Sutra 38
यदि वा पश्येत् अमित्रो मे शक्तियुक्तो वाग्दण्डपारुष्यार्थदूषणैः प्रकृतीरुपहनिष्यति सिद्धियुक्तो वा मृगयाद्यूतमद्यस्त्रीभिः प्रमादं गमिष्यति स विरक्तप्रकृतिरुपक्षीणः प्रमत्तो वा साध्यो मे भविष्यति विग्रहाभियुक्तो वा सर्वसंदोहेनैकस्थोऽदुर्गस्थो वा स्थास्यति स संहतसैन्यो मित्रदुर्गवियुक्तः साध्यो मे भविष्यति बलवान्वा राजा परतः शत्रुमुच्छेत्तुकामः तमुच्छिद्य मामुच्छिन्द्यादिति बलवता प्रार्थितस्य मे विपन्नकर्मारम्भस्य वा साहाय्यं दास्यति मध्यमलिप्सायां च इत्येवं आदिषु कारणेष्वमित्रस्यापि शक्तिं सिद्धिं चेच्छेत् ॥ कZ_०६.२.३८ ॥
yadi vā paśyet amitro me śaktiyukto vāgdaṇḍapāruṣyārthadūṣaṇaiḥ prakṛtīr upahaniṣyati siddhiyukto vā mṛgayādyūtamadyastrībhiḥ pramādaṃ gamiṣyati sa viraktaprakṛtir upakṣīṇaḥ pramatto vā sādhyo me bhaviṣyati vigrahābhiyukto vā sarvasaṃdohenaikastho 'durgastho vā sthāsyati sa saṃhatasainyo mitradurgaviyuktaḥ sādhyo me bhaviṣyati balavān vā rājā parataḥ śatrum ucchettukāmaḥ tam uccchidya mām uccindyād iti balavatā prārthitasya me vipannakarmārambhasya vā sāhāyyaṃ dāsyati madhyamalipsāyāṃ ca ity evaṃ ādiṣu kāraṇeṣv amitrasyāpi śaktiṃ siddhiṃ cecchet
Or, if he foresees: ‘My enemy, though powerful, will harm his own state-constituents by harsh speech and punishment and by economic depredation; or, though successful, will fall into negligence through hunting, gambling, liquor, and women—then, with constituents alienated, weakened, or careless, he will become manageable for me. Or, if he is engaged in war and remains concentrated with all his forces in one place, without a fort—then, even with a consolidated army, deprived of allies and fortifications, he will be manageable for me. Or, if a stronger king requests my assistance—(thinking) “after destroying my enemy he might then destroy me”—he will give me support when I am sought, or when my undertakings have failed, and also in my desire to obtain the position of a middle king.’ In such and similar circumstances, one may even seek the enemy’s power and success (i.e., acquire/appropriate them through policy).
FAQs
(1) Self-inflicted political damage: harsh punitive rule and economic depredation alienating constituents; (2) leader negligence driven by vices; (3) operational vulnerability: forces concentrated in one place without fort support and lacking allies; (4) alliance dynamics where a stronger king needs you and thus can be induced to support your recovery or your rise to ‘madhyama’ status.
Not admiration—appropriation: attract away his people/resources, leverage his mistakes, and convert his advantages into your own bargaining power or strategic position.