Kautilya's Arthashastra 1.11: Chapter 11 (Section 7): Appointment of Persons in Secret Service

1.11.1

upadhābhiḥ śuddhāmātyavargo gūḍhapuruṣān utpādayet kāpaṭikodāsthitagṛhapatikavaidehakatāpasavyañjanān sattritīṣkṇarasadabhikṣukīś ca //

ASSISTED by the council of his ministers tried under espionage, the king shall proceed to create spies: --Spies under the guise of a fraudulent disciple (kápatika-chhátra), a recluse (udásthita), a householder (grihapaitika), a merchant (vaidehaka), an ascetic practising austerities (tápasa), a class-mate or a colleague (satri), a fire-brand (tíkshna), a poisoner (rasada), and a mendicant woman (bhikshuki).

1.11.2

paramarmajñaḥ pragalbhaś chātraḥ kāpaṭikaḥ //

A skillful person capable of guessing the mind of others is a fraudulent disciple. Having encouraged such a spy with honour and money rewards, the minister shall tell him, "sworn to the king and myself, thou shalt inform us of whatever wickedness thou findest in others."

1.11.3

tam arthamānābhyāṃ protsāhya mantrī brūyāt - "rājānaṃ māṃ ca pramāṇaṃ kṛtvā yasya yad akuśalaṃ paśyasi tat tadānīm eva pratyādiśa" iti //

1.11.4

pravrajyā pratyavasitaḥ prajñāśaucayukta udāsthitaḥ //

One who is initiated in asceticism and is possessed of foresight and pure character is a recluse. This spy, provided with much money and many disciples, shall carry on agriculture, cattle-rearing, and trade (vártakarma) on the lands allotted to him for the purpose. Out of the produce and profits thus acquired, he shall provide all ascetics with subsistence, clothing and lodging, and send on espionage such among those under his protection as are desirous to earn a livelihood (vrittikáma), ordering each of them to detect a particular kind of crime committed in connection with the king's wealth and to report of it when they come to receive their subsistence and wages. All the ascetics (under the recluse) shall severally send their followers on similar errands.

1.11.5

sa vārttākarmapradiṣṭāyāṃ bhūmau prabhūtahiraṇyāntevāsī karma kārayet //

1.11.6

karmaphalāc ca sarvapravrajitānāṃ grāsācchādanāvasathān pratividadhyāt //

1.11.7

vṛttikāmāṃś copajapet - "etenaiva veṣeṇa rājārthaś caritavyo bhaktavetanakāle copasthātavyam" iti //

1.11.8

sarvapravrajitāś ca svaṃ svaṃ vargam evam upajapeyuḥ //

1.11.9

karṣako vṛttikṣīṇaḥ prajñāśaucayukto gṛhapatikavyañjanaḥ //

A cultivator, fallen from his profession, but possessed of foresight and pure character is termed a householder spy. This spy shall carry on the cultivation of lands allotted to him for the purpose, and maintain cultivators, etc.--as before.

1.11.10

sa kṛṣikarmapradiṣṭāyāṃ bhūmau - iti samānaṃ pūrveṇa //

1.11.11

vāṇijako vṛttikṣīṇaḥ prajñāśaucayukto vaidehakavyañjanaḥ //

A trader, fallen from his profession, but possessed of foresight and pure character, is a merchant spy. This spy shall carry on the manufacture of merchandise on lands allotted to him for the purpose, etc.,--as before.

1.11.12

sa vaṇikkarmapradiṣṭāyāṃ bhūmau - iti samānaṃ pūrveṇa //

1.11.13

muṇḍo jaṭilo vā vṛttikāmas tāpasavyañjanaḥ //

A man with shaved head (munda) or braided hair (jatila) and desirous to earn livelihood is a spy under the guise of an ascetic practising austerities. Such a spy surrounded by a host of disciples with shaved head or braided hair may take his abode in the suburbs of a city, and pretend as a person barely living on a handful of vegetables or meadow grass (yavasamushti) taken once in the interval of a month or two, but he may take in secret his favourite food-stuffs (gúdhamishtamáháram).

1.11.14

sa nagarābhyāśe prabhūtamuṇḍajaṭilāntevāsī śākaṃ yavamuṣṭiṃ vā māsadvimāsāntaraṃ prakāśam aśnīyāt, gūḍham iṣṭam āhāram //

1.11.15

vaidehakāntevāsinaś cainaṃ samiddhayogair arcayeyuḥ //

Merchant spies pretending to be his disciples may worship him as one possessed of preternatural powers. His other disciples may widely proclaim that "this ascetic is an accomplished expert of preternatural powers."

1.11.16

śiṣyāś cāsyāvedayeyuḥ - "asau siddhaḥ sāmedhikaḥ" iti //

1.11.17

samedhāśāstibhiś cābhigatānām aṅgavidyayā śiṣyasaṃjñābhiś ca karmāṇy abhijane avasitāny ādiśet - alpalābham agnidāhaṃ corabhayaṃ dūṣyavadhaṃ tuṣṭidānaṃ videśapravṛttijñānam, "idam adya śvo vā bhaviṣyati, idaṃ vā rājā kariṣyati" iti //

Regarding those persons who, desirous of knowing their future, throng to him, he may, through palmistry, foretell such future events as he can ascertain by the nods and signs of his disciples (angavidyayá sishyasanjnábhischa) concerning the works of high-born people of the country,-- viz., small profits, destruction by fire, fear from robbers, the execution of the seditious, rewards for the good, forecast of foreign affairs (videsa pravrittivijnánam), saying, “this will happen to-day, that to-morrow, and that this king will do.” Such assertions of the ascetic his disciples shall corroborate (by adducing facts and figures).

1.11.18

tad asya gūḍhāḥ sattriṇaś ca sampādayeyuḥ //

1.11.19

sattvaprajñāvākyaśaktisampannānāṃ rājabhāgyam anuvyāharet, mantrisamyogaṃ ca brūyāt //

He shall also foretell not only the rewards which persons possessed of foresight, eloquence, and bravery are likely to receive at the hands of the king, but also probable changes in the appointments of ministers.

1.11.20

mantrī caiṣāṃ vṛttikarmabhyāṃ viyateta //

The king's minister shall direct his affairs in conformity to the forecast made by the ascetic. He shall appease with offer of wealth and honour those who have had some well known cause to be disaffected, and impose punishments in secret on those who are for no reason disaffected or who are plotting against the king.

1.11.21

ye ca kāraṇād abhikruddhās tān arthamānābhyāṃ śamayet, akāraṇakruddhāṃs tūṣṇīṃ daṇḍena, rājadviṣṭakāriṇaś ca //

1.11.22

pūjitāś cārthamānābhyāṃ rājñā rājopajīvinām /
jānīyuḥ śaucam ity etāḥ pañcasaṃsthāḥ prakīrtitāḥ //E

Honoured by the king with awards of money and titles, these five institutes of espionage (samstháh) shall ascertain the purity of character of the king's servants.