Abhiyasyatkarma Adhyaya 1 Sutra 15 - Arthashastra | Lao | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 15

Devanagari script

प्रज्ञाशास्त्रचक्षुर्हि राजाल्पेनापि प्रयत्नेन मन्त्रमाधातुं शक्तः परानुत्साहप्रभाववतश्च सामादिभिर्योगोपनिषद्भ्यां चातिसंधातुम् ॥ कZ_०९.१.१५ ॥

Transliteration

prajñāśāstracakṣur hi rājā alpenāpi prayatnena mantram ādhātuṃ śaktaḥ parān utsāha-prabhāvavataś ca sāmādibhir yogopaniṣadbhyāṃ ca atisaṃdhātum

Translation

ກະສັດຜູ້ມີປັນຍາ ແລະມີ “ສາຍຕາ” ຂອງວິຊາການເມືອງ ສາມາດແມ່ນແຕ່ໃຊ້ຄວາມພະຍາຍາມເພີຍນ້ອຍ ກໍວາງຍຸດທະສາດທີ່ຖືກຕ້ອງໄດ້; ແລະສາມາດເອົາຊະນະດ້ວຍກົນລະຍຸດເຫນືອຄູ່ຕໍ່ສູ້ທີ່ມີຄວາມຮິເລີ່ມ ແລະອໍານາດທີ່ມີປະສິດທິຜົນ ໂດຍໃຊ້ວິທີເຊັ່ນ ການປະນີປະນອມ ແລະອຸບາຍອື່ນໆ ພ້ອມທັງວິທີການລັບ.

Word by Word

प्रज्ञा-शास्त्र-चक्षुःthe eye (insight) of wisdom and the treatise (i.e., scriptural/political knowledge as vision)

हिindeed, for

राजाthe king

अल्पेनwith little

अपिeven

प्रयत्नेनby effort

मन्त्रम्counsel; state policy/advice

आधातुम्to establish/lay down (a policy); to adopt counsel

शक्तःis able

परान्others (opponents)

उत्साह-प्रभाव-वतश्who possess energy and power/influence

चand

साम-आदिभिःby conciliation and the other means (gift, punishment, dissension, etc.)

योग-उपनिषद्भ्याम्by stratagems (yoga) and secret devices/counsels (upanisads)

चand

अतिसंधातुम्to outmaneuver/overreach (them); to overcome by superior combination of means

Entities Mentioned

king

opponents/enemies

FAQs

What is the core claim about knowledge (‘śāstra-cakṣuḥ’)?

That trained political understanding multiplies effectiveness—reducing required effort and enabling indirect methods to defeat materially stronger adversaries.

How should ‘yogopaniṣad’ be read here?

As confidential/secret techniques of statecraft—covert operations, deception, psychological tactics, and hidden arrangements used alongside open diplomacy.