Sutra 21

Devanagari script

तस्यां चातुर्वर्ण्यनिवेशे सर्वभोगसहत्वादवरवर्णप्राया श्रेयसी बाहुल्याद्ध्रुवत्वाच्च कृष्याः कर्षकवती कृष्याश्चान्येषां चारम्भाणां प्रयोजकत्वात् गोरक्षकवती पण्यनिचयर्णानुग्रहादाढ्यवणिग्वती ॥ कZ_०७.११.२१ ॥

Transliteration

tasyāṃ cāturvarṇya-niveśe sarva-bhoga-sahatvād avara-varṇa-prāyā śreyasī bāhulyād dhruvatvāc ca kṛṣyāḥ karṣaka-vatī kṛṣyāś ca anyeṣāṃ ca ārambhāṇāṃ prayojakatvāt go-rakṣaka-vatī paṇya-nicaya-ṛṇa-anugrahād āḍhya-vaṇig-vatī

Translation

Within such a settlement of the four social orders, the land is better when it is predominantly of the lower orders, since they can bear all forms of state impositions; and because agriculture is numerous and stable, it should be rich in cultivators. Since agriculture drives other enterprises as well, it should also have cattle-herders. And because accumulation of goods and the extension of credit support the economy, it should have wealthy merchants.

Word by Word

तस्याम्in that (settlement/colony)

चand

चातुर्वर्ण्यनिवेशेin the settlement organized by the four varṇas

सर्वभोगसहत्वात्because of (their) capacity to share/undergo all enjoyments (i.e., all kinds of work/conditions)

अवरवर्णप्रायाःmostly of the lower varṇas

श्रेयसीis preferable/better

बाहुल्यात्because of abundance/numerical preponderance

ध्रुवत्वात्because of stability/fixedness

चand

कृष्याःof agriculture

कर्षकवतीhaving cultivators (i.e., well supplied with farmers)

कृष्याःof agriculture

चand

अन्येषाम्of other (activities/undertakings)

चand

आरम्भाणाम्of undertakings/enterprises

प्रयोजकत्वात्because of being the instigator/cause (that sets them in motion)

गोरक्षकवतीhaving cowherds/cattle-protectors

पण्यनिचयर्णानुग्रहात्because of support through goods, stockpiles, and credit facilities

आढ्यवणिग्वतीhaving wealthy merchants

Entities Mentioned

cultivators (karṣaka)

cattle-herders (go-rakṣaka)

wealthy merchants (āḍhya vaṇij)

four-varṇa settlement (cāturvarṇya)

FAQs

What is the administrative logic behind preferring ‘lower-order majority’?

They provide the bulk of labor and are more ‘tax/dues-bearing’ in routine governance, increasing predictable extraction and manpower availability.

Why are merchants and credit emphasized alongside agriculture?

Because storage, distribution, and lending stabilize prices, fund production, and keep state supply and revenue flows resilient.