Arthashastra 3.6.2: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 6, Sutra 2

Devanagari script

तेन मध्यमकनिष्ठौ व्याख्यातौ ॥ कZ_०३.६.११ ॥

Spoken translationArthashastra 3.6.2

Transliteration

tena madhyamakaniṣṭhau vyākhyātau

Translation

ആ തത്വപ്രകാരം ‘മധ്യമ’യും ‘കനിഷ്ഠ’യും (പുത്രൻ/അവകാശി) സംബന്ധിച്ചും വിശദീകരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; അതായത് അവരുടെ നിലയും അതേ രീതിയിൽ നിശ്ചയിക്കണം.

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Word by Word

• तेन: by that; thereby; thus (by this explanation)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; तृतीया-एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (instrumental sg. of tad)

• मध्यम: the middle (one of the three grades)
• Type: Noun (used adjectivally)
• Root: मध्यम
• Form: प्रातिपदिक; प्रथमा-द्विवचन; पुंलिङ्ग (agreeing with implied ‘पुरुषौ/वर्गौ’)

• कनिष्ठौ: the lowest; the junior (one of the three grades)
• Type: Noun (used adjectivally)
• Root: कनिष्ठ
• Form: प्रातिपदिक; प्रथमा-द्विवचन; पुंलिङ्ग (agreeing with implied ‘पुरुषौ/वर्गौ’)

• व्याख्यातौ: have been explained/expounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-आ-ख्या
• Form: कृदन्त-रूप (भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोग); क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle) from वि+आ+ख्या; प्रथमा-द्विवचन; पुंलिङ्ग

Entities Mentioned

• heirs
• judge/official (implied)

More Details

FAQs

What does ‘tena … vyākhyātau’ indicate as a legal technique?

Analogical extension: once a rule is set for one case, officials apply the same logic to comparable heir-categories to keep decisions consistent.