Sutra 3

Devanagari script

स सत्त्रिभिः शपथपूर्वमेकैकममात्यमुपजापयेत् अधार्मिको अयं राजा साधु धार्मिकमन्यमस्य तत्कुलीनमपरुद्धं कुल्यमेकप्रग्रहं सामन्तमाटविकमौपपादिकं वा प्रतिपादयामः सर्वेषामेतद् रोचते कथं वा तव इति ॥ कZ_०१.१०.०३ ॥

Transliteration

sa sattribhiḥ śapathapūrvam ekaikam amātyam upajāpayet: adhārmiko ayaṃ rājā; sādhu dhārmikam anyam asya tatkulīnam aparuddhaṃ kulyam ekapragrahaṃ sāmantam āṭavikam aupapādikaṃ vā pratipādayāmaḥ; sarveṣām etad rocate—kathaṃ vā tava? iti

Translation

Through sattri-agents, after administering an oath, he should privately sound out each minister: ‘This king is unrighteous. Let us install another—righteous—person: one of his own lineage, or a confined kinsman, or a collateral relative, or a single-pledge claimant, or a frontier vassal, or a forest chieftain, or even an adopted/introduced substitute. Everyone approves this; what about you?’

Word by Word

सःhe (the king/agent in context)

सत्त्रिभिःby the sattri-agents (instigators/spies)

शपथपूर्वम्with an oath beforehand / after administering an oath

एकैकम्each one (individually)

अमात्यम्a minister/official

उपजापयेत्should induce/instigate (to defect) / should try to win over

अधार्मिकःunrighteous / irreligious

अयम्this

राजाking

साधुwell! / good! / indeed

धार्मिकम्a righteous (one) (i.e., a righteous king)

अन्यम्another

अस्यof this (one)

तत्कुलीनम्one belonging to his family/lineage

अपरुद्धम्detained / kept in confinement

कुल्यम्a kinsman / one of the family

एकप्रग्रहम्under a single control/leader

सामन्तम्a feudatory (neighboring) chief

आटविकम्a forest chief (tribal leader)

औपपादिकम्an installed/put-forward (candidate/claimant)

वाor

प्रतिपादयामःwe set up / we will install (as ruler)

सर्वेषाम्of all

एतत्this (proposal/plan)

रोचतेis pleasing / is acceptable

कथम्how?

वाor

तवof you / to you

इतिthus (saying)

Entities Mentioned

rājā

sattri

amātya

sāmanta

āṭavika

FAQs

Why list many alternative claimants (kinsman, vassal, forest chief, substitute)?

It probes what type of regime-change coalition the minister finds plausible—dynastic, aristocratic, frontier-military, or extra-legal—revealing both ambition and network orientation.

What is the function of the oath (śapatha) in the test?

It increases psychological commitment and candor, while also generating a recordable breach if the target agrees to treasonous propositions.