Adhyakshaprachara Adhyaya 1 Sutra 4 - Arthashastra | French | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 4

Devanagari script

अष्टशतग्राम्या मध्ये स्थानीयं चतुह्शतग्राम्या द्रोणमुखम् द्विशतग्राम्याः कार्वटिकम् दशग्रामीसंग्रहेण संग्रहं स्थापयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.०१.०४ ॥

Transliteration

aṣṭaśatagrāmyā madhye sthānīyaṃ catuḥśatagrāmyā droṇamukham dviśatagrāmyāḥ kārvaṭikam daśagrāmīsaṃgraheṇa saṃgrahaṃ sthāpayet

Translation

Au sein d’un groupe de huit cents villages, il doit établir un siège régional (sthānīya) ; au sein de quatre cents villages, un droṇamukha ; au sein de deux cents villages, un centre de marché (kārvaṭika) ; et pour un ensemble de dix villages, il doit établir une unité locale (saṃgraha).

Word by Word

अष्टशतग्राम्याः(a unit/region) consisting of eight hundred villages

मध्येin the middle; within

स्थानीयम्the local administrative headquarters (sthānīya)

चतुशतग्राम्याः(a unit/region) consisting of four hundred villages

द्रोणमुखम्the droṇamukha (administrative center/unit)

द्विशतग्राम्याः(a unit/region) consisting of two hundred villages

कार्वटिकम्the kārvaṭika (administrative center/unit)

दशग्रामीसंग्रहेणby means of a collection/cluster of ten villages

संग्रहम्a collection/cluster (administrative grouping)

स्थापयेत्should establish; should set up

Entities Mentioned

sthānīya

droṇamukha

kārvaṭika

saṃgraha

grāma

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about Kautilya’s administrative design?

A tiered territorial grid with defined catchment sizes, enabling predictable supervision, taxation, policing, and logistics.

Why include kārvaṭika as a node?

It anchors trade and movement control—useful for revenue, intelligence, and supply-chain management.