Arthashastra — Yogavritta, Sutra 7

Devanagari script

कुमारकुमारमातृनायकपौरव्यावहारिककार्मान्तिकमन्त्रिपरिषद्राष्ट्रान्तपालाश्च द्वादशसाहस्राः ॥ कZ_०५.३.०७ ॥

Transliteration

kumārakumāramātṛnāyakapauravyāvahārikakārmāntikamantripariṣadrāṣṭrāntapālāś ca dvādaśasāhasrāḥ

Translation

For the prince’s attendants (kumāra-), the prince’s mother’s establishment, the leader/captain (nāyaka), the city superintendent (paura), the judicial officer (vyāvahārika), the superintendent of workshops/industry (kārmāntika), members/secretariat of the ministerial council (mantri-pariṣad), and frontier guards (rāṣṭrānta-pāla), the stipend is twelve thousand.

Word by Word

• कुमार: prince; royal heir (as an administrative category)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• कुमारमातृ: the prince’s mother (palace-related category)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• नायक: leader/commander; an officer (administrative/military)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नी (नयति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• पौर: city official; urban person/authority
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• व्यावहारिक: judicial officer dealing with litigation/transactions
• Type: Noun (agent/adjective used substantively)
• Root: व्यवहार
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• कार्मान्तिक: superintendent connected with workshops/industrial establishments
• Type: Noun (agent/adjective used substantively)
• Root: कर्मान्त
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• मन्त्रि: minister; counsellor
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• परिषद्: council; assembly (esp. ministerial council)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिषद्
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• राष्ट्रान्तपाल: frontier-guard; border/provincial governor
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाल
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (समासान्तपद)

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

• द्वादशसाहस्राः: twelve thousand (as the stated number/strength)
• Type: Numeral (adjectival noun)
• Root: द्वादश + सहस्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (एतेषां वर्गाणां संख्या)

Entities Mentioned

• kumāra
• kumāramātṛ
• nāyaka
• paura
• vyāvahārika
• kārmāntika
• mantripariṣad
• rāṣṭrāntapāla

More Details

FAQs

Why does Kauṭilya explicitly include frontier guards in a pay schedule with civil officers?

Border security is treated as routine administration, not an exceptional wartime function; stable pay institutionalizes continuous territorial control.