Arthashastra 3.13.20: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 13, Sutra 20

Devanagari script

गृहेजातदायागतलब्धक्रीतानामन्यतमं दासमूनाष्टवर्षं विबन्धुमकामं नीचे कर्मणि विदेशे दासीं वा सगर्भामप्रतिविहितगर्भभर्मण्यां विक्रयाधानं नयतः पूर्वः साहसदण्डः क्रेतृश्रोतृऋणां च ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.13.20

Transliteration

gṛhejātadāyāgatalabdhakrītānām anyatamaṃ dāsam ūnāṣṭavarṣaṃ vibandhum akāmaṃ nīce karmaṇi videśe dāsīṃ vā sagarbhām aprativihitagarbhabharmaṇyāṃ vikrayādhānaṃ nayataḥ pūrvaḥ sāhasadaṇḍaḥ kretṛśrotṛṛṇāṃ ca

Translation

Dla tego kto bierze na sprzedaż lub jako zastaw jakiegokolwiek dāsę spośród tych uznanych kategorii, takich jak urodzony w domu, odziedziczony, nabyty lub kupiony - gdy osoba ma mniej niż osiem lat, bez opieki krewnych, niechętna, przydzielona do poniżającej pracy lub wywieziona za granicę; albo kto sprzedaje lub zastawia kobietę dāsī będącą w ciąży bez zabezpieczeń dla utrzymania jej stanu ciążowego - będzie pierwsza, najniższa kara sāhasa; a kupiec, pośrednik świadczący oraz wierzyciel również ponoszą odpowiedzialność.

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Word by Word

• गृहेजात: born in the house (home-born)
• Type: Noun (compound adjective)
• Root: गृह + जात
• Form: पुं/नपुं; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (दासम् इति विशेषणम्)
• Compound: तत्पुरुष (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• दायागत: obtained by inheritance
• Type: Noun (compound adjective)
• Root: दाय + आगत
• Form: पुं/नपुं; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (दासम् इति विशेषणम्)
• Compound: तत्पुरुष
• In statecraft: a slave obtained by inheritance

• लब्ध: obtained
• Type: Participle (past passive)
• Root: लभ्
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); पुं/नपुं; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (क्रीतानाम् इति सह समासे/समुच्चये)

• क्रीतानाम्: of those purchased
• Type: Participle used as noun/adjective
• Root: क्री
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); बहुवचन; षष्ठी (गृहेजात-दायागत-लब्ध-क्रीतानाम् इति चतुर्णां वर्गाणां)
• In statecraft: purchased slaves (category of dāsa)

• अन्यतमम्: any one (of these)
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: अन्यतम
• Form: एकवचन; द्वितीया; नपुं/पुं (दासम् इति विशेषणम्)

• दासम्: a slave
• Type: Noun
• Root: दास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया
• In statecraft: slave/servile person under dāsa-law

• ऊन: less than
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊन
• Form: एकवचन; द्वितीया; पुं (अष्टवर्षम् इति सह)

• अष्टवर्षम्: eight years (of age)
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: अष्ट + वर्ष
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (वयः-परिमाणम्)
• Compound: द्विगु (संख्यापूर्वक)

• विबन्धुम्: without relatives/kin
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: वि + बन्धु
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (दासम् इति विशेषणम्)
• In statecraft: one without relatives/guardian (unprotected)

• अकामम्: unwilling / without consent
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + काम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (दासम् इति विशेषणम्)
• In statecraft: without consent (non-voluntary)

• नीचे: in low/menial
• Type: Adjective (used adverbially)
• Root: नीच
• Form: सप्तमी एकवचन (कर्मणि इति सह: ‘in low work’)

• कर्मणि: work/occupation
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी
• In statecraft: menial/servile work (as a prohibited assignment)

• विदेशे: in a foreign place/abroad
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदेश
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी
• In statecraft: outside the realm/jurisdiction

• दासीम्: a female slave
• Type: Noun
• Root: दासी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया
• In statecraft: female slave

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय

• सगर्भाम्: pregnant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + गर्भ
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (दासीम् इति विशेषणम्)
• Compound: बहुव्रीहि/उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सह-समास)
• In statecraft: pregnant (female slave)

• अप्रतिविहित: not prohibited / not barred
• Type: Adjective (past participle)
• Root: अ + प्रति + विहित
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (…-गर्भभर्मण्याम् इति विशेषणम्)
• In statecraft: not legally barred / not prohibited

• गर्भभर्मण्याम्: in the matter of pregnancy-maintenance/charge
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: गर्भ + भर्मणी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी; (अप्रतिविहितगर्भभर्मण्याम् = ‘in a case where pregnancy-maintenance is not barred’)
• Compound: तत्पुरुष
• In statecraft: (case/condition of) maintenance/charge connected with pregnancy (liability regarding a pregnant slave)

• विक्रयाधानम्: sale/placing for sale
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: विक्रय + आधान
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (नयतः इति क्रियायाः कर्म)
• Compound: तत्पुरुष
• In statecraft: sale/transfer by sale (placing for sale)

• नयतः: of the one who sells/transfers (who carries out the sale)
• Type: Verb (present participle)
• Root: नी
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रयोग); षष्ठी/प्रथमा-द्विवचन?; व्यवहारतः ‘of/for the one who carries out (the sale)’ = कर्तृ-षष्ठी एकवचन (अपराधिनः)
• In statecraft: the seller/one who effects the transaction

• पूर्वः: the first (grade)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा (साहसदण्डः इति विशेषणम्)
• In statecraft: the first (lowest) grade (of sāhasa-fine)

• साहसदण्डः: the sāhasa fine (first grade)
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: साहस + दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा
• Compound: तत्पुरुष
• In statecraft: fine under the sāhasa (assault/forcible wrong) scale; ‘first sāhasa’ fine

• क्रेतृ: of the buyer
• Type: Agent noun
• Root: क्री
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; षष्ठी (…-ऋणाम् इति समुच्चय)
• In statecraft: buyer (party to sale)

• श्रोतृ: of the witness/hearer
• Type: Agent noun
• Root: श्रु
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; षष्ठी (व्यवहारे साक्षी/श्रावकः)
• In statecraft: witness/hearer (attesting party in transaction)

• ऋणाम्: of debts/liabilities
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; बहुवचन; षष्ठी (क्रेतृ-श्रोतृ-ऋणाम् = ‘and of the buyer, witness, and debts/liabilities’)
• In statecraft: liabilities/debts arising from the transaction

• च: and
• Type: Particle
• Root: च
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

Sandhi Notes

• पाठे दीर्घसमासः: गृहेजात-दायागत-लब्ध-क्रीतानाम् (चार प्रकार-समुच्चयः) + अन्यतमं दासम्
• ऊनाष्टवर्षम् = ऊन + अष्टवर्षम् (स्वर-सन्धिः)
• विक्रयाधानं = विक्रय + आधानम् (अ + आ → आ)
• सगर्भाम् = स + गर्भाम् (समास/उपसर्गसदृश ‘स-’)
• अप्रतिविहितगर्भभर्मण्याम् = अप्रतिविहित + गर्भभर्मण्याम् (समास-सम्बन्धः)
• क्रेतृश्रोतृऋणां = क्रेतृ + श्रोतृ + ऋणाम् (समाहार/समुच्चय; संधि: …श्रोतृ + ऋणाम्)

Entities Mentioned

• seller/pledger
• buyer (kretṛ)
• broker/witness/intermediary (śrotṛ)
• creditor (ṛṇin/ṛṇa party)
• child dāsa
• pregnant dāsī
• state judiciary

Topic and Governance

Prakarana (topic)

Prohibited sales/pledges of vulnerable persons; penalties for traffickers and counterparties

Governance domain

Regulation of human transactions; anti-trafficking controls; child protection; women’s protection; contract invalidity/penalties

Vocabulary Breakdown

Technical Terms

FAQs

What is the core administrative intent of 3.13.20?

To block exploitative markets by banning or penalizing transactions involving vulnerable bonded persons and by imposing joint liability on all counterparties.

Why include buyer, intermediary, and creditor as liable?

To deter collusion and reduce enforcement evasion by distributing legal risk across the entire transaction chain.