Sutra 29
कार्यस्यासिद्धाव् उपरुध्यमानस्तर्कयेत्किं भर्तुर्मे व्यसनमासन्नं पश्यन् स्वं वा व्यसनं प्रतिकर्तुकामः पार्ष्णिग्राहमासारमन्तःकोपमाटविकं वा समुत्थापयितुकामः मित्रमाक्रन्दं वा व्याघातयितुकामः स्वं वा परतो विग्रहमन्तःकोपमाटविकं वा प्रतिकर्तुकामः संसिद्धं वा मे भर्तुर्यात्राकालमभिहन्तुकामः सस्यपण्यकुप्यसंग्रहं दुर्गकर्म बलसमुद्दानं वा कर्तुकामः स्वसैन्यानां वा व्यायामस्य देशकालावाकाङ्क्षमाणः परिभवप्रमादाभ्यां वा संसर्गानुबन्धार्थी वा मामुपरुणद्धि इति ॥ कZ_०१.१६.२९ ॥
kāryasyāsiddhāv uparudhyamānas tarkayet: kiṃ bhartur me vyasanam āsannaṃ paśyan, svaṃ vā vyasanaṃ pratikartukāmaḥ, pārṣṇigrāham āsāram antaḥkopam āṭavikaṃ vā samutthāpayitukāmaḥ, mitram ākrandaṃ vā vyāghātayitukāmaḥ, svaṃ vā parato vigraham antaḥkopam āṭavikaṃ vā pratikartukāmaḥ, saṃsiddhaṃ vā me bhartur yātrākālam abhihantukāmaḥ, sasyapaṇyakupyasaṃgrahaṃ durgakarma balasamuddānaṃ vā kartukāmaḥ, svasainyānāṃ vā vyāyāmasya deśakālāv ākāṅkṣamāṇaḥ, paribhava-pramādābhyāṃ vā saṃsargānubandhārthī vā mām uparuṇaddhi iti.
If, in accomplishing a mission, he is being obstructed, he should infer: ‘Is my master seeing an imminent calamity and therefore countering it? Or is he seeking to remedy his own distress? Or does he wish to stir up an enemy-at-the-heel (pārṣṇigrāha), an invasion, internal revolt, or a forest-tribal rising? Or does he wish to harm an ally or a distressed ally (ākranda)? Or does he wish to counter conflict, internal revolt, or a forest rising arising from his own side or from others? Or does he wish to strike at the time of my master’s prepared expedition (yātrā-kāla)? Or does he wish to undertake stockpiling of grain/merchandise/implements, fortification works, or mobilization of forces? Or is he waiting for the proper place and time for drilling his troops? Or, due to insult or negligence, does he seek association and attachment (with others) and therefore restrain me?’
FAQs
Do not assume bad faith immediately; interpret obstruction through a strategic lens (threats, preparations, timing, logistics, internal stability) before reacting.
It resembles root-cause analysis for blocked initiatives—checking security risk, resource mobilization, operational timing, and stakeholder dynamics before escalation.