Verse 7.81

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

अध्यक्षान् विविधान् कुर्यात् तत्र तत्र विपश्चितः ।
तेऽस्य सर्वाण्यवेक्षेरन्नृणां कार्याणि कुर्वताम् ॥ ८१ ॥

adhyakṣān vividhān kuryāt tatra tatra vipaścitaḥ |
te'sya sarvāṇyavekṣerannṛṇāṃ kāryāṇi kurvatām || 81 ||

Here and there he shall appoint several proficient inspectors; they shall supervise all the acts of men working for him.—(81)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Inspectors’—duly authorised supervisors —‘he shall appoint.’

‘Several’—of various kinds; i.e. kind-hearted, hard-hearted, righteous and experts in collecting wealth.

‘Here and there’,—in the treasury containing gold, in the collecting of customs and taxes in cash and kind, in looking after the navy, the elephants, the chariots, the horses and the foot-soldiers. To all this he shall appoing (appoint?) ‘proficient men. All these should be endowed with all the qualities of ministers; as has been declared in the Adhyakṣapracāra—‘Those inspectors shall supervise all the works of men who transact the king’s business as his agents,—e.g., elephant-keepers in the keeping of elephants, masters of the horse in looking after horses, and keepers of cattle in looking after ploughing and such works’.—(81)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 581), which explains ‘kāryāṇī’ as ‘good and bad deeds.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Yājñavalkya (1.320-321).—In several places he shall appoint officers, expert, clever and pure and ever careful regarding income, expenditure and the harem.’

Arthaśāstra (p. 130).—‘The officer styled Samāhartṛ shall look after forts, kingdom (e.g., Revenue, Taxes, Customs and so forth), mines, bridges and dams, forests, cow-pens and trade-routes.’

Śukranīti (2.234-236).—‘He should appoint many supervisors, or only one officer without supervisors, according to the importance of the charge. For other works he should appoint those who are fit.’