Arthashastra 6.2.25: Mandala-yoni, Adhyaya 2, Sutra 25
ताः पञ्चभिरमात्यजनपददुर्गकोशदण्डप्रकृतिभिरेकैकशः सम्युक्ता मण्डलमष्टादशकं भवति ॥
tāḥ pañcabhir amātyajanapadadurgakośadaṇḍaprakṛtibhir ekaikaśaḥ samyuktā maṇḍalam aṣṭādaśakaṃ bhavati
हर राज्य के पाँच चीज़ें होती हैं। मंत्री, देश, किला, खजाना और सेना। जब इन तीनों राजाओं को इन पाँच चीज़ों के साथ जोड़ा जाता है, तो बारह गुना हो जाता है। यह अठारह बने।
Word by Word
Sandhi Notes
- ताः पञ्चभिः अमात्य-जनपद-दुर्ग-कोश-दण्ड-प्रकृतिभिः एकैकशः सम्युक्ताः मण्डलम् अष्टादशकम् भवति
- Sandhi/formation notes:
- पञ्चभिरमात्य… = पञ्चभिः + अमात्य… (विसर्ग-लोपः; भिः + अ- इत्यत्र संयोगः)
- अमात्यजनपददुर्गकोशदण्डप्रकृतिभिः = अमात्य + जनपद + दुर्ग + कोश + दण्ड + प्रकृतिभिः (समास/समाहार-समुच्चयः; अन्त्यपद ‘प्रकृतिभिः’ तृतीया-बहुवचन)
Eighteenfold mandala via combining actors with five state-constituents
State capacity assessment & comparative power analysis
- tāḥ
- those (three)
- pañcabhiḥ
- with five
- amātya
- ministers/officials
- janapada
- territory & population
- durga
- fortifications
- kośa
- treasury
- daṇḍa
- armed force/coercive power
- prakṛtibhiḥ
- constituent factors
- eka-ekaśaḥ
- each separately
- samyuktā
- combined/paired
- maṇḍalam
- strategic circle/system
- aṣṭādaśakam
- eighteenfold
FAQs
It forces systematic comparison: evaluate not only who is ally/enemy, but also the quality of each actor’s ministers, territory, forts, finances, and force—revealing where to invest, pressure, or negotiate.
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