Sutra 23
Devanagari script
काष्ठमिव घुणजग्धं राजकुलमविनीतपुत्रमभियुक्तमात्रं भज्येत ॥ कZ_०१.१७.२३ ॥
Transliteration
kāṣṭham iva ghuṇajagdhaṃ rājakulam avinītaputram abhiyuktamātraṃ bhajyeta
Translation
A royal line is like wood eaten by termites: if it has an undisciplined son, it breaks apart even when only put under strain (i.e., at the first serious test).
Word by Word
काष्ठम्wood; a piece of timber
काष्ठम्:
TypeNoun
Rootकाष्ठ
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया
इवlike; as if
इव:
TypeParticle
Rootइव
Formउपमा-अव्यय
घुणजग्धम्eaten away by wood-worms; worm-eaten
घुणजग्धम्:
TypeAdjective (Past Passive Participle)
Rootघुण-जग्ध
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; कृदन्त (क्त) ‘जग्ध’ (√अद् ‘to eat’)
राजकुलम्royal family/house; royal household
राजकुलम्:
TypeNoun
Rootराज-कुल
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा
अविनीतपुत्रम्(having) an undisciplined son; an undisciplined son
अविनीतपुत्रम्:
TypeNoun (with adjectival qualifier)
Rootअ-विनीत-पुत्र
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; ‘अविनीत’ = नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषण (well-disciplined → undisciplined) qualifying ‘पुत्र’
अभियुक्तमात्रम्merely accused; accused only (i.e., on accusation alone)
अभियुक्तमात्रम्:
TypeAdjective (Past Passive Participle + indeclinable qualifier)
Rootअभि-युक्त-मात्र
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; ‘अभियुक्त’ = कृदन्त (क्त) from √युज् (युज्/युजिर्) with उपसर्ग ‘अभि-’ in sense ‘accused/charged’; ‘मात्र’ = ‘only/merely’ as qualifier within compound
भज्येतwould/should break; would be shattered
भज्येत:
TypeVerb
Root√भञ्ज्
Formलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग/भावे: ‘should be broken’
Entities Mentioned
R
royal house (rājakula)U
undisciplined prince (avinītaputra)FAQs
If heirs are not trained and disciplined, the polity looks intact but collapses under pressure—succession quality is a structural security issue.