Adhyaya 3
Book 13, Chapter 3 (13.3.16–30) operationalizes mandala politics as a living Saptāṅga organism: the Vijigīṣu strengthens the Mitra-limb by weaponizing rivalries among kings. The passage prescribes how to induce the enemy’s enemy (parasyāmitra) to act against the Vijigīṣu, then exploit that induced hostility to trap and eliminate him—either by arranging his death through the enemy, by open or surprise combat, or by “silent punishment” when overt action is costly. It also details contingencies: if the target offers tribute but will not appear, if he seeks to depart under force, if he wants partial territory, or if he is already attached to the enemy. The pragmatic objective is to prevent a volatile ally from becoming a future threat while converting territorial and monetary outcomes to the conqueror’s advantage. Thus diplomacy (sama/dāna) is treated as a delivery system for bheda and daṇḍa within the mandala’s competitive equilibrium.
Sutras
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Frequently Asked Questions
It prevents a fickle or opportunistic ‘ally-of-convenience’ from maturing into a strategic threat, stabilizes the alliance perimeter, and converts conflict into controllable gains (land, gold, or even a negotiated state-exchange), thereby reducing long-run war-costs and internal insecurity.
The text does not assign a domestic legal penalty here; the ‘penalty’ is strategic: failure to neutralize the induced/entrapped king invites future betrayal, loss of leverage, and escalated war. Operationally, daṇḍa manifests as capture (jīvagrāha), liquidation via proxy/enemy, or dual-pressure coercion (ubhayataḥ-sampīḍana).