War in Ancient India c11.t1.10

c11.t1.10

The Kauṭalīya proceeds to trace the four different stages in the evolution of a sandhi.⁴⁷ The first is termed akṛtacikīrṣa or peace with no specific end. Here the arts of conciliation and other modes of diplomacy are employed, and the rights of respective powers, equal, inferior and superior, are clearly defined. The second is kṛtāśleṣaṇam or peace with specific terms. In this case the agreement made continues intact, and its provisions are strictly observed, through the medium of common friends. The third is kṛtāvidūṣaṇam or violating the peace terms. If it is seen that one party is treacherous and violates the terms of agreement through the agency of traitors and spies, that agreement is broken. The last is avaśīrṇa kriyā or the restoration of peace when broken. On a promise to observe the provisions of the treaty strictly, a reconciliation is effected. The restoration of the original compact depends on the peculiar circumstances of the case. For there can be no true reconciliation with those who break the entente and then express a wish to join, offering no satisfactory explanation of their previous action. The same holds good with persons of outrageous conduct and those who are unsteady. In formulating these principles, a critical study of the relevant portions of the Arthaśāstra shows that its author is lenient to a fault. For he lays down the rule that “ whoever annoys the enemy should be accepted and he who does equal harm to both should be politically examined ”.