Sutra 21

Devanagari script

वारिपथे तु कूलसम्यानपथयोः कूलपथः पण्यपत्तनबाहुल्याच्छ्रेयान्नदीपथो वा सातत्याद्विषह्याबाधत्वाच्च ॥ कZ_०७.१२.२१ ॥

Transliteration

vāripathe tu kūlasamyānapathayoḥ kūlapathaḥ paṇyapattanabāhulyāc chreyān nadīpatho vā sātatyād viṣahyābādhatvāc ca

Translation

Dalam pengangkutan air, antara laluan pesisir dan laluan laut lepas, laluan pesisir lebih baik kerana banyak pelabuhan dan pusat dagangan; atau jika tidak, laluan sungai (lebih baik) kerana lebih berterusan dan kurang diganggu halangan yang sukar ditanggung.

Word by Word

वारिपथेon the water-route / in water-transport

तुbut / however

कूलसम्यानपथयोःof the bank-route and the ferry/boat route

कूलपथःthe bank-route

पण्यपत्तनबाहुल्यात्because of the abundance of merchandise and ports

श्रेयान्better / preferable

नदीपथःthe river-route

वाor

सातत्यात्because of continuity / uninterruptedness

विषह्याबाधत्वात्because it is hard to obstruct / because of being not easily hindered

चand

Entities Mentioned

coastal route

open sea route

river route

ports (pattana)

markets (paṇya)

FAQs

What makes coastal routes administratively attractive?

Dense port/market nodes enable provisioning, commerce, and governance oversight.

Why might a state favor river routes?

They can be more regular/continuous and face fewer extreme disruptions than open sea voyages.