Arthashastra 3.19.7: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 19, Sutra 7

Devanagari script

पातयित्वापक्रामतोऽर्धदण्डः ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.19.7

Transliteration

pātayitvā apakrāmato 'rdha-daṇḍaḥ

Translation

अगर किसी को गिरा के भाग जाता है, तो जुर्माना आधा हो जाता है। गिराया और छोड़ दिया, तो सज़ा कम।

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Word by Word

• पातयित्वा: having struck down / having caused (him) to fall
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (पतति) / caus. पातयति
• Form: कृदन्तः; तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त-भावे ल्यप् (क्त्वा) = absolutive/gerund; परस्मैपदी-प्रयोगः; causative (णिच्) ‘पातयति’; अर्थः ‘पातयित्वा’ = ‘having caused to fall/strike down’

• अपक्रामतः: of one who is retreating / withdrawing
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-क्रम् (क्रमते)
• Form: वर्तमानकालः; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (present active participle); परस्मैपदी-रूपम्; षष्ठी एकवचनम् (gen. sg.)—‘of one who is withdrawing/going away’

• अर्धदण्डः: half the penalty (half-fine/punishment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः; प्रथमा एकवचनम्; ‘अर्ध-’ उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपद; समासः—अर्धदण्डः = दण्डस्य अर्धभागः

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FAQs

How can fleeing reduce punishment here?

The rule appears to treat the act as an incomplete escalation (no continued beating/continued restraint), thus assigning a lower tier; it reflects fine-grained calibration rather than modern ‘flight as guilt’ logic.