Arthashastra 7.8.4: Shadgunya, Adhyaya 8, Sutra 4

Devanagari script

वैरं वा परैर्ग्राहयित्वा विसंवादयेत् ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 7.8.4

Transliteration

vairaṃ vā parair grāhayitvā visaṃvādayet

Translation

या फिर एक और तरीका है। दूसरों को भड़काओ कि उससे दुश्मनी करने लगें। फिर देखो उसके अंदर फूट पड़ती है। अपना काम तो हो गया।

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Word by Word

• वैरम्: enmity, hostility
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैर
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (contextually द्वितीया—कर्म)
• In statecraft: शत्रुता/विरोध (राजनीतिक वैर)

• वा: or, alternatively
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय

• परैः: by others; by the opposing party
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन
• In statecraft: पर-राजा/शत्रुपक्ष (the other party, opponents)

• ग्राहयित्वा: having caused (them) to take up/accept
• Type: Verb (Causative absolutive)
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्यय (ग्रहयति); क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकाले कृत्य
• In statecraft: परपक्षेण वैर-ग्रहणं कारयित्वा (to cause them to take up/accept a quarrel)

• विसंवादयेत्: he should cause disagreement; he should set (them) at odds
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-सम्-वाद्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन
• In statecraft: परस्परं भेदं/विरोधं जनयेत् (to set at variance; to create dissension)

Sandhi Notes

• पदच्छेदः: वैरम् वा परैः ग्राहयित्वा विसंवादयेत्
• केवलं पदक्रमे अव्यय ‘वा’ विकल्पार्थे

Entities Mentioned

• third parties (parāḥ)
• target state/party (implicit)

Topic and Governance

Prakarana (topic)

Strategic deception: outsource hostility and then engineer breach

Governance domain

Covert action & alliance manipulation

Vocabulary Breakdown

Technical Terms

FAQs

What is the political logic of using 'paraiḥ' (others) for enmity?

It externalizes costs and blame while weakening the opponent through multi-front pressure and internal/external mistrust.