Arthashastra 3.13.25: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 13, Sutra 25

Devanagari script

दासं दासीं वा निष्क्रीय पुनर्विक्रयाधानं नयतो द्वादशपणो दण्डः अन्यत्र स्वयं वादिभ्यः । इति दासकल्पः ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.13.25

Transliteration

dāsaṃ dāsīṃ vā niṣkrīya punarvikrayādhānaṃ nayato dvādaśapaṇo daṇḍaḥ anyatra svayaṃ vādibhyaḥ | iti dāsakalpaḥ |

Translation

दासं दासीं वा निष्क्रीय पुनर्विक्रयाधानं नयतः द्वादशपणो दण्डः, अन्यत्र स्वयं वादिभ्यः। इति दासकल्पः।

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Word by Word

• दासम्: a male slave
• Type: Noun
• Root: दास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन
• In statecraft: दास (bondman/slave as a legal status)

• दासीम्: a female slave
• Type: Noun
• Root: दासी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन
• In statecraft: दासी (female slave as a legal status)

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

• निष्क्रीय: (after) redemption / buy-back (price)
• Type: Noun (action-noun)
• Root: निष्क्रीय
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; (निष्क्रय/निष्क्रीय = ‘buying back/redemption price’)
• In statecraft: निष्क्रय/निष्क्रीय (redemption price paid to release a slave)

• पुनर्विक्रयाधानम्: re-selling / putting up again for sale
• Type: Noun (action-noun)
• Root: पुनर्विक्रयाधान
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; पुनः-विक्रय-आधान (re-selling/placing again for sale)
• Compound: Tatpurusha (karmadhāraya/ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa-like)
• In statecraft: पुनर्विक्रयाधान (re-sale/putting up for sale again, esp. after redemption)

• नयतः: (of one) who causes / carries out (this act)
• Type: Verb (participle)
• Root: नी
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; परस्मैपदी; प्रथमा-एकवचन (कर्तरि); ‘leading/causing’

• द्वादशपणः: (a fine of) twelve paṇas
• Type: Noun (measure/amount)
• Root: द्वादशपण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; दण्डस्य विशेषणम्
• Compound: Tatpurusha (numeral + noun)
• In statecraft: द्वादश-पण (a fine quantified as 12 paṇas)

• दण्डः: penalty; fine
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन
• In statecraft: दण्ड (legal penalty/fine)

• अन्यत्र: except; otherwise than
• Type: Adverb
• Root: अन्यत्र
• Form: देश/अपवादार्थक अव्यय
• In statecraft: अपवाद-सूचक (exception clause marker)

• स्वयम्: by oneself; personally
• Type: Adverb
• Root: स्वयम्
• Form: अव्यय; स्वकृत्ये/स्वतः

• वादिभ्यः: to the litigants / parties in a dispute
• Type: Noun
• Root: वादिन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी-बहुवचन (प्रयोगे ‘-भ्यः’); ‘to/for the litigants’ (contextually dative)
• In statecraft: वादी (party to a lawsuit; litigant/plaintiff/defendant depending on context)

• इति: thus
• Type: Quotative particle
• Root: इति
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय

• दासकल्पः: the section/chapter on slaves
• Type: Noun (section title)
• Root: दासकल्प
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; अध्याय/प्रकरण-नाम
• Compound: Tatpurusha (ṣaṣṭhī)
• In statecraft: दासकल्प (section on rules regarding slaves)

Sandhi Notes

• पदच्छेदः: दासम् दासीम् वा निष्क्रीय पुनर्विक्रयाधानम् नयतः द्वादशपणः दण्डः अन्यत्र स्वयम् वादिभ्यः
• इति दासकल्पः ॥
• - पुनर्विक्रयाधानम्: पुनः + विक्रय + आधानम् → पुनर्विक्रयाधानम् (अः + व् → र्व्; ‘पुनर्’ रूप)
• - दासं/दासीं: अनुस्वार/दीर्घचिह्न यथापाठम्

Entities Mentioned

• dāsa
• dāsī
• vādī (litigant/plaintiff)
• state/judge (implied)

Topic and Governance

Prakarana (topic)

Dāsakalpa & Karmakara-vyavahāra (rules on slaves/servants and wage-labour contracts)

Governance domain

Civil law; labour regulation; property/pledge law; judicial administration

Vocabulary Breakdown

Technical Terms

FAQs

What administrative intent lies behind penalizing resale/pledge after redemption?

To prevent fraud and re-enslavement-like practices after a person has been legally redeemed, and to deter intermediaries from treating redeemed persons as tradable collateral.

What does the exception about 'svayaṃ vādibhyaḥ' imply?

It indicates a procedural carve-out: if parties proceed as private litigants, the handling/penalty may follow the private-suit track rather than automatic state prosecution.