Sutra 23

Devanagari script

यो भृत्यात्मपीडाभ्यामुपचिनोत्यर्थं स कदर्यः ॥ कZ_०२.९.२३ ॥

Transliteration

yo bhṛtyātmapīḍābhyām upacinoty arthaṃ sa kadaryaḥ

Translation

Kẻ tích lũy của cải bằng cách hành hạ thuộc hạ và bằng sự tự hành hạ (tích trữ keo kiệt) là ‘kadarya’—một kẻ bủn xỉn có lối hành xử gây hại.

Word by Word

• यः: who, he who
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: sarvanāma; prathamā-vibhaktiḥ; ekavacanam; pumān; sambandhaḥ (relative pronoun)

• भृत्य: servant, employee, attendant
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृत्य
• Form: prātipadika; (samāse pūrvapada); pumliṅga; ekavacana (upapada in compound)

• आत्म: self, oneself
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: prātipadika; (samāse madhyama-pada); pumliṅga; ekavacana (upapada in compound)

• पीडाभ्याम्: by oppression, through harassment
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीडा
• Form: tṛtīyā-vibhaktiḥ; dvivacanam; strīliṅga; karaṇa/hetu-artha (by/through oppression)

• भृत्यात्मपीडाभ्याम्: by oppressing (both) servants and oneself
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: भृत्य-आत्म-पीडा
• Form: samāsaḥ: भृत्य-आत्म (dvandva: 'servant and self') + पीडा (tatpuruṣa: 'oppression of ...'); whole form: tṛtīyā-dvivacanam; strīliṅga (head: पीडा)

• उपचिनोति: accumulates, amasses
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-चि
• Form: laṭ-lakāraḥ; prathamapuruṣaḥ; ekavacanam; parasmaipada; vartamāna-kāla; upasarga: उप

• अर्थम्: wealth, money, resources
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: dvitīyā-vibhaktiḥ; ekavacanam; pumliṅga; karma (object of verb)

• सः: he, that person
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: sarvanāma; prathamā-vibhaktiḥ; ekavacanam; pumān; correlative to यः

• कदर्यः: a miser; a mean, wretched person
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: कदर्य
• Form: prathamā-vibhaktiḥ; ekavacanam; pumliṅga; predicative adjective (nominal predicate)

Entities Mentioned

• bhṛtya (subordinates/servants)
• kadarya (miserly official)

More Details

FAQs

What administrative risk does Kautilya flag by calling someone ‘kadarya’ here?

A high-risk official profile: one who extracts wealth through workplace oppression and miserly hoarding—behaviors that correlate with concealment, underpayment, and misappropriation.

Why mention ‘self-torture’ alongside oppressing subordinates?

It signals pathological hoarding and extreme stinginess—traits that can drive concealment of funds and refusal to spend on mandated public or operational needs.