Sutra 2

Devanagari script

धान्वनवननिम्नस्थलयोधिनां खनकाकाशदिवारात्रियोधिनां च पुरुषाणां नादेयपार्वतानूपसारसानां च हस्तिनामश्वानां च यथास्वमिष्टा युद्धभूमयः कालाश्च ॥ कZ_१०.४.०२ ॥

Transliteration

dhānvanavananimnasthalayodhināṃ khanakākāśadivārātriyodhināṃ ca puruṣāṇāṃ nādeyapārvatānūpasārasānāṃ ca hastinām aśvānāṃ ca yathāsvam iṣṭā yuddhabhūmayaḥ kālāś ca

Translation

Bagi pasukan yang terlatih bertempur di padang pasir, hutan, dan daerah rendah; bagi para penggali/penyusup (sapper) serta mereka yang mahir bertempur di ruang terbuka; dan bagi mereka yang cocok bertempur siang atau malam—masing-masing memiliki medan dan waktu pertempuran yang disukai. Demikian pula gajah dan kuda memiliki medan (dan waktu) yang disukai sesuai kecocokan: daerah tepi sungai, pegunungan, rawa, serta wilayah danau/kolam.

Word by Word

धान्वन-वन-निम्न-स्थल-योधिनाम्of fighters suited to (or fighting in) desert, forest, low-lying and level ground

खनक-आकाश-दिवा-रात्रि-योधिनाम्of fighters (skilled) in digging/sapping, in open terrain, and in day and night fighting

चand

पुरुषाणाम्of men (soldiers)

नादेय-पार्वत-अनूप-सारसानाम्of elephants (suited to) riverine, mountainous, marshy, and lake/pond regions

चand

हस्तिनाम्of elephants

अश्वानाम्of horses

चand

यथा-स्वम्according to each (one’s own suitability)

इष्टाःpreferred / suitable

युद्ध-भूमयःbattlefields / battle-grounds

कालाःtimes (for fighting)

चand

Entities Mentioned

desert troops

forest troops

lowland troops

sappers/miners

day fighters

night fighters

elephants

horses

FAQs

What administrative/command principle is implied by ‘yathāsvam iṣṭā’?

Assign missions and theaters based on comparative advantage—capability-to-environment matching rather than uniform deployment.

Why does Kautilya include ‘time’ (kāla) alongside terrain?

Because readiness, visibility, fatigue, and surprise differ by day/night; doctrine should exploit the time-domain as a planning variable.