Sutra 2

Devanagari script

तत्प्रदिष्टः पञ्चग्रामीं दशग्रामीं वा गोपश्चिन्तयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.३५.०२ ॥

Transliteration

tatpradiṣṭaḥ pañcagrāmīṃ daśagrāmīṃ vā gopaś cintayet

Translation

Selon l’affectation (par ordre supérieur), le gopa administrera et tiendra les comptes d’une unité de cinq villages ou de dix villages.

Word by Word

• तत्: that; thereupon; accordingly
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: sarvanāma; napuṃsaka-liṅga; prathamā/ dvitīyā ekavacana (contextually: ‘that/thereupon’ as anaphoric)

• प्रदिष्टः: having been instructed/appointed
• Type: Verb (PPP used adjectivally)
• Root: प्र-√दिश्
• Form: kṛdanta (kta/PPP); puṃ-liṅga; prathamā ekavacana; agrees with implied agent (e.g., गोपः) ‘having been instructed/appointed’

• पञ्चग्रामीम्: a five-village unit (group of five villages)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + ग्राम
• Form: strī-liṅga; dvitīyā ekavacana; object of चिन्तयेत्; ‘(charge of) a group of five villages’

• दशग्रामीम्: a ten-village unit (group of ten villages)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश + ग्राम
• Form: strī-liṅga; dvitīyā ekavacana; alternative object of चिन्तयेत् with वा

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: avyaya; vikalpa (disjunctive) ‘or’

• गोपः: the gopa (local officer in charge of villages)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप
• Form: puṃ-liṅga; prathamā ekavacana; kartā of चिन्तयेत्

• चिन्तयेत्: should supervise / should take charge of
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चिन्त्
• Form: vidhi-liṅ (optative); parasmaipada; prathama-puruṣa ekavacana; ‘should supervise/consider/attend to’

Entities Mentioned

• gopa
• village clusters (pañcagrāmī/daśagrāmī)

More Details

FAQs

What governance principle is implied by five- or ten-village units?

A designed ‘span of control’—small enough for verification and intelligence, large enough for administrative efficiency.