Arthashastra 3.20.8: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 20, Sutra 8

Devanagari script

तेषामध्यक्षाः शुद्धाः काकणीरक्षांश्च स्थापयेयुः ॥ कZ_०३.२०.०८ ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.20.8

Transliteration

teṣām adhyakṣāḥ śuddhāḥ kākaṇīrakṣāṃś ca sthāpayeyuḥ

Translation

इन सब पे ऐसे लोग लगाओ जो ईमानदारी में साफ़ हों। छोटे-छोटे पैसे भी गार्ड करके रखने वाले लोग लगाओ।

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Word by Word

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

• अध्यक्षाः: superintendents; overseers
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधि+ईक्ष् (→ अध्यक्ष)
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम् (Nominative plural), पुंलिङ्ग

• शुद्धाः: pure; clean; unimpeached
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुध्/शुच् (→ शुद्ध)
• Form: प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्, पुंलिङ्ग; विशेषणम् (qualifying अध्यक्षाः)

• काकणी-रक्षान्: guards for (even) kākaṇī-level amounts; petty-sum guards
• Type: Noun
• Root: काकणी + रक्षिन्/रक्षा (→ रक्षान्)
• Form: द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (Accusative plural), पुंलिङ्ग; कर्मपदम्

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

• स्थापयेयुः: should establish; should appoint; should post
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (causative: स्थापय-)
• Form: लिङ् (विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; धातुः: √स्था; णिच् (causative)

Entities Mentioned

• adhyakṣa (superintendent)
• kākaṇī (small coin/stake)

More Details

FAQs

What does ‘kākaṇīrakṣā’ imply administratively?

Even low-value stakes require protection and monitoring, because small-scale cheating can scale into systemic disorder and loss of trust in regulated venues.