Sutra 18

Devanagari script

तुलाविषममपसारणं विस्रावणं पेटकः पिङ्कश्चेति हरणोपायाः ॥ कZ_०२.१४.१८ ॥

Transliteration

tulāviṣamamapasāraṇaṃ visrāvaṇaṃ peṭakaḥ piṅkaśceti haraṇopāyāḥ

Translation

Means of pilferage include: imbalance/manipulation of the scale, diversion/withdrawing (part of the goods), leakage/draining, the ‘box’ trick (peṭaka), and the ‘piṅka’ trick—these are methods of taking away.

Word by Word

• तुला: a balance (weighing scale)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (नाम; ‘तुला’ = weighing balance)

• विषमम्: unequal(ly), made uneven
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘अपसारणम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपसारणम्: removal/withdrawing (as a method of fraud)
• Type: Noun (action noun)
• Root: अप-सृ (सृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; धातु-निर्मितं भाव/क्रियानाम (अपसारण = removing/withdrawing)

• विस्रावणम्: causing to leak/drain off
• Type: Noun (action noun)
• Root: वि-स्रु (स्रु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; भाव/क्रियानाम

• पेटकः: a ‘peṭaka’ (a theft device/container)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पेटक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• पिङ्कः: a ‘piṅka’ (a specific theft trick/device)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिङ्क
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

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

• इति: thus (indicating enumeration)
• Type: Particle
• Root: इति
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय; सूची-समापन

• हरणोपायाः: methods of theft
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (with हरण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; समासः: हरणस्य उपायाः

Entities Mentioned

• traders/operators using scales
• inspectors (implied)

More Details

FAQs

What is the administrative value of naming specific fraud ‘methods’?

It standardizes what inspectors look for and reduces discretion-based enforcement by giving concrete red flags.