Sutra 23

Devanagari script

तेषां कार्तान्तिकनैमित्तिकमौहूर्तिकव्यञ्जनाः परस्पराभिसम्बन्धममित्राटविकसम्बन्धं वा विद्युः ॥ कZ_०१.१३.२३ ॥

Transliteration

teṣāṃ kārtāntika-naimittika-mauhūrtika-vyañjanāḥ parasparābhisambandham amitrāṭavika-sambandhaṃ vā vidyuḥ

Translation

À propos de telles personnes, les observateurs de l’État—occultistes/devins, lecteurs de présages, astrologues et informateurs déguisés—doivent déterminer leurs liens réciproques, ou leurs liens avec des ennemis et des tribus forestières.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them; among them
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचनम् (Genitive plural), पुं/नपुं (contextual)

• कार्तान्तिक: kārtāntikas (a type of diviner/augur)
• Type: Noun (agent noun)
• Root: कार्तान्तिक
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्ग (as a class of persons)

• नैमित्तिक: naimittikas (omen-readers)
• Type: Noun (agent noun)
• Root: नैमित्तिक
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्ग

• मौहूर्तिक: mauhūrtikas (electional astrologers)
• Type: Noun (agent noun)
• Root: मौहूर्तिक
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्ग

• व्यञ्जनाः: indications; signs; marks
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यञ्जन
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (usage varies; here as a class term), ‘indications/signs’

• परस्पर: mutually; with one another
• Type: Indeclinable / Adjectival (used adverbially)
• Root: परस्पर
• Form: अव्यय; here qualifying ‘अभिसम्बन्धम्’ = ‘mutual(ly)’

• अभिसम्बन्धम्: connection; association; linkage
• Type: Noun (action noun)
• Root: अभि-सम्-√बन्ध्
• Form: द्वितीया-एकवचनम्, पुंलिङ्ग (object of ‘विद्युः’)

• अमित्र: enemy
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमित्र
• Form: समास-पूर्वपद; ‘अमित्राटविकसम्बन्धम्’ इत्यस्य पूर्वपदम्

• आटविक: forest-dweller; forest-tribal
• Type: Noun/Adjective (tribal/forest)
• Root: आटविक
• Form: समास-मध्यपदम्; ‘forest-tribal’

• सम्बन्धम्: connection; relationship; alliance
• Type: Noun (action noun)
• Root: सम्-√बन्ध्
• Form: द्वितीया-एकवचनम्, पुंलिङ्ग; समस्तपदम्: ‘अमित्र-आटविक-सम्बन्धम्’ = ‘connection with the enemy and the forest-tribes’

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय

• विद्युः: they know; they ascertain
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (ज्ञाने)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

Entities Mentioned

• omen-readers
• astrologers
• disguised informants
• enemies
• forest-tribes (āṭavika)

More Details

FAQs

Why use astrologers/omen-readers in intelligence work?

They can access households and elites without arousing suspicion, eliciting confessions and gossip under the guise of ritual consultation.

What is being ‘ascertained’ here in modern terms?

Social network ties: who is connected to whom, and whether they have external links to hostile states or frontier groups.