Sutra 9

Devanagari script

यातव्ययौगपद्ये गुरुव्यसनं न्यायवृत्तिं लघुव्यसनमन्यायवृत्तिं विरक्तप्रकृतिं वेति विरक्तप्रकृतिं यायात् ॥ कZ_०७.५.०९ ॥

Transliteration

yātavyayaugapadye guruvyasanaṃ nyāyavṛttiṃ laghuvyasanam anyāyavṛttiṃ viraktaprakṛtiṃ veti viraktaprakṛtiṃ yāyāt

Translation

Lorsque le choix du yātavya est simultané (c’est-à-dire entre options comparables), on peut considérer : l’un en grande détresse mais de conduite juste ; l’un en détresse mineure mais de conduite injuste ; ou l’un dont les sujets sont aliénés. Dans ce cas, il faut marcher contre le souverain dont les sujets sont aliénés.

Word by Word

यातव्यto be gone to / to be resorted to

अयौगपद्येin a situation of non-simultaneity / when (things) cannot be done simultaneously

गुरु-व्यसनम्a grave calamity

न्याय-वृत्तिम्a just/right course of conduct

लघु-व्यसनम्a minor calamity

अन्याय-वृत्तिम्an unjust/wrong course of conduct

विरक्त-प्रकृतिम्a disaffected constituency/subject-element

वाor

इतिthus (marking the stated alternatives)

विरक्त-प्रकृतिम्the disaffected constituency

यायात्should go / should resort (to)

Entities Mentioned

prakṛti (state elements/subjects)

virakta-prakṛti (alienated subjects)

FAQs

What is the top targeting criterion in 7.5.09?

Attack the polity with alienated subjects, because internal disaffection makes conquest and control easier.

Why compare ‘just’ vs ‘unjust’ conduct?

Because justice/unjustice affects popular support and elite cooperation, altering resilience under invasion.