Sutra 5

Devanagari script

कोष्ठपण्यकुप्यायुधागारेभ्यः कुप्यभाण्डोपस्करापहारेष्वर्धमूल्येषु एत एव दण्डाः ॥ कZ_०४.९.०५ ॥

Transliteration

koṣṭhapaṇyakupyāyudhāgārebhyaḥ kupyabhāṇḍopaskarāpahāreṣu ardhamūlyeṣu eta eva daṇḍāḥ

Translation

For theft of consumables, vessels, or equipment from warehouses, merchandise stores, or armories—when assessed at half the value—the same penalties apply (as previously stated).

Word by Word

• कोष्ठ: storehouse, granary
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोष्ठ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• पण्य: merchandise, goods for sale
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• कुप्य: valuables, precious articles
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुप्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• आयुध: weapons
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुध
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• आगार: building, storehouse
• Type: Noun
• Root: आगार
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• कोष्ठपण्यकुप्यायुधागारेभ्यः: from storehouses, merchandise depots, valuables stores, and armouries
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोष्ठ + पण्य + कुप्य + आयुध + आगार
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी बहुवचन; अपादान/स्रोतः (from …)

• कुप्य: valuables
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुप्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• भाण्ड: vessels, containers
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाण्ड
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• उपस्कर: equipment, implements
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपस्कर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• अपहार: theft, misappropriation
• Type: Noun (action noun)
• Root: अप + √हृ (हृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासउत्तरपद)

• कुप्यभाण्डोपस्करापहारेषु: in cases of theft of valuables, vessels, and equipment
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुप्य + भाण्ड + उपस्कर + अपहार
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी बहुवचन; अधिकरण (in cases of …)

• अर्ध: half
• Type: Noun/Adjective (indeclinable-like in compounds)
• Root: अर्ध
• Form: समासपूर्वपद (half)

• मूल्य: value, price
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासउत्तरपद)

• अर्धमूल्येषु: in (cases involving) half-value (assessment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध + मूल्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी बहुवचन; अधिकरण (when/where the value is half)

• एते: these
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन

• एव: indeed, just, only
• Type: Particle
• Root: एव
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• दण्डाः: penalties, fines
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

Entities Mentioned

• koṣṭha
• āyudhāgāra
• paṇya
• kupya
• upaskara

More Details

FAQs

Why might theft be assessed at half-value here?

It can reflect standardized accounting/valuation for stored goods (e.g., depreciation, bulk valuation, or recovery assumptions) while keeping penalties consistent.

What is the governance takeaway?

Kauṭilya links penalties to administratively defined valuation rules to simplify enforcement across multiple storage institutions.