Adhyakshaprachara Adhyaya 23 Sutra 2 - Arthashastra | Marathi | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 2

Devanagari script

ऊर्णावल्ककार्पासतूलशणक्षौमाणि च विधवान्यङ्गाकन्याप्रव्रजितादण्डप्रतिकारिणीभी रूपाजीवामातृकाभिर्वृद्धराजदासीभिर्व्युपरतोपस्थानदेवदासीभिश्च कर्तयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.२३.०२ ॥

Transliteration

ūrṇāvalkakārpāsatūlaśaṇakṣaumāṇi ca vidhavānyaṅgākanyāpravrajitādaṇḍapratikāriṇībhī rūpājīvāmātṛkābhir vṛddharājadāsībhir vyuparatopasthānadevadāsībhiś ca kartayet

Translation

तो ऊन, वल्क (साल-तंतू), कार्पास (कापूस), तूल (कापसाची रुई), शण (अंबाडी/भांग), आणि क्षौम (अळशी/लिनन) यांचे काम विधवा, अविवाहित स्त्रिया, प्रव्रजिता, दंड-प्रतिकार करणाऱ्या स्त्रिया, रूपाजीवा (वेश्या), मातृका (आश्रित माता), वृद्ध राजदासी आणि उपस्थान-सेवेतून निवृत्त देवदासी यांच्याकडून करून घ्यावे।

Word by Word

ऊर्णाwool

वल्कbark-fibre (cloth made of bark)

कार्पासcotton

तूलcotton-fluff / lint

शणhemp / flax (fibres)

क्षौमाणिlinen cloth (made of flax)

चand

विधवानिwidows

अङ्गाकन्याaṅgā-kanyā women (a designated class of women)

प्रव्रजिताfemale renunciants / nuns

अदण्डप्रतिकारिणीभिःby women who are ‘not subject to punishment’ / who do not incur corporal punishment

रूपाजीवाwomen who live by (selling) beauty; prostitutes/courtesans

मातृकाभिःby matrons / motherly attendants

वृद्धराजदासीभिःby aged royal maidservants/slaves

व्युपरतोपस्थानदेवदासीभिःby devadāsīs who have ceased (regular) attendance/service

चand

कर्तयेत्he should have (them) prepared/processed; should cause (it) to be made

Entities Mentioned

Superintendent of Threads

widows

unmarried women

female renunciants

penal laborers

courtesans

mothers/dependents

aged royal servants

retired temple women

FAQs

What political-administrative objective is served by assigning textile work to socially vulnerable groups?

It simultaneously supplies strategic goods (textiles/cordage), reduces vagrancy and dependence, and converts welfare/penal obligations into supervised, productive labor.