Verse 9.272

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

राष्ट्रेषु रक्षाधिकृतान् सामन्तांश्चैव चोदितान् ।
अभ्याघातेषु मध्यस्थाञ् शिष्याच्चौरानिव द्रुतम् ॥ २७२ ॥

rāṣṭreṣu rakṣādhikṛtān sāmantāṃścaiva coditān |
abhyāghāteṣu madhyasthāñ śiṣyāccaurāniva drutam || 272 ||

If those persons who are entrusted with the work of guarding the realm, and those vassals who have been ordered to assist, should remain neutral during the raids (against thieves), the king shall punish them speedily, like thieves.—(272)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

(verses 9.262-273)

(No Bhāṣya.)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 850);—in Vivādaratnākara (p. 341), which adds the following notes:—‘Rāṣṭrādhikṛtān’ i.e., inhabitants of the village;—‘deśitān’, deputed to guard the village;—‘madhyasthān’, those men who are looking on while people are being robbed by thieves and harassed;—all these the king shall punish like thieves;—in Vyvahāra-Bālambhaṭṭī (p. 991);—and in Vivādacintāmaṇi (Calcutta, p. 93).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Nārada (Theft: 15-18).—‘Those who are the governors in the principality, and the neighbours called in to save life and property are reckoned as equal to thieves when they stand neutral during the attack (by robbers). He on whose ground a robbery has been committed must trace the thieves to the best of his power, or else he must make good what has been stolen, unless the foot-prints can be traced from that ground to another man’s ground; when the foot-prints cannot be traced any further, the neighbours, road-inspectors and governors of that region shall be made responsible for the loss. When a bouse has been plundered, the King shall cause the detectives, the guards and the inhabitants of that region to make good the loss, if the thief is not caught.’