Sutra 8

Devanagari script

वैराज्यं तु जीवतः परस्याच्छिद्य नैतन्मम इति मन्यमानः कर्शयति अपवाहयति पण्यं वा करोति विरक्तं वा परित्यज्यापगच्छतीति ॥ कZ_०८.२.०८ ॥

Transliteration

vairājyaṃ tu jīvataḥ parasyācchidya naitan mama iti manyamānaḥ karśayati apavāhayati paṇyaṃ vā karoti viraktaṃ vā parityajyāpagacchatīti

Translation

ແຕ່ຜູ້ໃດທີ່ຍຶດເອົາສ່ວນໜຶ່ງຂອງອໍານາດກະສັດ ໃນຂະນະທີ່ອີກຝ່າຍຍັງມີຊີວິດ—ໂດຍຄິດວ່າ «ນີ້ບໍ່ແມ່ນຂອງຂ້ອຍ»—ຍ່ອມເຮັດໃຫ້ອານາຈັກອ່ອນແອ, ດູດຊັບພະຍາກອນອອກ, ປ່ຽນຊັບສິນສາທາລະນະໃຫ້ເປັນການຄ້າສ່ວນຕົວ, ຫຼືເມື່ອເກີດຄວາມເບື່ອໜ່າຍ/ເຢັນຊາແລ້ວ ກໍປະຖິ້ມມັນແລະຈາກໄປ.

Word by Word

वैराज्यम्unlawful appropriation (of another’s property/rights)

तुbut/indeed

जीवतःof a living (person)

परस्यof another (person)

आच्छिद्यhaving seized/robbed (having taken away)

नnot

एतत्this

ममmine/of me

इतिthus (thinking/quoting)

मन्यमानःthinking/supposing

कर्शयतिhe damages/impairs; he causes loss

अपवाहयतिhe carries off/causes to be taken away

पण्यम्merchandise/goods

वाor

करोतिhe does/makes

विरक्तम्spoiled/unsaleable

वाor

परित्यज्यhaving abandoned/left behind

अपगच्छतिhe goes away/departs

इतिthus (this is said/defined)

Entities Mentioned

co-ruler

realm/state

FAQs

What behavior does Kautilya predict from a co-ruler who feels insecure about ownership?

Short-term extraction: over-taxing/exhausting the realm, diverting revenues, privatizing state assets, or abandoning the state when disillusioned.

What modern governance concept parallels ‘paṇyaṃ vā karoti’?

Privatization-by-corruption: converting public office and public assets into private commercial gain.