Sutra 23

Devanagari script

अनीकस्थानयुद्धप्रतिग्रहापसारभूमीरात्मनः परस्य चावेक्षेत ॥ कZ_०१.१६.०८ ॥

Transliteration

anīkasthānayuddhapratigrahāpasārabhūmīr ātmanaḥ parasya cāvekṣeta

Translation

He should observe—both for his own side and the other’s—the places suitable for troop deployment, battle, receiving/supporting forces, and routes/grounds for withdrawal.

Word by Word

• अनीकस्थानयुद्धप्रतिग्रहापसारभूमीः: the grounds/areas for (i) positioning the troops, (ii) receiving/meeting battle (i.e., resisting attack), and (iii) withdrawal/retreat
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनीक/स्थान/युद्ध/प्रतिग्रह/अपसार/भूमि
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचन; ‘भूमि’ शब्दः; समासे पूर्वपदानि षष्ठीसम्बन्धेन (अनीकस्य स्थानम्, युद्धस्य प्रतिग्रहः, अपसारस्य भूमिः)

• आत्मनः: of oneself / one’s own
• Type: Pronoun/Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचन; स्वकीयस्य (one’s own)

• परस्य: of the other (i.e., the enemy/opponent)
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: पर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचन; ‘पर’ = शत्रु/अन्य (contextually: opponent)

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• अवेक्षेत: he should observe/consider/examine
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-ईक्ष्
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे/विधिलिङ्गार्थे) परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष-एकवचन; धातुः ईक्ष् (to see) उपसर्गः अव-; अर्थः ‘निरीक्षेत/विचारयेत्’

Entities Mentioned

• army (anīka)
• own state
• enemy state

More Details

FAQs

What is the practical output expected from the envoy here?

Actionable terrain intelligence for campaign planning: staging areas, battlefields, support/receiving points, and withdrawal corridors.

Why include ‘withdrawal ground’ explicitly?

Kautilya treats retreat planning as integral to strategy, not as an afterthought—preserving forces is a state asset.