Sutra 5

Devanagari script

दुरारब्धकर्माणं भूयः क्षयव्ययाभ्यां योक्तुकामः स्वारब्धां वा यात्रासिद्धिं विघातयितुकामो मूले यात्रायां वा प्रहर्तुकामो यातव्यसंहितः पुनर्याचितुकामः प्रत्युत्पन्नार्थकृच्छ्रस्तस्मिन्नविश्वस्तो वा तदात्वे लाभमल्पमिच्छेत् आयत्यां प्रभूतम् ॥ कZ_०७.८.०५ ॥

Transliteration

durārabdhakarmāṇaṃ bhūyaḥ kṣayavyayābhyāṃ yoktukāmaḥ svārabdhāṃ vā yātrāsiddhiṃ vighātayitukāmo mūle yātrāyāṃ vā prahartukāmo yātavyasaṃhitaḥ punar yācitukāmaḥ pratyutpannārthakṛcchrastasminn aviśvasto vā tadātve lābham alpam icchet āyatyāṃ prabhūtam

Translation

If he wishes to entangle a party whose undertaking is hard to begin again in further loss and expenditure; or to obstruct the success of the other’s initiated expedition; or to strike at the root or during the expedition; or, being obliged to march, wishes to ask again; or, being in immediate financial distress and therefore not trusting that party—then he should seek a small gain now and a large gain later.

Word by Word

दुरारब्धकर्माणम्one whose operations are difficult to initiate

भूयःagain; further; more

क्षयव्ययाभ्याम्by loss and by expenditure

योक्तुकामःwishing to yoke/apply (i.e., to subject)

स्वारब्धाम्already begun (by oneself)

वाor

यात्रासिद्धिम्the success of the campaign

विघातयितुकामःwishing to obstruct/destroy

मूलेat the root; at the source

यात्रायाम्in the campaign

वाor

प्रहर्तुकामःwishing to strike

यातव्यसंहितःhaving (the plea/necessity) of having to march

पुनःagain

याचितुकामःwishing to ask/beg again

प्रत्युत्पन्नार्थकृच्छ्रःone in present/urgent financial difficulty

तस्मिन्in him; with regard to him

अविश्वस्तःnot trusted; untrustworthy

वाor

तदात्वेat that time; immediately

लाभम्gain

अल्पम्small; limited

इच्छेत्should desire/seek

आयत्याम्in the future

प्रभूतम्abundant; substantial

Entities Mentioned

opponent/partner with ongoing enterprise

state compelled to march (yātavya)

FAQs

Why prefer 'small now, large later' in the situations listed?

Because immediate enforcement/trust is weak and conditions are fluid; deferring major extraction can be safer while keeping leverage for later.