Shadgunya Adhyaya 17 Sutra 50 - Arthashastra | Indonesian | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 50

Devanagari script

मुण्डजटिलानां प्रवासनान्यनुप्रविष्टो वा रात्रौ तद्व्यञ्जनः प्रतिष्ठेत विरूपव्याधिकरणारण्यचरच्छद्मनामन्यतमेन वा ॥ कZ_०७.१७.५० ॥

Transliteration

muṇḍajaṭilānāṃ pravāsanāny anupraviṣṭo vā rātrau tadvyañjanaḥ pratiṣṭheta virūpa-vyādhi-karaṇa-āraṇyacara-chadmanāmānyatamena vā

Translation

Atau, setelah menyusup ke dalam rombongan pengembara para pertapa berkepala gundul dan para asket berambut gimbal, pada malam hari ia harus menampakkan diri/menetap dalam penyamaran itu; atau dalam salah satu dari ini: sebagai orang berwajah/bertubuh cacat, sebagai orang yang berpura-pura sakit, sebagai pengembara hutan, atau dengan nama samaran.

Word by Word

मुण्डजटिलानाम्of the shaven-headed and the matted-haired (ascetic types)

प्रवासनानिexiles / banishments

अनुप्रविष्टःhaving entered (infiltrated)

वाor

रात्रौat night

तत्that

व्यञ्जनःthe identifying sign / signal

प्रतिष्ठेतshould station himself / should take position

विरूपव्याधिकरणारण्यचरच्छद्मनाम(in the guise of) a deformed person, a sick person, an operative/artisan, a forest-dweller, or under an assumed name

अन्यतमेनby/with one of these (alternatives)

वाor

Entities Mentioned

ascetics (muṇḍa, jaṭilin)

itinerant groups

forest-dwellers

FAQs

Why are ascetic/exile groups useful for evasion?

They are mobile, socially ambiguous, and often travel without fixed documentation—ideal for blending and crossing jurisdictions.

What is the strategic value of a ‘false name’ in this list?

It enables administrative evasion—defeating record-based pursuit, informants, and checkpoint questioning.