Arthashastra 3.13.32: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 13, Sutra 32

Devanagari script

साक्षिणामभावे यतः कर्म ततोऽनुयुञ्जीत ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.13.32

Transliteration

sākṣiṇāmabhāve yataḥ karma tato'nuyuñjīta |

Translation

Jika tiada saksi, siasatan hendaklah dibuat dari tempat kerja itu dilakukan (iaitu dengan meneliti tapak/konteks dan pihak yang berkaitan).

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Word by Word

• साक्षिणाम्: of witnesses / of the witnesses
• Type: Noun
• Root: साक्षिन्
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचनम् (Genitive plural), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रायः पुं.), ‘साक्षिन्’ इति प्रातिपदिकम्
• In statecraft: साक्षी (legal witness)

• अभावे: in the absence (non-existence)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभाव
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular), पुंलिङ्गः
• In statecraft: साक्ष्याभावः (absence of witness-testimony)

• यतः: from which; hence; because
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस्
• Form: अव्ययम्; हेत्वर्थे (causal/ablatival sense: ‘from which/wherefrom; because’)

• कर्म: the act; the transaction/deed
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Nom./Acc. singular), नपुंसकलिङ्गः
• In statecraft: कृत्य/व्यवहारकर्म (the act/transaction under dispute)

• ततः: therefrom; from that (source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततस्
• Form: अव्ययम्; तस्मात्/ततः (ablatival: ‘therefrom, from that’)

• अनुयुञ्जीत: he should interrogate/examine (question)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-युज्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; धातुः: युज् (युनक्ति) उपसर्गः: अनु-; अर्थः: ‘अनुयोजयेत्/पृच्छेत्/प्रश्नं कुर्यात्’
• In statecraft: अनुयोगः (legal interrogation/examination)

Sandhi Notes

• साक्षिणामभावे = साक्षिणाम् + अभावे (अनुस्वार/विसर्ग-सन्धि न; केवलं पदसंयोगः)
• ततोऽनुयुञ्जीत = ततः + अनुयुञ्जीत
• ‘ततः’ इत्यस्य विसर्गः (ः) स्वरादौ ‘अ’ इत्यनेन परे ‘ऽ’ (अवग्रह) भवति: ततः अनु- → ततोऽनु-

Entities Mentioned

• worksite/community (implied)
• court/investigator (implied)

Topic and Governance

Prakarana (topic)

When witnesses absent—investigate from the locus of work

Governance domain

Judicial investigation; administrative fact-finding

Vocabulary Breakdown

Technical Terms

FAQs

What is the procedural fallback when witnesses are unavailable?

A contextual inquiry anchored to the place and circumstances of the work—effectively an administrative investigation to reconstruct facts.