Sutra 20

Devanagari script

मन्त्री चैषां वृत्तिकर्मभ्यां वियतेत ॥ कZ_०१.११.२० ॥

Transliteration

mantrī caiṣāṃ vṛttikarmabhyāṃ viyateta

Translation

And the minister should be kept separate from their maintenance (pay/support) and from their operational tasks.

Word by Word

• मन्त्री: the minister (counsellor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्तृपद (वाक्ये)

• च: and/also
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय; ‘and/also’

• एषाम्: of these
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: षष्ठी बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘of these (persons)’

• वृत्तिकर्मभ्याम्: by (means of) livelihood and duties / from livelihood and duties (context-dependent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति + कर्मन्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया/पञ्चमी द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः; ‘by/from livelihood and duties’

• वियतेत: should be kept separate / should be distinguished (regulated separately)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + यत्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन; धातुः ‘यत्’ (प्रयत्न/नियमन/संयमने) उपसर्गः ‘वि’; अर्थः ‘should be kept apart/should be separated/should be regulated distinctly’

Entities Mentioned

• minister
• agents/operatives

More Details

FAQs

What risk does separating ministers from agents’ pay and tasks reduce?

It limits capture and misuse—ministers cannot privately ‘own’ agents through patronage or direct them for factional ends.