History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.299.4

v4.c62.299.4

When the information received from these three sources tallies then it will be held reliable: if the information frequently disagrees, the spies should be secretly punished or discharged. A similar rule about sending several spies on the same mission without their knowing each other is laid down by Viṣṇudharmottara II. 24. 66-67. Kauṭ. in I. 13 deals with espionage on subjects in general (i. e. those in the capital and other parts of the country). Spies are to pretend to take sides, some praising the king as possessed of all good qualities, others qualifying that praise. They were also to report the rumours spreading among the people, to report whether there was discontent and the king was to honour those who were reported to be contented and to bring round the discontented by conciliation, gifts, sowing dissensions among them or by punishing them. In. I. 14 Kauṭilya deals with the employment of spies for taking advantage of parties in a foreign State i. e. groups of persons angry with the foreign king or afraid of him or of persons who are ambitious or proud, who are to be won over by appropriate words and *stimuli*. It will be seen how there was a network of spies of all kinds, so much so that Kām. XII. 28 declares that spies are the king's eyes (*cāracakṣur mahīpatiḥ*). The Viṣṇudharmottara II. 24. 63 says the same ('*rājānaś-cāracakṣuṣaḥ*') and also Udyoga 34. 34 '*cāraiḥ paśyanti rājānaḥ*'. In IV.