Sutra 14

Devanagari script

तत्रापि महासारमल्पमल्पसारं वा प्रभूतमिति महासारमल्पं श्रेयः वज्रमणिमुक्ताप्रवालहेमरूप्यधातुर्हि प्रभूतमल्पसारमत्यर्घेण ग्रसते इत्याचार्याः ॥ कZ_०७.१२.१४ ॥

Transliteration

tatrāpi mahāsāram alpam alpasāraṃ vā prabhūtam iti mahāsāram alpaṃ śreyaḥ vajramaṇimuktāpravālahemarūpyadhātur hi prabhūtam alpasāram atyargheṇa grasate ity ācāryāḥ

Translation

Di sini juga, seseorang boleh memilih sama ada sedikit hasil yang bernilai tinggi atau banyak hasil yang bernilai rendah; pilihan yang lebih baik ialah sedikit hasil yang bernilai tinggi. Kerana berlian, permata, mutiara, karang, bijih emas dan bijih perak—walaupun sedikit jumlahnya—dengan harga yang sangat tinggi mengatasi dan seolah-olah “menelan” banyak hasil yang rendah nilainya, kata para guru.

Word by Word

तत्रthere; in that context

अपिalso; even

महा-सारम्(something) of great essence/value

अल्पम्small (in quantity)

अल्प-सारम्of little essence/value

वाor

प्रभूतम्abundant; in large quantity

इतिthus; as (it is said)

महा-सारम्(that which is) high-value

अल्पम्small (quantity)

श्रेयःis preferable; better

वज्र-मणि-मुक्ता-प्रवाल-हेम-रूप्य-धातुःdiamond, gem, pearl, coral, gold, silver, and metals

हिfor; indeed

प्रभूतम्abundant

अल्प-सारम्low-value (goods)

अति-अर्घेणat an excessive price; with very high value

ग्रसतेswallows up; outweighs; dominates

इतिthus

आचार्याःthe teachers (authorities)

Entities Mentioned

diamond

gems

pearls

coral

gold

silver

ores

FAQs

What is the key economic principle in this verse?

Value density: small quantities of high-value goods can outperform large quantities of low-value goods in revenue terms.

Why would a state prefer high-value, low-bulk resources?

They generate more revenue per unit, reduce transport/storage burdens, and can be strategically traded or stockpiled.