Verse 7.60

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

अन्यानपि प्रकुर्वीत शुचीन् प्राज्ञानवस्थितान् ।
सम्यगर्थसमाहर्तॄनमात्यान् सुपरीक्षितान् ॥ ६० ॥

anyānapi prakurvīta śucīn prājñānavasthitān |
samyagarthasamāhartṝnamātyān suparīkṣitān || 60 ||

He shall also appoint other ministers, who are pure, wise, firm, experts in collecting revenue and thoroughly tested.—(60)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

This is an exception to what has been said regarding the appointing of ‘seven or eight’ ministers (verse 54).

‘Experts in collecting revenue’—thoroughly experienced in the work of collecting revenue.

‘Tested’—by the tests (described above).—(60)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 185);—and in Nītimayūkha (p. 53).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 7.60-62)

(See the texts under 54.)

Viṣṇu (8.16-21).—‘The king shall appoint able officials for the working of his mines, for the levying of taxes and of the fares to be paid at ferries, and for his elephants and forests. He shall appoint pious persons for performing acts of piety; skilled men for financial business; brave men for fighting; stern men for acts of rigour; and eunuchs for his wives.’

Yājñavalkya (1.320-21).—He shall appoint such officials as are experts in their work, clever and pure and alert, to the departments of income and expenditure and the harems.’

Arthaśāstra (p. 136).—‘The officer placed in charge of Forts shall look after the following: tolls, fines, weights and measures, landmarks and boundaries, coinage, wines, slaughterhouse, yarns, oils, butter, salt, gold, trade-regulations, courtesans, gambling, engineering, building, arts and crafts, temples and entrance and exit.’

Arthaśāstra (p. 6).—‘Officers of the following departments are to be appointed:—gold, granary, trade, forestry, armoury, weights and measures, measurements of time and surveying, customs and tolls, spinning and weaving, agriculture, excise, slaughterhouse, courtesans, navy, cattle, horse, elephant, chariot, infantry, army-command, coinage, pasture-land, collection of revenues, espionage, city-administration.’