Sutra 20

Devanagari script

उत्साहहीनः श्रेणीप्रवीरपुरुषाणां चोरगणाटविकम्लेच्छजातीनां परापकारिणां गूढपुरुषाणां च यथालाब्भमुपचयं कुर्वीत ॥ कZ_०७.१४.२७ ॥

Transliteration

utsāhahīnaḥ śreṇīpravīrapuruṣāṇāṃ coragaṇāṭavikamlecchajātīnāṃ parāpakāriṇāṃ gūḍhapuruṣāṇāṃ ca yathālābbhamupacayaṃ kurvīta

Translation

ਜੇ ਉਤਸਾਹ ਘੱਟ ਹੋਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਉਪਲਬਧਤਾ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਉਹ ਆਪਣੀ ਸਮਰੱਥਾ (ਉਪਚਯ) ਵਧਾਏ—ਗਿਲਡਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਿਪੁਣ ਆਦਮੀ, ਚੋਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਟੋਲੇ, ਆਟਵਿਕ (ਜੰਗਲਵਾਸੀ), ਸਰਹੱਦੀ ‘ਮਲੇੱਛ’ ਗਰੁੱਪ, ਦੁਸ਼ਮਣ ਨੂੰ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਉਣ ਵੱਲ ਝੁਕਾਅ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਲੋਕ, ਅਤੇ ਗੂੜ੍ਹ ਪੁਰਸ਼ (ਗੁਪਤ ਏਜੰਟ) ਦੀ ਮਦਦ ਨਾਲ।

Word by Word

उत्साहहीनःone who is lacking in initiative/energy

श्रेणीof guilds

प्रवीरपुरुषाणाम्of leading men/champions

चोरगणof bands of thieves

आटविकof forest-tribes/forest people

म्लेच्छजातीनाम्of mleccha peoples/tribes

परापकारिणाम्of those who do harm to others

गूढपुरुषाणाम्of concealed men; secret agents

चand

यथाaccording to; as

लाभम्gain; profit

उपचयम्increase; accumulation

कुर्वीतshould do; should bring about

Entities Mentioned

śreṇī (guilds)

cora-gaṇa (thief bands)

āṭavika (forest groups)

mleccha-jāti (frontier groups)

gūḍhapuruṣa (spies/agents)

FAQs

What is the policy mechanism implied by ‘upacaya’ in this verse?

Incremental capacity-building by co-opting available human networks—formal (guilds) and informal/irregular (bands, frontier groups), plus intelligence assets.

How should a ruler interpret this ethically and administratively?

As a realist contingency tool: co-opt and regulate disruptive groups to redirect their capabilities toward state objectives, while managing risks through oversight and intelligence.