Kantakashodhana Adhyaya 7 Sutra 21 - Arthashastra | Kannada | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 21

Devanagari script

ये चास्य हतभूमावासन्नचरास्तानेकैकशः पृच्छेत्केनायमिहानीतो हतो वा कः सशस्त्रः संगूहमान उद्विग्नो वा युष्माभिर्दृष्टः इति ॥ कZ_०४.७.२१ ॥

Transliteration

ye cāsya hatabhūmāv āsannacarās tān ekaikaśaḥ pṛcchet kenāyam ihānīto hato vā kaḥ saśastraḥ saṃgūhamāna udvigno vā yuṣmābhir dṛṣṭaḥ iti

Translation

ಹತ್ಯೆಯ ಸ್ಥಳದ ಸಮೀಪ ಸಂಚರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದವರನ್ನು ಅವನು ಒಬ್ಬೊಬ್ಬರಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಶ್ನಿಸಬೇಕು— ‘ಇವನನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರು ತಂದರು? ಅಥವಾ ಇವನನ್ನು ಯಾರು ಕೊಂದರು? ನೀವು ಯಾರನ್ನು ಶಸ್ತ್ರಧಾರಿಯಾಗಿ, ಅಡಗಿಕೊಂಡು/ಅಡಗಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಅಥವಾ ಉದ್ವಿಗ್ನನಾಗಿ ಕಂಡಿರಿ?’

Word by Word

येthose who

चand

अस्यof him / his

हतभूमौat the place of killing / at the crime scene

आसन्were

अचराःbystanders / persons present nearby

तान्them

एकैकशःone by one, individually

पृच्छेत्should question / should interrogate

केनby whom

अयम्this (man)

इहhere

आनीतःbrought (here)

हतःkilled

वाor

कःwho?

सशस्त्रःarmed

संगूहमानःhiding / concealing (himself)

उद्विग्नःagitated / frightened

वाor

युष्माभिःby you (pl.)

दृष्टःseen

इतिthus (quoting)

Entities Mentioned

nearby witnesses

armed suspect

investigating officer

FAQs

Why insist on questioning witnesses 'ekaikaśaḥ' (one by one)?

To reduce contamination and collusion, elicit independent recollections, and detect inconsistencies across testimonies.