दश पञ्च चतुर्वर्गान्सप्तवर्गं च तत्त्वतः।
अष्टवर्गं च त्रिवर्गं विद्यास्तिस्रश्च राघव॥
इन्द्रियाणां जयं बुद्ध्वा षाड्गुण्यं दैवमानुषम्।
कृत्यं विंशतिवर्गं च तथा प्रकृतिमण्डलम्॥
यात्रादण्डविधानं च द्वियोनी सन्धिविग्रहौ।
कच्चिदेतान्महाप्राज्ञ यथावदनुमन्यसे॥
daśa pañca catur-vargān sapta-vargaṁ ca tattvataḥ
aṣṭa-vargaṁ ca tri-vargaṁ vidyās tisraś ca rāghava
indriyāṇāṁ ca jayaṁ buddhvā ṣāḍguṇyaṁ daiva-mānuṣam
kṛtyaṁ viṁśati-vargaṁ ca tathā prakṛti-maṇḍalam
yātrā-daṇḍa-vidhānaṁ ca dvi-yonī sandhi-vigrahau
kaccid etān mahā-prājña yathāvad anumanyase
daśa = the ten; pañca = the five; catuḥ-vargān = the group of four; sapta-vargam ca = the group of seven; tattvataḥ = in truth; aṣṭa-vargam ca = the group of eight; tri-vargam = the group of three; vidyāḥ = the sciences; tisraḥ ca = three; rāghava = descendant of Raghu; indriyāṇām ca = of the senses; jayam = the means of conquest; buddhvā = understand and; ṣāḍguṇyam = the six expedients; daiva-mānuṣam = calamities caused by providence and humans; kṛtyam = the [special] duty; viṁśati-vargam ca = the group of twenty; tathā = and; prakṛti-maṇḍalam = prakṛti, maṇḍala; yātrā = military expedition to conquer an enemy; daṇḍa-vidhānam ca = battle formation; dvi-yonī = as the original two expedients; sandhi-vigrahau = political alliance and hostility; kaccit = do You; etān = these; mahā-prājña = O greatly intelligent; yathāvat = properly; anumanyase = act accordingly.
O greatly intelligent descendant of Raghu, do You properly understand these—the ten, the five, the group of four, the group of seven in truth, the group of eight, the group of three, the three sciences, the means of conquest of the senses, the six expedients, calamities caused by providence and humans, the [special] duty, the group of twenty, prakṛti, maṇḍala, military expedition to conquer an enemy, battle formation, political alliance and hostility as the original two expedients—and act accordingly?
1 When a man has more than one wife, the sons born to his different wives may become enemies. Two persons may become enemies due to the desire for the same property. Two men may become enemies because of desiring to marry the same woman. Two persons can become enemies due to a verbal disagreement between them, and two persons can become enemies due to one or both of them performing an activity offensive to the other.
2 Biological siblings can be friends. Relatives can be friends. In a dynasty, the sons of friends can be friends among themselves. One can become a friend of someone who protects him from calamities.
3 Noted in Amara-kośa 2.8.19.
4 Artha-śāstra 1.3.1 notes that the three Vedas are Sāma Veda, Ṛg Veda and Yajur Veda: sāma-rg-yajur-vedās trayas trayī.
5 Cāṇakya himself notes that followers of Manu have this opinion in the Artha-śāstra (1.2.2).
6 This line has been added here to aid comprehension.
7 Prabhupāda has remarked in this regard: “Even a lion, although king of the beasts, must still look for its own prey in the jungle. It is said, na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. A lion cannot think, “Since I am king of the forest, let me sleep, and all the animals will come into my mouth.” That is not possible. “No, sir. Although you are a lion, you must go search for your food.” Thus even the lion, although so powerful, must endeavor with great difficulty to find another animal to eat, and similarly everyone in this material world must work with great difficulty to continue his life.” (Teachings of Queen Kuntī, Chapter 26)
8 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: akālena yuktaḥ krūra-graha-daśā-bhāgādi-yuktaḥ.
9 Even to maintain an attitude of political hostility requires ethical reasons, not irrational concepts expressed in words such as “we are better than them” or “they are not subordinate to us.”
10 The twelve kings in the neighborhood are the king intent on conquering an enemy, his five opponents, four allies, mediator and neutral neighbor. After much deliberation, we have decided to not present further information on the maṇḍala from the commentary. Anyone interested in knowing how a king should deal with each of the other kings in the maṇḍala can consult Cāṇakya’s Artha-śāstra, Part 6, or Kāmandaka’s Nīti-sāra, Chapters 8 and 9. The commentator has also provided a summary of yātrā (“military expedition to conquer the enemy”) which we have entirely avoided here considering the technical complexity involved; interested readers can consult the Artha-śāstra, Parts 9 and 10, or the Nīti-sāra, Chapter 15.
“Do You understand these and act accordingly” means “Do You understand the activities to be rejected and accepted [among them], and act as appropriate?”
This is a summary of Rāmacandra’s previous instructions.
The ten refers to:
(a) the following activities enlisted by Manu:
mṛgayākṣo divā-svapnaḥ parivādaḥ striyo madaḥ
tauryatrikaṁ vṛthāṭyā ca kāmajo daśako gaṇaḥ
“The ten vices stemming from lust are: (1) hunting, (2) gambling, (3) sleeping during the day, (4) criticism of others, (5) associating with women, (6) drinking liquor, (7) being absorbed in music, (8) being absorbed in song, (9) being absorbed in dance, and (10) useless travel.” (Manu-saṁhitā 7.47)
(b) the following traits enlisted by Kāmandaka: (1) greed, (2) anger, (3) laziness, (4) falsehood, (5) inattention, (6) timidity, (7) unsteadiness, (8) foolishness, (9) unjust and (10) disrespect 18.
Therefore he states:
lubdhaḥ krūro ’laso ’satyaḥ pramādī bhīrur asthiraḥ
mūḍho ’nayo ’vamantā ca sukha-cchedyo ripur mataḥ
“A greedy, cruel, lazy, dishonest, inattentive, timid, unsteady, foolish, unjust and disrespectful person can be easily cut and is considered an enemy.”
The five refers to:
(a) the five inaccessible areas mentioned by Manu: regions that are watery, mountainous, [overgrown] with trees, saline lands and deserts 19.
(b) the five kinds of enemies mentioned by Kāmandaka:
sāpatnaṁ vastujaṁ strījaṁ vāg-jātaṁ aparādhajam
vaira-prabheda-nipuṇair vairaṁ pañca-vidhaṁ smṛtam
“Those expert [in knowledge concerning] varieties of enmity consider enmity to be of five kinds: enmity between sons of different mothers and same father, enmity on account of property, enmity on account of a woman, enmity on account of verbal [disagreement] and enmity on account of an offense.”1
The group of four refers to:
(a) the principles of conciliation, compensation, division and force as stated in Kāmandakīya [Nīti-sāra]: sāma-dānaṁ ca bhedaś ca daṇḍaś ceti catur-vidham.”
(b) the four types of friends as stated by Kāmandaka:
aurasaṁ taṁ tu sambandhaṁ tathā vaṁśa-kramāgatam
rakṣitaṁ vyasanebhyaś ca mitraṁ jñeyaṁ catur-vidham
“Friends are of four types: biological siblings, relatives, friends across the generations in a dynasty and friends due to protection from calamities.”2
(c) the four dhārmika activities of a king pertaining to wealth as stated by Kāmandaka again:
nyāyenārjanam arthasya rakṣaṇaṁ vardhanaṁ tathā
sat-pātre pratipattiś ca rājya-vṛttaṁ catur-vidham
“The king’s activities pertaining to wealth are four: to earn wealth justly, to secure it, to increase it and to distribute it to appropriate recipients.”
The group of seven refers to
(a) the following [constituents of a kingdom]:
svāmy-amātyāś ca rāṣṭraṁ ca durgaṁ kośo balaṁ suhṛt
parasparopakārīdaṁ rājyaṁ saptāṅgam ucyate
“The seven interdependent divisions of a kingdom are the ruler, his minister, country, forts, treasury, army and well-wishers.” (Kāmandaka’s Nīti-sāra 4.1)
(b) the seven types of people in one’s own side: (1) an immediate relative, (2) a friend, (3) one who has taken shelter, (4) one born to a good relative, (5) one who has circumstantially joined in, (6) a servant and (7) one who has been obtained through various means 20.
(c) the seven primary battle formations (vyūhas):
śyenaḥ sūcī ca vajraś ca śakaṭo makaras tathā
daṇḍākhyaḥ padma-nāmā ca vyūhāḥ sapta pradhānataḥ
“There are seven primary battle formations: (1) eagle, (2) needle, (3) thunderbolt, (4) cart, (5) crocodile, (6) stick and (7) lotus.”
The group of eight refers to:
(a) the eight sources of state income according to Kāmandaka:
kṛṣi-vāṇijya-durgāṇi setuḥ kuñjara-bandhanam
khany-ākaraḥ karādānaṁ śūnyānāṁ ca niveśanam
aṣṭa-vargam imaṁ sādhu svastha-vṛtto na lopayet
“Agriculture, trading, inaccessible areas, dams, enclosures for elephants, mines and quarries, taxation, peopling of uninhabited tracts of land are the eight good sources of income that a king in good standing should not lose.”
(b) the eight evil traits:
paiśunyaṁ sāhasaṁ droham īrṣyāsūyārtha-dūṣaṇam
vāg-daṇḍayoś ca pāruṣyaṁ krodhajo ’pi guṇāṣṭakaḥ
“The eight vices stemming from anger are: (1) slander, (2) audacity, (3) betrayal, (4) envy, (5) resentment, (6) theft, (7) verbal abuse, and (8) physical abuse.” (Manu-saṁhitā 7.48)
Envy in this context means lack of tolerance or forgiveness, that is, lack of tolerance of an offense committed by an ignorant weak person. Resentment in this context refers to ascribing fault to good people.
The group of three refers to
(a) dharma, artha and kāma
(b) enthusiasm, rulership and counsel3
(c) destruction, maintenance and enhancement of others [as appropriate] as stated by Amara 21.
(d) the three dangers stated by Kāmandaka: endeavoring for the impossible, not endeavoring for the possible due to delusion and endeavoring for the possible at the wrong time 22.
The three sciences are the three Vedas, economics and government.4
The sciences are enlisted as four [in the Artha-śāstra of Cāṇakya]: ānvīkṣikī trayī vārtā daṇḍa-nītiś ca: “[the science of] critical reasoning, the three Vedas, [the science of] economics and [the science of] government.” (Artha-śāstra 1.2.1) Nevertheless, [the science of] critical reasoning is subsumed in the three Vedas as stated by Kāmandaka following Manu’s opinion 23.5
“Economics” here refers to agriculture, cow protection and trading [through barter]. The [science of government] is Artha-śāstra.
The six expedients are [described in the Artha-śāstra]: (1) sandhi or political alliance, (2) vigraha or political hostility, (3) yāna or military march, (4) āsana or halt in such a march, (5) dvaidhī-bhāva or diplomacy, and (6) saṁśraya or taking shelter of others.
Regarding the calamities caused by providence and humans, each of them is of five kinds as stated in Kāmandaka’s [Nīti-sāra]:
hutāśano jalaṁ vyādhir durbhikṣaṁ maraṇaṁ tathā
iti pañca-vidhaṁ daivaṁ mānuṣaṁ vyasanaṁ param
āyuktakebhyaś corebhyaḥ parebhyo rāja-vallabhāt
pṛthivī-pati-lobhāc ca vyasanaṁ pañcadhā bhavet
“The five types of calamities caused by providence are fire, water, disease, drought and death. The calamities caused by humans are also five: from officials, thieves, other [kings], one dear to the king and greed to become the king.”
The special duty refers to neutralizing those related to one’s enemies when they haven’t received their salaries, are disrespected, angered or frightened; this is accomplished by giving them gifts dear to them as stated by Kāmandaka 24.
The group of twenty refers to:
(a) the twenty kings with whom one should never enter into a political alliance and with whom one should always maintain political hostility:
bālo vṛddho dīrgha-rogī tathā jñāti-bahiṣkṛtaḥ
bhīruko bhīru-janako lubdho lubdha-janas tathā
virakta-prakṛtiś caiva viṣayeṣv atisaktimān
aneka-citta-mantraś ca deva-brāhmaṇa-nindakaḥ
daivopahatakaś caiva daiva-cintaka eva ca
durbhikṣa-vyasanopeto bala-vyasana-saṅkulaḥ
adeśastho bahu-ripur yukto ’kālena yaś ca saḥ
satya-dharma-vyapetaś ca viṁśatiḥ puruṣā amī
etaiḥ sandhiṁ na kurvīta vigṛhṇīyāt tu kevalam
ete vigṛhyamāṇā hi dhruvaṁ yānti ripor vaśam6
“One should never establish political alliance with the following kings: (1) a young king, (2) an old king, (3) a king who has been sick since a long time, (4) a king who has been discarded by his relatives, (5) a timid king, (6) a king with timid assistants, (7) a greedy king, (8) a king with greedy assistants, (9) a king renounced by his prakṛtis, (10) a king excessively addicted to sensual pleasures, (11) a king with many ideas and advisors, (12) a king who criticizes the devas and brāhmaṇas, (13) a king overcome by adverse fate, (14) a king who relies too much on providence, (15) a famine-stricken king, (16) a king whose army is in disorder, (17) a king who is in a foreign land, (18) a king with many enemies, (19) a king in his bad times, and (20) a king devoid of truthfulness and dharma. One should always maintain political hostility towards them because when they are dealt with thus, they will certainly come under the influence of one’s enemy. “ (Kāmandakīya Nīti-sāra 9.24-28)
[In the above list,] “a king with timid assistants” refers to a king with timid ministers, commanders-in-chief and warriors. “A king with greedy assistants” also refers to a king with greedy ministers, commanders-in-chief and warriors. “Greedy” means extremely covetous for wealth. “A king overcome by adverse fate” refers to one overcome by the curse of a great sage and so on. “A king who relies too much on providence” does not endeavor [to attain his desired results].7 “A king in his bad times” is one undergoing an astrologically inauspicious phase.8
(b) the twenty reasons for maintaining political hostility:
rājya-strī-sthāna-deśānāṁ jñānasya ca balasya ca
apahāro mado mānaḥ pīḍā vaiṣayikī tathā
jñānārtha-śakti-dharmāṇāṁ vighāto daivam eva ca
mitrārthaṁ cāvamānaś ca tathā bandhu-vināśanam
bhūtānugraha-vicchedas tathā maṇḍala-dūṣaṇam
ekārthābhiniveśitvam iti vigraha-yonayaḥ
“These are the reasons for establishing political hostility with a king: (1) Usurpation of one’s kingdom, (2) abduction of women, (3) seizure of provinces, (4) seizure of districts, (5) abduction of one’s relatives, (6) theft of wealth, (7) arrogance, (8) pride, (9) being under the sway of sense objects, (10) loss of knowledge, (11) loss of wealth, (12) loss of power, (13) loss of dharma, (14) the devas, (15) dishonor of one’s friends, (16) theft of the wealth of one’s friends, (17) destruction of one’s friends, (18) lack of compassion for living beings, (19) destruction of one’s ministers, commander-in-chief, well-wishers and so on, (20) hankering for that which he himself wants.”9 (Kāmandaka’s Nīti-sāra 10.3-5)
“The devas” in the above list indicates that one should maintain political hostility towards those who oppose the devas just as Daśaratha was hostile towards Śambara who opposed Indra. Mitrārthaṁ cāvamānaś ca also indicates that dishonor of the followers of one’s friends is another reason to establish political hostility towards a king. “Lack of compassion for living beings” refers to lack of mercy upon the public.
Prakṛti refers to those enlisted by Kāmandaka:
amātya-rāṣṭra-durgāṇi kośo daṇḍaś ca pañcamaḥ
etāḥ prakṛtayas taj-jñair vijigīṣor udāhṛtāḥ
“Authorities state that the minister, kingdom, forts, treasury and army are the prakṛtis [or constituents] of a king who wants to conquer others.” (Nīti-sāra 8.4)
Maṇḍala [refers to the king and his eleven neighbors, represented by a diagram conceived of in the mind of a king intent on conquering an enemy] containing [a representation of] the twelve kings in the neighborhood.10
Daṇḍa-vidhānam also refers to neutralizing one’s enemies.
“Political alliance and hostility as the original two expedients:” According to Kāmandaka, out of the six expedients [enlisted above], political hostility is the original cause of military march and halt in such a march, and political alliance is the original cause of diplomacy and taking shelter of others 25.
Through these questions, [Rāma asked Bharata] if He had rejected those that were meant to be rejected and accepted those that were meant to be accepted.