇḍavarjān upāyān prayuñjīta

Translation

For cleansing out internal corruptors—whether among townsmen or in the countryside—he should employ measures excluding punishment (i.e., non-coercive/low-coercion means).

Word by Word

• दूष्य-शुद्धायाम्: when/at the purification (clearing) of tainted/impure goods
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूष्य, शुद्ध
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी; (शुद्धा) + याम्; ‘दूष्यस्य शुद्धिः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः, तस्मिन् सप्तमी

• पौरेषु: among the townspeople
• Type: Noun (adjectival substantive)
• Root: पौर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; बहुवचन; सप्तमी

• जानपदेषु: among the people of the countryside (janapada)
• Type: Noun (adjectival substantive)
• Root: जानपद
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; बहुवचन; सप्तमी

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय

• दण्ड-वर्जान्: non-penal (excluding punishment)
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: दण्ड, वर्ज
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; बहुवचन; द्वितीया; ‘दण्डं वर्जयन्ति ये’ इति बहुव्रीहिः (दण्ड-रहितान्)

• उपायान्: measures, expedients
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; बहुवचन; द्वितीया

• प्रयुञ्जीत: should employ/apply
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + युज्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; लट्-आदेशार्थे विधिः; धातु: युज् (योजने) उपसर्ग: प्र

Entities Mentioned

• paura (townspeople)
• jānapada (countryside subjects)

More Details

FAQs

Why exclude daṇḍa when cleansing ‘dūṣya’ among the people?

Broad coercion can alienate populations and intensify resentment; Kauṭilya signals a calibrated approach—use softer instruments first to isolate subversives without provoking mass backlash.

What kinds of ‘daṇḍa-varjita upāya’ fit Kauṭilya’s toolkit?

Sāma (conciliation), dāna (incentives), bheda (splitting networks), surveillance, informants, negotiated surrender, and administrative remedies—short of overt punishment.