Verse 7.171

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

यदा मन्येत भावेन हृष्टं पुष्टं बलं स्वकम् ।
परस्य विपरीतं च तदा यायाद् रिपुं प्रति ॥ १७१ ॥

yadā manyeta bhāvena hṛṣṭaṃ puṣṭaṃ balaṃ svakam |
parasya viparītaṃ ca tadā yāyād ripuṃ prati || 171 ||

When he thinks that his own army is happy and strong in condition, and that of the enemy is the reverse, then shall he march against the enemy—(171)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Condition’—is the cause of happiness and strength; e.g. having received much wealth, the harvest having been good, and so forth are the causes that are conducive to happiness and strength. ‘Army’— consisting of elephants, horses and foot-soldiers.

‘And that of the enemy is the reverse’,—‘then shall he march against the enemy’—i.e., attack him. The causes that prompt actual marching against the enemy are not the same that lead the king to make war; in fact, these latter, as also the loss of happiness and strength of the enemy’s people, are the causes that should prompt actual marching.—(171)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Cf. Kāmandaka, 10.26.

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya, (Rājanīti, p. 327).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇudharmottara (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 327).—‘When a king finds himself stronger than another, he shall declare war on him. He shall undertake the march when he finds that it would bring him much gain.’

Yājñavalkya (1.347).—‘The king shall march against another kingdom when it is full of crops, and the king thereof is weak, while the attacking king himself has his men and conveyances fit.’