Arthashastra 3.13.4: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 13, Sutra 4

Devanagari script

न त्वेवार्यस्य दासभावः ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.13.4

Transliteration

na tu eva āryasya dāsabhāvaḥ

Translation

എന്നാൽ ഒരു ആര്യനെ ദാസസ്ഥാനത്ത് (ദാസൻ/സേവകൻ എന്ന നിലയിൽ) വെക്കരുത്.

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Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Particle (Negation)
• Root: न
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम्

• तु: but, however
• Type: Particle
• Root: तु
• Form: अव्ययम्; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• एव: indeed, certainly, just
• Type: Particle
• Root: एव
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• आर्यस्य: of an ārya (a free/respectable person)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: आर्य
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (genitive singular)

• दासभावः: the condition of being a slave; slavery
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाव (from √भू)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; समासः: दासस्य भावः

Entities Mentioned

• ārya
• state/judge

More Details

FAQs

How does this rule function politically?

It draws a hard legal boundary around who can be reduced to servile status, stabilizing the social order by protecting the core ‘ārya’ category from enslavement.

How do 3.13.03 and 3.13.04 relate?

They juxtapose customary allowance for some groups with a categorical prohibition for āryas—showing differentiated legal status and a hierarchy of protections.