Abhiyasyatkarma Adhyaya 3 Sutra 38 - Arthashastra | Lao | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 38

Devanagari script

शठो हि बाह्योऽभ्यन्तरमेवमुपजपति भर्तारं चेद्द् हत्वा मां प्रतिपादयिष्यति शत्रुवधो भूमिलाभश्च मे द्विविधो लाभो भविष्यति अथ वा शत्रुरेनमाहनिष्यतीति हतबन्धुपक्षस्तुल्यदोषदण्डेनोद्विग्नश्च मे भूयानकृत्यपक्षो भविष्यति तद्विधे वान्यस्मिन्नपि शङ्कितो भविष्यति अन्यमन्यं चास्य मुख्यमभित्यक्तशासनेन घातयिष्यामि इति ॥ कZ_०९.३.३८ ॥

Transliteration

śaṭho hi bāhyo 'bhyantaraṃ evam upajapati: bhartāraṃ ced hatvā māṃ pratipādayiṣyati, śatru-vadho bhūmi-lābhaś ca me dvividho lābho bhaviṣyati; atha vā śatrur enam āhaniṣyati iti, hata-bandhu-pakṣas tulya-doṣa-daṇḍenodvignaś ca me bhūyān akṛtya-pakṣo bhaviṣyati; tadvidhe vā anyasminn api śaṅkito bhaviṣyati; anyam-anyaṃ cāsya mukhyam abhityakta-śāsanena ghātayiṣyāmi iti.

Translation

ຄົນນອກທີ່ຫຼອກລວງ ເຂົ້າໄປຫາຄົນໃນ ດ້ວຍການຄຳນວນດັ່ງນີ້: «ຖ້າເຂົາຂ້ານາຍຂອງເຂົາແລ້ວຕັ້ງຂ້ອຍ ຂ້ອຍຈະໄດ້ກຳໄລສອງຊັ້ນ—ຂ້າສັດຕູໄດ້ ແລະໄດ້ດິນແດນ. ຫຼືຖ້າສັດຕູຂ້າເຂົາ ເຂົາຈະຂາດພວກພ້ອງ/ຍາດພີ່ນ້ອງ ແລະເນື່ອງຈາກຢ້ານໂທດສຳລັບຄວາມຜິດທີ່ເທົ່າກັນ ຈະພ້ອມກວ່າເກົ່າທີ່ຈະເຮັດການຜິດກົດໝາຍຢູ່ຝ່າຍຂ້ອຍ. ໃນກໍລະນີຄ້າຍກັນອື່ນໆ ເຂົາກໍຈະເປັນທີ່ສົງໄສຢູ່ບ່ອນອື່ນດ້ວຍ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຂ້ອຍຈະໃຫ້ຜູ້ຮ່ວມງານຫຼັກໆຂອງເຂົາ ກຳຈັດກັນເອງ ໂດຍອາໄສຊ່ອງໂຫວ່ໃນວິໄນແລະການຄວບຄຸມ»។

Word by Word

शठःa rogue, deceitful person

हिindeed, for

बाह्यःan outsider; external (person)

अभ्यन्तरम्the insider; an internal person/agent

एवम्thus, in this manner

उपजपतिhe whispers to / secretly urges

भर्तारम्the master (lord/king)

चेत्if

हत्वाhaving killed

माम्me

प्रतिपादयिष्यतिhe will install/hand over (to me)

शत्रु-वधःkilling of the enemy

भूमि-लाभःgain of territory/land

चand

मेfor me / my

द्विविधःtwofold

लाभःgain, benefit

भविष्यतिwill be

अथthen / or else

वाor

शत्रुःthe enemy

एनम्him

आहनिष्यतिwill strike/kill

इतिthus (thinking/quoting)

हत-बन्धु-पक्षःone whose kinsmen/faction have been killed; bereft of supporters

तुल्य-दोष-दण्डेनby a punishment proportionate to the fault

उद्विग्नःalarmed, agitated

चand

मेfor me / my

भूयान्greater, more

अकृत्य-पक्षःa faction inclined to wrongful acts

भविष्यतिwill become

तद्विधेin such a case / in one of that kind

वाor

अन्यस्मिन्in another (person/case)

अपिalso, even

शङ्कितःsuspected, distrusted

भविष्यतिwill be

अन्यम्another (person)

चand

अस्यof him, his

मुख्यम्the chief (man/leader)

अभित्यक्त-शासनेनby one who has cast off discipline/obedience

घातयिष्यामिI will cause (him) to be killed

इतिthus

Entities Mentioned

outsider (bāhya)

insider (abhyantara)

master/patron (bhartā)

enemy (śatru)

principal associates (mukhya)

FAQs

What is the strategic warning embedded in 9.3.38?

A deceitful actor frames every outcome as profit and will readily engineer internal killings; therefore rulers must treat such proposals as high-risk subversion and anticipate induced factional violence.

What method does the śaṭha plan to use after destabilization?

He aims to trigger mutual elimination among key associates by exploiting lapses in discipline (abhityakta-śāsana), reducing organized resistance.