Kautilya's Arthashastra 1.14: Chapter 14 (Section 10): Winning over the Enemy's Seducible and Non-seducible Parties

1.14.1

kṛtyākṛtyapakṣopagrahaḥ svaviṣaye vyākhyātaḥ, paraviṣaye vācyaḥ //

PROTECTION of parties for or against one's own cause in one's own state has been dealt with. Similar measures in connection with parties in a foreign state are to be treated of.

1.14.2

saṃśrutyārthān vipralabdhaḥ, tulyakāriṇoḥ śilpe vopakāre vā vimānitaḥ, vallabhāvaruddhaḥ, samāhūya parājitaḥ, pravāsopataptaḥ, kṛtvā vyayam alabdhakāryaḥ, svadharmād dāyādyād voparuddhaḥ, mānādhikārābhyāṃ bhraṣṭaḥ, kulyair antarhitaḥ, prasabhābhimṛṣṭastrīkaḥ, kārābhinyastaḥ, paroktadaṇḍitaḥ, mithyācāravāritaḥ, sarvasvam
āhāritaḥ, bandhanaparikliṣṭaḥ, pravāsitabandhuḥ - iti kruddhavargaḥ //

Those who are deluded with false promise of large rewards; those of whom one party, though equally skillful as another party in artistic work or in turning out productive or beneficial works, is slighted by bestowing larger rewards on its rival party; those who are harassed by courtiers (Vallabhá-varuddháh); those who are invited to be slighted; those who are harassed by banishment; those who in spite of their large outlay of money have failed in their undertakings; those who are prevented from the exercise of their rights or from taking possession of their inheritance; those who have fallen from their rank and honours in government service; those who are shoved to the corner by their own kinsmen; those whose women are violently assaulted; those who are thrown in jail; those who are punished in secret; those who are warned of their misdeeds; those whose property has been wholly confiscated; those who have long suffered from imprisonment; those whose relatives are banished---all these come under the group of provoked persons.

1.14.3

svayam upahataḥ, viprakṛtaḥ, pāpakarmābhikhyātaḥ, tulyadoṣadaṇḍenodvignaḥ, paryāttabhūmiḥ, daṇḍenopanataḥ, sarvādhikaraṇasthaḥ, sahasopacitārthaḥ, tatkulīnopāśaṃsuḥ, pradviṣṭo rājñā, rājadveṣī ca - iti bhītavargaḥ //

He who has fallen a victim to misfortune by his own misdeeds; he who is offended (by the king); he whose sinful deeds are brought to light; he who is alarmed at the award of punishment on a man of like guilt; he whose lands have been confiscated; he whose rebellious spirit is put down by coercive measures; he who, as a superintendent of all government departments, has suddenly amassed a large amount of wealth; he who, as a relative of such a rich man aspires to inherit his wealth; he who is disliked by the king; and he who hates the king,--all these come under the group of persons alarmed.

1.14.4

parikṣīṇaḥ, anyāttasvaḥ, kadaryaḥ, vyasanī, atyāhitavyavahāraś ca - iti lubdhavargaḥ //

He who is impoverished; he who has lost much wealth; he who is niggardly; he who is addicted to evil propensities; and he who is engaged in dangerous transactions,---all these constitute the group of ambitious persons.

1.14.5

ātmasambhāvitaḥ, mānakāmaḥ, śatrupūjāmarṣitaḥ, nīcair upahitaḥ, tīkṣṇaḥ, sāhasikaḥ, bhogenāsaṃtuṣṭaḥ - iti mānivargaḥ //

He who is self-sufficient; he who is fond of honours; he who is intolerant of his rival's honour; he who is esteemed low; he who is of a fiery spirit; he who is foolhardy as well as he who is not content with what he has been enjoying,--all these come under the group of haughty persons.

1.14.6

teṣāṃ muṇḍajaṭilavyañjanair yo yadbhaktiḥ kṛtyapakṣīyas taṃ tenopajāpayet //

Of these, he who clings to a particular faction shall be so deluded by spies with shaved head or braided hair as to believe that he is intriguing with that party. Partisans under provocation, for example, may be won over by telling that ‘just as an elephant in rut and mounted over by a driver under intoxication tramples under its foot whatever it comes across, so this king, dispossessed of the eye of science, blindly attempts to oppress both citizens and country people; it is possible to restrain him by setting up a rival elephant against him; so have forbearance enough (to wait).’

1.14.7

"yathā madāndho hastī mattenādhiṣṭhito yad yad āsādayati tat sarvaṃ pramṛdnāti, evam ayam aśāstracakṣur andho rājā paurajānapadavadhāyābhyutthitaḥ, śakyam asya pratihastiprotsāhanenāpakartum, amarṣaḥ kriyatām" iti kruddhavargam upajāpayet //

1.14.8

"yathā līnaḥ sarpo yasmād bhayaṃ paśyati tatra viṣam utsṛjati, evam ayaṃ rājā jātadoṣāśaṅkas tvayi purā krodhaviṣam utsṛjati, anyatra gamyatām" iti bhītavargaṃupajāpayet //

Likewise alarmed persons may be won over by telling that ‘just as a hidden snake bites and emits poison over whatever alarms it, so this king apprehensive of danger from thee will ere long emit the poison of his resentment on thee; so thou mayest better go elsewhere.’

1.14.9

"yathā śvagaṇināṃ dhenuḥ śvabhyo duhyate na brāhmaṇebhyaḥ, evam ayaṃ rājā sattvaprajñāvākyaśaktihīnebhyo duhyate nātmaguṇasampannebhyaḥ, asau rājā puruṣaviśeṣajñaḥ, tatra gamyatām" iti lubdhavargaṃupajāpayet //

Similarly ambitious persons may be won over by telling that ‘just as a cow reared by dog-keepers gives milk to dogs, but not to Bráhmans, so this king gives milk (rewards) to those who are devoid of valour, foresight, eloquence and bravery, but not to those who are possessed of noble character; so the other king who is possessed of power to discriminate men from men may be courted.’

1.14.10

"yathā caṇḍālodapānaś caṇḍālānām evopabhogyo nānyeṣām, evam ayaṃ rājā nīco nīcānām evopabhogyo na tvadvidhānām āryāṇām, asau rājā puruṣaviśeṣajñaḥ, tatra gamyatām" iti mānivargam upajāpayet //

In like manner haughty persons may be won over by telling that ‘just as a reservoir of water belonging to Chándálas is serviceable only to Chándálas, but not to others, so this king of low-birth confers his patronage only on low-born people, but not on Aryas like thee; so the other king who is possessed of power to distinguish between men and men may be courted.’

1.14.11

tatheti pratipannāṃs tān saṃhitān paṇakarmaṇā /
yojayeta yathāśakti sa-apasarpān svakarmasu //

All these disaffected persons, when acquiescing to the above proposals, may be made under a solumn compact (panakarmaná) to form a combination together with the spies to achieve their end.

1.14.12

labheta sāmadānābhyāṃ kṛtyāṃś ca parabhūmiṣu /
akṛtyān bhedadaṇḍābhyāṃ paradoṣāṃś ca darśayan //E

Likewise friends of a foreign king may also be won over by means of persuation and rewards, while implacable enemies may be brought round by sowing dissensions, by threats, and by pointing out the defects of their master.