Abhiyasyatkarma Adhyaya 3 Sutra 37 - Arthashastra | Malay | Vedapath

Kautilya

Sutra 37

Devanagari script

यः सत्यसंधः शक्तः कर्मणि फलावाप्तौ चानुग्रहीतुं विनिपाते च त्रातुं तत्र प्रतिजापः कार्यः तर्कयितव्यश्च कल्याणबुद्धिरुताहो शठ इति ॥ कZ_०९.३.३७ ॥

Transliteration

yaḥ satyasaṃdhaḥ śaktaḥ karmaṇi phalāvāptau ca anugrahītuṃ vinipāte ca trātuṃ tatra pratijāpaḥ kāryaḥ tarkayitavyaś ca kalyāṇabuddhiḥ utāho śaṭha iti

Translation

Di mana ada seseorang yang berpegang pada janji dan mampu menyokong (orang lain) dalam tindakan serta dalam memperoleh hasil—dan juga menyelamatkan mereka ketika ditimpa musibah—di situlah perlu dibuat jaminan timbal balik (pratijāpa); dan harus dinilai sama ada dia berniat baik atau seorang penipu.

Word by Word

यःwho (he who)

सत्यसंधःtrue to his pact; faithful to an agreement

शक्तःcapable; able

कर्मणिin the task; in action/service

फलावाप्तौin the attainment of results

चand

अनुग्रहीतुम्to support; to show favor; to help

विनिपातेin calamity; in a downfall

चand

त्रातुम्to protect; to rescue

तत्रthere; in that case

प्रतिजापःa promise; a pledge; an assurance

कार्यःshould be made; is to be done

तर्कयितव्यःshould be reasoned about; should be examined

चand

कल्याणबुद्धिःone with good intention; good-minded

उतor (alternatively)

आहोor indeed; or rather (in a question)

शठःa rogue; deceitful (person)

इतिthus; ‘whether …’ (end of quoted thought)

Entities Mentioned

satyasaṃdha (reliable ally)

śaṭha (deceiver)

pratijāpa (reciprocal pledge)

FAQs

What is ‘pratijāpa’ in governance terms?

A mutual guarantee mechanism—reciprocal commitments that bind both parties and reduce opportunism in alliance or cooperation.

Why is character assessment (‘well-intentioned or deceiver’) explicitly required?

Because capability plus access can be dangerous; the state must pair partnership with due diligence to prevent strategic betrayal.

What is the niti principle here?

Contract with the reliable, but verify intent: reciprocal guarantees plus continuous assessment prevent alliance risk.