Sutra 13

Devanagari script

कार्तान्तिकनैमित्तिकमौहूर्तिकपौराणिकसूतमागधाः पुरोहितपुरुषाः सर्वाध्यक्षाश्च साहस्राः ॥ कZ_०५.३.१३ ॥

Transliteration

kārtāntikanaimittikamauhūrtikapaurāṇikasūtamāgadhāḥ purohitapuruṣāḥ sarvādhyakṣāś ca sāhasrāḥ

Translation

Les kārtāntikas, les interprètes de présages (naimittikas), les astrologues (mauhūrtikas), les spécialistes des purāṇa, les sūtas, les māgadhas, le personnel du purohita et tous les surintendants (adhyakṣas) doivent relever du grade de mille (paṇa).

Word by Word

• कार्तान्तिक-नैमित्तिक-मौहूर्तिक-पौराणिक-सूत-मागधाः: Kārtāntikas, Naimittikas, Mauhūrtikas, Paurāṇikas, Sūtas, and Māgadhas (various court specialists such as astrologers/omen-readers, time-choosers, traditional historians/bards, heralds/panegyrists)
• Type: Noun (collective list)
• Root: कार्तान्तिक; नैमित्तिक; मौहूर्तिक; पौराणिक; सूत; मागध
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गः (समाहाररूपेण ‘पुरुषाः’ इत्यनेन सह विशेषणवत्)

• पुरोहित-पुरुषाः: persons belonging to/serving as the purohita (court-priest personnel)
• Type: Noun (collective)
• Root: पुरोहित; पुरुष
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गः; ‘पुरोहित’ इति विशेषण/उपपदेन ‘पुरुष’ इति विशेष्यः

• सर्वाध्यक्षाः: all superintendents (heads of departments)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधि+ईक्ष् (अध्यक्ष)
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गः; ‘सर्व’ इति विशेषणम्

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• साहस्राः: (being) a thousand (in number)
• Type: Adjective (numeral-derived)
• Root: साहस्र
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गः; ‘सहस्र’ (1000) तद्धित-निर्मित विशेषणम्; पूर्वोक्तेषु पुरुषेषु विशेषणम्

Entities Mentioned

• kārtāntika
• naimittika
• mauhūrtika
• paurāṇika
• sūta
• māgadha
• purohita
• adhyakṣa

More Details

FAQs

What administrative idea is expressed by listing many specialists under one pay-grade?

Kauṭilya standardizes compensation by role-class, creating predictable pay-bands for budgeting and control, while signaling rank within the state apparatus.

Why are superintendents grouped with ritual/knowledge specialists?

Both are treated as high-trust roles tied to legitimacy and governance—superintendents manage revenue and enforcement, while court specialists manage public perception, timing, and ideological authority.