History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.529
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.529
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Kauṭilya devotes one book (VIII) to the discussion of *vyasana*. Vyasana ³¹³ means 'what deprives a man of great good' (from the root 'as' to throw with 'vi'). According to Kauṭ. vyasana may be either the absence of qualities (such as noble birth) or the opposite of such qualities, faults (such as hot temper), excessive attachment (to women &c.), harassment (by invasion or calamities like famines). So vyasanas may broadly be divided into two classes viz. calamities and faults due to *kāma* (passion) and *krodha* (hot temper). The view of many *ācāryas* is that of the vyasanas of the king, ministers, the people of the realm, fort, treasury, army and ally, the vyasanas of each preceding one are more serious than those of each succeeding one. From the discussion in VIII. 1 it appears that Kauṭilya in this case agrees with the ācāryas. Differing from Bhāradvāja Kauṭ. holds that the calamities befalling a king or his vices are more serious in their consequences than those of the ministers, since it is the king who appoints the ministers, the purohita, other servants and superintendents of departments and he can employ others in their places and since the rise or fall of the people depends upon him.
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Disagreeing with Viśālākṣa Kauṭilya holds that the vyasanas of ministers have more serious consequences than those of the people, as all (national) undertakings proceed from the ministers, as the security of person and property from internal and external enemies, adoption of remedies to resist calamities, recruiting of army, collection of taxes are all in their hands. Differing from the school of Parāśara, Kauṭilya is of opinion that the vyasana of the people has graver consequences than that of the fort (or capital), for forts, treasury and army, all irrigation and agricultural work, stability, bravery and abundance (of things) spring from the people. Against Piśuna, Kauṭilya states that the calamities befalling the fort (or capital) give rise to graver consequences than those of the army for the reason that it is in the fort that the treasury and army are kept safe. Kauṭ. (VIII. 2) holds that internal troubles are more serious than external ones and troubles due to ministers are the most serious of all internal troubles. Kauṭ. prefers an ignorant ruler (who has not studied śāstras) to a king who is bent on swerving from the dictates of śāstras which he knows; he prefers a king suffering from illness to a new king (a conqueror), a weak but a high-born king to a strong but low-born one. In VIII. 3 he enumerates the several faults and vices which have already been stated above (p. 54). After remarking that ignorance and lack of training are the causes of vices or faults, Kauṭ.
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discourses on the relative seriousness of the several faults or vices and holds that gambling is worse than hunting, that sexual passion is worse than gambling, that drinking is worse than sexual vice and that gambling is the special cause of dissension among *saṅghas* (corporate assemblies) and among families of nobles that have the characteristics of saṅghas. In VIII. 4 he states that among divine visitations like fire, flood, epidemics and famine, floods are more devastating than fire, diseases and epidemics are less destructive than famine, that the loss of outstanding³¹⁴ men is more serious than that of common men even in large numbers, since there can hardly be one eminent man among a thousand ordinary or inferior men. He holds that the trouble caused by the Crown Prince is a lesser evil than that caused by a favourite queen. In VIII. 5 Kauṭilya holds a discussion on the troubles arising from the army and allies. He first enumerates thirty-three matters that may cause trouble with the army, such as not giving due respect to it, or showing contempt to it, not dispensing the pay at the proper time, not preventing diseases from attacking it, having soldiers who are very fond of their wives. He then takes pairs of troubles out of these and states which is the lesser evil of the two. Then he deals with causes that lead to the loss or defection of allies.