Sutra 14

Devanagari script

स चेदज्ञानादिभिः परिहापयति तदेनं यथागुणं दापयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.९.१४ ॥

Transliteration

sa ced ajñānādibhiḥ parihāpayati tad enaṃ yathāguṇaṃ dāpayet

Translation

If he causes the shortfall due to ignorance and the like, he should be made to pay restitution proportionate to his culpability/competence (yathāguṇa).

Word by Word

• सः: he (that person)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: sarvanāma; prathamā-vibhakti; ekavacana; pumliṅgaḥ

• चेत्: if
• Type: Particle
• Root: चेत्
• Form: avyaya; conditional particle (yadi-artha)

• अज्ञानादिभिः: due to ignorance and the like (i.e., similar causes)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान
• Form: tṛtīyā-vibhakti; bahuvacana; napuṃsakaliṅga (ajñāna); ‘ādi’ indicates inclusion of similar causes; instrumental of cause

• परिहापयति: causes a loss / makes (it) fall short
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-हā (causative)
• Form: laṭ-lakāra; prathama-puruṣa; ekavacana; parasmaipada; ṇijanta (causative): ‘causes to diminish/causes loss’

• तत्: then/that (in that case)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: sarvanāma; dvitīyā-vibhakti; ekavacana; napuṃsakaliṅga; object-correlative (‘then/that’)

• एनम्: him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (enad-pronoun)
• Form: sarvanāma (enad); dvitīyā-vibhakti; ekavacana; pumliṅgaḥ; object (‘him’)

• यथागुणम्: according to (his) degree/merit; proportionately
• Type: Adverbial (indeclinable usage of accusative)
• Root: यथा + गुण
• Form: avyayībhāva-samāsa; accusative singular used adverbially; meaning ‘according to (his) qualities/degree’

• दापयेत्: should cause (him) to pay / should make him compensate
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (causative)
• Form: vidhi-liṅ (optative); prathama-puruṣa; ekavacana; parasmaipada; ṇijanta (causative) of √dā: ‘cause to pay/compel to give’

Entities Mentioned

• official/agent
• treasury

More Details

FAQs

How does Kautilya distinguish types of wrongdoing here?

He separates loss from ignorance/incompetence from deliberate fraud, prescribing proportional recovery rather than automatic severe punishment.

What does yathāguṇa imply in administrative practice?

Sanctions calibrated to role, responsibility, and degree of fault—an early proportionality doctrine in public administration.