Kantakashodhana Adhyaya 12 Sutra 26 - Arthashastra | Marathi | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 26

Devanagari script

परचक्राटवीहृतामोघप्रव्यूढामरण्येषु दुर्भिक्षे वा त्यक्तां प्रेतभावोत्सृष्टां वा परस्त्रियं निस्तारयित्वा यथासंभाषितं समुपभुञ्जीत ॥ कZ_०४.१२.३६ ॥

Transliteration

paracakrāṭavīhṛtām oghapravyūḍhām araṇyeṣu durbhikṣe vā tyaktāṃ pretabhāvotsṛṣṭāṃ vā parastriyaṃ nistārayitvā yathāsaṃbhāṣitaṃ samupabhuñjīta

Translation

शत्रूच्या सैन्याने/लुटारूंनी नेलेली, असहायपणे वाहून गेलेली, जंगलात किंवा दुष्काळात टाकून दिलेली, किंवा ‘मृतप्राय’ समजून सोडून दिलेली परस्त्री वाचवून, पुरुषाने तिच्याशी फक्त संभाषणात परस्पर ठरल्याप्रमाणेच सहवास करावा.

Word by Word

परचक्रenemy force (enemy army)

आटवीin the forest / wilderness

हृताम्abducted / carried off

अमोघsuccessful / effective

प्रव्यूढाम्carried away / taken out and removed

अरण्येषुin forests

दुर्भिक्षेin famine / during scarcity

वाor

त्यक्ताम्abandoned

प्रेतभावdeath-like condition / presumed dead state

उत्सृष्टाम्cast off / left behind

वाor

परस्त्रियम्another man’s wife/woman

निस्तारयित्वाhaving rescued / having brought to safety

यथाas / according to

संभाषितम्according to what was agreed/said

समुपभुञ्जीतhe should cohabit/enjoy (her) as agreed

Entities Mentioned

enemy force (paracakra)

another’s wife (parastrī)

rescuer

FAQs

When does Kautilya describe an exception involving a ‘parastrī’?

When she has been displaced/abandoned due to enemy action, flood, forest peril, famine, or being cast off as dead, and the man first rescues her.

What limiting condition is explicitly stated?

Cohabitation must be only ‘as mutually agreed’ (yathāsaṃbhāṣitam), i.e., tied to explicit discussion/consent.