Sutra 19

Devanagari script

तत्र द्वादशगुणो दण्डः ॥ कZ_०२.८.१९ ॥

Transliteration

tatra dvādaśaguṇo daṇḍaḥ

Translation

In that case, the penalty is twelvefold (of the amount).

Word by Word

• तत्र: there; in that context/with regard to that (case)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• द्वादशगुणः: twelvefold; multiplied by twelve
• Type: Noun (adjectival)
• Root: गुण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; ‘द्वादश’ (संख्यावाचक) + ‘गुण’ (गुणित/गुणवाचक) → ‘द्वादशगुण’ = twelvefold

• दण्डः: punishment; fine; penalty
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

Entities Mentioned

• treasury offender (implied)

More Details

FAQs

What does the jump to a twelvefold fine indicate about Kautilya’s priorities?

Embezzlement is treated as a high-severity breach of state trust; strong multipliers compensate for detection difficulty and aim to neutralize expected gains.