Sutra 10

Devanagari script

प्रसह्य दिवा रात्रौ वान्तर्यामिकमपहरतोऽर्धमूल्येषु एत एव दण्डाः ॥ कZ_०४.९.१० ॥

Transliteration

prasahya divā rātrau vā antaryāmikam apaharato 'rdhamūlyeṣu eta eva daṇḍāḥ

Translation

For one who seizes property by force—by day or by night—or steals from within (a dwelling/private interior), when assessed at half the value, these same penalties apply.

Word by Word

प्रसह्यforcibly, by force

दिवाby day, in daytime

रात्रौat night

वाor

अन्तर्यामिकम्property kept inside (interior/inner goods)

अपहरतःof one who steals / the stealer (robber)

अर्धमूल्येषुin the case of half-valued (low-value) goods

एतेthese

एवindeed, just, only

दण्डाःpunishments, fines

Entities Mentioned

antaryāmika

FAQs

Why treat forcible theft and interior theft under the same penalty framework?

Both increase threat to personal security and are harder to prevent; Kauṭilya standardizes punishment to deter high-risk forms of theft.

What is the role of the half-value rule here?

It provides a consistent administrative basis for valuation while keeping the sanction schedule aligned with earlier categories.