Sutra 15

Devanagari script

यदा वा पश्येत् व्यसनी परः प्रकृतिव्यसनं वास्य शेएषप्रकृतिभिरप्रतिकार्यं स्वचक्रपीडिता विरक्ता वास्य प्रकृतयः कर्शिता निरुत्साहाः परस्पराद्वा भिन्नाः शक्या लोभयितुमग्न्युदकव्याधिमरकदुर्भिक्षनिमित्तं क्षीणयुग्यपुरुषनिचयरक्षाविधानः परः इति तदा विगृह्य यायात् ॥ कZ_०७.४.१५ ॥

Transliteration

yadā vā paśyet vyasanī paraḥ prakṛtivyasanaṃ vāsya śeṣaprakṛtibhir apratikāryaṃ svacakrapīḍitā viraktā vāsya prakṛtayaḥ karśitā nirutsāhāḥ parasparād vā bhinnāḥ śakyā lobhayitum agnyudakavyādhimarakadurbhikṣanimittaṃ kṣīṇayugyapuruṣanicayarakṣāvidhānaḥ paraḥ iti tadā vigṛhya yāyāt

Translation

Or, when he observes that the enemy is afflicted by calamities—so that a crisis in one element of the enemy’s state cannot be remedied by the remaining elements; that the enemy’s constituents are oppressed by their own regime, alienated, emaciated, lacking morale, or mutually divided and thus can be induced by offers; that the enemy is weakened by fire, flood, disease, epidemic, or famine; and that the enemy’s arrangements for protecting transport animals, manpower reserves, and defenses are depleted—then he should initiate hostilities and march.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

वाor / alternatively

पश्येत्should observe / should see

व्यसनीone afflicted by calamities / in vice or distress

परःthe other (enemy/other king)

प्रकृति-व्यसनम्a calamity affecting the state’s constituents

वाor

अस्यof him / of that (enemy)

शेष-प्रकृतिभिःby the remaining constituents (of the state)

अप्रतिकार्यम्irremediable / not capable of being countered

स्व-चक्र-पीडिताःoppressed by their own faction/circle

विरक्ताःdisaffected / alienated

वाor

अस्यof him / his

प्रकृतयःthe constituents (of the state)

कर्शिताःemaciated / exhausted / weakened

निरुत्साहाःspiritless / lacking initiative

परस्परात्from one another / mutually

वाor

भिन्नाःsplit / divided

शक्याःable to be

लोभयितुम्to entice / to bribe / to lure

अग्नि-उदक-व्याधि-मरक-दुर्भिक्ष-निमित्तम्on account of fire, flood/water-disaster, disease, epidemic, or famine

क्षीण-युग्य-पुरुष-निचय-रक्षा-विधानःone whose arrangements for protection and reserves of mobilizable men are depleted

परःthe enemy (king)

इतिthus

तदाthen

विगृह्यhaving undertaken hostility / having attacked

यायात्should go / should march (against him)

Entities Mentioned

enemy king

enemy prakṛtis (state constituents)

FAQs

Which enemy conditions justify immediate marching according to 7.4.15?

Non-remediable crisis in state-elements, disaffection and division among constituents, disaster-driven depletion (fire/flood/disease/epidemic/famine), and weakened logistics/reserves/defenses.

What is the administrative insight about 'prakṛtis' here?

A state collapses when one element fails and the others cannot compensate; this is an actionable intelligence indicator for intervention.