Adhyakshaprachara Adhyaya 3 Sutra 15 - Arthashastra | Lao | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 15

Devanagari script

बहिर्जानुभञ्जनीशूलप्रकरकूपकूटावपातकण्टकप्रतिसराहिपृष्ठतालपत्त्रशृङ्गाटकश्वदंष्ट्रार्गलोपस्कन्दनपादुकाम्बरीषोदपानकैः प्रतिच्छन्नं छन्नपथं कारयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.३.१५ ॥

Transliteration

bahir jānubhañjanīśūlaprakarakūpakūṭāvapātakaṇṭakapratisarāhipṛṣṭhatālapattraśṛṅgāṭakaśvadaṃṣṭrārgalopaskandanapādukāmbarīṣodapānakaiḥ praticchannaṃ channapathaṃ kārayet

Translation

ພາຍນອກ ຄວນສ້າງເສັ້ນທາງທີ່ຖືກປິດບັງແລະມີຫຼັງຄາຄຸ້ມ ໂດຍກັ້ນບັງດ້ວຍອຸປະກອນຂັດຂວາງຕ່າງໆ—ກັບດັກຫັກເຂົ່າ, ໄມ້ຫຼັກແຫຼມ, ຄ່າຍກັ້ນ, ຂຸມ, ການຖະລົ່ມປອມ, ຕຽງໜາມ, ຄູຕ້ານ, ສັນດິນຮູບ «ຫຼັງງູ», ຈໍກັ້ນໃບຕານ, ເຫຼັກຫວ່ານ (caltrops), ໜາມ «ແຂ້ວໝາ», ຄານກັ້ນ, ອຸປະກອນກັ້ນການປີນກຳແພງ, ແລະອຸປະສັກປິດບັງອື່ນໆ ພ້ອມຈຸດນ້ຳດື່ມ/ນ້ຳໃຊ້।

Word by Word

बहिःoutside; externally

जानुknee

भञ्जनी(device) that breaks/bends; a breaker

शूलspike; spear; stake

प्रकरenclosure/arrangement; defensive structure

कूपwell; pit

कूटhidden; false; concealed (thing)

अवपातpitfall; sudden drop

कण्टकthorn; spike

प्रतिसरcounter-barrier; protective obstruction

अहिsnake

पृष्ठback (surface)

तालpalm (tree)

पत्त्रleaf

शृङ्गाटकcaltrop; spiked obstacle

श्वदंष्ट्राdog-tooth (thorny plant); thorn

अर्गलाbar; bolt; latch

उपस्कन्दनambush; sudden attack/approach

पादुकाsandal; (here) sandal-like trap/obstacle

अम्बरीषa vessel/pot; (here) a defensive contrivance so named

उदपानकwith wells/pits (as devices)

प्रतिच्छन्नम्covered over; concealed

छन्नपथम्a hidden path/covered way

कारयेत्should cause (it) to be made/constructed

Entities Mentioned

concealed path (channapatha)

pits, spikes, caltrops

counter-ditches

water points

FAQs

Why combine a concealed route with an obstacle belt outside the fort?

It channels enemy movement into predictable lanes while preserving protected mobility for defenders—maximizing response speed and minimizing exposure.

What governance idea is reflected in listing many obstacle types?

Layered redundancy: if one measure fails or is neutralized, others still impose cost, delay, and confusion on the attacker.