Sutra 2

Devanagari script

तत्प्रदिष्टः पञ्चग्रामीं दशग्रामीं वा गोपश्चिन्तयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.३५.०२ ॥

Transliteration

tatpradiṣṭaḥ pañcagrāmīṃ daśagrāmīṃ vā gopaś cintayet

Translation

As assigned (by superior order), the gopa shall administer and keep accounts for a unit of five villages or ten villages.

Word by Word

• तत्: that; thereupon; accordingly
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: sarvanāma; napuṃsaka-liṅga; prathamā/ dvitīyā ekavacana (contextually: ‘that/thereupon’ as anaphoric)

• प्रदिष्टः: having been instructed/appointed
• Type: Verb (PPP used adjectivally)
• Root: प्र-√दिश्
• Form: kṛdanta (kta/PPP); puṃ-liṅga; prathamā ekavacana; agrees with implied agent (e.g., गोपः) ‘having been instructed/appointed’

• पञ्चग्रामीम्: a five-village unit (group of five villages)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + ग्राम
• Form: strī-liṅga; dvitīyā ekavacana; object of चिन्तयेत्; ‘(charge of) a group of five villages’

• दशग्रामीम्: a ten-village unit (group of ten villages)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश + ग्राम
• Form: strī-liṅga; dvitīyā ekavacana; alternative object of चिन्तयेत् with वा

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: avyaya; vikalpa (disjunctive) ‘or’

• गोपः: the gopa (local officer in charge of villages)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप
• Form: puṃ-liṅga; prathamā ekavacana; kartā of चिन्तयेत्

• चिन्तयेत्: should supervise / should take charge of
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चिन्त्
• Form: vidhi-liṅ (optative); parasmaipada; prathama-puruṣa ekavacana; ‘should supervise/consider/attend to’

Entities Mentioned

• gopa
• village clusters (pañcagrāmī/daśagrāmī)

More Details

FAQs

What governance principle is implied by five- or ten-village units?

A designed ‘span of control’—small enough for verification and intelligence, large enough for administrative efficiency.