बह्वेकपुत्रयोर्बहुपुत्र एकं दत्त्वा शेषप्रतिष्टब्धः संधिमतिक्रामति नेतरः ॥ कZ_०७.१७.२७ ॥
bahv-ekaputrayor bahuputra ekaṃ dattvā śeṣa-pratiṣṭabdhaḥ saṃdhim atikrāmati na itaraḥ
Entre un roi ayant beaucoup de fils et un roi n’en ayant qu’un, le roi aux nombreux fils—après en avoir donné un (fils/otage) et s’être assuré grâce à ceux qui restent—violera le traité; l’autre ne le fera pas.
Because the political cost is diluted: surrendering one heir does not endanger dynastic continuity, so the pledge has weaker deterrent value.
To estimate treaty reliability by comparing each side’s internal succession constraints and the credibility of pledged guarantees.