Verse 7.120

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

तेषां ग्राम्याणि कार्यानि पृथक्कार्याणि चैव हि ।
राज्ञोऽन्यः सचिवः स्निग्धस्तानि पश्येदतन्द्रितः ॥ १२० ॥

teṣāṃ grāmyāṇi kāryāni pṛthakkāryāṇi caiva hi |
rājño'nyaḥ sacivaḥ snigdhastāni paśyedatandritaḥ || 120 ||

The affairs of these officers pertaining to the villages, as also their individual affairs another minister of the King shall inspect, who is loyal and never idle.—(120)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

There may be differences of opinion among these officers regarding the affairs of the villages.

‘Another’—some one other than those under whose sphere of duties those affairs fall;—‘minister’—of superior status;—‘loyal’—free from undue love and hate,—should be appointed for inspecting those affairs.—(120)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Pṛthakkāryāṇi’—‘Quarrels among each other’ (Nārāyaṇa);—‘the separate affairs of the villagers’ (Nandana),

‘Snigdhaḥ’—‘Impartial’ (Medhātíthī);—‘loyal to the king’ (Kullūka).

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 249), which explains ‘pṛthakkāryāṇi’ as ‘quarrels among themselves’;—it notes that if we adopted the reading ‘pṛthakkāyāni,’ the meaning would be ‘matters on which there is a difference of opinion among them.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Mahābhārata (12.87, 9-10).—‘A minister conversant with the Law shall supervise the doings of all these village-lords.’

Viṣṇudharmottara (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 249).—‘In accordance with their duties, he shall make divisions and sub-divisions among them; and he shall always have their work inspected through spies.’

Yājñavalkya (1.336-338).—‘Having learnt all about the work of the officers appointed in the kingdom, through his spies, the king shall honour the honest and punish the dishonest; those addicted to bribery be shall banish after confiscating their property, and he shall retain the Vedic scholars with due honour and gifts.’