Adhyakshaprachara Adhyaya 23 Sutra 14 - Arthashastra | Lao | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 14

Devanagari script

स्त्रिया मुखसंदर्शनेऽन्यकार्यसम्भाषायां वा पूर्वः साहसदण्डः वेतनकालातिपातने मध्यमः अकृतकर्मवेतनप्रदाने च ॥ कZ_०२.२३.१४ ॥

Transliteration

striyā mukhasaṃdarśane'nyakāryasambhāṣāyāṃ vā pūrvaḥ sāhasadaṇḍaḥ vetanakālātipātane madhyamaḥ akṛtakarmavetanapradāne ca

Translation

ຖ້າໃຫ້ລູກຈ້າງແມ່ຍິງຕ້ອງເປີດໜ້າ (ຢ່າງບໍ່ສົມຄວນ) ຫຼືໄປເວົ້າຈາກັບນາງເລື່ອງອື່ນທີ່ບໍ່ກ່ຽວກັບວຽກທີ່ມອບໝາຍ ຜູ້ກະທຳຜິດຕ້ອງຈ່າຍຄ່າປັບ sāhasa ຂັ້ນທຳອິດ (ຕ່ຳສຸດ)। ສຳລັບການຊັກຊ້າຈ່າຍຄ່າແຮງງານເກີນກຳນົດ ຕ້ອງຈ່າຍຄ່າປັບຂັ້ນກາງ; ແລະເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນ ສຳລັບການຈ່າຍຄ່າແຮງງານໃຫ້ວຽກທີ່ບໍ່ໄດ້ເຮັດ।

Word by Word

स्त्रियाby/with a woman; in relation to a woman

मुखface; mouth

संदर्शनेin (the act of) seeing; in showing/meeting (face-to-face)

अन्यother; different

कार्यbusiness; task; affair

सम्भाषायाम्in conversation; in speaking with

वाor

पूर्वःthe first/lowest (grade)

साहसviolence; coercive offence; assault

दण्डःpenalty; fine

वेतनwages; remuneration

कालtime; appointed time

अतिपातनेin overstepping; in exceeding; in delay

मध्यमःthe middle (grade)

अकृतnot done; unperformed

कर्मwork; service; task

वेतनwages

प्रदानेin giving; in payment

चand

Entities Mentioned

female worker (strī)

employer/supervisor (implicit)

state authority imposing sāhasa fines (implicit)

FAQs

What administrative objective is served by linking harassment/misconduct and wage violations to graded sāhasa fines?

It standardizes enforcement: (1) deters coercive or improper treatment of workers (especially women), (2) ensures wage-timeliness as a compliance norm, and (3) penalizes fraudulent wage disbursement—all through predictable, scalable penalties.