Sutra 21

Devanagari script

वारिपथे तु कूलसम्यानपथयोः कूलपथः पण्यपत्तनबाहुल्याच्छ्रेयान्नदीपथो वा सातत्याद्विषह्याबाधत्वाच्च ॥ कZ_०७.१२.२१ ॥

Transliteration

vāripathe tu kūlasamyānapathayoḥ kūlapathaḥ paṇyapattanabāhulyāc chreyān nadīpatho vā sātatyād viṣahyābādhatvāc ca

Translation

En el transporte por agua, entre la ruta costera y la de mar abierto, la ruta costera es preferible porque tiene muchos puertos y mercados; o, en su defecto, la ruta fluvial (es preferible) por ser más continua y estar menos afectada por obstáculos intolerables.

Word by Word

वारिपथेon the water-route / in water-transport

तुbut / however

कूलसम्यानपथयोःof the bank-route and the ferry/boat route

कूलपथःthe bank-route

पण्यपत्तनबाहुल्यात्because of the abundance of merchandise and ports

श्रेयान्better / preferable

नदीपथःthe river-route

वाor

सातत्यात्because of continuity / uninterruptedness

विषह्याबाधत्वात्because it is hard to obstruct / because of being not easily hindered

चand

Entities Mentioned

coastal route

open sea route

river route

ports (pattana)

markets (paṇya)

FAQs

What makes coastal routes administratively attractive?

Dense port/market nodes enable provisioning, commerce, and governance oversight.

Why might a state favor river routes?

They can be more regular/continuous and face fewer extreme disruptions than open sea voyages.