Shloka 7
Governance and Policy — Chanakya Niti
उत्पन्नपश्चात्तापस्य बुद्धिर्भवति यादृशी ।
तादृशी यदि पूर्वं स्यात्कस्य न स्यान्महोदयः ॥
utpannapaścāttāpasya buddhir bhavati yādṛśī |
tādṛśī yadi pūrvaṃ syāt kasya na syān mahodayaḥ ||
Such is the discernment that arises after regret; if that discernment were present beforehand, for whom would great success not arise?
FAQs
In the broader niti (ethical-political aphorism) tradition associated with Chanakya, such verses are commonly read as reflections on prudential reasoning in governance and social conduct in early classical India. The focus is on how judgment often becomes clear only after consequences are felt, a theme consistent with didactic compilations used for instruction in courtly and administrative milieus.
Here buddhi is framed as a retrospective clarity that appears after paścāttāpa (regret). The verse contrasts post-event understanding with the hypothetical presence of the same evaluative capacity prior to action, implying that timing—rather than the mere possession of intelligence—is central to the outcome described as mahodaya (great rise/success).
The construction yādṛśī…tādṛśī (“such as…so such”) creates a balanced comparison between two temporal states of cognition: after regret versus before action. The rhetorical question kasya na syān mahodayaḥ (“for whom would there not be great success?”) functions as a universalizing device typical of subhāṣita-style maxims, emphasizing the generality of the observation without naming specific social actors.