Shadgunya Adhyaya 8 Sutra 8 - Arthashastra | Lao | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 8

Devanagari script

कृतसंधिरतिक्रमितुकामः परस्य प्रकृतिकर्शनं मित्रामित्रसंधिविश्लेषणं वा कर्तुकामः पराभियोगाच्छङ्कमानो लाभमप्राप्तमधिकं वा याचेत ॥ कZ_०७.८.०८ ॥

Transliteration

kṛtasaṃdhir atikramitukāmaḥ parasya prakṛtikarśanaṃ mitrāmitrasaṃdhiviśleṣaṇaṃ vā kartukāmaḥ parābhiyogāc chaṅkamāno lābham aprāptam adhikaṃ vā yāceta

Translation

ຜູ້ປົກຄອງຜູ້ໜຶ່ງ ທີ່ຫຼັງຈາກເຮັດສັນຍາແລ້ວ ປາດຖະໜາຈະລະເມີດສັນຍານັ້ນ—ເພື່ອເຮັດໃຫ້ອ່ອນແອອົງປະກອບຂອງລັດ (prakṛti) ຂອງຝ່າຍຕົກຕໍ່ ຫຼືເພື່ອແຍກຢ່າງສັນຍາມິດ-ສັນຍາສັດຕູຂອງຝ່າຍນັ້ນ—ຄວນ, ໂດຍຢ້ານການຕອບໂຕ້ກັບ, ຮ້ອງຂໍຜົນປະໂຫຍດທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບ ຫຼືຮ້ອງຂໍເກີນກວ່າທີ່ຕົກລົງໄວ້.

Word by Word

कृतसन्धिःone who has concluded a treaty (a king having made peace)

अतिक्रमितु-कामःdesiring to transgress/violate (it)

परस्यof the other (enemy/other king)

प्रकृति-कर्शनम्weakening/harassing the constituent elements (prakṛtis) of the other state

मित्र-अमित्र-सन्धि-विश्लेषणम्dissolution/rupture of the alliance/treaty between friend and foe

वाor

कर्तु-कामःdesiring to do (so)

पर-अभियोगात्from the other’s attack/hostile expedition

शङ्कमानःfearing/suspecting

लाभम्gain/advantage

अप्राप्तम्not yet obtained

अधिकम्additional/greater

वाor

याचेतshould request/ask for

Entities Mentioned

vijigīṣu (would-be conqueror)

para (opponent king)

mitra (ally)

amitra (enemy)

prakṛti (state elements)

FAQs

What is the administrative logic behind demanding additional gains before violating a treaty?

It creates a bargaining pretext and a material buffer, while testing the opponent’s response; it also reduces the violator’s exposure to immediate retaliation by shifting the initiative to a ‘demand’ phase.

What does ‘prakṛti-karśana’ imply as a foreign-policy objective?

Systematic weakening of the opponent’s governing capacity—finances, forces, leadership cohesion, and alliances—so that later coercion or conquest becomes low-cost.