Sutra 44

Devanagari script

न कस्यचिदुदासीनं द्वयोरुभयभावि तत् ॥ कZ_०७.९.४४च्द् ॥

Transliteration

na kasyacid udāsīnaṃ dvayor ubhayabhāvi tat

Translation

Nadie es verdaderamente neutral: respecto de los dos bandos, tiende a adoptar una disposición hacia ambos (es decir, a cubrirse/jugar a dos bandas).

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Particle
• Root: न
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation)

• कस्यचित्: of anyone; of some (unspecified) person
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्; षष्ठी-एकवचनम्; पुं/नपुं (contextual) ; अनिश्चितार्थे 'चित्' प्रत्यययुक्तम्

• उदासीनम्: neutral; indifferent; a neutral party
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: उदासीन
• Form: विशेषणम्/संज्ञावत्; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (predicate/accusative by context)

• द्वयोः: of two; between two
• Type: Numeral
• Root: द्वि
• Form: संख्यावाचक-शब्दः; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-द्विवचनम् (gen./loc. dual)

• उभयभावि: tending to both sides; capable of becoming either (of the two)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभयभाविन्
• Form: विशेषणम्; प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (agreeing with तत्)

• तत्: that (one/thing)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्गम्

Entities Mentioned

• udāsīna (neutral power)

More Details

FAQs

How should a ruler interpret ‘neutral’ states in Kautilya’s framework?

As typically hedging: they maintain ties to both sides rather than remaining purely indifferent.