Vinayaadhikaarika Adhyaya 14 Sutra 7 - Arthashastra | Gujarati | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 7

Devanagari script

यथा मदान्धो हस्ती मत्तेनाधिष्ठितो यद् यदासादयति तत्सर्वं प्रमृद्नाति एवमयमशास्त्रचक्षुरन्धो राजा पौरजानपदवधायाभ्युत्थितः शक्यमस्य प्रतिहस्तिप्रोत्साहनेनापकर्तुममर्षः क्रियतामिति क्रुद्धवर्गमुपजापयेत् ॥ कZ_०१.१४.०७ ॥

Transliteration

yathā madāndho hastī mattenādhiṣṭhito yad yad āsādayati tat sarvaṃ pramṛdnāti evam ayam aśāstracakṣur-andho rājā paurajānapadavadhāyābhyutthitaḥ śakyam asya pratihasti-protsāhanenāpakartum amarṣaḥ kriyatām iti kruddhavargam upajāpayet

Translation

જેમ મદથી અંધ બનેલો હાથી મત્તતાથી ચલિત થઈ જે કંઈ મળે તે બધું કચડી નાખે છે—તેમ આ રાજા ‘નીતિ-ચક્ષુ’ વિના અંધ બની નગરવાસી અને જનપદના વિનાશ માટે ઊભો થયો છે. પ્રતિહાથીને પ્રોત્સાહિત કરીને તેને રોકી શકાય; રોષ ગોઠવવો—એમ કહી ક્રોધિત વર્ગને વશ કરવો.

Word by Word

यथाjust as; as

मद-अन्धःblind due to rut/intoxication

हस्तीan elephant

मत्तेनby/with intoxication; being in musth

अधिष्ठितःoverpowered/possessed; mounted upon

यत्whatever (which)

यत्whatever (each thing that)

आसादयतिcomes upon; encounters; reaches

तत्that

सर्वम्all of it; entirely

प्रमृद्नातिcrushes; tramples down

एवम्so; in the same way

अयम्this (man)

अ-शास्त्र-चक्षुः-अन्धःblind, having no eye of śāstra (i.e., ignorant of statecraft)

राजाthe king

पौर-जनपद-वधायfor the killing/destruction of citizens and rural folk

अभ्युत्थितःrisen up; set out; become active

शक्यम्possible; feasible

अस्यof him; his

प्रतिहस्ति-प्रोत्साहनेनby inciting a counter-elephant (i.e., by deploying an opposing force)

अपकर्तुम्to harm; to do damage; to thwart

अमर्षःresentment; indignation

क्रियताम्let it be done; should be made

इतिthus; saying so

क्रुद्ध-वर्गम्the enraged faction/group

उपजापयेत्should cause to be privately persuaded/indoctrinated; should work upon (them)

Entities Mentioned

rājā (king)

paura (townspeople)

jānapada (countryside)

kruddhavarga (angry faction)

FAQs

What is ‘pratihasti’ in political-operational terms?

A calibrated counterweight—another power center (leader, faction, militia, or coalition) mobilized to restrain a destructive ruler.

How does the verse justify subversion ethically/politically?

By presenting action as protection of the populace against a ruler portrayed as policy-blind and violently unrestrained.