Shadgunya Adhyaya 8 Sutra 27 - Arthashastra | Malayalam | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 27

Devanagari script

यत्र तु दण्डः प्रहितस्तं वा चार्थमन्यांश्च साधयति तत्र मौलभृतश्रेणीमित्राटवीबलानामन्यतममुपलब्धदेशकालं दण्डं दद्यात् अमित्राटवीबलं वा व्यवहितदेशकालम् ॥ कZ_०७.८.२७ ॥

Transliteration

yatra tu daṇḍaḥ prahitās taṃ vā cārtham anyāṃś ca sādhayati tatra maulabhṛtaśreṇī-mitrāṭavī-balānām anyatamam upalabdha-deśa-kālaṃ daṇḍaṃ dadyāt, amitrāṭavī-balaṃ vā vyavahita-deśa-kālam

Translation

അയച്ച ദണ്ഡം (സൈന്യബലം) ആ ലക്ഷ്യവും മറ്റ് ലക്ഷ്യങ്ങളും സാധിപ്പിക്കാൻ കഴിയുന്നിടത്ത്, ലഭ്യമായ ദേശ-കാലത്തിന് അനുയോജ്യമായി മൗല (വംശപരമ്പരാഗത), ഭൃത (കൂലിപ്പട), ശ്രേണി (ഗിൽഡ്), മിത്ര അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ആടവീ (വന്യജന) ബലങ്ങളിൽ ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒന്നിനെ ദണ്ഡമായി നൽകണം; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ദേശ-കാലം ദൂരെയായി/വേർതിരിച്ച് ശത്രുവിന്റെ ആടവീബലം ഉപയോഗിക്കണം।

Word by Word

यत्रwhere

तुbut, however

दण्डःthe punitive force / royal army (the ‘danda’)

प्रहितःsent forth, dispatched

तम्that (him/it)

वाor

चand

अर्थम्the objective, purpose

अन्यान्other (ones)

चand

साधयतिaccomplishes, achieves

तत्रthere, in that case

मौलभृतhereditary retainers/forces

श्रेणीguild (corporate body)

मित्रally, friendly power

आटवीforest region/forest tribes

बलानाम्of forces/troops

अन्यतमम्one (out of them), any one

उपलब्धavailable, obtained, at hand

देशकालम्place and time (circumstances)

दण्डम्the punitive force / army (danda)

दद्यात्should give, should deploy/assign

अमित्रenemy

आटवीforest region/forest tribes

बलम्enemy forest-force

वाor

व्यवहितseparated, distant, not readily accessible

देशकालम्place and time (circumstances)

Entities Mentioned

daṇḍa (force)

maula (hereditary troops)

bhṛta (mercenaries)

śreṇī (guild/corporate forces)

mitra-bala (allied forces)

āṭavī-bala (forest/tribal forces)

amitra-āṭavī-bala (enemy forest forces)

FAQs

What is the administrative intent behind ‘upalabdha-deśa-kāla’?

Deploy forces only when geography and timing create advantage—logistics, season, distance, and readiness determine whether a contingent is efficient and controllable.

Why use ‘amitra-āṭavī-bala’ only with ‘vyavahita-deśa-kāla’?

To contain blowback: enemy-linked irregulars are useful but risky, so they should be employed where/when they cannot quickly turn against you or gain immediate strategic leverage.