Arthashastra 3.4.32: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 4, Sutra 32

Devanagari script

आख्याय प्रोषितमश्रूयमाणं पञ्च तीर्थान्याकाङ्क्षेत दश श्रूयमाणम् ॥

Recitation with translationArthashastra 3.4.32

Transliteration

ākhyāya proṣitam aśrūyamāṇaṃ pañca tīrthāny ākāṅkṣeta daśa śrūyamāṇam

Translation

అతను (భర్త) చెప్పి వెళ్లినట్లయితే—అతని వార్త వినిపించకపోతే ఆమె ఐదు ‘తీర్థాలు’ వరకు వేచి ఉండాలి; అతని వార్త వినిపిస్తుంటే పది ‘తీర్థాలు’ వరకు వేచి ఉండాలి.

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Word by Word

• आख्याय: having reported; after informing
• Type: Verb (absolutive/gerund)
• Root: आ-ख्या
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप् (क्त्वार्थे) अव्ययभाव; ‘having reported/announced’

• प्रोषितम्: an absent person; one who has gone away
• Type: Noun/Participle (used adjectivally)
• Root: प्र-उष् (प्रोषित = प्रोषित/प्रवासित)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया (कर्मपद)
• In statecraft: a person who has gone away/absconded (the ‘missing/absent’ person in a legal context)

• अश्रूयमाणम्: not being heard of; with no news/trace
• Type: Noun/Participle (used adjectivally)
• Root: श्रु (with neg. a-)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्) आत्मनेपदी; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया; ‘not being heard of’
• In statecraft: unreported/unheard-of (no information/trace available in inquiries)

• पञ्च: five
• Type: Numeral
• Root: पञ्चन्
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (here qualifying तीर्थानि)

• तीर्थानि: authorities/officials (tīrthas); official channels
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; बहुवचन; द्वितीया
• In statecraft: ‘tīrtha’ = state functionaries/official channels (authorities) to be approached for inquiry

• आकाङ्क्षेत: should inquire; should seek (information)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√काङ्क्ष्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपदी; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; ‘should inquire/seek’
• In statecraft: to make formal inquiry/seek information through officials

• दश: ten
• Type: Numeral
• Root: दशन्
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (here qualifying तीर्थानि understood)

• श्रूयमाणम्: being heard of; reported
• Type: Noun/Participle (used adjectivally)
• Root: श्रु
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्) आत्मनेपदी; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया; ‘being heard of’
• In statecraft: reported/heard-of (some information exists in inquiries)

Sandhi Notes

• आख्याय (gerund) + प्रोषितम् + अश्रूयमाणम्: no external sandhi change
• sequence of accusative qualifiers to an implied object/person
• पञ्च + तीर्थानि: simple juxtaposition (numeral + noun)
• दश + (तीर्थानि understood) + श्रूयमाणम्: ‘दश’ qualifies ‘तीर्थानि’ elliptically
• ‘श्रूयमाणम्’ is accusative singular qualifying the (same) absent person, contrasting with ‘अश्रूयमाणम्’

Entities Mentioned

• absent husband (implied)

Topic and Governance

Prakarana (topic)

Waiting periods when husband left after informing (ākhyāya)

Governance domain

Judiciary (procedural fairness; notice affects obligations)

Vocabulary Breakdown

Technical Terms

FAQs

What is the policy logic of shorter waiting when he informed?

Notice clarifies intent and reduces suspicion of abandonment; the law calibrates waiting periods accordingly, balancing marital stability with the wife’s right to resolution.