Sutra 5
योऽर्थः शत्रुवृद्धिमप्राप्तः करोति प्राप्तः प्रत्यादेयः परेषां भवति प्राप्यमाणो वा क्षयव्ययोदयो भवति स भवत्यापदर्थः ॥ कZ_०९.७.०५ ॥
yo'rthaḥ śatruvṛddhim aprāptaḥ karoti prāptaḥ pratyādeyaḥ pareṣāṃ bhavati prāpyamāṇo vā kṣayavyayodayo bhavati sa bhavaty āpadarthaḥ
A “gain” is an āpad-artha (crisis-laden gain) when: before acquisition it causes the enemy’s growth; after acquisition it must be surrendered back or becomes others’ property; or while being acquired it produces depletion, excessive expenditure, or dangerous escalation—such a gain is crisis-laden.
FAQs
A pyrrhic gain: an advantage whose acquisition or retention predictably generates strategic liabilities, costs, or reversals.
Evaluate not only the value of the asset, but the acquisition path, holding costs, reversibility, and rival empowerment effects.