Sutra 24

Devanagari script

तत्पञ्चविधं देयविसर्गो गृहीतानुवर्तनमात्तप्रतिदानं स्वद्रव्यदानमपूर्वं परस्वेषु स्वयं ग्राहदानं च ॥ कZ_०९.६.२४ ॥

Transliteration

tatpañcavidhaṃ deyavisargo gṛhītānuvartanam āttapratidānaṃ svadravyadānam apūrvaṃ parasveṣu svayaṃ grāhadānaṃ ca

Translation

That policy of giving is fivefold: (1) dispensing what is to be given; (2) maintaining the allegiance of those already won; (3) repaying what has been taken/received (reciprocal return); (4) giving from one’s own resources; and (5) giving what is unprecedented—namely, arranging benefit for oneself from others’ resources (structuring transfers so the target “receives” from third parties while the state gains leverage).

Word by Word

• तत्: that; it (i.e., that discharge/payment)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; (अत्र) विशेषणरूपेण ‘देयविसर्गः’ इत्यस्य निर्देशः

• पञ्चविधम्: of five kinds; fivefold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विध
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘पञ्च प्रकाराः यस्य’

• देयविसर्गः: discharge/payment of what is due
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृज् (वि+सृज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘देयस्य विसर्गः’

• गृहीत-अनुवर्तनम्: returning/handing over what has been taken/received
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत् (अनु+वृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘गृहीतस्य अनुवर्तनम्’ (गृहीत = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)

• आत्त-प्रतिदानम्: repayment/restitution of what was taken
• Type: Noun
• Root: दा (प्रति+दा)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘आत्तस्य प्रतिदानम्’ (आत्त = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)

• स्व-द्रव्य-दानम्: giving/payment from one’s own property
• Type: Noun
• Root: दा
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘स्वस्य द्रव्यस्य दानम्’

• अपूर्वम्: new; not previously (done)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘न पूर्वम्’ = नवीनम्/अपूर्वप्रकारम्; अत्र चतुर्थं प्रकारं निर्दिशति

• पर-स्वेषु: in/among others’ property (in others’ possessions)
• Type: Noun (locative plural)
• Root: स्व
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन; ‘परस्य स्वम्’ = परकीयस्वम्; तेषु

• स्वयम्: oneself; personally
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम्
• Form: अव्यय; कर्तृविशेषणम्

• ग्राह-दानम्: giving to the receiver/claimant (payment to the creditor/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दा
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘ग्राहस्य दानम्’ (ग्राह = ग्रहणकर्ता/ग्राही)

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

Entities Mentioned

• state/king (implicit donor)
• gṛhīta (already secured persons)
• third parties (parasva)

More Details

FAQs

What is the administrative intent of classifying dāna into five types?

To standardize inducement as a controllable instrument: acquisition, retention, reciprocity, budgeted spending, and innovative/indirect transfers.

How does ‘parasveṣu … grāhadāna’ work politically?

It shifts the apparent source of benefit to others (or to market actors), while the state orchestrates the outcome—reducing fiscal cost and increasing deniability/leverage.